6th December 2012

Issue No.
65
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Mixed platter
Page 3
Suiting Up Your Dog,
RemovingCoȔeeStains,
Making Flavoured Oil
Shearling Bombers
Page 8 Best
for the Winter Wardrobe
Page 7
Skin creams capture
the eyes of men
Page 4
Everyday Food:
Late-Fall Harvest
From men’s beauty secrets to
o
carbon in Mars, this week’s Bloom
serves you a little bit of everything.
Turn to health page for the
do’s and don’ts when using
contact lenses, and the not the
very happy news about deep belly
fat. Research proves the age-old
adage relating apple and health,
and the study has more fruits to
add to this health mission – read
‘Colourful fruits, vegetables key to
cancer-fighting diet’.
Now that summer has officially
ended, we have gathered tips to
deck up your backyard. Learn from
the expert and give your backyard
a total revamp!
At least a generation ago, men
dismissed using anything besides
shaving cream and after-shave on
their faces as unmanly. The trend
has changed now – our beauty
page tells how! While the fashion
page brings ten of the best jackets
for the season.
In the technology page, check
out why you should ‘think before
you tweet’, and the update on the
simplest phones available. For the
social media savvy, we have listed
a comprehensive web app.
Drop us a word at bloom@
qimqatar.com. Your feedback is
always welcome. So be it science,
technology, lifestyle or fashion
take your pick right away. And
Facebook users keep liking our
page!
Follow us on
www.facebook.com/BloomQatar
2
Health
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Deep belly fat could
weaken men’s bones
The study revealed that the men with more visceral
and total fat in their abdomen had less bone strength
than those with less abdominal fat.
Obese men with a lot of deep belly fat are
at greater risk for bone-thinning than other
men, a new study finds.
Although bone loss, or osteoporosis, is
widely believed to be a health issue affecting women, researchers found that “visceral
fat,” which is located deep under the muscles in the abdomen, is linked to bone loss
and decreased bone strength in men.
“Most studies on osteoporosis have focused on women. Men were thought to be
relatively protected against bone loss, especially obese men,” Dr. Miriam Bredella, a
radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor of radiology at
Harvard Medical School in Boston, said in a
news release from the Radiological Society
of North America.
“It is important for men to be aware that
excess belly fat is not only a risk factor for
heart disease and diabetes, it is also a risk
factor for bone loss,” Bredella added.
In conducting the study, the researchers examined 35 men with an average age of 34
years and an average body-mass index (BMI,
a measure of
height
and
weight) of
36.5, which
is considered
obese.
The
men had a CT
scan of their abdomen and thigh
to measure their
fat and muscle mass.
They also underwent
a high-resolution CT
scan, known as finite
element analysis (FEA),
of their forearm to determine their bone strength
and risk for fractures.
“FEA is a technique that is
frequently used in mechanical engineering to determine
the strength of materials for the
design of bridges or airplanes,
among
other
things,”
explained
Bredella.
“FEA
can
determine
where a structure will bend
or break and the
amount of force
necessary to make
the material break.
We can now use
FEA to determine the
strength or force necessary to make a bone
break .”
The study revealed that the
men with more visceral and
total fat in their abdomen
had less bone strength than
those with less abdominal fat.
The researchers noted that the
men’s age and total BMI did not
have an impact on their bone strength.
“We were not surprised by our results that
abdominal and visceral fat are detrimental to bone strength in obese men,” noted
Bredella. “We were, however, surprised
that obese men with a lot of visceral fat had
significantly decreased bone strength compared to obese men with low visceral fat but
similar BMI.”
The study noted that greater muscle mass
is associated with increased bone strength.
The researchers pointed out that genetics, diet and exercise all play a role in the
amount of visceral fat stored in the body.
This type of deep belly fat is also linked to
an increased risk for heart disease.
The data and conclusions of research presented at medical meetings should be
viewed as preliminary until published in
a peer-reviewed journal. Although the researchers found an association between
higher levels of belly fat and decreased bone
strength, they did not prove a cause-andeffect relationship.
(HealthDay News)
Don’t take shortcuts
when caring for
contact lenses
Common shortcuts people take when
caring for their contact lenses could
have serious consequences, such as infections or ulcerations, according to
an eye disease expert.
“While contacts are generally very
safe, wearers should know that poor
contact care can lead to serious
health issues,” Dr. Sean Edelstein,
An assistant professor of ophthalmology at Saint Louis University
Medical Center, said in a university news release. “Unfortunately, I usually see patients after
they’ve developed contact-lensrelated infections or inflammation.”
“Eye redness, pain, sensitivity to light and blurry vision
are symptoms that suggest
something is wrong,” said
Edelstein, who specializes
in cornea and external diseases of the eye. “In this
scenario, you should immediately remove your
contact lens and see an
eye-care professional.”
“Kale is a top choice
because it’s rich in
phytonutrients
called
indoles, which stimulate
liver detoxification and
help fight cancer,” Kennedy
said.
Orange vegetables such
as carrots, sweet potatoes,
squash and pumpkins are all
packed with nutrients called
carotenoids, which have been
linked to the prevention of colon,
prostate, breast and lung cancer,
Kennedy said.
Colour is key to finding cancerfighting foods in any season,
Kennedy added. “Eating a plantbased diet is the best way to help
lower your risk of cancer all year
long,” she said.
