Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts

Egypt to Reopen Churches to Help Ease Sectarian Violence

In an effort to prevent future religion-based clashes in the streets, the Egyptian military-led government has announced that it will consider reopening up to 48 churches that were closed during the reign of former President Hosni Mubarak.

The move came in response to an escalation in tensions between majority Muslims and minority Coptic Christians in Cairo, the capital. The army had arrested nearly 200 people involved in violent clashes, including the burning of a church, that resulted in 12 deaths and more than 200 injuries. The prime minister, Essam Sharaf, canceled a trip of Gulf states in order to consult with the rest of the government. Protests against the violence took place in Alexandria.

The former tourism minister, Zoheir Garranah, is heading to jail for five years after being convicted of misusing public funds. He will join former Interior Minister Habib el-Adli, who was given a 12-year sentence after being convicted on charges of money laundering. They are the first two members of the Mubarak's cabinet to be convicted. Mubarak himself is still being detained at a hospital, where he was admitted after complaining of heart problems. He is charged with crimes that could get him the death penalty if convicted.

In economic news, the government reported an increase in inflation resulting from higher food prices, which were up 20 percent across the country over 2010 prices. The central bank estimated that the country's growth rate would be as low as 2 percent, down from a forecast of 6 percent earlier this year.

By: socialstudiesforkids.com


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Tanks Latest Part of Crackdown in Syria

The violence continues against anti-government protesters in Syrian cities.

The latest instance was of tanks rolling into Homs, the country's third-largest city, to convince protesters to abandon their marches and calls for political reform. Residents of other towns reported tanks in their streets as well.

Armed security forces accompanied the tanks and were seen firing on crowds. More than 600 people have been killed since the March 18 beginning of the uprising, in Daraa. The attacks against protesters were ordered by President Bashar al-Assad, focus of the protest movement.

Al-Assad has been in charge of the government for just 11 years, succeeding his famous father, Hafez Assad. The younger al-Assad, in the wake of the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, initially agreed to consider the governmental reforms but, when confronted by renewed protests for even more reforms, responded by ordering violent crackdowns and large numbers of arrests. Witnesses reported security forces going door-to-door in some cities, searching for protesters to arrest. In the meantime, the government has also shut down electricity and communications in several key areas of a few cities.

World leaders have been outspoken in their condemnation of the violence in Syria. U.S. President Barack Obama announced a new set of sanctions on Syria, and the European Union announced an arms embargo against the Damascus government.

Echoing the sanctions and the embargo was the United Nations, whose highest human rights group issued a stark condemnation of the violence.

By: socialstudiesforkids.com


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Shanghai to Introduce One-dog Policy

People who live in Shanghai have recently found out that they will have to abide by the city's new one-dog policy as well as the country's one-child policy. This is bad news for many dog owners.

By last estimate, the number of dogs in Shanghai is 800,000. That's only an estimate because just a couple hundred thousand dogs are registered, largely because of high registration fees. That leaves nearly 600,000 unregistered dogs in the Shanghai area, with a large number of those being strays easily susceptible to rabies and diseases that spread rapidly through the canine population.

It used to be the case that Chinese people couldn't have dogs as pets. That was certainly the case under Mao Tse-Tung. But in recent years, dog-owning has become something of a national pastime, with many people owning multiple dogs and spending large sums of money on pet pampering without applying for licenses for those dogs.

The policy went into effect on May 15, and dog owners have 30 days to sort their dog-ownership situation. People who own more than one dog will have to ensure that they own just one, either by giving spare dogs to friends and family or, presumably, by turning them loose.

The policy also introduced an annual fee of up to 500 yuan ($77) to keep that pet dog.

Shanghai joins other large Chinese cities, like Beijing, that have strict laws governing dog ownership.

By: socialstudiesforkids.com


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Japan Earthquake 2011: 8.9 Magnitude Earthquake Hits, 30-Foot Tsunami Triggered

TOKYO -- A ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coast Friday, killing hundreds of people as it swept away boats, cars and homes while widespread fires burned out of control.

