Blekko The New Search Engine With The Spam FreeTechnology

A new search engine that became accessible to the public Monday is taking aim at Google's failure to weed out useless spam sites from its results.

Blekko, the latest kid on the search engine block, is hoping to give out more refined results from trustworthy sources and avoid pointing to bogus sites created by content farms and other internet bottom-feeders that subsist only to collect traffic.

"The goal is to fresh up Web search and get all the spam out of it," Blekko co-founder Rich Skrenta told The New.

Like Google, Bing, Ask.com and its other competitors, Blekko's search engine crawls billions of websites on any given search, but relies on what Skrenta calls "large-scale human curation" to edit the results into a batch of the most supportive sites

In particular, Blekko aims to clean up results in categories its creators have determined triggers mainly polluted results, including health, colleges, recipes, personal finance, hotels and cars.

The most important upgrade to Blekko's search engine is the addition of slashtags that auto-fire for queries that fall into one seven categories: health, colleges, autos, personal finance, lyrics, recipes and hotels.

The auto-fire functionality is intended with passive searchers in mind, and aims to get rid of friction for first time users. The technology that powers these auto-slashtags was developed through a wide research and development phase that implicated analyzing the relationship between queries and the type of spam results they normally generate.

Blekko is presently available on the web or as a mobile-optimized site, but mobile applications are also said to be in the works.

Stephanie Gilmore The First Female Surfer To Win Four World Titles

Australia's Stephanie Gilmore has happen to the first female surfer to ever win four world titles from as many attempts, after winning her quarter-final at the Rip Curl Pro Search event in Puerto Rico.

The 22-year-old didn't have it all her own way against resolute Hawaiian Melanie Bartels, but did enough to clinch the title, before being chaired off Middles Beach by men's defending champion and Rip Curl stable-mate Mick Fanning.

Bartels put up an almighty fight, with Gilmore's 13.87 mutual score for her two best waves giving her victory by just .10 of a point.

The happy assassin must now be eyeing off the record of seven women's world titles achieved by surfing icon Layne Beachley.

Gilmore is now through to the semi-finals at the Rip Curl Pro Search event, but can now relax knowing that her historic feat is already with her.

Sydney Zoo Welcomes Elephant Calf

Sydney's Taronga Zoo has welcomed its first female Asian elephant calf after a fast birth just after midnight this morning.

The as-yet unnamed 120kg calf was born after a half-hour labour to 18-year-old Pak Boon, who came at the zoo in 2006.

The calf was nursing within 90 minutes of its delivery and standing unassisted within three hours, zoo officials say.

Mother and baby are well, said the zookeepers.

Extraordinary Underwater Art Exhibition

In the clear shallow waters off Cancun in Mexico, 200 ghostly figures are gradually lowered to the seabed.

It's the final installment of a strange underwater art exhibition, which spans 420 square meters of barren sea bed in the area's national marine park.

Officially due to open next month, the exhibition entitled "The Silent Evolution," is the work of British sculptor and scuba diver Jason deCaires Taylor.

Consisting of 403 life-size human figures, each sculpture has been independently cast by deCaires Taylor and made using unique cement mix to encourage coral growth.

Created to highlight the decimation of the world's coral reefs, deCaires Taylor told he wanted to "create an immense artificial reef, a habitat space that would encourage fish to colonize and inhabit the area."

It is hoped the artistic reef bed will attract some of the park's 750,000 yearly visitors away from the natural reefs, which need time to recover and expand.

"It's extremely interesting working underwater," said deCaires Taylor, who explained how the work had shaped a new and dynamic perspective for audiences.

"The colors are different, the light patterns are very diverse, the atmosphere and mood is otherworldly. The piece takes on a very different tone underwater - it has a missing feel to it and brings up all these questions that you wouldn't have on land," he said.

Giant Maple Leaf Discovery Makes 9-Year-Old A Guinness Star

Nine-year-old Joseph Donato was riding his bicycle home from the park with his family when he spotted it lying there on the road - possibly the greatest maple leaf of all time.

Not the hockey playing kind, but the national emblem kind - and a huge size, too. So big that it has set the Guinness World Record as largest maple leaf.

"The width is 13 and 5/8 (inches) and then the length is 15 and 5/8 with the stem," says Joseph pompously. "It's yellow with some green."


Joseph and his mother, Angie Donato, reported the find to the local newspaper and the story was selected up by other media. That caught the eye of Guinness representatives.

"They asked me to send a image with the measuring tape" to prove the size of the leaf, he said.

Later, "they contacted us and said that they wanted to open a new record for me," he added.

His Grade 4 friends at a Pickering elementary school didn't consider him at first, but they will now, he said.

The monster size maple leaf was found in mid-October near the Rouge River and East Woodlands Park in Pickering, Angie Donato said.

She added that the family learned they had the record a couple of weeks ago but had to keep it secret until today's announcement by Guinness.

