Rafael Nadal back training after knee injury

Rafael Nadal says he is "getting better" after starting training as part of his recovery from a knee injury.
Nadal has not played a competitive match since losing to Czech Lukas Rosol in the second round of Wimbledon.
He wrote on his Facebook page:  "My first tennis practice after all these weeks. Getting better and hope to continue with the positive trend."
The 26-year-old is aiming to be fit for the Australian Open in January and has started practising on a hard court.
Nadal, ranked fourth in the world, has struggled with knee problems in the past and was unable to defend his Wimbledon title in 2009 because of tendonitis.
The Spaniard missed the Olympics and the US Open after revealing he had a partial tear in his patella tendon.

Early death link to muscle power

The findings do not mean that muscle building will
 make you live longer, experts caution

How muscular you are as a teenager may predict how long you live, at least if you are a man.

Swedish experts who tracked more than a million teenage boys for 24 years found those with low muscle strength - weaker leg and arm muscles and a limp grip - were at increased risk of early death.

The team behind the BMJ study believe muscle strength reflects general fitness, which would explain the link.

Experts stress the findings do not mean muscle building makes you live longer.

The effect of poor muscular fitness in those tracked was similar to well established risk factors for early death, such as obesity and high blood pressure.



When the researchers took into account these better known risk factors, they found the link between early death and muscle power remained.

Thin and fat men alike fared worse in terms of life expectancy if they had weaker than average muscles, while more burly men had better survival odds even if they were overweight.

Over the course of the study, 26,145 (2.3%) of the men died. The leading single cause of death was accidental injury, followed by suicide, cancer, heart disease and stroke.

A third of the deaths were due to other causes and the researchers grouped these together for their calculations.

The teenagers who scored above average on muscular strength at the start of the study had a 20-35% lower risk of early death from any cause and also from cardiovascular diseases.

They also had a 20-30% lower risk of early death from suicide and were up to 65% less likely to have any psychiatric diagnosis, such as schizophrenia or depression.

In comparison, the 16- to 19-year-olds with the lowest level of muscular strength had the highest risk of dying before they reached their mid-50s.

- BBC.co.uk

European Space Agency defines Ariane and space station plans

European Space Agency (Esa) member states have resolved key issues at their ministerial council and agreed a 10.1bn-euro programme of activities.

The big decisions included a go-ahead for an upgrade on Europe's Ariane 5 rocket in parallel with design work on a replacement for the early 2020s.

Esa nations also approved the project to provide the propulsion unit for Nasa's new manned capsule, Orion.

In the surprise of the meeting, even the UK put money into this project.

It has long stayed out of the agency's human spaceflight activities, but agreed to a one-off, 20m-euro contribution because of the technology development it could enable in a number of British companies.

"We're confident our interests will be reflected," UK science minister David Willetts said.

Most of the meeting's agenda had been worked out in advance. Great uncertainty however had remained over how much the 20 nations could commit to space in the midst of the Eurocrisis.

With that context in mind, Esa director-general Jean Jacques Dordain expressed great satisfaction at the outcome.

"Member states recognise that space is not an expense; it's an investment," he said.

'Historic moment'
The future of Ariane 5 and how to maintain its competitiveness in the face of growing international competition was the most problematic topic going into the Ministerial Council.

Germany had wanted to upgrade the rocket with a more powerful upper-stage engine to make it more versatile and therefore more attractive to potential customers; the French had wanted to go straight to a next generation launcher that benefits from substantially reduced production costs.

In that argument, Germany won. Ariane 5ME (Mid-Life Evolution) will be developed and will aim to fly in 2017.

- BBC.co.uk

California Solo (2012)

A former Britpop rocker who now works on a farm gets caught driving drunk and faces deportation after living in Los Angeles for many years. His efforts to stay in the U.S. force him to confront the past and current demons in his life.

Director and the writer of the movie is Marshall Lewy. Robert Carlyle, Alexia Rasmussen and Kathleen Wilhoite are acting in the movie with the genre Drama.

The movie was released on 25^th of January 2012 in USA and on 28^th of june 2012 in UK. It is mainly shot in USA.

Taylor Swift and One Direction's Harry Styles: Are They Dating?

Taylor Swift appears to be taking her  in a new direction. 

The "Never Ever Getting Back Together" singer is seemingly taking her lyrics to heart as she moves on from recent ex, Conor Kennedy, and enjoys the company of One Direction hottie Harry Styles. 

