Solar Eclipse Friday to Fascinate Millions

A total eclipse of the sun Friday should fascinate millions of lucky skywatchers in Greenland, Siberia, Mongolia and China.

If the weather cooperates, people along a narrow path who venture out and look up will see stars during the day as the sun is gradually devoured and ultimately blotted out by the moon.

Unlike ancient times, when eclipses were viewed as bad omens in many cultures, fewer people should be expecting doom this time around. Still, myths persist, especially in remote regions, so it's likely there will be some banging on pots and other creative tactics employed to drive the "evil spirits" away.

Billions of people along the path, including most of Europe and Asia, have a chance to see an interesting but much less foreboding partial eclipse. The northern half of Maine and the Canadian Maritime Provinces will be graced with a partial eclipse at sunrise.

Myth and mystery

Solar eclipses occur when the moon moves in front of the sun. This can happen only at the time of a new moon, when the moon is between Earth and the sun. When the three objects align perfectly an eclipse occurs.

Before there was a scientific explanation for eclipses, myth and mystery was pervasive.

Many cultures thought a demon or dragon was devouring the sun.

In ancient China, "any unusual phenomenon involving celestial bodies was noted for potential omens, either good or bad, that might befall the current Emperor," according to Sten Odenwald of the department of physics at Catholic University. An eclipse occurred in 2134 B.C., but was not predicted by Hsi and Ho, who were believed to have been two astrologers who served the Emperor Chung K'ang.

"By some accounts, the two astrologers were negligent in their duties and did not foretell the event for the Emperor," Odenwald writes in a historical article published by NASA. "They were summarily beheaded for their negligence of duty."

The ancient Chinese banged pots and drums to shoo the frightful sun-eating character away, according to the Exploratorium Science Center in San Francisco. In India, people would immerse themselves in water to help the sun fight the dragon.

Even nowadays many myths persist. In Egypt, as one example, children are often kept indoors with windows covered or shades drawn during an eclipse.

Prior to a total solar eclipse in 2006, one Indian paper advised pregnant women not to go outside during the eclipse to avoid having a blind baby or one with a cleft lip. Food cooked before the eclipse was to be thrown out afterward because it would be impure and those who are holding a knife or ax during the eclipse would cut themselves, the Hindustan Times added.

In Togo, authorities prior to the 2006 solar eclipse called on villagers to stay home. "Please, do not go out and keep your children indoors on solar eclipse day,'' Togo's minister for health said in a message broadcast on state television.

Risk of eye injury

Eclipses can indeed be dangerous.

Despite myths and rumors, a total solar eclipse is safe to watch during the darkness of totality, when no rays of the sun are passing to your eyes. The corona, or atmosphere of the sun, is often partly visible when the moon blocks out the main disk of the sun. Viewing the corona during totality also is safe.

However, looking directly at the sun, even during a partial eclipse, will damage your eyes unless you wear proper eye protection. It is extremely dangerous to eyesight to look directly at an eclipse at any stage expect during totality.

Glasses designed specifically for eclipse viewing are recommended, or a handful of indirect viewing methods can be used:

With masking tape, cover all but a 1/2-inch square of a small mirror. Project the sun onto a shaded wall. Or with a pencil, poke a small hole in a piece of paper. Let sunlight fall trough the hole onto a second sheet of white paper about a foot below.

Webcast planned

For those not fortunate enough to be in the eclipse's narrow path, a live webcast is planned.

NASA, in partnership with the Exploratorium and the University of California, Berkeley, will transmit live images on NASA TV. The coverage, originating in China and reliant on good weather, runs from 6 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. ET.

The period of total eclipse, or totality, will occur from 7:08 a.m. to 7:10 a.m. ET.

The Doctrine of Signatures

Every whole food has a pattern that resembles a body organ or physiological function and that this pattern acts as a signal or sign as to the benefit the food provides the eater. Here is just a short list of examples of Whole Food Signatures.