Paul The Octopus Is Back In China As Panda

China fell in love with Paul the Octopus in the Football World Cup and mourned his passing only a few months later. With the onset of the Asian Games in Guangzhou though, viewers have found a new oracle, 12 of them to be precise: Guangzhou's pandas.

China Hush reports that the 12 pandas now living in Guangzhou Chimelong Tourist Resort’s zoo have been performing medal predictions for the games, becoming local celebrities in the course.

Each panda, according to site, has a extraordinary specialty. Bosi, one that Guangzhou Daily describes as “smart and quick,” predicted the outcome of the martial arts competition at the Asian games. Another panda, “Hui Hui” made predictions for the diving competition as zoo keepers say she likes playing in water.

The pandas are given two special foods, one representing China and one representing a different country. The one the panda chooses to eat is said to be the predicted winner.

China is always represented by bamboo, the plant that makes up the bulk of the panda’s diet.

Not quite the blind predictions that Paul made, but public are flocking to the zoo nonetheless to see what the pandas are munching on.

That said, the Chinese are sweeping up the medal count so if the panda keeps going for its favorite snack, it won’t be that far off base.

Spiteful Asian Fruit Fly Found In Michigan

Michigan State University Extension researchers have found a spiteful Asian fruit fly the spotted wing Drosophila in numerous areas in the southern end of the state. The fly attacks fruits that are among Michigan's most popular, including the cherries available at Overhiser Orchards. Researchers consider the invader has the potential to severely damage fruit crops if not managed properly.

The spotted wing Drosophila is native to southeast Asia, but has been turning up in astonishing places lately. First spotted in California in 2008, the fly was then seen north in Oregon and Washington. It has yet been found in Florida.

Michigan has a spotted wing Drosophila response team that formed previous this year to detect and combat the fly. Further monitoring is taking place this fall to decide where the fly is present in the state.

First European To Top The World Rankings

Lee Westwood has taken over from Tiger Woods as golf's new world number one, after Martin Kaymer failed to conclude in the top two in the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama on Sunday.

Briton Westwood, who becomes the first European to top the world rankings since Nick Faldo in 1994, has climbed to the summit in spite of never having won one of golf's four 'major' titles.

And in doing so, the 37-year-old ends Woods' remarkable 281-week control as the world's top golfer. Woods has been top of the tree since enduringly taking over from Vijay's Vijay Singh in June 2005.

Westwood opted to skip this week's European Tour event in Spain, meaning European Ryder Cup colleague Kaymer could have taken the top position if he had won the tournament or shared second place with no more than one other player.

Roger Federer Joins Andy Murray At ATP World Tour Finals

Roger Federer enjoyed a easy 6-1 6-4 victory over David Ferrer to join Andy Murray at the top of Group B at the ATP World Tour Finals at London's O2 Arena on Sunday evening.

The four-time winner of the season finale had never lost to the Spaniard in 10 earlier meetings and it became clear from the start that an upset was unlikely.

The 29-year-old Swiss broke the seventh seed twice to open up a 4-0 lead in the opening set, before Ferrer hit back with a break of his own.

But normal service was resumed in the sixth game, in spite of the Spaniard's best efforts as Federer broke his serve again and then served out the set.

The second set was less one sided, with Federer taking five games to secure a break of serve, but the outcome was the same.

Serving for the match at 5-4, the number two seed experienced an uncharacteristic lapse in concentration, handing his rival three break points.

But, as so often with Federer, he at once regained his composure to save all three and then promptly served an ace to wrap up the match.

World's First Remotely Controlled Heart Operation Using Robotic Arm Took Place In England

A pioneering heart operation using a robotic arm named Amigo has taken place at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital. The new technique involved using the robotic arm alongside a 3D imaging system

The arm was controlled by surgeon Dr Andre Ng, with the help of an advanced 3D image of the patient's heart.

It was the first time the technique has been used in catheter ablation, where the organ's inner lining is ablated or "burned" to treat unbalanced heartbeats.

The operation was successfully carried out on patient Paddy Flood from Derby. Mr Flood suffers from an irregular heart rhythm condition called atrial fibrillation.
Dr Ng said: "The first experience with using the Amigo system suggests that great precision of catheter movement can be achieved using robotic control.

"Combining this for the first time with the accuracy of placing ablation lesions with the CARTO-3 3D mapping system is a important way forward.

"It is hoped that using the two advanced technologies together would progress the efficacy and safety of these complex procedures."

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disturbance, with over half a million wounded in the UK. It increases the risk of a person having a stroke by five times and doubles the risk of death.

More than 200 catheter ablation operations have taken place at Glenfield Hospital, and six months ago Dr Ng used the Amigo robotic arm to carry out the process for the first time, but without the help of the 3D mapping system.

China Discovers World's Fastest Supercomputer

The United States no longer holds the world's fastest supercomputer.

A computer called Tianhe-1A, unveiled at a conference in Beijing, China, can run calculations faster than the earlier speed leader, a computer at a U.S. lab in Tennessee.