"I had to literally do a double-take," an onlooker tells PEOPLE of finding Styles, 18, with Swift, 22, on the set of The X Factor Thursday morning. 

Styles was on hand to watch Swift rehearse the debut of "State of Grace," which she performed later that night on the Fox reality show.

"He was smiling at her while she rehearsed. When she was done he jumped up on stage, picked her up, put her over his shoulder and carried her off stage," the onlooker says. "The whole crew was really surprised." 

The young singers were also spotted by X Factor host Mario Lopez, who says he was slapped on the back by Styles during Swift's rehearsal. 

"I said, 'What are you doing here,' " Lopez said on his 104.3 MY FM radio show Friday. "And he sort of [pointed] toward Taylor." 

Lopez went on to say he later saw the two "hand-in-hand." 

A telling sign of the budding relationship may have been a look Styles shared with his bandmate Niall Horan a week earlier after Horan told PEOPLE his favorite song of 2012 was Swift's "Never Ever Getting Back Together." 

When asked if he would ever date Swift, Horan gave a small laugh, looked at Styles and answered with a succinct, "no."

Headline November22,2012

''LOVING THOSE GREEN, GREEN SALADS!''

Dee loves these green salads. And it was she who got many of the students to Turn over a new leaf. Rabo latched on and I often found her brandishing the word salad with a rare twinkle in her eye.

I too became a convert of a sort at least to the point of researching.

Sitting down to write about salads, my first thought was that so many different things are called salad these days -from ceviches of raw fish to warm meat-heavy creations with only token leafage -that it's become a difficult word to define.

The Oxford English Dictionary's definition of a salad is a ''cold dish of herbs or vegetables, e.g lettuce,endive, usually uncooked and chopped up or sliced, to which is often added sliced hard-boiled egg, cold-meat, fish, etc, the whole being seasoned with salt, pepper, oil and vinegar.It's an old word, with the first usuage being recorded in 1481. Most of us have eaten knackered salads that feel as if they have been sitting around since roughly then.

This is a very important post and I mention all this because all Students should be cooking and eating salad right now. There is not a better time of the year for it: leaves and fruit and vegs are in their abundant prime. It's when the weather is warm, or even theoretically should be warm, that you must feel like eating non-warm food. But remember, never buy any ''bagged salads''. They are all produced in an ecologically unfriendly way, especially out of season. They use a technology called ''modified atmosphere packing,'' in which the level of oxygen is reduced to 3% to stop them from going off and discolouring. Felicity Lawrence wrote a great book, Not On The Label.

Another thing: salad has more of an association with food poisoing than one might intuitively expect. In France, for instance, pregnant women are warned off salads, -fiercely and repeatedly warned off it! There the risk is said to be Listeria, from improperly washing supermarket and restaurant salad. In every respect you are better off buying an washing your own salad leaves. Right? Right!

The second step to salad goodness is to get away from the familiar. Salads are one area of cooking and eating where it's easy to fall into a routine that you particularly enjoy.

Is that it's easy to have a huge impact on your salad cooking for very little effort, and also with very very little risk, since it's very hard to ruin a salad irretrievably. You cannot burn them or have them go off or fail to set or need an extra hour in the oven.

Roquefort or stilton,cobb lettuce walnuts, Caeser salad with Worcester sauce, Parmesan in dressing or just on leaves, romaine lettuce only, or other leaves allowed olive oil or more natural oil, garlic or no garlic. A simple salad of leaves, but with a different oil or vinegar: walnut oil, say, or hazelnut vinegar. All so lovely, wholesome and mouthwatering!! Hahaha!

Good Night & God Bless!

NZ volcano Mt Tongariro erupts

A massive cloud of ash rises from Mt Tongariro, on New Zealand's North Island, after its eruption.

NEW Zealand's Mount Tongariro volcano in the central North Island has erupted, sending a black plume of ash up to 2km into the air and forcing hundreds of hikers to be evacuated.

Hundreds of tourists - including 90 schoolchildren from Napier - were on the mountain when Tongariro erupted around 1.20pm local time.

Police are warning sightseers to stay away from the area in case of further volcanic activity.

The official GNS Science monitoring service issued a potential threat alert after the eruption at the volcano, which was the location for parts of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The volcano became active in August this year after lying dormant for more than a century.

The Central Park Five (2012)

A documentary that examines the 1989 case of five black and Latino teenagers who were convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. After having spent between 6 and 13 years each in prison, a serial rapist confessed to the crime.