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Hours later, the tsunami hit Hawaii and warnings blanketed the Pacific, putting areas on alert as far away as South America, Canada, Alaska and the entire U.S. West Coast. In Japan, the area around a nuclear power plant in the northeast was evacuated after the reactor's cooling system failed.

Police said 200 to 300 bodies were found in the northeastern coastal city of Sendai, the city in Miyagi prefecture (state) closest to the quake's epicenter. Another 88 were confirmed killed and at least 349 were missing. The death toll was likely to continue climbing given the scale of the disaster.


The magnitude-8.9 offshore quake unleashed a 23-foot (seven-meter) tsunami and was followed by more than 50 aftershocks for hours, many of them of more than magnitude 6.0.

Dozens of cities and villages along a 1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the epicenter. A large section of Kesennuma, a town of 70,000 people in Miyagi, burned furiously into the night with no apparent hope of the flames being extinguished, public broadcaster NHK said.

"The earthquake has caused major damage in broad areas in northern Japan," Prime Minister Naoto Kan said at a news conference.

The government ordered thousands of residents near a nuclear power plant in Onahama city to move back at least two miles (three kilometers) from the plant. The reactor was not leaking radiation but its core remained hot even after a shutdown. The plant is 170 miles (270 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.

Trouble was reported at two other nuclear plants as well, but there was no radiation leak at either.

Japan's coast guard said it was searching for 80 dock workers working on a ship that was swept away from a shipyard in Miyagi.

Even for a country used to earthquakes, this one was of horrific proportions because of the tsunami that crashed ashore, swallowing everything in its path as it surged several miles (kilometers) inland before retreating. The apocalyptic images of surging water and uncontrolled conflagrations broadcast by Japanese TV networks resembled scenes from a Hollywood disaster movie.

Large fishing boats and other sea vessels rode high waves into the cities, slamming against overpasses or scraping under them and snapping power lines along the way. Upturned and partially submerged vehicles were seen bobbing in the water. Ships anchored in ports crashed against each other.

The tsunami roared over embankments, washing anything in its path inland before reversing directions and carrying the cars, homes and other debris out to sea. Flames shot from some of the houses, probably because of burst gas pipes.

Waves of muddy waters flowed over farmland near Sendai, carrying buildings, some on fire, inland as cars attempted to drive away. Sendai airport was inundated with cars, trucks, buses and thick mud deposited over its runways.

The highways to the worst-hit coastal areas were buckled and communications, including telephone lines, were snapped. Train services in northeastern Japan and in Tokyo, which normally serve 10 million people a day, were also suspended, leaving untold numbers stranded in stations or roaming the streets. Tokyo's Narita airport was closed indefinitely.

Jesse Johnson, a native of the U.S. state of Nevada who lives in Chiba, north of Tokyo, was eating at a sushi restaurant with his wife when the quake hit.

"At first it didn't feel unusual, but then it went on and on. So I got myself and my wife under the table," he told The Associated Press. "I've lived in Japan for 10 years, and I've never felt anything like this before. The aftershocks keep coming. It's gotten to the point where I don't know whether it's me shaking or an earthquake."

NHK said more than 4 million buildings were without power in Tokyo and its suburbs.

As night fell, the streets were jammed with cars, buses and trucks trying to get around and out of the city. Pedestrians swarmed the sidewalks to walk home, or at least find a warm place to spend the night as the temperatures dropped.

Tomoko Suzuki and her elderly mother stood on a crowded corner in central Tokyo, unable to get up to their 29th-floor condominium because the elevator wasn't working. They unsuccessfully tried to hail a taxi to go to a relative's house. They called around to dozens of hotels, but they were full.

"We are so cold," said Suzuki. "We really don't know what to do."

A large fire erupted at the Cosmo oil refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba prefecture and burned out of control with 100-foot (30 meter) -high flames whipping into the sky.

"Our initial assessment indicates that there has already been enormous damage," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said. "We will make maximum relief effort based on that assessment."

He said the Defense Ministry was sending troops to the quake-hit region. A utility aircraft and several helicopters were on the way.