The new computer set a presentation record by crunching 2.507 petaflops of data at once. The earlier leader, a computer called Cray XT5 Jaguar and located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, completed 1.75 petaflop calculations.

Analysts say the innovative record underscores China's place as a global tech leader.

According to Nvidia, the computer technology company, the world's fastest computer will be operated as an open contact system and will be used for large scale scientific computations.

Supercomputers, which basically are many computers strung and networked together, fill entire rooms and even small warehouses. They are often used to processes vast amounts of scientific data. Climate models, for example, are run using the supercomputing power that can be seen in U.S. national labs.

Scott Aims Major Titles After Singapore Success

Adam Scott hopes his third Singapore Open title triumph will act as a springboard for an attack on golf's four major tournaments next year.

The Australian completed a final-round 68 after the tournament went into a fifth day following weather disruptions, concluding on 17-under-par 267 - three shots clear of Denmark's second-placed Anders Hansen.

The victory, his former at Sentosa since the Asian Tour event became co-sanctioned by the European Tour last year, launched him back into the top-20 of golf's world rankings.

It was the seventh European Tour title of the 30-year-old's career, and he will now turn his concentration to claiming a maiden major title in 2011.

Guinness World Records Announces "Tallest Living Married Couple"

Every marriage has its ups and downs, but Wayne and Laurie Hallquist's blessed union may have presently peaked. The Stockton, California, pair was just included into the Guinness World Records for being the tallest married couple on earth.

Wayne, who stands 6-foot-10.4 inches tall, and Laurie, who reaches almost 6-foot-6 inches, was in New York for Guinness World Records Day, where the skyscraping sweethearts were privileged and offered with an official certificate from the organization.

"We're excited and proud," Laurie said. "Representing the U.S. in this year's Guinness World Records Day is quite a excitement."

The Hallquists met at a singles event at their church seven years ago, and exchanged wedding vows later on. Aside from towering over the rest of the world, the pair enjoys collecting classic cars, boating, and sleeping in a 7-foot long bed.

The previous record-holders for Tallest Married Couple were Wilco and Keisha van Kleef-Bolton, whose shared height reached 13.33 feet. It looks as though the Hallquists had them beat by a nose.

Mount Everest Gets 3G Mobile Network Service

The world's highest third generation (3G) mobile network services base station was set up at the base of Mount Everest on Thursday.

Ncell, a mobile phone and internet operator in Nepal, said it set up a 3G base at an altitude of 5,200 meters (17,000 feet) near the village of Gorakshep, according to Aigars Benders, the chief mechanical officer of Ncell.

"The velocity of the 3G services will be up to 3.6 MB per second," Aigars said."But we could have it up to 7.2 MB if there is insist."

A total of nine stations, with the lowest at 2,870 meters (9,400 feet) at Lukla where the airport in the Everest region is located, came into operation on Thursday.

The service is mostly targeted at the approximately 30,000 tourists who come to trek in Nepal's Himalayan region every year.

A few hundred mountaineers try to climb Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain at 8,848 meters (29,028 feet) and it is predictable that the annual total number of mountaineers in the region number several hundred.

Although Ncell has not tested its 3G services from the top of Everest, Aigars said it is theoretically probable.

Up to 50 people can use the services at a time and if there is demand this faculty can be increased. Four of the base stations are run by solar power with a back-up battery that can control the stations for up to three days.

Sweden-based Teliasonera, the fifth largest mobile company in Europe, has the controlling and working stake in Ncell.

"Teliasonera also has the world's lowest 3G base station in the world," said Teliasonera's CEO Lars Nyberg. He said that the lowest one is at 1,400 meters (4,595 feet) below sea level in a mine in Europe.

"Home Haunters" Grab The Attention In Halloween Decorations

The house with sinister animatronics, the fake smoke and a perfectly timed soundtrack of spooky noises is the work of 'Home haunters’. The one that makes little children think twice about ringing the doorbell.

That's the "home haunter's" house. Their fascination with Halloween drives them to create incredible experiences for trick-or-treaters; they are masters at creating a fine scare. And they do it by dismantling off-the-shelf items and whirling electronic parts into freaky Frankenstein decorations.

"For some reason, we all adore to tear apart Christmas props," said Rik Cary, a software designer who lives in Hayward, California.

"There was a 5-foot-tall dancing Santa at Wal-Mart one year, and he picked up a number of these on consent. He's made that into a plagiarize and a zombie. He used the dancing machine itself under one of those singing Douglas fir Christmas trees."

China Unveils World's Fastest Bullet Train

China on Tuesday unveiled what it described as the world's fastest bullet train, which will join two of the country's industrial hubs travelling at an average speed of 350 km per hour.

The rail link between Shanghai and Hangzhou, the newest addition to China's fast-expanding high-speed rail network that is already the world's largest, covers the 200-km distance in only 45 minutes, reducing the travelling time from 78 minutes.

The home-built CRH380 bullet train has been recorded travelling at 420 km per hour, a world record. It will, however, go between the two cities at less than full tilt, at an average speed of 350 km per hour.