(HealthDay News)
Colourful fruits, vegetables
key to cancer-fighting diet
Many cancer-fighting fruits and
vegetables are at their nutritional
peak in the fall, and it’s a good time
to incorporate them into your diet, a
nutritional expert advises.
For example, research suggests that
eating an apple a day really may keep
the doctor away, by helping to prevent
throat, mouth, lung and possibly
breast cancer, noted Stacy Kennedy, a
senior nutritionist at the Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute in Boston.
Apples contain a nutrient called
quercetin, which protects the cell’s
DNA from damage that could lead to
cancer.
“The key is to eat them raw and with
the skin on. That’s where many of the
nutrients are found,” Kennedy said in
an institute news release.
Cranberries, another healthy fall
favourite, are in season and at their
nutritional peak now. Kennedy
suggested stocking up on bags of
cranberries and freezing them for use
throughout the year, because there is
evidence that the benzoic acid found
in these berries may inhibit lung
and colon cancer, and some forms of
leukaemia.
Among the brightly coloured fresh
vegetables that are available at this
time of year are beets, carrots and
parsnips. Kennedy suggests serving
generous portions of these.
“The brighter and richer the pigment,
the higher the level of cancer-fighting
nutrients,” Kennedy said.
Dark, leafy vegetables such as kale,
broccoli, cabbage and Brussels
sprouts are also important, she
pointed out. People who eat plenty of
these vegetables have lower rates of
lung, prostate and stomach cancer.
Shortcuts people often take when
caring for their contact lenses include:
• Using expired lens solutions
• Reusing leftover contact solution
• Exposing contacts to non-sterile water
• Wearing contacts too long or overnight
• Not cleaning contacts or disinfecting
storage cases well enough
Most often, corneal infections are caused
by bacteria, particularly Pseudomonas
and Staphylococcus. In rare cases, Edelstein noted, contact lenses may be infected by fungi or parasites, which is
more difficult to treat. In extreme cases,
infections can spread deep into the eye,
causing endophthalmitis (inflammation
inside the eyeball).
Corneal ulcers also can cause scarring in
the cornea, as well as permanent vision
loss. To prevent these harmful effects of
poor contact-lens care, Edelstein advises
people to take these precautions:
• Never substitute tap water for contact
solution.
• Always use fresh contact solution.
• Keep your contact case and lenses clean
and handle them properly.
• Don’t wear your contacts for extended
periods of time.
Fine Living
Thursday, 6 December 2012
3
Suiting Up Your Dog,
Removing Coffee Stains,
Making Flavoured Oil
First, fill the cups with
warm water, and
drop a tablet in each cup. When the tablet has dissolved and
the water is clear, empty the cup and check the inside. If
stains remain, repeat these steps with additional tablets.
Depending on the amount of stain build-up on your china,
you may have to repeat this process several times and then
wash the cups. But once you’re finished, your china will be as
good as new.
Making flavoured oil at
home
Q: I’m dying to find out how to make
flavoured oil for dipping bread. A
restaurant near where I live infuses
its house oil with orange – such a
wonderful hint of flavour!
Outfitting your dog for
the cold
Q: How do I know if my dog needs a coat
or sweater for winter?
A: Though dogs look cute in quilted parkas and cable-knit
pullovers, most don’t need an extra layer, because their own
coats protect them from the elements during normal outdoor
activities. But small, lean or short-haired breeds and breeds
that originate in warm climates, such as the Chihuahua from
Mexico, may need extra protection in winter. A coat may also
be considered if the pup is visibly bothered by the cold or
wet (they shiver or are reluctant to go out). Water-resistant
items are best for warmth and protection against rain and
light snow. For severe cold, insulated jackets are best.
Removing tough stains
from china
Q: What should I use to remove
stubborn coffee stains inside my white
china cups?
A: Hard-to-remove coffee and tea stains can be erased
easily with denture-cleaning tablets. They contain oxidising
ingredients that help loosen grime with effervescence and
bleaching agents that take away the stains.
Clothes should always be soft, breathable, easy to remove,
washable and free of zippers and small items that could come
loose or be chewed off. Wool is versatile, since it naturally
breathes and repels water. Some dogs, however, have wool
allergies, so dress them with care. If your dog scratches or
chews persistently, consult your vet.
If your dog seems miserable in its outerwear, consider
whether the coat is really needed. If the coat is necessary
but your dog is resistant, gradually condition your pet to the
item: For a few days, slowly and gently put the garment on
while giving treats and encouragement. Initially, leave it on
only for a few minutes at a time, and then slowly increase
this period until the dog is comfortable.
A: Start with a mild olive
oil to let the flavours of
your additions shine or
a stronger olive oil for
a more complex play of
flavours. Use a vegetable
peeler to strip the zest
off two large oranges,
avoiding the bitter pith. If
necessary, scrape residual
pith from the zest using
a sharp knife. Cut into
strips, and put zest in a
saucepan with 1 cup oil.
If you like, throw in a few
whole black peppercorns
and a sprig of fresh thyme
or rosemary. To infuse the
oil, warm the mixture over
low heat for 10 minutes;
be careful not to let it
boil. Let the oil stand at
room temperature for
two hours. Then strain
the mixture through a
fine sieve, and enjoy. Or
refrigerate until you’re
ready to use it (it will keep
for two weeks). The oil
will solidify partially, so
leave it out for about 45
minutes before serving it.