Also in Miyagi, a fire broke out in a turbine building of a nuclear power plant, but it was later extinguished, said Tohoku Electric Power Co. the company said.

A reactor area of a nearby plant was leaking water, the company said. But it was unclear if the leak was caused by tsunami water or something else. There were no reports of radioactive leaks at any of Japan's nuclear plants.

Jefferies International Limited, a global investment banking group, said it estimated overall losses to be about $10 billion.

Hiroshi Sato, a disaster management official in northern Iwate prefecture, said officials were having trouble getting an overall picture of the destruction.

"We don't even know the extent of damage. Roads were badly damaged and cut off as tsunami washed away debris, cars and many other things," he said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 2:46 p.m. quake was a magnitude 8.9, the biggest earthquake to hit Japan since officials began keeping records in the late 1800s, and one of the biggest ever recorded in the world.

The quake struck at a depth of six miles (10 kilometers), about 80 miles (125 kilometers) off the eastern coast, the agency said. The area is 240 miles (380 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo. Several quakes had hit the same region in recent days, including a 7.3 magnitude one on Wednesday that caused no damage.

A tsunami warning was extended to a number of areas in the Pacific, Southeast Asian and Latin American nations, including Japan, Russia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Chile. In the Philippines, authorities ordered an evacuation of coastal communities, but no unusual waves were reported.

Thousands of people fled their homes in Indonesia after officials warned of a tsunami up to 6 feet (2 meters) high. But waves of only 4 inches (10 centimeters) were measured. No big waves came to the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory, either.

The first waves hit Hawaii about 9 a.m. EST (1400 GMT) Friday. A tsunami at least 3 feet (a meter) high were recorded on Oahu and Kauai, and officials warned that the waves would continue and could become larger.

Japan's worst previous quake was in 1923 in Kanto, an 8.3-magnitude temblor that killed 143,000 people, according to USGS. A 7.2-magnitude quake in Kobe city in 1996 killed 6,400 people.

Japan lies on the "Ring of Fire" - an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching around the Pacific where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur, including the one that triggered the Dec. 26, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami that killed an estimated 230,000 people in 12 nations. A magnitude-8.8 temblor that shook central Chile last February also generated a tsunami and killed 524 people.

By: AP/The Huffington Post


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Saudia Arabia Exploring Alternative Energy Sources

Saudi Arabia, the kingdom known for its vast oil reserves, is thinking green.

A statement from the Oil Ministry said that the government was looking into ways to get energy from a variety of sources, including nuclear, solar, and wind — all of which the kingdom hopes to be utilizing by 2020.

It's not a question of the oil running out. The government said it had 264 billion barrels of oil in reserve, enough to meet current demand for the next 80 years. However, demand is expected to increase, and so the kingdom is exploring new ways to generate electricity for itself, so it doesn't have to depend on oil, like the rest of the world. Specifically, demand now sits at about 3.2 million barrels a day. The Saudi government expects that figure to rise to 8 million barrels a day in 2028. That demand is both internal and external. The more energy the country can get from non-oil sources, the more oil would be available to sell to other countries.

Saudi government officials have been consulting with energy officials from Europe, Asia, and North America, focusing on ways to reduce reliance on fossil fuels without precipitously cutting energy use. Already under way is a pilot project to make better use of solar thermal energy. One more strategy being pursued is to convert existing power plants running only on oil or only on coal into multi-use facilities.

Oil is still by far the most-used source of energy, although many countries are experimenting with other technologies to try to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Source: socialstudiesforkids.com


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Focus on Green at Nuremberg Toy Fair

Green is the color of choice for many entries in this year's Nuremberg Toy Fair.

The popular exhibition in the central German city is a highlight for many toy manufacturers, and many of them this year are featuring toys that emphasize sustainability and renewable energy. Among the eye-catching entries is a doll house that is powered by a wind turbine and features a rainwater catcher, a toy car that runs on hydroelectric power, and a miniature space station that runs on solar power. The station, dubbed Future Planet, runs nominally on solar power but also runs on bright red "energy stones" that need to be inserted from time to time — a reminder that not all energy is plug-and-forget.

