Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo says he may consider his future at the club after next week’s Champions League final.
The 23-year-old, who has scored 41 goals in a superb season, has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.
"I’m very happy here but let’s see after the Champions League final what happens," Ronaldo told Spanish TV at United’s training ground."
"I’ve said a million times I’d like to play in Spain but dreaming is one thing, reality is another. I don’t know."
The Portugal international signed a contract extension last year to keep him at Old Trafford until 2012.
Speaking in January, Manchester United chief executive David Gill told Football Focus: "There’s no chance of us selling him, no way, whatever the bid.

Real have signed big names from United in recent seasons, with David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy both moving from Old Trafford to the Bernabeu.

Source: BBC SPORT

written by Flory

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden — in a blunt new message that coincides with Israel’s 60th anniversary — urged his followers to liberate Palestine, a terrorism analyst told CNN on Friday.
In a message entitled "The Causes of Conflict on the 60th Anniversary of the State of Israeli Occupation," bin Laden reiterated jihadist opposition to the existence of the Jewish state and its policies.
Bin Laden’s audio message, released Thursday, told listeners that "liberating" Palestine should be the aim of every Muslim, according to terrorism analyst Laura Mansfield.
Bin Laden’s last message came on March 20, when in an audiotape he called Iraq "the perfect base to set up the jihad to liberate Palestine."

In an audiotape released the previous day, Osama bin Laden condemned European countries for siding with the United States in Afghanistan and for allowing the publication of cartoons considered insulting to Islam’s prophet Mohammed.

Al Qaeda — which is responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the United States — regularly condemns Zionism, the philosophical underpinning of Israel.

President Bush referred to al Qaeda on Friday in an address to Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem.

He decried the actions and the motivations of terrorists and noted that bin Laden teaches that "the killing of Jews and Americans is one of the biggest duties".

Source: CNN

More about Osama bin Laden

written by Flory

Safari users are at risk of littering their desktops with malicious software because the browser does not ask for user permission when downloading files in the way that Firefox and Internet Explorer do, a security researcher said Thursday.

"Apple does not feel this is an issue they want to tackle at this time," he writes.

An Apple representative told Dhanjani that an "enhancement request" for an "Ask me before downloading anything" preference would be filed with the Safari team. "Please note that we are not treating this as a security issue, but a further measure to raise the bar against unwanted downloads," the Apple representative wrote in an e-mail to Dhanjani.

That issue, coupled with the fact that Safari doesn’t warn users when a local resource, such as an HTML file, attempts to invoke client-side scripting, creates a risky situation for most browser users, Dhanjani said in an interview. "People are starting to expect more from browsers today," he said.

The Apple representative told him that the company has been "investigating the potential for a ’safe’ mode for local HTML."

Meanwhile, Apple does plan to fix a high-risk security vulnerability that Dhanjani discovered. It could be used to remotely steal local files from a user’s file system.

An Apple spokesman did not return a phone call and e-mail seeking comment.

Source & more about this: news

written by Flory

Un studiu realizat de oamenii de ştiinţă britanici arată un comportament similar la tinerii din ţările europene.

Tinerii europeni se bazează adesea pe starea de beÅ£ie pentru a obÅ£ine mai uÅŸor o partidă de sex, arată un studiu realizat în nouă ţări din UE. O treime dintre tinerii cu vârste cuprinse între 16 ÅŸi 35 de ani ÅŸi 23% dintre femeile de aceeaÅŸi vârstă chestionaÅ£i au recunoscut că beau alcool în mod strategic pentru a le creÅŸte ÅŸansele la o relaÅ£ie sexuală. Studiul, realizat pe 1.341 de tineri, a fost publicat de BMC Public Health din Marea Britanie, o Å£ară cunoscută pentru avântul cu care beau tinerii. Ţările incluse în studiu sunt Marea Britanie, Germania, Austria, Republica Cehă, Grecia, Italia, Portugalia, Spania ÅŸi Slovenia.