China's high-speed rail network now stretches over 7,431 km. The government plans to enlarge the network to over 16,000 km by 2020. China is investing an expected $300 billion on its high-speed rail network.

China has also started work on a 1,318-km high-speed rail line linking the country's two most important cities — Beijing and Shanghai. The $33-billion line will open in 2012, dipping the travel time between the capital and the financial centre in half, to just five hours.

Jetpack And Flying Car Among Year's Best Inventions

Along with the jetpack, the flying car tops the list of classic science-fiction ideas.

Now researchers, with some cash from the U.S. military, might be taking a step toward making these hovering vehicles - seen in such varied works as "Blade Runner" and "The Jetsons" -- a reality.

DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is awarding grants to scientists to assist develop its Transformer program, which seeks to create a road-worthy vehicle that can take off upright like a helicopter and fly.

This week, the robotics institute at Carnegie Mellon University was awarded a $988,000 contract to expand a flight system for the Transformer.

The vehicle DARPA is considering would be able to carry four troops and up to 1,000 pounds of utensils for 250 miles, either on land or through the air.

"Its improved mobility would increase survivability by making movements less predictable and would make the vehicle suitable for a wide variety of missions, such as scouting, resupply and medical evacuation," Carnegie Mellon said in a written release.
The Carnegie Mellon prototype follows the latest news that a Florida man built a flying car Video that was certified by the FAA.

Oscar Remains Record Holder Even After His Death

Oscar, the Vietnamese potbellied pig from Far North Dallas, claimed the Guinness World Records title last year when he turned 20.

He died Tuesday, a few weeks after his 21st birthday. Owner Stacy Kimbell sent out an email announcing the depressing news to friends and family. "He was the most loyal and genuine buddy that a gal could ever want," she wrote.

Oscar wasn't just any pig. In his younger years as a petite piglet, he roamed the streets of Chicago on a leash. He appeared on television with a pet psychologist and joined Kimbell on a Colorado ski vacation.

Oscar lived to eat. He tipped the scales at 180 pounds before Kimbell got a improved handle on his diet, which consisted of roasted pumpkin mash, grapes, almonds, apples, watermelon and canned fruit.

The average pig lives 15 to 20 years, so Oscar's ripe old age gave him the frame with Guinness. Last year's record brought the 130-pound porker back into the limelight. Stories appeared in The Dallas Morning News and People Magazine, and Oscar made many TV appearances. He received several invitations (including one to Rome that he had to decline) and taped a segment on a show for Animal Planet.

Southwest Airlines' chief executive sent him a case of his desired snack – packaged peanuts from the Dallas-based company. What few remained was bequeathed to his sister, Ziffle the pig.

Guinness officials say Oscar will stay the record-holder, even after his death.

Location-Based Mobile Service Gowalla Partners With Disney

When Josh Williams created Gowalla, the location-based mobile service that permits users to "check in" at hot spots and share experiences from the road, he was stimulated by the Disney brand and dreamed of one day partnering with the company.

Two years later, Disney Parks is taking its first foray into location services by teaming up with Gowalla to offer visitors a new way to explore Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

"When we founded Gowalla two years ago we saw Disney as inspiration for us both in terms of design and eminence associated with the brand," said Williams, CEO and co-founder of Gowalla. To connect friends and family across Disney Parks through Gowalla is simply magical."

"The Disney and Gowalla partnership represents a magnificent way to unite social activity online and in the real world," Solis said.

"It also opens the doors to new possibilities to engage social media to share experiences every significant and shareable step of the way. We are at the beginning of a new world where we appeal to the traditional consumer and also the social consumer."

Scientists Fear 'Sixth Mass Extinction' For World's Animals

One in five of the world's mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians are under danger of extinction, according to a major new stock take of life on Earth.

The dreadful study found that the number of endangered vertebrates, or animals with backbones, is still rising and that humans are largely to blame.

Many scientists believe the world is going through a 'sixth mass extinction' and that more wildlife is going destroyed now than at any time since the dinosaurs vanished 65 million years ago.

Around 20 per cent of the world's vertebrates are endangered, including 25 per cent of all mammals, 13 per cent of birds, 22 per cent of reptiles and 41 per cent of amphibians.

The scientists also found that 33 per cent of 'cartilaginous' fish - species such as shark, rays and skates whose skeletons are made from cartilage, were in danger, along with 15 per cent of bony fish.

Species at risk comprise the iconic polar bear, panda and Iberian lynx. Others include the Tasmanian devil - which has been deficiently hit by an infectious form of cancer, the Caspian seal and the Asian fishing cat.

British species on the list comprise the European eel whose numbers have plummeted by 99 per cent because of pollution and overfishing, the schelly - one of Britain's rarest freshwater fish which is found in only four lakes in the Lake District, and the aquatic warbler - a yellow brown guest to southern Britain in the late summer.

The report also warned that entire 'lineages' of species such as marine turtles and pandas are on the edge of being lost - with no similar species able to fill the ecological niches or functions they inhabit.