Another of the themes is toys made of "green" products, such as a toy helicopter made of bamboo. Also being discussed are sustainable methods of production and packaging.

The themes of sustainability and renewable energy are very much in discussions of the world these days, and toys can now be added to that list, especially since the Nuremberg Toy Fair is one of the largest in the world. In its 61st year, the Nuremberg event annually delivers more than 70,000 new product announcements from more than 2,500 manufacturers based in 64 countries. On offer are models, handicraft items, stuffed animals, and much more.

Source: socialstudiesforkids.com


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Exercise Helps Cure Fatty Liver Disease

Sydney – Increased physical activity benefits patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), independently of weight change, according to the latest research. NAFLD is the most common chronic liver disease in developed countries. It is associated with metabolic syndrome, obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes and is characterized by elevated liver enzymes.

Researchers led by Jacob George of Sydney West Area Health Service (SWAHS) examined the health outcomes of patients who were counseled on how to increase physical activity. They enrolled 141 patients with NAFLD from the SWAHS. The participants were divided into a control group, a low-intensity lifestyle intervention group, and a moderate-intensity lifestyle intervention group.

The patients in the intervention groups worked with exercise scientists who provided counseling on how to increase both planned and incidental physical activity. Walking was the main type of exercise discussed and patients were encouraged to be active for at least 150 minutes per week. After three months, participants in the intervention groups were nine times more likely to have increased their physical activity by an hour or more per week, compared to patients in the control group. Those who were active for more than 150 minutes per week, and those who increased their level of fitness, also showed improvements in liver enzymes and other metabolic indices.

The effect was independent of weight loss. Patients who remained sedentary over the course of the study had no improvement in metabolic parameters, and even leaned toward deterioration in these areas, even if they lost weight, said a SWAHS release. “The metabolic pathway by which physical activity improves insulin sensitivity may be different to that of weight loss and this is particularly relevant for patients with NAFLD,” the authors wrote.


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Illinois Cuts Writing Exams for Most Students

The Illinois State Board of Education has written out of schools' yearly requirements one of what many people believe is a fundamental skill: the writing exam. As a consequence, requests by teachers for training in writing instruction have fallen off.

Students in 11th grade will still take a writing text, but gone will be the same requirement in grades 3, 5, 6, and 8. The state Board of Education announced that the elimination of a writing exam at those four grade levels would save $3.5 million, at a time when cuts are already being made across the board. A similar move resulted in the same eliminations in 2004, but Board officials reinstated the writing exams two years later after fierce opposition to the cancellations.

The writing exam is not part of the program required by federal education law — that extends only to reading and mathematics. Scores on writing exams have also plummeted in recent years, a point exemplified by this result: only 54 percent of 5th-graders passed the writing test last year. Students in all five grade levels scored higher on reading and math than they did on writing. Complaints from school officials including the longer time needed to grade the writing exams and a perceived inconsistency in grading standards. (Multiple choice tests, by comparison, can be graded my machines and present a very clear picture of how many questions students got either correct or incorrect.)

Illinois is one of the few states to take this action. Even in the current dismal economic climate, the vast majority of other states have maintained their writing exams — if they have them. Federal funding doesn't cover writing exams, so some states don't have them. By: socialstudiesforkids.com


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Hegira: The Beginning of the Islamic Year

July 16 is the traditional Western marking of the beginning of the hegira. The hegira is the beginning of the Muslim calendar. It is also the immigration of Muhammad to Medina from Mecca in 622.

Muhammad was 25 when he married Khadija and gained a good amount of money in Mecca. He was also well respected within the Meccan religious community. For 15 years, this did not change.

But when he was 40, Muhammad heard the word of God while on a retreat in the hills outside Mecca. The angel Gabriel appeared to Muhammad and told him that he was God's chosen messenger. Further, Muhammad received his first revelation from God.

When Muhammad told Khadij, his wife, what he had learned, she converted to Islam. Muhammad received revelations again and again, and he began to preach the new religion. The first audiences were his family and friends. Then, he started speaking in public.