Then place it in a shallow
bowl, and garnish with
fresh citrus peel.
12 Lessons In Outdoor Living
Summer has officially ended. And
how did you use your backyard?
Did you only sit on the patio,
within mere feet of the screen door,
ignoring some of your home’s most
valuable real estate? Maybe you
didn’t realise that neglected corner
could become a shady spot for
reading and sipping sangria, or that
your deck could be a chic gathering
space for two or 20. We turned
to the landscape designer Judy
Kameon, and her work on Susan
and Tim Anderson’s Los Angeles
backyard, to see the best ways to
turn your garden into an outdoor
version of your home, with separate
zones for eating, lounging, napping
– and dreaming.
1. Love your outdoor
living room
Pull up a chair – or a sofa or
bench. Comfortable furniture
invites lounging and lingering.
Lightweight butterfly chairs are
easy to move around as more people
join the conversation, and lanterns
and throw pillows add punches of
colour. Tall, sculptural plants such
as giant birds-of-paradise and spiky
brown cordy lines create a wall of
sorts, giving the corner an intimate
feel.
2. Make it lush
Create a green welcome with
simple plant solutions like ficus.
Fast-growing vines such as these
will quickly cloak walls. At the
Andersons’, they help soften a
rustic wooden gate at the entrance
to their small front garden.
3. Create a
conversation pit
Don’t scrimp on dimensions in
the great outdoors. Extra-wide
seat cushions allow for plenty of
room for casual groups, as well
as a serving surface for a tray of
appetisers. (Choose outdoor fabric,
and spills will wipe off easily with
water.)
away even though it’s really just a
few steps from the kitchen and all
the hubbub of the backyard play
area.
6. Define your palette
Develop a distinctive mix of colours
and patterns that marries outdoor
upholstery, throw pillows and
ceramic tiles to play off what’s
happening in the flower beds.
7. Create a dream spot
silver leaves rather than flowers,
which can come and go quickly in
the garden. Informal flower beds
can be anchored with a larger
sculptural plant such as blue agave,
and a grouping of other colourful
drought-tolerant succulents.
10. Gain some
party space
When topped with cushions, a low
wall adds valuable space for extra
seating for a larger gathering.
Place a comfortable daybed on the
patio, instead of an ordinary and
expected chaise longue. An outdoor
rug will help define the parameters
of the “room” and soften stone or
concrete underfoot. And a ceramic
stool can serve as a handy side table.
11. Dare to go pale
4. Embrace the bench
8. Turn up the heat
Declutter a small patio by switching
out a cluster of chairs for modern,
comfortable benches upholstered in
outdoor fabric. Instead of bringing
in bouquets for dinner parties,
try a potted plant as a permanent
centrepiece.
A fire pit is a focal point for a seating
area – plus, it extends the outdoor
entertaining season beyond the
warmth of summer. The Andersons’
model has a gas hook-up that can
be easily switched on with a key
(hidden from the kids), but a wood
fire in a concrete vessel also works.
12. Maximise tight
spots
5. Find a hideaway
A shady green part of the
Andersons’ garden seems a world
9. Focus on the foliage
Emphasise rich brown, grey and
Light-coloured fabric can be tricky
to keep clean outdoors. Look for
cotton canvas covers that can go
right in the laundry or be folded up
and stored indoors when not in use.
Don’t let hard-to-use spaces like
a narrow sliver between the end
of the pool and a sunken utility
area go to waste. Use one spacesaving double chaise and arrange
decorative stools in the same
symmetrical way you would in your
living room. Hang electric lanterns
from a large tree to complete the
feeling of a stylish outdoor room.
4
Life Style
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Everyday Food:
Late-Fall Harvest
Autumn vegetables take on a deep sweetness
after the first frost, so let them shine in
hearty main dishes.
Parsnip-Onion Tarte Tatin
Serve this savoury upside-down tart
with a leafy green salad for a great
vegetarian dinner.
Ingredients:
• 2 tbsps. olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into 1/4inch rounds and separated into rings
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• salt and pepper
• 3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut
into 1/8-inch rounds
• all-purpose flour, for work surface
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
Sweet Potato-Sausage Soup
Directions:
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Fahrenheit. In a 10-inch ovenproof
skillet, heat oil over medium-high.
Add onion, thyme and sugar and
cook until onion is softened, about
8 mins; season with salt and pepper.
Reduce heat to medium and spread
onions evenly in pan. Add parsnips
in an even layer, cover and cook until
almost tender, about 8 mins.
• On a lightly floured work surface,
trim pastry into a 10-inch round.
Top parsnips with pastry. Bake until
pastry is puffed and golden, about
20 mins. Let cool on a wire rack, 10
mins, then invert.
Roasted-Vegetable Salad With
Poached Eggs
If you like a little heat, swap in spicy
Italian sausage for the sweet.
Ingredients:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced large
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage,
casings removed
2 sweet potatoes (1 pound total),
peeled and diced medium
4 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup small pasta shells
4 cups roughly chopped mixed
greens, such as kale and Swiss chard
grated Parmesan, for serving.
Directions:
• In a large pot, heat oil over mediumhigh. Add onion and garlic and cook
until onion is translucent, about 6
mins; season with salt and pepper.