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and science shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.
A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.
Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.
A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.
Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.
Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.
Eggplant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? .... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).
Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well to overcome male sterility.
Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.
Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.
Grapefruits, Oranges, and other citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.
Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells They even produce tears which was h the epithelial layers of the eyes.

"The news isn't that fruits and vegetables are good for you, it's that they are so good for you, they can save your life."

David Bjerklie, TIME Magazine, Oct. 2003

Music and Your Body

Research has shown that music has a profound effect on your body and psyche. In fact, there’s a growing field of health care known as Music Therapy, which uses music to heal. Those who practice music therapy are finding a benefit in using music to help cancer patients, children with ADD, and others, and even hospitals are beginning to use music and music therapy to help with pain management, to help ward off depression, to promote movement, to calm patients, to ease muscle tension, and for many other benefits that music and music therapy can bring. This is not surprising, as music affects the body and mind in many powerful ways. The following are some of effects of music, which help to explain the effectiveness of music therapy:

Brain Waves: Research has shown that music with a strong beat can stimulate brainwaves to resonate in sync with the beat, with faster beats bringing sharper concentration and more alert thinking, and a slower tempo promoting a calm, meditative state. Also, research has found that the change in brainwave activity levels that music can bring can also enable the brain to shift speeds more easily on its own as needed, which means that music can bring lasting benefits to your state of mind, even after you’ve stopped listening.

Breathing and Heart Rate: With alterations in brainwaves comes changes in other bodily functions. Those governed by the autonomic nervous system, such as breathing and heart rate can also be altered by the changes music can bring. This can mean slower breathing, slower heart rate, and an activation of the relaxation response, among other things. This is why music and music therapy can help counteract or prevent the damaging effects of chronic stress, greatly promoting not only relaxation, but health.

State of Mind: Music can also be used to bring a more positive state of mind, helping to keep depression and anxiety at bay. This can help prevent the stress response from wreaking havoc on the body, and can help keep creativity and optimism levels higher, bringing many other benefits.

Other Benefits: Music has also been found to bring many other benefits, such as lowering blood pressure (which can also reduce the risk of stroke and other health problems over time), boost immunity, ease muscle tension, and more. With so many benefits and such profound physical effects, it’s no surprise that so many are seeing music as an important tool to help the body in staying (or becoming) healthy.

When someone sneezes-- we say " Bless You!" Why???

Bless you is a common English expression addressed to a person after they sneeze. The origin of the custom and its original purpose are unknown. In current practice, it is a socially obligated response.

Several possible origins are commonly given. The practice of blessing a sneeze, dating as far back as at least 77 AD, however, is far older than most specific explanations can account for.

One explanation holds that the custom originally began as an actual blessing. Gregory I became Pope in 590 as an outbreak of the bubonic plague was reaching Rome. In hopes of fighting off the disease, he ordered unending prayer and parades of chanters through the streets. At the time, sneezing was thought to be an early symptom of the plague. The blessing ("God bless you!") became a common effort to halt the disease.

A variant of the Pope Gregory I story places it with Pope Gregory VII, then tells the common (though untrue) story of "Ring Around the Rosey" being connected to the same plague.

A legend holds that it was believed that the heart stops when you sneeze, and the phrase "bless you" is meant to ensure the return of life or to encourage your heart to continue beating.

Another version says that people used to believe that your soul can be thrown from your body when you sneeze, that sneezing otherwise opened your body to invasion by the Devil or evil spirits,or that sneezing was your body's effort to force out an invading evil spirit. Thus, "bless you" or "God bless you" is used as a sort of shield against evil.

Alternatively, it may be possible that the phrase began simply as a response for an event that wasn't well understood at the time.[citation needed].

Another belief is that people used to see sneezing as a sign that God would answer your prayers or an omen of good fortune or good luck.In this case, "Bless you" would be in recognition of that luck.