At first, Muhammad was largely ignored. But as his following and respect grew, the religious leaders in Mecca tried to discourage Muhammad from preaching this new religion. The threat of violence led Muhammad to flee Mecca.

While his faith and following were growing, word was spreading of this new religion and its prophet. Tribes of people living in the city of Yathrib, about 200 miles north of Mecca, invited Muhammad to live with them.

It must have been difficult for Muhammad to leave his home, but leave he did. He fled from Mecca in the middle of the night. It was the hegira. The year was 622.

The name of the city of Yathrib was changed to Medina, "the city of the prophet." Muhammad's following grew ever larger. Word of his popularity reached Mecca and elsewhere in the Arabian Peninsula. Many people embraced the new religion; many others did not. Fighting broke out.

The fighting lasted for several years, until 630, when the forces of Muhammad and Medina defeated the forces of Mecca. The message and mission of Islam now spread more quickly than ever.

Muhammad died in 632, but not before the whole of the Arabian Peninsula was united in devotion to Islam.

What began as a desperate dash to freedom in the middle of the night had become a powerful religious movement that would soon claim followers around the globe.By: socialstudiesforkids.com


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Spain Makes Bid for Octopus Oracle

Call him Pablo?

The octopus Paul, which has shot to worldwide fame for apparently correctly picking the winner of several games in the 2010 soccer World Cup, is now the target of a takeover campaign by the Madrid Zoo.

Spain benefited from Paul's efforts, after the octopus chose Spain not only to defeat Germany in the semifinals but also to defeat the Netherlands in the final (the first-ever World Cup championship for Spain). In all, Paul "picked" winners in eight games in the 2010 World Cup. He was right every time.

Paul's current owner, the Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany, has refused other offers to buy the octopus and had no immediate comment on the offer from the Spanish zoo, even though the offer included an animal exchange in addition to what is thought to be a large amount of money.

Paul shot to fame during the Euro in 2008, when he correctly "picked" the winner of four of Germany's five matches. Then this year, Paul went 8-for-8, correctly "picking" the winner in all seven of Germany's matches and in the final.

How did he do it? Workers at the aquarium devised a system that involved lowering into Paul's tank two plastic containers of food, each one decorated with the flags of the two countries contesting the soccer match. Observers interpreted Paul's initial opening of a food container as his pick for the upcoming soccer match. By: socialstudiesforkids.com


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Whale Hunting to Continue in Antarctic Sanctuary

An international effort to broker new whaling regulations has collapsed, leaving in place loopholes for whalers to harvest some 1,500 whales a year—including whales in an Antarctic sanctuary.

Contentious discussions at the International Whaling Commission annual meeting this week in Agadir, Morocco, focused on proposals that would have allowed limited commercial whaling to resume at low levels—but under tight IWC regulation and quotas that may have reduced current kill levels.

"Ultimately after a three-year process and intense negotiations of very polarized positions, things broke down," said Howard Rosenbaum, director of the Ocean Giants Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society, a New York-based nonprofit.

"And now the way forward isn't entirely clear. In the meantime, it seems like the situation will remain as the status quo," said Rosenbaum, who is also a member of the IWC scientific committee.

That means the three whaling countries—Japan, Iceland, and Norway—will continue to pursue scientific and other unregulated whaling.

Those countries have killed more than 30,000 whales since a 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling.

Sanctuary No More?

The Southern Ocean Sanctuary was apparently a major sticking point that helped to sink compromise efforts during this week's meeting.

In 1994 the IWC designated the Southern Ocean Sanctuary—19 million square miles (50 million square kilometers) of waters surrounding Antarctica—as a critical space safe from commercial whaling. Most of the world's whales feed in these waters.

But the Japanese dispute the legality of the sanctuary and regularly kill many whales in these waters, a practice that prompted pending action brought by Australia to the International Court of Justice.

Whalers had hoped to retain some access to the sanctuary, but for some conservationists the idea was a deal-breaker.