Studiul mai arată faptul că băutul de alcool este deseori asociat cu un comportament sexual riscant ÅŸi că un consum de alcool sau de droguri este deseori legat de începerea vieÅ£ii sexuale înainte de vârsta de 16 ani, în special la fete.
Aproape jumătate dintre cei chestionaÅ£i la Viena au recunoscut faptul că au băut alcool ÅŸi ÅŸi-au început viaÅ£a sexuală înainte de vârsta de 16 ani, în comparaÅ£ie cu doar 36% dintre cei chestionaÅ£i în VeneÅ£ia, sau 30% dintre cei chestionaÅ£i în Liverpool. În privinÅ£a consumului de droguri, cifrele sunt asemănătoare. TotuÅŸi, peste un sfert dintre cei care au recunoscut că luau cocaină au declarat că o utilizează pentru a prelungi actul sexual. Consumul de droguri este, în general, legat de sexul cu parteneri multipli.
Cei care s-au îmbătat în ultimele patru săptămâni aveau mai multe ÅŸanse să fi avut în aceeaÅŸi perioadă cinci sau chiar mai mulÅ£i parteneri, să fi făcut sex neprotejat ÅŸi să regrete faptul că s-au angajat în relaÅ£ii sexuale sub influenÅ£a alcoolului.

Sursa: cotidianul

written by Andrew

Un medic a descoperit o metoda prin care se poate pierde, in numai doua ore, o greutate-record.

Pe piata a aparut o noua metoda prin care se poate slabi, se pot extrage toxinele si care poate intineri pielea intr-un timp scurt, de aproximativ doua ore.
Universal Contour Wrap (UCW) este un tratament de pierdere a centimetrilor, folosit de aproximativ 1.000 de saloane din intreaga lume. Tratamentul presupune impachetarea clientului cu aproximativ 25 de bandaje elastice care au fost inmuiate in prealabil intr-o solutie calda de argila, bogata in minerale.
Combinatia de argila si bandaje ajuta la intarirea tesutului flasc si la compactarea zonelor in care este depozitata grasimea. UCW compacteaza pielea si revitalizeaza elastina corpului, potrivit doctorului englez Richard Strem, inventatorul acestui tratament de slabit.

Potrivit specialistilor, dupa numai o sedinta de impachetare, pielea este tonifiata si se observa o pierdere vizibila in centimetri. „Pe parcursul tratamentului se pot folosi tehnici speciale de impachetare pentru zone specifice cu probleme, cum ar fi coapsele sau fesele.
Chiar si gusa poate sa dispara la aplicarea acestui tratament“, potrivit prospectului de utilizare a tratamentului. O impachetare dureaza aproximativ 45 de minute, iar dupa impachetare clientul se poate relaxa pentru o ora, timp in care tratamentul isi face efectul. Saloanele care utilizeaza acest tip de tratament garanteaza clientilor pierderea a 15 centimetri, per total corp, dupa numai o sedinta de impachetare.
Fiecare sedinta incepe cu un set de masuratori preimpachetare, care se fac in puncte specifice ale corpului. Dupa tratament se mai masoara o data si se calculeaza totalul centimetrilor pierduti. Clientilor li se ofera un tabel evolutiv ca parte a instructiunilor posttratament.