James Bond’s Aston Martin Car sold With gadget For $4 Million

James Bond never could oppose sleek curves and a good-looking rear view, especially when the owner is armed with lethal gadgets and a taste for speed -- like the Aston Martin DB5.

The one-of-a-kind 1964 silver sports car with unique 007 modifications became the quintessential Bond car when Sean Connery got behind the wheel in 60s Bond classics "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball."

Now, the classic has been snapped up at a London sale for $4 million. It was not straight away clear who bought the DB5. Peter Wallman, car expert at RM Auctions, the auction house selling the car, told. "I think, unquestionably, it's the most famous car in the world." He called the sale an once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Other Bond memorabilia up for auction Wednesday incorporated a helicopter piloted by Bond girl Pussy Galore in "Goldfinger" and a 1998 Jaguar XKR with a weapons system, one of eight customized Jaguars driven in the 2002 film "Die Another Day."

But the absolute star of the show is the DB5.

Champion Djokovic And Federer In Basle Final

Home hero Roger Federer swept past Andy Roddick in straight sets to attain the final of the Swiss Indoors in Basle.

The top seed will face defensive champion Novak Djokovic, who earlier beat fellow Serb Viktor Troicki in straight sets 7-6 6-4 in their semifinal.

Djokovic ended a run of three straight titles for Federer last year, but was made to exertion hard by his Davis Cup teammate before sealing his passage.

Federer had little trouble in beating Roddick 6-2 6-4 for his 20th win in 22 matches between the old rivals, denting the American's hopes of sealing requirement for the season-ending ATP Tour Finals in London later this month.

Roddick, Tomas Berdych, Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer, Mikhail Youzhny and Juergen Melzer are battling for the final three spots, with only next week's Paris Masters tournament still to count.

Swiss maestro Federer secured two breaks of service to take the opening set, but dropped his service at the start of the second. But he rapidly hit back to level at 3-3 and a further break saw him home in 70 minutes, setting up another contest with Djokovic, who beat him in the semifinals of the U.S. Open.

"He likes a fast indoor court. A lot of our matches have been close. That's accurately what I'm looking for again."

Meanwhile, at the Valencia Open, Spain's Ferrer upset second seed Robin Soderling with 6-3 3-6 6-3 success in the semifinals.

Ferrer will play Marcel Granollers in the final after he beat Gilles Simon 6-4 6-4 in the second semifinal.

Vettel Becomes The Youngest Formula One World Champion

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel is the new Formula One world champion after winning the title-deciding race in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

The German produced a peerless oblige from pole position to take the checkered flag ahead of the McLaren pair of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who led the championship standings going into the final race of the season, could only control seventh place to see his title hopes ruined.

The 23-year-old Vettel is the youngest-ever world champion in motorsport's premier class, claiming his fifth win of the year to take the lead in the standings for the first time in a topsy-turvy season.

"I'm a bit speechless. I don't know what you are supposed to say in this time," Vettel told the official post-race press conference.

American Andy Roddick Secures Final Place

American Andy Roddick secured the eighth and final place for the ATP World Tour Finals on Thursday, but world No. 3 Novak Djokovic suffered a setback in his preparations for the season-ending event.

Roddick qualified for the November 21-28 tournament in London after ending Jurgen Melzer's hopes by defeating Ernests Gulbis at the Paris Masters -- and then seeing closest rival Fernando Verdasco lose.

Roddick, seeded eighth for the French event, won 6-3 7-6 (10-8) besides his Latvian opponent, then his place for the finals was secured for an eighth straight year when Verdasco lost an epic third-round tussle with home player Gael Monfils.

The Spanish sixth seed went down 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 to the French No. 12, meaning that his compatriot David Ferrer and Tomas Berdych also secured places in London in spite of losing on Thursday.

Wong Gets Silver Medal With Broken Bones

Hong Kong cyclist Wong Wan-yiu was wedged in an epic pile up during the women's 20 kilometer cycling points race at the Asian Games.

The cyclist was in second place when she touched the wheel of leader Liu Xin and triggered the event. Wong suffered a broken rib and a dislocated arm after being run over by other contestants.

Three of the athletes could not carry on racing, but Wong hopped on a replacement bicycle and finished the remaining 37 laps despite her pain. The heroine got a silver medal.

Wong was determined to finish the race as this was her last chance to gain enough points to succeed for the London Olympics. She said to Apple Daily that "you have to be willing to sacrifice in order to achieve anything; it's all give and take."

World’s Largest Indoor Theme Park Opens Today

Turning an exceptional project from an idea to a reality, and within a short period of time, were the key challenges behind Ferrari World, the Yas Island theme park that opens today, according to those close to the project.

Mohammad Al Mubarak, chief commercial officer at Aldar, the developer after the multi-billion car-themed project, and Will Jones of landscapers Mesa Design Group, which provided the landscaping.