Don't Cosign Your Child's Loan -Do this instead

Parents often cosign credit cards or other loans for their children. But you should be aware that in many states, creditors are not required to notify the cosigners when a borrower exceeds a credit limit or falls behind on loan payments. As a result, you can become liable for overdue payments and penalties without ever knowing there was a problem. And your credit rating may be harmed as well.

Here's a better way: Consider having the child cosign your credit card. That way, the child will have access to the credit line and build a credit history, while monthly statements will come directly to you.

The 10 Worst Places to Raise a Family (from best to worst)

Springfield, Missouri

Dayton, Ohio

Corpus Christi, Texas

Flint, Michigan: Country's highest violent-crime rate

Columbia, South Carolina

Waco, Texas

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Fayetteville, North Carolina

Beaumont, Texas: Long-standing air-quality challenges

Clarksville, Tennessee: Low educational spending: $6,729 per student

The 100 Best Places to Raise a Family

Television executives seized the idea long ago: American families value where they plant their roots. The Cosbys had Brooklyn. The Cunninghams, Milwaukee. The Simpsons, Springfield. But fathers face reality when they're not in prime time. They want to raise their children somewhere safe, where they can attend good schools with favorable student-teacher ratios, above-average test scores, and respectable budgets. Plenty of museums, parks, and pediatricians also contribute to a good quality of life, whereas multihour commutes, expensive houses, and divorcing friends and neighbors do not. Best Life editors used these categories and data from the U.S. Census Bureau, National Center for Education Statistics, FBI, American Association of Museums, National Center for Health Statistics, and American Bar Association to evaluate 257 cities. Here are the best--and worst--places to raise a family.



1. Honolulu, Hawaii: Schools spend almost $9,000 per pupil, unemployment ranks less than half the national average, and you can play on the island of O'ahu's 125 beaches.

2 Virginia Beach, Virginia

3 Billings, Montana

4 Columbus, Georgia

5 San Diego, California

6 Des Moines, Iowa

7 Minneapolis, Minnesota

8 Madison, Wisconsin: Madison has a high number of pediatricians per capita.

9 Colorado Springs, Colorado

10 Santa Rosa, California

11 Wichita, Kansas

12 Los Angeles, California

13 Corona, California

14 Austin, Texas

15 Stamford, Connecticut

16 Omaha, Nebraska

17 Naperville, Illinois

18 Fort Wayne, Indiana

19 Springfield, Illinois

20 Boise, Idaho

21 Manchester, New Hampshire

22 South Bay Area, California

23 New York, New York

24 Fontana, California

25 Louisville, Kentucky

26 Plano, Texas

27 Oceanside, California

28 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

29 Sacramento, California

30 Ann Arbor, Michigan

31 Reno, Nevada

32 Las Vegas, Nevada

33 Lincoln, Nebraska

34 San Bernardino, California

35 Grand Rapids, Michigan

36 Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina: Median value of a home: $202,7333