Aceasta tehnica de impachetare cu argila, pe linga pierderea centimetrilor, modeleaza corpul, dar ajuta si la exfolierea pielii si la detoxifierea corpului. Dupa terminarea sedintei, nu este necesara folosirea dusului deoarece argila lasa pielea catifelata.
Pentru rezultate benefice, expertii recomanda efectuarea unui pachet de minimum trei sedinte. Costul unui asemenea pachet este de aproximativ 125 de euro.
Cei care reusesc sa scape din prima sedinta de 15 centimetri vor scoate din buzunar doar 55 de euro, contravaloarea unui singur tratament. Pe de alta parte, majoritatea saloanelor care practica acest tratament garanteaza efectele primei sedinte, adica pierderea in greutate si a 15 centimetri dupa o singura impachetare. In caz contrar, clientul primeste inapoi contravaloarea sedintei, adica 55 de euro.
Cei care doresc sa faca acest tratament acasa pot achizitiona kitul pentru acasa, care este special creat pentru situatii de urgenta. Pachetul contine argila si bandaje pentru 4-6 tratamente. Pe de alta parte, firma ofera pachete diferite, pe componente, in functie de zona in care clientul vrea sa salbeasca.
Astfel, pot fi achizitionate pachete care contine doar bandaje pentru burta, brate sau coapse. Totusi, exista persoane care nu pot beneficia de acest tratament. De exemplu, femeile insarcinate, dar si cele care alapteaza nu pot urma acest program de slabire. Totodata, femeile aflate in perioada menstruatiei nu pot apela la acest tratament care „slabeste rapid“.
In Romania, tehnica este folosita in prezent de noua saloane de frumusete din toata tara. Produsul a fost lansat de S.C. Natura Vision S.R.L. „Universal Contour Wrap poate fi oferit de orice salon spa sau club. Nu sint necesare facilitati speciale sau dus, deci nu exista costuri ascunse. Este usor de invatat si de aplicat - trainingul este inclus in pachetul de start-up, iar procesul de impachetare se invata in doar doua zile.
Se vinde realmente singur“, ne-a explicat Madalina Gheorghe, PR-ul firmei importatoare. In prezent, doar in cinci orase sint saloane care utilizeaza acest tratament de slabit. Bucurestenii au la dispozitie patru saloane, in timp ce in Botosani, Brasov, Tirgu-Mures si Sibiu exista cite un cabinet de infrumusetare.

Barbatii au inceput sa frecventeze cabinetele spa
Potrivit American Spa Association, barbatii reprezinta 35% dintre clientii unui spa, iar tendinta este crescatoare. Fie ca vin pentru terapii de cuplu o data cu sotiile, fie ca aleg sa vina singuri. “Barbatii nu sint clienti dificili. As zice chiar ca sint cei mai buni clienti. Se decid repede, sint punctuali si urmeaza cu strictete pachetele spa construite special pentru ei de catre terapeuti”, a declarat Liliana Paraipan, general manager Eden Spa, primul salon care ofera servicii speciale pentru barbati. Potrivit acesteia, barbatilor le place sa vina numai intr-un centru spa neutru.
Designul nu trebuie sa fie prea feminin, aromele trebuie sa fie de un anumit tip, prefera un anumit fel de ceai etc. Peste 90% dintre clientii barbati care merg la un spa sint middle sau top manageri ori oameni de afaceri. Acestia lucreaza intr-un mediu stresant, cu multe responsabilitati si este mare consumator de timp. Un abonament lunar la un spa variaza intre 700 si 1.000 de lei.

Sursa: cotidianul

written by Andrew

Cercetatorii italieni au descoperit ca lichidele destinate sportivilor sint mai periculoase decit cele de tip cola.

Bauturile energizante, consumate mai ales de tineri dupa ce fac sport, afecteaza sanatatea dintilor, potrivit unui studiu realizat de cercetatorii italieni, publicat in revista „General Dentistry“. Potrivit cercetatorilor de la spitalul San Paolo din Milano, bauturile energizante afecteaza sanatatea dintilor din cauza capacitatii de a mentine nealterat PH-ul gurii, care joaca un rol important in eroziunea dentara.
Roberto Rozza, medic stomatolog, autorul studiului, spune ca este de preferat ca acest tip de bauturi sa fie inghitite cu ajutorul paiului pentru a nu afecta smaltul dintilor si dupa consumarea lor sa se clateasca bine gura cu apa curata. Cercetatorii spun ca procesele de demineralizare a dintilor apar dupa consumul tuturor bauturilor acidulate, fara nici o exceptie.