“There have been many architectural firsts in the design and build of the world’s largest indoor theme park,” said Mubarak, counting the challenge of maintaining the same temperature throughout the year. For this, the building was aligned on a key North-South axis of the Yas Marina Circuit to maximise the shading and cut down on 'solar gains', falling cooling requirements."

Maintaining passenger security on what will be the world’s fastest roller coaster – Formula Rossa – was also important, he adds, crediting the company’s work with US ride specialist Jack Rouse Associates.

More Than 1,200 Species Discovered In Amazon

More than 1,200 new species of plants and animals have been revealed in the Amazon rainforest over the past decade according to a new report.

"Amazon Alive! A Decade of Discoveries 1999-2009," published by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), showcases the strange diversity housed in the world's biggest rainforest which spans eight South American countries.

Six-hundred-and-thirty-seven innovative species of plant were found during the period, as well as nearly 500 new fish and amphibians, including 24 new poison dart frogs.

A four-meter long anaconda snake - native to Bolivia and the first of its genus to be recognized since 1936 - was among 55 new reptile species discovered, and a Bolivian river dolphin was one of 39 new species of mammals.

A vibrantly colored bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) was one of the highlights of 16 new bird species. The list of new discoveries amounts to more than the mutual total of new species found in Borneo, the Congo Basin and the Eastern Himalayas during the same time period, the report says.

Nearly one fifth of the Amazon rainforest has been cut down in the past 50 years, Leape says. This is mainly due to increased global demand for soya, beef and, more recently, biofuels.

Governments from around the world are presently meeting at the United Nations biodiversity summit in Nagoya, Japan with the aim of setting new targets to stem eco-system loss.

Robot With Ethical Knowledge Invented

Robots as a very exceptional technological achievement of mankind that is capable of doing work as efficiently or sometimes even more efficiently as any other human being. But one severe complaint we all have is that robots are just high caliber machines that are devoid of any ethics. But now researchers have worked hard to inculcate some ethics similar to that of an ordinary human being in a robot so that it is able to act ethically and take decisions based on morals.

Researcher duo Susan Anderson and Michael Anderson has introduced a robot that takes into account various ethics such as being just, doing good, not causing harm and keeping promise when deciding how to act in a normal way. Such ethics are very ‘human’ in nature and never seen before in any robot.

This ethical robot will be used in medical field primarily. It will be entrusted with the duty to remind patients to obtain their medicine. The robot is programmed to weigh the benefits the patient will have if he takes good medication and will ultimately report to the doctor if the patient declines to take them after repeated reminders.

The robot is programmed to make ethically sound decisions and based on certain facts it will be able to weigh a decision and make choices about what must be done. The robot is created by Susan Anderson, a philosopher and her research partner husband Michael Anderson who is a computer scientist. The couple made the robot and based their research on an approach to ethics development in 1930 by a Scottish philosopher David Ross.

Baby Koala Struggles For Life After Being Shot

A baby koala shot in southeast Queensland has been undergoing crisis surgery.

The female joey, named Frodo by rescuers, was found with shotgun wounds at Jimna. X-rays showed the shotgun sprayed 15 pellets into Frodo's body, with one blow to the head.

She had emergency surgery at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, but veterinarians were able to take out only three of the pellets because of her condition. The 14 to 16-month-old is in a "critical but stable" condition and if strong enough will have more surgery.

It is supposed Frodo's mother was also shot and later died but the body has not been found.

Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones described the shooting as sick and cruel. "I'm completely disgusted by this cruelty and hope the young koala can recover."

Harming a koala is a severe crime. The penalty for intentionally shooting one is A$225,000 ($287,000) or two years' jail.

The World's Largest Feline Discovered In Captivity

A Siberian tiger, the world's largest feline, has been discovered in imprisonment at a woman's home in Russia's central Urals region, authorities said on Wednesday.

The inquiry began when prosecutors came to know that the woman was keeping the animal, also known as an Amur tiger in honor of the famous Siberian river, in a semi-free state on her property in the city of Yekaterinburg.

"The woman kept the animal without authorization, and without esteem for sanitary regulations," said the Yekaterinburg prosecutor in a statement.

Officials were likely to seize the animal from the woman and then decide what to do with it next, the statement said.

It is not known how the woman got hold of the Siberian tiger - there are only about 450 left in Russia's Far East, their natural habitat. Hunting tigers has been forbidden since 1947 and the Amur has been entered in Russia's Red Book of protected animals.

The WWF said in March the inhabitants of Amur tiger fell 15 percent in 2009 compared with the year before.

A summit of 13 countries which are habitat to wild tigers will be held in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg on November 21-24.

World’s Smallest Woman Hatice Achieves The Tallest Achievement

21 year old Hatice Kocaman never knew that her height would let her attain the one of the tallest feats in the world, be part of the Guinness Book of World Records. The Turkish lady is now officially the world’s smallest woman; she is 28 inches tall and weighs no more than 15 lbs (6.8 kg). She became the second smallest human being alive. Strangely, the country is also home to the world’s tallest man.