Add sausage and cook, breaking up
meat with a wooden spoon, until
browned, about 5 mins.
• Add sweet potatoes, broth and 2 cups
water and bring to a boil. Add pasta
and cook 3 mins less than package
instructions. Reduce to a simmer,
add greens and cook until pasta is
tender and greens are wilted, about 4
mins. Serve with Parmesan.
Acorn Squash Stuffed With
Mushrooms And Rice
A rich, runny egg yolk, sunny lemon
juice and a bit of olive oil make an
instant dressing.
Ingredients:
• 3/4 pound fingerling potatoes,
halved lengthwise
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
medium
• 2 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
• 1 large beet, scrubbed, peeled and
cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 1 large sprig rosemary
• 3 tbsps. olive oil, divided
• salt and pepper
• 4 large eggs
• 1 head red leaf lettuce, trimmed and
leaves torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice plus wedges for
serving.
Directions:
• Preheat oven to 425 F. On a rimmed
baking sheet, toss potatoes, onion,
carrots, beet and rosemary with
2 tbsps. oil; season with salt and
pepper. Roast vegetables until golden
and tender, about 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, in a straight-sided
skillet, heat 2 inches water over
medium until a few bubbles rise to
the top. Crack eggs, one at a time,
into a small bowl and gently pour
into skillet. Cook, undisturbed, until
whites are just set and yolks are still
runny, about 3 mins to 4 mins. With
a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to a
paper towel-lined plate.
• Transfer roasted vegetables to a large
bowl and toss with lettuce, lemon
juice and remaining tbsp. oil; season
with salt and pepper. Divide among
four plates, top with poached eggs
and serve with lemon wedges.
squash with salt and pepper, drizzle
with 1 tbsp. oil and turn cut sides
down. Cover sheet tightly with foil
Ingredients:
and roast until tender, about 35 mins.
• 2 acorn squash (1 pound each),
• Meanwhile, in a medium straighthalved crosswise, seeded and
sided skillet, heat remaining 2
bottoms trimmed to lie flat, if
tbsps. oil over medium-high. Add
necessary
mushrooms, onion and thyme;
• salt and pepper
season with salt and pepper. Saute
until mushrooms are golden, about 8
• 3 tbsps. olive oil, divided
mins. Add rice and broth and bring to
• 1/2 pound cremini or button
a boil; cover and reduce heat to low.
mushrooms, trimmed and diced
Cook until liquid is absorbed, about
small
20 mins.
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
•
Remove
squash from oven and heat
• 3/4 tsp. dried thyme
broiler. Carefully scoop out 2 to 3
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
tbsps.
flesh
from each squash half
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
and stir into rice; season with salt
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)
and pepper. Divide rice mixture
Directions:
among squash halves, sprinkle with
• Preheat oven to 450 F. On a rimmed
Parmesan and broil until melted,
baking sheet, season cut sides of
about 2 mins.
The stuffing is delicious, especially for
mushroom lovers!
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Crawling Bio-Robot
Runs On Rat Heart Cells
A new biological robot has been made
from rat heart cells and synthetic materials, a new study says – and the machine
could someday lead to others that will attack diseases inside the human body.
The centimetre-long “biobot’’ was
made by attaching heart muscle cells
onto a flexible structure, or body, of hydrogel – the same material used to make
contact lenses for human eyes.
To make the biobot’s body, the team
used a 3-D printer, which creates solid
objects by laying down successive layers
of soft materials that fuse together and
harden.
Gathering the heart cells was a bit
trickier. The researchers removed whole
hearts from anesthetised new-born rats,
cut the organs into tiny pieces, and then
processed the fragments to loosen and
separate the heart cells. The cells were
then added to the robot body – each bot
contains between a few thousand and a
few hundred thousand.
“In a few days they start beating, and
the bots start to move,’’ explained study
co-author Rashid Bashir, an engineer
at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign who helped develop the robot.
As the biobot’s “engine,’’ the heart
cells’ contractions bend the machine’s
body, causing it to move forward fractions of an inch per second. The biobot
has two legs, one that propels it forward
and another that acts as a stabiliser.
Heart cells were chosen for the biobot
because they spontaneously contract, or
“beat,’’ in time with one another, Bashir
said by email.
Biobot replicates life
For now, the biobot must be submerged in a nutrient-rich fluid to keep
know if they’re indigenous to
Mars or not.”
Chemical diversity
Chem
A tantalising whiff of carbon-based compounds has been
picked up by NASA’s Curiosity
Mars rover. But it’s still not clear
whether the eagerly awaited results show the true chemical nature of Mars or are the products of
Earthly contaminants.
One of the main goals of the
NASA rover is to search for signs
of Martian habitability, including organics – carbon-containing
compounds that are the building blocks of life. The rover’s
first meals of baked Martian soil
showed carbon and hydrogen reacting with chlorine inside the robot’s ovens, creating organic molecules.
This taste of carbon is intriguing but it’s a far cry from recent
feverish speculation that the
rover found definitive evidence
for organics on the Red Planet.
While the chlorine is almost certainly from Mars, it is still unclear
whether the carbon is native Martian material or something from
Earth that was trapped in the
rover. Even if the carbon is from
Mars, it may come from inorganic
sources, like carbonate rocks.