Majoritatea racoritoarelor contin unul sau doi acizi, mai frecvent acid citric si fosforic. Totusi, bauturile energizante destinate in special sportivilor contin si alti aditivi si acizi organici, care contribuie la procesul de demineralizare.
Leziunile smaltului induse de componentele chimice ale bauturilor predispun la dezvoltarea unor procese carioase severe. Cercetarea a demonstrat ca efectele produse de lichidele destinate sportivilor sint de 3 pina la 11 ori mai grave ca frecventa si evolutie in timp, chiar si decit cele de tipul cola. Cele mai grave carii s-au inregistrat la dintii expusi bauturilor energizante si limonadelor imbuteliate.

De asemenea, acelasi jurnal a publicat un articol similar, care sustinea ca ceaiurile cu gheata pot fi agresive asupra smaltului, prin productia de acizi. In cadrul studiului, molarii si premolarii extrasi in prealabil au fost expusi contactului permanent cu diferite tipuri de bauturi: cele destinate sportivilor, energizante, apa de fitness, limonade, icetea si cola, pentru o perioada de 14 zile, adica 336 de ore. Timpul acestei expuneri este comparabil cu un consum regulat de aproximativ 13 ani al acestor bauturi. Cercetatorii au constatat ca procese de demineralizare s-au inregistrat la toate tipurile de bauturi, fara nici o exceptie.

Sursa: cotidianul

written by Andrew

A growing number of women with early stage breast cancer seem to be choosing to have the whole breast removed instead of just the cancerous lump, doctors are reporting.

Mastectomies were standard treatment until 1990, when studies showed that women whose cancers were small and confined to the breast did just as well if they had less radical surgery followed by radiation. That set a trend of more women choosing breast-conserving treatment.

Now, a study of about 5,500 women at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., shows that mastectomies are on the rise. Doctors say there are signs this is happening elsewhere around the country, too.

"We really don’t have a lot of data on why," said Dr. Julie Gralow, a cancer specialist at the University of Washington in Seattle. However, she said, it may be that newer tests like MRI scans are finding more cancers, or flagging so many suspicious spots that women want the breast removed just for peace of mind.

The study was released Thursday by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and will be presented at the group’s annual meeting later this month.

In the Mayo Clinic study, about 45 percent of breast cancer patients chose mastectomies in 1997. That declined to only 30 percent in 2003, then started to rise. By 2006, 43 percent were opting for the more radical treatment.

The rise coincided with wider use in the clinic of MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging. Studies show it can detect far more breast abnormalities than ordinary mammograms but it also gives a lot of false alarms.

Women who had MRIs were more likely to choose mastectomy than those who did not have the test, although a rise was seen in both groups.

This could be because MRIs often find additional small tumors in the same breast that had been missed by mammograms, making the more aggressive surgery a better choice, Gralow said.

Women also may choose mastectomy to avoid the need for radiation treatment, which is strongly advised when only a lump is removed. Others may have had genetic testing suggesting they still faced cancer risk. And some may be swayed by better reconstruction techniques available after mastectomy.

However, "even the best reconstructed breast does not have the sensation of the natural breast," said Dr. Nancy Davidson, a cancer specialist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and president of the oncology society.

The study was led by Dr. Rajini Katipamula and Dr. Matthew Goetz at the Mayo Clinic.

Source: yahoo

written by Andrew

Breast cancer patients with low levels of vitamin D were much more likely to die of the disease or have it spread than patients getting enough of the nutrient, a study found — adding to evidence the "sunshine vitamin" has anti-cancer benefits. The results are sure to renew arguments about whether a little more sunshine is a good thing.

The skin makes vitamin D from ultraviolet light. Too much sunlight can raise the risk of skin cancer, but small amounts — 15 minutes or so a few times a week without sunscreen — may be beneficial, many doctors believe.

While the vitamin is found in certain foods and supplements, most don’t contain the best form, D-3, and have only a modest effect on blood levels of the nutrient. That’s what matters, the Canadian study found.