"We know that when we've allowed whales to recover in places where they haven't been hunted, the sanctuaries have been effective in helping to ensure the recovery of whale populations," Rosenbaum said.

"That's why there's a desire to really make the sanctuary effective, so that whales can be free from whaling on their key feeding grounds, [such as the Southern Ocean Sancturary], as well as in other important habitats such as important breeding grounds."

Japan Faces Anti-Whaling Sentiment

Japan takes the lion's share of whales for scientific research, though in reality many of those whales may end up on dinner tables, rather than in laboratories.

For instance, in 2009, Oregon State University researchers found that meat in a Los Angeles sushi restaurant came from a whale that most likely was killed for Japanese "scientific" whaling.

Japanese whalers have argued that populations can sustain catches of current levels and that science does not support the need for an outright whaling ban.

Many Japanese also feel anti-whaling sentiment is rooted in cultural bias against Japan, according to the Associated Press.

Shigeko Misaki, a former spokesperson for the Japan Whaling Association, said in 2008 that the anti-whaling campaign has gone too far.

"It has almost become a religion, that whales are the only symbol of the marine ecosystem," she said. "People who believe this religion think all Japanese people are evil, because we kill whales." By: Brian Handwerk for National Geographic News


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Boy, 7, Saves Family by Dialing 911

"The 911 system is so simple even a child can use it."

That's what people are told, and yet another piece of evidence has emerged to prove that statement.

A 7-year-old boy calmly phoned 911 from a locked bathroom to report that armed robbers were in his house and threatening his parents and his 6-year-old sister.

The boy, who has been identified only as Carlos, made the call, relayed to the Log Angeles County Sheriff's Department, from his home in Norwalk, Calif.

In a recording of the phone call, released by authorities, the boy can be heard telling the dispatcher that two of the three assailants had guns and were holding his parents at gunpoint while he and his sister were locked in a bathroom. The recording also contains sounds suggesting that the assailants broke into the bathroom where the boy and the girl were hiding. No one was hurt, however, as sheriff's deputies arrived soon after.

Authorities were still struggling to find a motive for the attack, although the method of entry was known: Apparently, the girl had left the front door open while she ran out to the family car to grab her lunch box.

The California episode was the latest in a growing number of cases in which the 911 emergency dialing system has been used by the most unlikely of users. Every year, the number is dialed literally millions of times, including by pets. (One widely known case in 2008 involved a German shepherd saving the life of his owner, who was suffering a seizure, by dialing 911 and barking until help arrived.) The United Kingdom was the first country to institute a three-digit emergency dialing system, in 1937. The numbers are 999. Oddly enough, the first 999 call was to report a forced home entry as well, this one a burglary in London. The burglar was caught.

Australia followed suit 20 years later with its own 999 service (changed to 000 in 1961). In 1958, Canada began its own 999 service. Most countries around the world now have similar emergency dialing services.

The first 911 call in the U.S. came on Feb. 16, 1968. It wasn't to report a crime but to test the system. Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite placed the call from Haleyville City Hall to the city's police station, where U.S. Rep. Tom Bevill (D-Ala) picked up the phone and reportedly said, "Hello?"

Large cities in the U.S. began implementing the 911 service later that year. States followed suit.By: socialstudiesforkids.com


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Blind Snakes Discovered

The genes of a newfound snake family suggest blind snakes lived on the island of Madagascar since, well, before it was an island.

The discovery is helping to decode how these rarely seen—and barely seeing, though not completely blind—snakes came to colonize much of the planet.

Growing to about a foot (30 centimeters) long, blind snakes act a lot like worms, burrowing under the surface of every continent except Antarctica. Unlike worms, though, blind snakes have backbones and tiny scales.

"Continental drift had a huge impact on blind snake evolution by separating populations from each other as continents moved apart," said study co-leader Nicolas Vidal, of the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris.

Now considered part of Africa, Madagascar split from what's now India about 94 million years ago. (Learn about plate tectonics.)

Since then, the blind snakes on Madagascar have changed enough to give rise to a whole new family, added Penn State biologist Blair Hedges, the study's other co-leader.