“The rover has made this detection of simple organic compounds,” said project scientist
John Grotzinger of NASA’s Jet
Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. “We just don’t
The result is only one of the
intriguing chemical discoveries
the NASA rover has pulled from a
wind-blown patch of sand at a site
called Rocknest, unveiled recently
at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2012 fall meeting in
San Francisco.
Since it landed in Gale Crater
in August, Curiosity has been firing up its science tools one by
one. Star of the show at the AGU
meeting was the Sample Analysis
at Mars (SAM) experiment, which
can sniff the Martian atmosphere,
and can analyse gases given off
when soil samples are heated to as
much as 1100 °C.
SAM was the last major instrument to come online. Excitement
surrounding the consistency of results emerging from multiple samples was what prompted Grotzinger to talk about data that’s “for
the history books” in a US radio
interview almost two weeks ago,
sparking a media frenzy.
“These results are an unprecedented look at the chemical diversity in the area,” Michael Meyer,
NASA’s lead scientist for Mars
exploration based in Washington,
DC, said today at an AGU press
briefing.
Earthly trace
SAM has been digesting scoops
the heart cells alive. But future biological
machines could be “fed’’ via veins.
“Work going on in other labs is aimed
at creating vascular systems to meet the
metabolic needs of muscles for biobots
as they become more developed and
grow in scale,’’ said Roger Kamm, a mechanical engineer at MIT who was not
involved in the study.
By melding the synthetic and the natural, engineers hope to endow their creations with biological abilities that purely
mechanical robots just aren’t capable of
yet.
“There’s a lot that biology does that we
just haven’t been able to replicate with
the inanimate materials that we currently have,’’ Kamm said. “For example, the
nose is just a fantastic sensor. We still
use dogs in airports to sniff out explosives.’’
of fine sand, with grains less than
150 micrometres across. “It’s finer than sugar, but coarser than
something like flour,” explains
Ken Edgett, principal investigator for the rover’s Mars Hand Lens
Imager, which has taken detailed
pictures of the material. It is this
sand that revealed the chlorinated
compounds.
SAM took several scoops from
the Rocknest site in early October, shaking its tray and dumping
out the first few loads to clean the
instrument and make sure any
Earthly molecules were flushed
out of its system. The fifth scoop
was delivered to SAM’s oven,
which heated it until the compounds inside released their characteristic gases.
The results revealed chlorinated carbon compounds, which
probably formed inside SAM’s
oven rather than being picked up
directly from Mars. The question
is where the carbon comes from.
Even after a thorough rinse, it’s
possible the SAM oven still contains traces of Earthly carbon.
If it’s Martian in origin, the carbon may be from organic hydrocarbons or inorganic carbonates.
The chlorine, meanwhile, may be
from chemicals called perchlorates, which were previously spotted by NASA’s Phoenix lander near
the Martian north pole. These
compounds are found in rocket
fuel and other explosives and are
typically considered toxic, but
some extreme microbes on Earth
may use them as an energy source.
No limit to
bio-robot uses?
Biobot researchers say there is no limit
to the potential uses for their creations.
“You could have crawling or swimming
biobots that could sense and migrate towards – and then neutralise – toxic substances,’’ Kamm said.
Similarly, he added, “you could also
imagine biobots that function inside the
human body and that could sense (chemicals) secreted by tumour cells, migrate
through the tissue to the tumour, and
secrete substances that destroy it.’’
But all of that is still far off in the future, study author Bashir cautioned.
“For now we are working on understanding the underlying principles and
design rules.’’
‘Hold the show’
The team will compare the result to tests of a sample of carbon-based material brought from
Earth, Paul Mahaffy, SAM’s principal investigator, said at the AGU
meeting. “If we see the same stuff
that we thought might be from
Mars, we’ve got to say, ‘Hold the
show, this might be terrestrial
stuff’.”
Because the sand at Rocknest is
representative of material blown
from around the Martian surface,
the new results provide a solid
baseline describing the planet’s
global conditions. The data will
later be compared to layers of rock
at the rover’s ultimate destination – a 5-kilometre tall mountain
known as Aeolis Mons, sometimes
called Mount Sharp. Some of these
layers formed more than 3 billion
(NYT News Service)
years ago, when it’s thought that
Mars was warm, wet and may have
supported life.
Curiosity’s sampling of the
Martian soil has also revealed that
the ratio of the heavy isotope deuterium to ordinary hydrogen is
five times higher on Mars than on
Earth – a discovery that may help
pinpoint when and how the Red
Planet lost most of its formerly
thick atmosphere.
Curiosity is now getting ready
for its long trek to Aeolis Mons,
taking in other points of interest
on the way. Grotzinger likens Curiosity to a car with a 10,000-page
user manual, which was still being
written as the science team tested
its instruments. With all the gear
now up and running, it’s time to
drive, he says. “Our car is ready to
go.”
(Courtesy: New Scientist)
5
6
Technology
Thursday, 6 December 2012
In search of
simple phones
| Rory Cellan-Jones |
When a letter landed on my desk addressed to the BBC Technical Correspondent, I opened it with care. In the past, a
typewritten envelope has sometimes
proved to contain something extremely
unpleasant – but this time the opposite
was true.