Directors of the documentary are Ken Burns and Sarah Burns and writers are Ken Burns David McMahon. Antron McCray Kevin Richardson and Kharey Wise are starring in the documentary. It is mainly shot in USA.

STORYLINE: In 1989, five black and Latino teenagers from Harlem were arrested and later convicted of raping a white woman in New York City's Central Park. They spent between 6 and 13 years in prison before a serial rapist confessed that he alone had committed the crime, leading to their convictions being overturned. Set against a backdrop of a decaying city beset by violence and racial tension, THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE tells the story of that horrific crime, the rush to judgment by the police, a media clamoring for sensational stories and an outraged public, and the five lives upended by this miscarriage of justice.

Documentary will be released in USA on 23^rd of November 2012 and was released in UK on 15^th of October 2012 in London Film Festival.

'SMURF' STAR R.I.P Smurfette -- The Smurf Other Smurfs Dreamed Of

It was a sad day in Smurf Village earlier this month ... when the woman who voiced Smurfette moved on to that big mushroom patch in the sky ... and now one of her co-stars is honoring her Smurf life with a touching final tribute. 

Besides Smurfette, Lucille Bliss did voice work for a ton of animated classics, including the Flintstones, 101 Dalmations and Cinderella.  She passed away on Nov. 8 at the age of 96. 

TMZ spoke to Michael Bell -- a.k.a. the voice of Grouchy Smurf, Lazy Smurf and Handy Smurf -- who tells us Lucille was so special to him, he penned the following note in her memory: 

"Goodbye Lucille. You were the stuff Smurf dreams were made of. I know Lazy Smurf dreamed about you ... Handy Smurf made you lots of things you didn't need ... and Grouchy secretly had your pin-up calendar over his head." 

"You had more energy and grit then all of us blue boys put together. You were the original Smurf 'It' girl ... and you will be sorely missed." 

R.I.P Smurfette. 

Chelsea sack coach Di Matteo after Juventus defeat

Chelsea sacked their coach Roberto Di Matteo on Wednesday a day after his team were hammered 3-0 by Juventus in the Champions League.

Di Matteo’s dismissal, which was announced in a statement on the club’s website, comes just months after he led the Blues to a stunning Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich.

But Tuesday’s defeat to Juventus leaves the Champions League holders on the brink of elimination from the competition.

"The team's recent performances and results have not been good enough and the owner and the Board felt that a change was necessary now to keep the club moving in the right direction as we head into a vitally important part of the season," Chelsea said on their website (www.chelsea.com).

"The club faces a difficult task ahead in qualifying for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League as well as maintaining a strong challenge for the top of the Premier League while competing in three other cup competitions."

The club will be making an announcement shortly regarding a new first team manager.
Juventus are now the favourites to join Shakhtar in the last 16 after a 3-0 defeat of Chelsea to move second in Group E.

A draw for the Italians in Ukraine in a fortnight would mean Chelsea having the dubious distinction of becoming the first defending champions to exit at the group stage.

Paradise by Judith McNaught

#1 New York Times bestselling author Judith McNaught brings us her most wonderful, deeply emotional novel yet...a spellbinding story of youthful passion, family loyalties, and the fateful events that lead two special lovers to the miracle of a second chance.

Meredith Bancroft, a serenley beautiful blonde, and Matthew Farrell, an intense, magnetic tycoon, are both haunted by their once-in-a-lifetime love...betrayed in a conflict of heartache and pain. When the Bancroft family empire is threatened by a hostile takeover attempt, Meredith is forced to turn to Matt. As tensions build between them, leaving them both uncertain, restless...and falling in love again...

Filled with the passion, tenderness, and deep understanding of love that are Judith McNaught's unique trademark, PARADISE is her most memorable love story yet...a novel to treasure forever.

'Obesity gene' linked to lower risk of depression

File photo / NZ Herald

Canadian scientists have challenged the common perception of a link between obesity and depression, finding an "obesity gene" is also a "happy gene".

Researchers at McMaster University have uncovered that the gene FTO - which is a major genetic contributor to obesity - is also associated with a reduction in the risk of depression.

The researchers said the discovery challenges the common perception of a reciprocal link between depression and obesity: That obese people become depressed because of their appearance and social and economic discrimination

It also challenges the idea that depressed individuals may lead less active lifestyles and change eating habits to cope with depression, which in turn causes them to become obese.