(Related: "Biggest Snake Photos: Prehistoric Giant Discovered.")

Blind Snakes Break Free of "Indigascar"

Blind snake fossils are nearly nonexistent, so their evolutionary history has been a mystery.

But by comparing five genes from 96 far-flung blind snake species, the researchers were able to create a map of the snakes' evolutionary family tree.

Using estimated time frames for genetic mutation, the team was able to estimate when the different species had arisen.

The wormlike snakes first appeared on the southern supercontinent Gondwana (see a map of Earth during this time), the team says.

As Gondwana split apart, the blind snakes were isolated to what the researchers call Indigascar—a landmass including what are now India and Madagascar.

Relatively soon after the split, the newly recognized family arose, genetic data suggest.

(Related: "Snake Ancestors Lost Limbs on Land, Study Says.")

Mystery of Blind Snakes' Spread

After the "Indigascar" split, blind snakes somehow migrated far beyond India and Madagascar.

The snakes mysteriously appeared in Australia some 28 million years ago, for example—a period during which no land connections existed to that continent.

And African and South American blind snake lineages apparently separated only 63 million years ago. That's some 40 million years after Africa and South America split up, so moving landmasses can't have caused the later evolutionary divide.

So how did the snakes hop continents?

With continental drift—and of course, flight—ruled out, "you can see that dispersal over ocean waters had to have occurred for these snakes to get to Australia and also to colonize South America and the Caribbean islands,” Hedges said.

In other words, the snakes went rafting, crossing oceans aboard floating vegetation stocked with their insect prey. (Related: "Mammals 'Rafted' to Madagascar, Climate Model Suggests.")

"Some scientists have argued that oceanic dispersal is an unlikely way for burrowing organisms to become distributed around the world," Hedges said in a statement.

"Our data now reinforce the message that such 'unlikely' events nonetheless happened in evolutionary history." By: Brian Handwerk for National Geographic News


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US Congress Elections...

We are all aware that election for new batch of offers that will govern and implement the law of the land is isn't that easy. It takes a lot of time to prepare all the needs before the election day comes in order to avoid biased unanimous decision made by the election chairman. Aside from that fact, national or local election is indeed crucial to in order to elect the deserving candidates who will be the one to rule and implement the law.

On the other hand, since I'm taking about here election for new batch of offers let me tackle about the upcoming US Congress election this year. Politics is one of the bigger issue in United States were all people is encourage to participate and give there individual opinions towards the candidates. Specifically, one of the US Congress election candidate is Dr John Fleming. John Fleming is a man of conviction, drive which has the desire to uphold America's constitution in marching to Washington with a single purpose: to represent the people as a servant leader. Dr John Fleming is just one of those ordinary people in United States who wants a twist and constant change of his society. He was indeed one of great candidate for Us Congress Elections. So, for those Americans who also want a change and successive twist of their law better elect now John Fleming for congress. With his willing to render his service to the people at large you are sure that success is just a one night sleep.


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Death toll nears 100 in Sri Lanka battles: Ministry...

Its so mad to think that even in this present time there still people who are still the contrary of battle in which behind it the governments officials is the source of those battles. In fact, there are lots of government officials who are using power to govern the society juts for their own safeness. Too bad!

COLOMBO-Sri Lanka forces pushed deeper into Tamil Tiger terrotory in the three days of fighting that has left at least 83 guerrillas and nine (9) government soldiers dead, the defense ministry said Tuesday.

It sais 14 rebels died in fresh fighting on Monday, while 69 were killed on Saturday and Sunday. A further 31 were "either killed or wounded," the ministry said.

Nine soldiers were killed and 40 hurt in the battles with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam guerrillas, it added.

The military reports received from the battle fronts... indicate that Sri Lanka security forces are moving towards LTTE territory, further inflicting damage to the enemy," the ministry said in a statement.

There was no immediate comment from the LTTE, which has been fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils since 1972.

However, the prorebel Tamilnet.com website reported that the Sri Lankan military had pulled back after suffering heavy casualties.


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