Inside, I found an extremely courteous
and interesting request for information
and a stamped addressed envelope for
my reply. My correspondent, a lady from
Leicester, wanted to know whether there
were simple phones on the market that
did little more than just make calls. She
went so far as to lay out in some detail exactly what she was seeking, right down to
a diagram of the size of the keys.
Now, I have been asked the very same
question by relatives and have made some
suggestions, but I wanted to seek out more
information before I replied. So I consulted a modern communications method,
Twitter. There were plenty of useful ideas
– and then someone asked me whether I
would blog about what I’d found out.
So here are a few suggestions of what is
out there for anyone who does not need
their phone to be too smart. I should, of
course, stress that neither I nor the BBC
is endorsing any of these products – just
giving you a glimpse of a market that we
should perhaps cover more frequently.
Dorois is a company that specializes
in big-button phones and other products
aimed at elderly people. They seem to
range from some slightly more sophisticated handsets with cameras to phones
with just four buttons programmed to call
family or summon help.
Emporiais is a company I’ve come across
at various mobile phone trade shows
promoting its easy-to-use handsets. Its
phones are better-looking than many in
this sector – but you do pay extra for that.
A company called Mymemory is also
selling an extremely basic big-button
phone. You’ll need a SIM card to go in it
– and the ad pointedly says it does not do
3G. But then, mobile Web is not usually a
high priority for anyone looking for this
kind of phone.
And similarly, the TTfone Basic Big But-
ton comes SIM-free and without the capacity to roam mobile Internet.
Neither the major manufacturers nor the
big mobile networks spend much time on
marketing simple phones that do little –
that’s not where the money is. But this basic
Nokia on sale via Vodafone was recommended by one tweeter. It is also a sad reminder
of just how good and durable Nokia phones
used to be – and probably still are.
The charity Age UK is launching a mobile
phone service, My Phone. It comes printed
with the names of up to eight people the user
chooses – just press the name and the call is
made. You pay 55 pounds for the handset,
and then choose a tariff for calls.
The Spare One is one of a number of pared
down devices really just meant for emergencies. They can be put in a glove compartment
and forgotten, as they are powered by AA
batteries which last for years. This may be
the closest thing to what my correspondent
was seeking – she wanted it powered by the
kind of batteries you get in a flashlight. But
it does not look suitable for everyday use.
Those are just a few ideas which I hope
will prove useful to Mrs. S in Leicester and
to others in search of simplicity when it
comes to mobile phones.
(NYT Syndicate)
Most people still don’t think when they write
something on Twitter that they are actually publishing.
| Eric Pfanner |
The Internet, it is sometimes said, turns every citizen into a
journalist. If that is the case, some Twitter users in Britain are
discovering one of the downsides of being a hack.
As many as 10,000 Twitter users face the threat of legal action because of comments posted on the site, or forwarded to
others, in which they referred to a BBC report wrongly linking a
former Conservative Party official to the sexual abuse of a child.
The official, Alistair McAlpine, was not named in the BBC report, but enough clues were provided that Twitter users were
able to identify him – which they did, in great numbers.
The BBC quickly settled a libel claim, paying McAlpine
185,000 pounds, or nearly $300,000, and apologized for the
case of mistaken identity. Another British television broadcaster, ITV, agreed Thursday to pay McAlpine 125,000 pounds to
settle another claim, this one over a subsequent broadcast in
which a list purporting to show Conservative figures linked to
alleged sex abuse had been visible to viewers.
McAlpine did not stop with the mainstream media. On Friday, a spokeswoman told The Guardian newspaper that his lawyers had identified 20 “high-profile tweeters” from whom they
were seeking libel damages. Among them were a comedian,
Alan Davies; Sally Bercow, the wife of John Bercow, the speaker
of the House of Commons; and George Monbiot, a Guardian
columnist.
There have been previous libel suits over comments posted
on Twitter, a site that lets users post short comments to their
followers. In March, a New Zealand cricket player, Chris Cairns,
was awarded 90,000 pounds by the High Court in London over
a Twitter post by an Indian cricket official in which he falsely
accused Cairns of match-fixing.
But the campaign by McAlpine appears to be the broadest
yet, and it employs some novel tactics.
“Many people have had their reputations trashed on Twitter
before, but nobody has decided to take action on this scale,” said
Tim Lowles, a media lawyer at Collyer Bristow in London.
In addition to the high-profile figures, McAlpine is reportedly
pursuing action against thousands of other Twitter users, including people who had merely forwarded comments made by
others to their own followers.
Twitter users with audiences of fewer than 500 who are
“wishing to apologize and make contact” can use a website created by McAlpine’s law firm, RMPI, to try to settle their cases.
All that Twitter users who think they might have libeled
McAlpine have to do is read the letter, fill out a downloadable
form asking them for details of the postings in question, make
an apology and send the form back via email. Those who respond are reportedly asked to make donations to charity, and
the firm warns that there will also be a “small administrative
charge.”
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Thursday, 6 December 2012
7
Skin creams capture
the eyes of men
| Andrew Adam Newman |
When Lt. George Del Grande of the Belleville
Fire Department in New Jersey turned 40 last
month, he took it in stride because he felt as
physically fit as ever and had recently earned
his certification as a personal trainer.
But there are some areas that no amount of
exercise can tone.
“My wife said I was getting the old turkey’s
feet on the sides of my eyes, the wrinkles,” said
Del Grande, who works two 24-hour shifts a
week. “I also get dark circles under my eyes,
and people tell me I look tired.”