37 Kansas City, Kansas

38 Fremont, California

39 Buffalo, New York

40 Berkeley, California

41 Cambridge, Massachusetts

42 Kansas City, Missouri

43 Waterbury, Connecticut

44 Syracuse, New York

45 Phoenix, Arizona

46 Albuquerque, New Mexico

47 Akron, Ohio

48 Boston, Massachusetts

49 Escondido, California

50 Fairfield, California

51 Antioch, California

52 Elgin, Illinois

53 Rochester, New York

54 Seattle, Washington: Residents spend $266 per person annually to maintain the city's parks.

55 Tucson, Arizona

56 Santa Clarita, California

57 Denver, Colorado

58 Indianapolis, Indiana

59 Glendale, Arizona

60 Chicago, Illinois

61 Atlanta, Georgia

62 San Antonio, Texas

63 Mobile, Alabama

64 Concord, California

65 Denton, Texas

66 Coral Springs, Florida

67 San Francisco, California

68 Cedar Rapids, Iowa

69 El Paso, Texas: Classrooms average fewer than 16 students for every teacher.

70 San Buenaventura, California

71 Worcester, Massachusetts

72 Baltimore, Maryland

73 Richmond, California

74 Lowell, Massachusetts

75 Portland, Oregon

76 Jacksonville, Florida

77 Fort Collins, Colorado

78 Orlando, Florida

79 Modesto, California

80 Montgomery, Alabama

81 Tampa, Florida

82 Salinas, California

83 Newport News, Virginia

84 Oakland, California

85 Augusta, Georgia

86 Fort Worth, Texas

87 Washington, D.C.

88 Tulsa, Oklahoma: Residents spend just 17 minutes commuting to work.

89 Bellevue, Washington

90 Cincinnati, Ohio

91 McKinney, Texas

92 St. Louis, Missouri

93 Hayward, California

94 Midland, Texas

95 Sterling Heights, Michigan

96 Greensboro, North Carolina

97 Arlington, Texas

98 Alexandria, Virginia

99 Winston-Salem, North Carolina

100 Lexington, Kentucky

Stay Younger at any age

Growing old gracefully isn’t a lost art — it’s just a forgotten one. For all those women who think the scalpel or the syringe is the only way to stay “young,” here’s a news flash: “About 80 percent of aging is caused by environmental factors, things you have control over,” says Leslie Baumann, a dermatologist and the director of the University of Miami Cosmetic Center, in Florida. Real Simple went to eight female dermatologists to find out their own at-home anti-aging routines. They all offer a sensible approach: Protect your skin, use the right skin-care ingredients, and get on with your life.

Twelve Ways to Delay Aging

Wear sunscreen every day. You’ve heard it before: Sun exposure is the number one cause of premature aging. Ultraviolet light from the sun — or a tanning bed — breaks down collagen and elastin, the substances that keep skin smooth and firm. To help minimize damage and wrinkles, stay out of the sun and follow these tips.


Apply sunscreen liberally. A too-thin layer of SPF (sun protection factor) 15 is equal to only about SPF 7. Use a shot glass–size amount to cover your body and a teaspoon to cover your face.


Don’t forget your legs. “We find more cases of malignant melanomas on women’s legs than on their faces,” says Heidi Waldorf, director of laser and cosmetic dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, in New York City.


Don’t rely on SPF-enhanced makeup. Chances are you don’t wear enough of it to defend your skin.


Choose sunglasses with UV protection. Good sunglasses help prevent cataracts, and they also keep you from squinting, which can, over time, break down the collagen around your eyes and cause crow’s-feet.


Avoid smoky situations. If you smoke, quit. And nonsmokers should be aware that chronic exposure to secondhand smoke can damage skin. According to Karyn Grossman, a Santa Monica–based dermatologist, smoke, like the sun, bombards you with free radicals that make skin sallow, break down its collagen, and slow its ability to heal. To fend off damage, Grossman suggests products containing antioxidants, which neutralize free radicals. Her favorite antioxidants are vitamin C, vitamin E, and green tea. “The studies back up their efficacy the most,” she says.
Be conscious of repetitive movements. Between smiling, frowning, and talking, your face makes thousands of movements a day. Over time, these repetitive motions lead to deeper lines. It would be unrealistic (not to mention Stepford-like) to stop showing your emotions, but some habits can be curbed. “We’re not saying, ‘Don’t live; don’t move,’” says Debra Jaliman, a New York City dermatologist. “But if you’re constantly drinking through a straw, chewing gum, or smoking, you’re breaking down the collagen around your mouth. And the wrinkles will come earlier.”


Stop picking! It’s hard to resist the urge to do a little at-home surgery on a pimple, but the mark it might leave is the most persuasive reason not to. “As you age, acne scars often end up looking more like wrinkles,” says Grossman. “If you have a pimple on your cheek near where a wrinkle forms, it will make the wrinkle deeper.”