Haitce stays with her family and suffers from hip dysplasia and back problems, but could not obtain any treatment for her condition as her family could not afford to travel from Kadirli, Turkey.

In an interview after receiving the award Hatice said that in school she used to be bullied because of the size, but now she feels quite tall as she became famed for her size.

Hatice had a natural birth and was a standard baby until a year later her mother found that her growth rate was very slow compared to other children. The reason behind Haitce’s size is that she suffers from dwarfism and it is because both her parents have defective genes.

Haitce has a brother who has a normal growth and does not suffer from the problems that this 21year old lady faces. Now Hatice wishes to travel the world and even see the tallest man of the world and has no complaints for her size or the way God has made her.

Byrd The First Golfer To Win PGA Tour Title

Jonathan Byrd is coming to terms with being the first golfer to succeed a PGA Tour title with a hole-in-one.

In fading light in Las Vegas, the American aced the par-three 17th with the opening shot of the fourth hole of a three-man playoff to victory at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

It was only his second hole-in-one during a tournament, but he managed the feat at the par-four 15th hole on the same TPC Summerlin course during a practice round previous in his career.

The 32-year-old had survived a big scare at the previous hole, when his ball stopped just short of dipping into the water hazard and he recovered to save par.

Byrd's opponents Martin Laird and Cameron Percy shook his hand after he nailed his six-iron tee shot - then both found water with their attempts to match his achievement into the water to give him the $756,000 winner's prize.

Miss Mexico World 2010 To Represent Miss World 2010

Miss Mexico World 2010 Anabel Solis Sosa will be representing the country of Mexico at the 2010 Miss World beauty pageant which is going to place at Sanya, China on October 30.

The 23 year-old beauty stood second in the Nuestra Belleza Mexico 2009 pageant after the dazzling Ximena Navarrete, who is currently Miss Universe 2010. Anabel competed with 33 other gorgeous young ladies to win the runners-up prize.

Anabel, who hails from Yucatan, stands five feet eleven inches tall and has a great self-confidence in herself. Mexico has placed a lot of hope on her, and more so since her compatriot Ximena Navarrete won the Miss Universe title previous this year. So will Miss Mexico World 2010 Anabel Solis Sosa pursue the footsteps of Ximena and win the Miss World 2010 title? Let’s see if this sizzling favorite can do magic!

Oakley Launches World's First Optically Correct 3D Glasses

Oakley has just released the world's first optically correct 3D glasses. They are intended to work in 3D-enabled movie theaters that use RealD technology - that's about 80% of the North-American market.

The idea is easy: when you step into a 3D theater, they generally give you a (very) cheap pair of passive 3D glasses that have a poor fit, low peripheral vision, and absolutely not build to the best optical specifications. Oakley's 3D Gascan are built to a far better standard, and most likely represent the best passive glasses that consumers would be able to get their hands on right now. There's no question that when compared to standard glasses, Oakley possibly wins by a mile in terms of distortion and comfort. However, this excellence comes with a price: $120 (in Black or White). That's not "pocket change", but Oakley would also argue that you look actually goofy with the theater free glasses.

Libyan Rocket The World’s Safest Car

Europe has been know for building cars Colonel Muammar Gaddafi wants to add Libya to that list, and this is what he’s cooked up to do it. Called the Libyan Rocket, the car was designed to solve the crisis of high instance of road deaths in the north African country. Gaddafi’s people say it’s the safest car ever made, but don’t go into any details to back up the claim. Still, the Colonel’s revolutionary government is building a plant in Tripoli to put it mutually.

Gaddafi’s car seats five, has a 230-hp V6 and the nose and tail of a rocket. The Libyan Rocket does come with airbags, an electronic defense system and collapsible bumpers that apparently help out in a crash.

Rabid Bats On Increase In Los Angeles County

Public health officials are urging residents to evade touching any wild animals, especially bats.

The warning comes after the discovery of a strangely high number of rabid bats in Los Angeles County so far this year.

So far in 2010, 21 rabid bats have been found countywide, compared to an average of 10 per year, according to the Department of Public Health.

The reason for the raise is unclear, but health officials say the threat is real.

Make certain that children know to leave bats and other wildlife alone, and keep pets away from wild animals. If you see a sick bat or other sick creature, contact your local animal control agency," said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and Health Officer.

One person who was attempting to rehabilitate a sick bat was bitten. The bat tested positive for rabies and the person was quickly treated for rabies exposure. Rabies is a grave viral disease that affects the central nervous system, ultimately causing brain disease and death. Symptoms may comprise fever, weakness, confusion, anxiety, partial paralysis and an increase in saliva.

Rabies is transmitted through the bite or saliva of a polluted animal. The majority of rabies cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year occur in wild animals such as bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes. And it’s not just people who are at danger from infection.

So far this year, two dogs and a cat were found playing with live, rabid bats at their homes. Fortunately, the pets had existing rabies vaccinations. If not, their owners would have had to face the difficult decision of either euthanizing their pet or putting them in quarantine for six months. All pet owners should make sure their dog or cat has an up-to-date vaccine against rabies, said Dr. Fielding.