Now he uses Protein Booster Eye Rescue by
Jack Black ($40), which promises to combat
puffiness, dark circles and fine lines.
“When I use it, I get compliments like, ‘You
look well-rested,’ or ‘You look healthier,’ or
‘You look like you went tanning,”’ Del Grande
said.
A generation ago, men dismissed using anything besides shaving cream and after-shave
on their faces as unmanly. But now, despite the
recession, revenue from department stores for
men’s skin care products in 2011 grew 11 percent over 2010, according to the NPD Group, a
North American market research firm.
Brian Boye, the fashion and grooming director for Men’s Health, said that while “having wrinkles was once a sign of being distinguished for men,” those days are gone.
“Looking younger is more in the thought
process,” Boye said, “and it’s new for guys to be
held to the same sort of standards of beauty and
youth that women have always been held to.”
Blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, was the
third most popular cosmetic surgery for men
in 2011, according to the American Society for
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Men underwent 8.8
percent of procedures overall but accounted
for 15.5 percent of the eye surgeries. (The
average cost of the procedure is $2,630, with
about 10 days of down time before being presentable.)
For the scalpel-averse, there are scores of
over-the-counter products.
Murphy D. Bishop II, 40, vice president for
sales and marketing at Butter London, a nail
products company, has been using 911 Eye
Gel ($36) from Menaji, a men’s line, for more
than a decade. Bishop, who lives
in Seattle and travels frequentwhich promises to fight signs of
ly for work, keeps tubes in his
aging, and, under the Anthony
briefcase and at home.
for Men Action sub-brand,
the Rescue Eye Stick ($25),
“I’m up at four or five
REVENUE FROM
for puffiness. And lowerto go to the gym and I’m
priced brands available in
constantly on flights,
DEPARTMENT STORES
drugstores include two
and I really feel like it
FOR MEN’S SKIN CARE
more roll-ons, Nivea
alleviates puffiness
for Men Eye Roller
and perks me up,”
PRODUCTS
IN
2011
GREW
Gel ($8) and L’Oreal
Bishop said.
Paris Men’s Expert
11 PERCENT OVER 2010,
Clinique
Skin
Hydra-Energetic
Ice
Supplies for Men
ACCORDING TO THE
Cold Eye Roller ($11).
has both Age DeSales
of
the
men’s
fense for Eyes ($28), a
NPD GROUP, A NORTH
product Kiehl’s Facial
cream, for fine lines, and
Fuel Eye De-Puffer ($20),
AMERICAN MARKET
Anti-Fatigue Cooling Eye
which comes in a stick form,
Gel ($28), a roll-on with a
RESEARCH FIRM
have increased about 30 perstainless steel ball, for pufficent each year since its introness. From Anthony Logisduction
four years ago, said
tics for Men there is ContinuChris Salgardo, the president of
ous Moisture Eye Cream ($33),
Kiehl’s. Dr. Macrene AlexiadesArmenakas, a dermatologist in New York City
and assistant clinical professor at the Yale
University School of Medicine, said her male
patients seem to suffer under-eye bagginess
and discoloration more severely than women.
“I don’t know if it’s because of an anatomical difference or a culture of neglect,” said
Alexiades-Armenakas, referring to men being less likely to use moisturizer, sunblock or
concealer under their eyes. “But the men just
have these very large festoons under their
eyes so they look like hound dogs.”
Many products that claim to reduce puffiness contain caffeine, which is effective at
constricting vessels, resulting in decreasing
the fluid in under-eye tissues, she said. (The
folk remedy of putting used, cooled tea bags
on eyes, it turns out, has some physiological
basis.)
Perhaps the best thing for eyes is to close
Face washing
the healthy way
The way you wash your face
affects how healthy it looks,
according to an expert.
“It’s important for people
to treat the face with care,” Dr.
Thomas Rohrer, a dermatologist in Chestnut Hill, Mass.,
said in an American Academy
of Dermatology news release.
“Never scrub the skin or use
harsh products, as doing so irritates the skin, which makes
skin look worse.”
As part of National Healthy
Skin Month in November,
Rohrer offered the following
face-washing tips:
• Use a gentle, non-abrasive,
alcohol-free cleanser.
• After wetting your face
with lukewarm water, apply
cleanser with your fingertips. You can irritate your
•
•
•
•
skin if you use a washcloth,
mesh sponge or any other
material.
Don’t scrub, as this will irritate your skin.
Rinse with lukewarm water,
and use a soft towel to pat
dry.
Apply moisturizer to dry or
itchy skin. Be gentle whenever applying cream around
your eyes in order to avoid
pulling too hard on this delicate skin.
Limit washing your face to
once in the morning and
once at night, as well as after sweating heavily. Perspiration irritates the skin, so
you should wash your skin
as soon as possible after
sweating.
(HealthDay News)
them.
“There’s a reason it’s called ‘beauty sleep,”’
Alexiades-Armenakas said. “If you don’t get 8
1/2 hours, your eye muscles just don’t rest sufficiently, and if the muscles aren’t rested they
don’t oxygenate properly and the vessels dilate and you get puffiness and discoloration.”