Only 24 percent of women in the study had sufficient blood levels of D at the time they were first diagnosed with breast cancer. Those who were deficient were nearly twice as likely to have their cancer recur or spread over the next 10 years, and 73 percent more likely to die of the disease.

"These are pretty big differences," said study leader Dr. Pamela Goodwin of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. "It’s the first time that vitamin D has been linked to breast cancer progression."

But people shouldn’t start downing supplements, she warned. Experts don’t agree on how much vitamin D people need or the best way to get it, and too much can be harmful. They also don’t know whether getting more vitamin D can help when someone already has cancer.

"We have no idea whether correcting a vitamin D deficiency will in any way alter these outcomes," said Dr. Julie Gralow, a cancer specialist at the University of Washington in Seattle.

The study was released Thursday by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and will be presented at the group’s annual meeting later this month.

Lots of earlier research suggests vitamin D may help prevent prostate, breast and especially colon cancer. In lab and animal tests, vitamin D stifles abnormal cell growth, curbs formation of blood vessels that feed tumors and has many other anti-cancer effects.

Other evidence: People who live in northern regions of the world have higher cancer rates than those living closer to the equator, possibly because of less sunshine and vitamin D.

The Canadian researchers wanted to see whether it made a difference in survival. They took blood from 512 women at three University of Toronto hospitals between 1989 and 1995, when the women were first diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.

A decade later, 83 percent of those who had had adequate vitamin D blood levels were alive without extensive spread of their cancer, versus 79 percent of those whose vitamin D levels were insufficient and 69 percent of those who were deficient, as defined by widely used medical standards for measuring intake.

One red flag: The few women with the very highest levels of vitamin D seemed to have worse survival.

Though the study was too small and those results were not conclusive, "there may be an optimal level of vitamin D in women with breast cancer and it may be possible to take too much," Goodwin said.

The federal government says up to 2,000 international units of vitamin D a day seems OK. Taking 800 units per day will, on average, raise blood levels to the middle of the range that seems best for bone and general health, Goodwin said.

Vitamin D is in salmon and other oily fish, and milk is routinely fortified with it, but dietary sources account for little of the amount of D circulating in the blood, experts say.

"It’s very hard to make a recommendation" because how much difference a supplement makes depends on someone’s baseline level, which also can be affected by sunlight, skin type and time of year, she explained.

Doctors do suggest breast cancer patients get their vitamin D levels checked to see whether they are deficient. The simple blood test is available in many hospitals and labs for about $25, Goodwin said.

Dr. Nancy Davidson, a Johns Hopkins University cancer specialist who is president of the oncology society, said those tests are growing in popularity, even in ordinary medical care.

"Rightly or wrongly, I’m increasingly seeing physicians who are measuring this," she said.

The Canadian study was paid for by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in New York, established by cosmetics magnate Evelyn Lauder.

"It’s a very provocative paper. It’s confirmatory of a tremendous amount of evidence that vitamin D is an important component of health," said Dr. Larry Norton, chief of breast cancer programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and a medical adviser to the foundation.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. About 184,450 cases and 40,930 deaths from the disease are expected in the United States this year.

Source: yahoo

written by Andrew

INDIANAPOLIS - Charles Buckman, a crewman for Dale Coyne Racing, has been released from Methodist Hospital four days after being struck by Danica Patrick’s race car during practice for the Indianapolis 500.

Buckman was hit in the left leg by the left front tire of Patrick’s car as she drove into the pits during practice on Friday. He went airborne and then fell to the ground, suffering a concussion and cuts to his scalp and face.

He was released from intensive care Saturday but was kept at the hospital for observation until his release Tuesday.

Source: yahoo

written by Andrew

Rex Jameson bikes and swims regularly, and plays tennis and skis when time allows. But the 5-foot-11, 180-pound software engineer is lucky if he presses 200 pounds — that is, until he steps into an "exoskeleton" of aluminum and electronics that multiplies his strength and endurance as many as 20 times.