1 in 1000 to 1 in 10,000 bats is infected with rabies. However when an ill bat is found, the risk of that bat having rabies is much higher; approximately 10 percent.

Qapco’s New Guinness World Record For World’s Largest T-shirt

Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco) has made a new Guinness World Record for the largest T-shirt ever made, breaking the old one set in South Africa.

Yesterday, in front of thousands of followers at Aspire Park, judges from Guinness World Records certified that the Qapco T-shirt, a white and maroon shirt over 72.2 metres long and 48.7 metres wide, was the world largest T-shirt ever made. It weighs six tons and covered 3516.25 square metres.

The crowd roared with delight when Gaz Deaves, Gaming Editor of Guinness World Records, said: “I am happy to announce a new Guinness record for the largest T-shirt.”

The South African record was set on September 15 this year for a T-shirt more than 64 metres long and 43 metres wide.

Dr Mohammed Yousef Al Mulla, General Manager and board member of Qapco, said it was thrilling that Qapco had set a world record for the largest T-shirt.

“This idea came as a result of the support of H E Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah, the Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Industry, who clearly defined that our motive behind such an initiative is only to voice our unlimited support in the energy and industry sector for Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup here.”

U.S Approves World’s Largest Solar Energy Project

Calling it a major milestone, the Obama administration on Monday agreed what investors say will be the world's largest concentrated solar power plant and one that more than doubles all of U.S. solar output and can power at least 300,000 homes.

The project in the Mojave Desert near Blythe, Calif., is the sixth solar scheme authorized on federal lands within the last month. All are in desert areas.

"The Blythe Solar Power Project is a chief milestone in our nation’s renewable energy economy and shows that the United States intends to contend and lead in the technologies of the future," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in announcing the approval.

Construction on the $6 billion plant is probable to start by the end of 2010, with production starting in 2013. Developer Solar Millennium, a company based in Germany, says the plant will produce 1,066 construction jobs and 295 permanent jobs.

Facebook Set To Launch E-mail Service – The “Gmail Killer”

Facebook is set to announce a new e-mail feature on Monday that could challenge Gmail, Yahoo mail and Hotmail as the most accepted online e-mail services, according to news reports on Friday.

The service by the popular social networking company will for the first time permit the site’s 500 million members to use “@facebook.com” addresses and will also be integrated with Microsoft’s newly introduced Office online services.

Facebook has the world’s most popular photos product, the most admired events product, and soon will have a very popular local deals product as well. It can tweak the design of its webmail client to show content from each of these in a seamless fashion (and don’t forget messages from games, or payments via Facebook Credits). And there’s also the social element: Facebook knows who your friends are and how strongly you’re connected to them; it can probably do a pretty good job figuring out which personal emails you want to read most and prioritize them accordingly.

Riza Santos Crowned Miss World Canada 2011

A former housemate of ABS-CBN's "Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2" was crowned as Miss World Canada 2011 in a pageant held in Richmond, British Columbia.

Filipino-Canadian Riza Santos, a 24-year-old engineering student, will represent Canada in this year's Miss World pageant to be held in London in November. Santos bested 22 others in the prestigious international beauty competition.

In 2006, Santos competed as Miss Canada in the Miss Earth pageant which was held here in the Philippines. She bagged the Miss Photogenic and Miss Fontana Awards.

A year later, she joined "Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2" and was proclaimed as the second placer of the show.

According to the Miss World Canada website, Santos wants to become a commissioned officer, having finished her Basic Military Qualification (BMQ) and Soldier Qualification (SQ) with the Canadian Forces Army Reserve.

Running Ethiopian Legend Gebrselassie Declares His Retirement

Ethiopian distance running legend Haile Gebrselassie has stunned the world of athletics by announcing his retirement.

The 37-year-old dropped out of Sunday's New York City marathon with a knee wound then told reporters he had run his last race.

"I never believe about to retire. But for the first time, this is the day," he said. "Let me stop and do other work after this."

Gebrselassie, a two-time Olympic 10,000 meters champion, is the world marathon record holder after setting a time of two hours three minutes 59 seconds in Berlin in 2008.

He was the star attraction in New York, but pulled out in apparent pain on the Queensboro Bridge while in the leading group at 16 miles.

"I don't want to criticize anymore after this, which means it's better to stop here," he said.

Gebrselassie, who has set a host of world bests over numerous distances in his storied career, had told his twitter blog that he was stressed with a knee problem, but gave no hint he would quit the sport.

His fellow citizen Gebre Gebremariam triumphed on his marathon debut to win in two hours eight minutes and 14 seconds.

The 2009 cross-country world champion pulled clear of Kenya's Emmanuel Mutai in the final stages. Another Kenyan, Moses Kigen Kipkosgei, was third.

Kenya's Edna Kiplagat claimed her first main marathon title as she took the women's race.