But some men, like women, simply inherit
prominent fat pads under their eyes or are suffering from allergies, which can cause both
temporary and permanent puffiness. Alexiades-Armenakas suggests topical treatments
and sometimes performs a laser treatment,
which restricts vessels to reduce swelling and
discoloration.
In its annual grooming-awards issue this
year, Men’s Health selected Lab Series Max LS
Instant Eye Lift ($44) as the best eye product,
and Boye, the grooming editor, said men generally are more reliant on such guidance than
women are.
“Women go to the bathroom together and
talk about lip color, but in my experience guys
don’t get together for ‘Monday Night Football’ and talk about what eye creams they
use,” Boye said.
Certainly Sgt. Steven Courville of the Providence, R.I., Police Department, who uses eye
cream to fight puffiness and dark circles that
come with long shifts, does not brag about
this in the squad room.
“By all means,” Courville said, “I’m not
going to tell other cops I use a froufrou eye
cream.”
He also uses Protein Booster Eye Rescue
along with several other products from the
Jack Black line.
“A lot of guys’ faces look like they’ve been
run over by a truck,” said Courville, 43. “I
don’t want to be in my 60s or 70s and look
like I have a face made of leather.”
Give acne the boot
Acne and blemishes on
the skin can affect self-esteem, but there are ways to
keep skin clear and acne at
bay.
The
Womenshealth.gov
website lists these tips to ward
off acne:
• Each morning and each night
(and after sweating), wash skin
with a gentle cleanser -- avoid
abrasive scrubs, scrubbing pads
and harsh soaps.
•
Wash your hair regularly, particularly if you have oily hair.
•
If you do get a pimple, keep
your hands off -- avoid picking and
squeezing.
• Protect skin from sunburn with a hat,
protective clothing and sunscreen.
• Stick to cosmetics and hair products
labeled as “non-comedogenic,” “oil-free”
or “non-acnegenic,” as they are less likely
to cause acne.
•
Avoid friction on the skin from items
like backpacks or helmets.
• Take any acne medications and use any
prescribed treatments as your doctor recommends, and let your doctor know about
other medications that you take that could
worsen acne.
If your acne is well controlled by gently
washing with soap and water, and by using
over-the-counter lotions or creams, you may
not have to visit your doctor.
On the other hand, the University of Michigan Health System says you should see your
doctor if your acne keeps getting worse; you
have large, fluid-filled pimples that may feel
hard to the touch (cystic acne); your acne keeps
you from social activities; you are depressed or
very embarrassed because of acne; either or
both your parents had severe acne that caused
permanent scars.
8
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Fashion
g
n
i
l
r
a
e
h
BemsbtersSfor the
e
b
o
r
d
r
a
W
Winter
Bo
It’s winter: time
to invest in a
new top layer.
Take a look at
ten of the best,
Bane-worthy
shearling
jackets for
the season,
including
Michael
Bastian, Gucci
and Alexander
McQueen .
Dolce & Gabbana
shearling lined bomber
Alexander McQueen
padded bomber
Gucci leather
bomber jacket
A contemporary translation of the timeless 40’s
aviator style, this luxurious jacket by revered Italw bring
ian label Gucci will
a dash of masculine
masculi integwint outerrity to your winter
wear.
Alexander McQueen puts a
progressive spin on the classic
bomber jacket with this uncompromising brown version. The
large leather patch pockets and
shearling collar on this coverup are a nice contrast against
the herringbone wool, while the
whole piece is padded for warmth
and comfort.
Schott G1
leather bomber
Schott’s ‘G1’ jacket has been used
by naval pilots in the U.S. military
since the 1920s, and its classic design
remains largely unchanged. This version comes in an exclusive dark brown
shade with matching satin lining, and
features a detachable shearling collar
and two duel-access front pockets.
Carven shearling
& suede jacket
In a modern shade of
camel-brown, this suede
bomber will accent your urban attire with easy-going
cool. Layer blue and green
tones underneath for a particularly sharp contrast.
This version of hard-wearing
leather bomber jacket from Dolce &
Gabbana has a lightly quilted lining
and shearling collar, providing comfort and protection. Craft a city-slick
outfit by wearing this piece with a
crisp shirt and tailored trousers.
Sandro wool
bomber jacket
Sandro takes the bomber jacket to
sophisticated new style heights with
this black wool version. Lightly padded for superior comfort, this plush
cover-up features a shearling collar that can be removed for a more
streamlined silhouette. Wear yours
with cuffed trousers and high-shine
brogues.
Jean.Machine denim jacket
With its authentically washed look and neat
detailing, this Jean.Machine denim jacket has
classic appeal. It features two chest pockets and
brass buttons for a thoroughly masculine look.
Layer this piece over a casual shirt or under an
overcoat when temperatures really start to fall.
Marc by Marc Jacobs
suede bomber
Lined with snug shearling,
this suede piece is designed for
warmth and style. Slip it on over
a denim shirt and wool tie for a
contemporary approach to an effortless look.
Ami black
shearling bomber
Detailed with two front pockets, ribbed trims and a shearling
collar, it has all the hallmarks of
a classic. Layer this piece over a
denim shirt to bring a masculine
edge to your look.
Michael Bastian
leather bomber
This brown shearling Michael
Bastian style exudes an oldschool appeal and will keep you
snug through the colder months.
Wear it with a cashmere sweater
and rolled-up denim for an effortlessly cool off-duty look.