"We set out to follow a different path, starting from the hypothesis that both depression and obesity deal with brain activity. We hypothesised that obesity genes may be linked to depression," said senior author David Meyre, associate professor in clinical epidemiology and biostatistics at the Michael G DeGroote School of Medicine.


The researchers analysed 17,200 DNA samples from participants in 21 countries, and found the previously identified obesity predisposing genetic variant in FTO was also associated with an 8 per cent reduction in the risk of depression.

The finding was backed up by analysing the genetic status of patients in three additional large international studies.

The study has been published in the scientific journal Molecular Psychiatry.

- nzherald.co.nz

Juventus 3 Chelsea 0

Chelsea were left on the brink of an ignominious exit from this season's Champions League after a comprehensive defeat at the Stadio Juventus in Turin.
Juventus deserved their victory. Fabio Quagliarella deflected Andrea Pirlo's shot beyond Petr Cech before half-time before Arturo Vidal struck on the hour.

With time running out, Sebastian Giovinco beat the Chelsea goalkeeper to the ball to prod in from 30 yards.
Chelsea could now become the first holders to go out in the group stage.
If Roberto Di Matteo arrived in Turin facing speculation over his own future after four Premier League games without a win, this defeat threw up far more questions than it did answers.
The permutations do not make pleasant viewing for Chelsea, who know that even victory in their final group game FC Nordsjaelland at Stamford Bridge may not be enough. If Juventus take a point against Shakhtar Donetsk, who have already qualified for the knockout stages, Chelsea are out.

At Montgomery College undocumented students hope for ‘Dream’

Undocumented students in Maryland wait for a verdict from Maryland voters that would determine whether they can obtain in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.

The undocumented immigrant children are offered education up to high school diplomas but have to pay two to three times the actual fee to attend the state’s public colleges, putting a college education out of reach for many.

Question 4 asks voters to affirm or strike down a law that the legislature passed last year, known as Maryland’s version of the “Dream Act,” which granted certain undocumented immigrants the ability to obtain in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. The subsidy comes with conditions. Among them: To take advantage, students must first go to a two-year community college.

Critics say discounting tuition for students who lack permission to be in the country is an unjustified giveaway of what they believe will amount to tens of millions of tax dollars a year.

There is no count of the number of students statewide who would be eligible for benefits under the law. Estimates range from several hundred to a few thousand.

A Washington Post poll this month found that a solid majority of likely voters favored the law: 59 percent support it, and 35 percent are opposed. If the law is affirmed, Maryland would join about a dozen other states with laws or policies providing in-state tuition benefits to undocumented immigrants. Texas became the first in 2001.

Experts say Maryland’s version is the only one that requires students to go through community college first.

Bugarach, French Hamlet, Attracts Believers As Mayan Apocalypse Looms

The small French village of Bugarach, which sits in a particularly scenic and empty corner of the Pyrenees, is becoming a prominent attraction thanks to the calculations of New Agers and UFO chasers, who have concluded that the hamlet will be the only town saved from the destruction that will end the world on December 21 according to the Mayan calendar.

Der Spiegel reports rumors that the aliens dozing in Pic de Bugarach, the 1,230 meter-high mountain just outside of town, will awaken on December 21 and climb into the spaceships they apparently keep in the mountain's many caves. These extra-terrestrials will then save the locals before zipping off toward some less-destroyed planet. This sort of prediction is somewhat unsurprisingly making the town a desirable destination for people who go in for such things, who -- as it turns out -- aren't terribly popular with the locals.

"This is the 183rd end-of-the-world prophecy since antiquity," Bugarach Mayor Pierre Delord told The Guardian. "I can't take the risk of a lot of people coming here, trying to climb the mountain and getting hurt."

In fact, the eccentrics have already begun to arrive. The New York Times interviewed a man name Jean living in a yurt near town who told the paper of record that Bugarach is "one of the major chakras of the earth, a place devoted to welcome the energies of tomorrow."

Though some local businesspeople may not by too put off by the rumored looming influx of visitors, the French Government certainly is. The Mission for the Fight against Sects has been keeping a close eye on Bugarach, according to The Sun, out of concerns surrounding mass suicides and other potential PR disasters.

The British tabloid also reported that after a hippy died climbing the Pic earlier this year, Delord joked to the French media that "the end of the world came a bit earlier for him than he expected."

- Huffingtonpost.com