With the outfit’s claw-like metal hand extensions, he gripped a weight set’s bar at a recent demonstration and knocked off hundreds of repetitions. Once, he did 500.

"Everyone gets bored much more quickly than I get tired," Jameson said.

Jameson — who works for robotics firm Sarcos Inc. in Salt Lake City, which is under contract with the U.S. Army — is helping assess the 150-pound suit’s viability for the soldiers of tomorrow. The suit works by sensing every movement the wearer makes and almost instantly amplifying it.

The Army believes soldiers may someday wear the suits in combat, but it’s focusing for now on applications such as loading cargo or repairing heavy equipment. Sarcos is developing the technology under a two-year contract worth up to $10 million, and the Army plans initial field tests next year.

Before the technology can become practical, the developers must overcome cost barriers and extend the suit’s battery life. Jameson was tethered to power cords during his demonstration because the current battery lasts just 30 minutes.

But the technology already offers evidence that robotics can amplify human muscle power in reality — not just in the realm of comic books and movies like the recently debuted "Iron Man," about a wealthy weapons designer who builds a high-tech suit to battle bad guys.

"Everybody likes the idea of being a superhero, and this is all about expanding the capabilities of a human," said Stephen Jacobsen, chief designer of the Sarcos suit.

The Army’s exoskeleton research dates to 1995, but has yet to yield practical suits. Sarcos’ technology sufficiently impressed Raytheon Co., however, that the Waltham, Mass.-based defense contractor bought Sarcos’ robotics business last November. Sarcos also has developed robotic dinosaurs for a Universal Studios’ "Jurassic Park" theme park ride.

Jack Obusek, a former colonel now with the Army’s Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center in the Boston suburb of Natick, foresees robot-suited soldiers unloading heavy ammunition boxes from helicopters, lugging hundreds of pounds of gear over rough terrain or even relying on the suit’s strength-enhancing capabilities to make repairs to tanks that break down in inconvenient locations.

Sarcos’ Jacobsen envisions factory workers someday using the technology to perform manual labor more easily, and firefighters more quickly carrying heavy gear up stairwells of burning buildings. Disabled people also may find uses for the technology, he said.

"We see the value being realized when these suits can be built in great numbers for both military and commercial uses, and they start coming down in cost to within the range of the price of a small car," said Jacobsen. He declined to estimate how much the suit might cost in mass production.

But cost isn’t the only obstacle. For example, developers eventually hope to lengthen the suit’s backpack battery’s life and tinker with the suit’s design to use less energy. Meanwhile, the suit can draw power from a generator, a tank or helicopter. And there are gas engines that, while noisy, small enough to fit into the suit’s backpack.

"The power issue is probably the No. 1 challenge standing in the way of getting this thing in the field," Obusek said.

But he said Sarcos appears to have overcome the key challenge of pairing super-fast microprocessors with sensors that detect movements by the body’s joints and transmit data about them to the suit’s internal computer.

Much as the brain sends signals to tendons to get muscles to move, the computer sends instructions to hydraulic valves. The valves mimic tendons by driving the suit’s mechanical limbs, replicating and amplifying the wearer’s movements almost instantly.

"With all the previous attempts at this technology, there has been a slight lag time between the intent of the human, and the actual movement of the machine," Obusek said.

In the demonstration, the bulky suit slowed Jameson a bit, but he could move almost normally. When a soccer ball was thrown at him, he bounced it back off his helmeted head. He repeatedly struck a punching bag and, slowly but surely, he climbed stairs in the suit’s clunky aluminum boots, which made him look like a Frankenstein monster.

"It feels less agile than it is," Jameson said. "Because of the way the control laws work, it’s ever so slightly slower than I am. And because we are so in tune with our bodies’ responses, this tiny delay initially made me tense."

Now, he’s used to it.

"I can regain my balance naturally after stumbling — something I discovered completely by accident."

Learning was easy, he said.

"It takes no special training, beyond learning to relax and trust the robot," he said.

Source: yahoo

written by Andrew