Cleanse with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs). They help remove the top layer of dead skin cells to reveal a fresh layer underneath. “Alpha hydroxy acids (such as glycolic acid) unclog pores and help your skin look smoother,” says Alyson C. Penstein, a dermatologist in New York City. Note: If you have oily or acne-prone skin, try a cleanser with a beta hydroxy acid (BHA).


Use an anti-aging cream at night. New anti-aging creams arrive on cosmetics counters all the time — with bigger claims and heftier price tags. But good old retinoids, which contain a vitamin A derivative, are still the gold standard. “Many studies support retinoids, and they have withstood the test of time,” says Marianne O’Donoghue, an associate professor of dermatology at the Rush University Medical Center, in Chicago. Retinoids encourage the skin to renew itself, smoothing fine lines and helping to repair sun damage. They are found in prescription creams, such as Renova and Retin-A, and in lower concentrations in over-the-counter retinol creams. Note: Retinoids can be irritating at first, so apply sparingly. They also leave skin vulnerable to sunburn. If your skin is extra-sensitive, try a milder cream containing kinetin, an ingredient found in plants that has been shown to smooth lines.


Try a weekly exfoliation treatment. Most professional anti-aging treatments — including chemical peels and microdermabrasion — shed skin to clear up uneven pigmentation and encourage collagen growth. Now there are effective treatments that are gentle enough to use at home. Robin Ashinoff, director of cosmetic dermatology at the Hackensack University Medical Center, in New Jersey, suggests using a chemical exfoliator. There are also polishing creams that aim to achieve results similar to those of professional microdermabrasion, which manually sloughs off skin with superfine particles. Over time, your skin should respond by thickening slightly. “Thickening is good,” explains Mary Ellen Brademas, a New York City dermatologist. “Thicker skin shows fewer wrinkles.”


Remember the rest of your body. “Everything you do for your face, you should also do for your neck, chest, and hands,” says Baumann. “Those are the primary spots that show aging.” At the very least, moisturize: Hydrated skin looks plumper and smoother.

Earth's Cries Recorded in Space

Earth emits an ear-piercing series of chirps and whistles that could be heard by any aliens who might be listening, astronomers have discovered.

The sound is awful, a new recording from space reveals.

Scientists have known about the radiation since the 1970s. It is created high above the planet, where charged particles from the solar wind collide with Earth's magnetic field. It is related to the phenomenon that generates the colorful aurora, or Northern Lights.

The radio waves are blocked by the ionosphere, a charged layer atop our atmosphere, so they do not reach Earth. That's good, because the out-of-this-world radio waves are 10,000 times stronger than even the strongest military signal, the researchers said, and they would overwhelm all radio stations on the planet.

Theorists had long figured the radio waves, which were not well studied, oozed into space in an ever-widening cone, like light from a torch.

But new data from the European Space Agency's Cluster mission, a group of four high-flying satellites, reveals the bursts of radio waves head off to the cosmos in beam-like fashion, instead.

This means they're more detectable to anyone who might be listening.


The Auroral Kilometric Radiation (AKR), as it is called, is beamed out in a narrow plane, as if someone had put a mask over a torch and left a slit for the radiation to escape.


This flat beam could be detected by aliens who've figured this process out, the researchers say. The knowledge could also be used by Earth's astronomers to detect planets around other stars, if they can build a new radio telescope big enough for the search. They could also learn more about Jupiter and Saturn by studying AKR, which should emit from the auroral activity on those worlds, too.


"Whenever you have aurora, you get AKR," said Robert Mutel, a University of Iowa researcher involved in the work.


The AKR bursts -- Mutel and colleagues studied 12,000 of them -- originate in spots the size of a large city a few thousand miles above Earth and above the region where the Northern Lights form.


"We can now determine exactly where the emission is coming from," Mutel said.

Our planet is also known to hum, a mysterious low-frequency sound thought to be caused by the churning ocean or the roiling atmosphere.

Audio: Hear Earth Scream
Video: Earthrise Seen from the Moon
101 Amazing Earth Facts
Original Story: Earth's Cries Recorded in Space

Courtesy:space.com