The work tracked 500 older runners for more than 20 years, comparing them to a similar group of non-runners. All were in their 50s at the start of the study.
Nineteen years into the study, 34% of the non-runners had died compared to only 15% of the runners.
Both groups became more disabled with age, but for the runners the onset of disability started later – an average of 16 years later.
The health gap between the runners and non-runners continued to widen even as the subjects entered their ninth decade of life.
If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise
Lead author Professor James Fries
Running not only appeared to slow the rate of heart and artery related deaths, but was also associated with fewer early deaths from cancer, neurological disease, infections and other causes.
And there was no evidence that runners were more likely to suffer osteoarthritis or need total knee replacements than non-runners – something scientists have feared.
At the beginning of the study, the runners ran for about four hours a week on average. After 21 years, their weekly running time had reduced to around 76 minutes, but they were still seeing health benefits from taking regular exercise.
Lead author Professor James Fries, emeritus professor of medicine at Stanford, said: “The study has a very pro-exercise message. If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise.
“The health benefits of exercise are greater than we thought.”
Age Concern says many older people do not exercise enough.
Figures show more than 90% of people in the UK over 75 fail to meet international guidelines of half-an-hour moderate intensity exercise at least five times a week.
Gordon Lishman, director general, said: “This research re-confirms the clear benefits of regular exercise for older people.
“Exercise can help older people to stay mobile and independent, ensure a healthy heart, keep weight and stress levels under control, and promote better sleep.
“While younger people are barraged with encouragement to lead healthier lifestyles, the health needs of older people are often overlooked.”
NASA posted a video on their website Buzzroom, bringing attention to a recently discovered comet in our solar system. The comet was discovered by Russian astronomer Leonid Elenin in December last year. Comet Elenin, as it is called, is of particular interest to NASA because of the close proximity to Earth that its orbit will reach during its turn around the sun on its way back out through the solar system later this year.
Most orbits of planets are not circles; they are ellipses. The elongated ends of elliptical orbits are called aphelions and perihelions; the aphelion being the end farthest away from the stationary object being orbited, and perihelion being the end closest to the stationary object. In Elenin’s case, its trip around our sun represents the comet’s perihelion.
So little is known about this comet because of its relatively recent-discovery status, therefore, information regarding its size, mass, and orbit still vary widely or are missing altogether due to a lack of observational data. Still, astrophysicists have been plugging away at Elenin ever sine it was discovered last year.
NASA’s put a video up in their Buzzroom about Elenin, but it is not there anymore [it is on YouTube]. It was probably pulled down more due to its amateur nature rather than as part of any grand conspiracy theory, but the relative silence by NASA and the mainstream media regarding Elenin has the Armageddon chatrooms abuzz with theories of doom and gloom. The fact, though, that conspiracy and end-of-the-world chatrooms are abuzz with tales of human annihilation does not discount the reality of this space object. It is real.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has an interactive diagram of Elenin’s orbit with the known information about the object plugged into variable positions. What is known is that Elenin is scheduled to make its perihelion turn around the sun in August of this year [2011]. Shortly after making its u-turn, Elenin will perform a fly-by of Earth, coming within 21,000,000 miles of Earth. As a point of reference, the moon is roughly 240,000 miles from Earth.
Elliptical orbits with very long-periods, meaning the length of time it takes for them to complete their elliptical journey back to the starting point, are very difficult to calculate on moving bodies. Slight variations in measurements relating to the placement of the object over a given time can result in substantial differences in the measurement of the orbital period, meaning the length of time it takes the object to travel from perihelion to aphelion and back again. In Elenin’s case, due to its recent discovery, not enough information has been taken to accurately define its period. In addition, measurements of Elenin’s path within our solar system have varied wildly since its discovery due to perturbation by the planets, meaning the gravity of larger objects in space can push and pull the comet, giving astrophysicists on Earth who are trying to measure its path difficulty in calculating its future position based upon its present trajectory.
While astrophysicists have identified the current path of Elenin with some degree of accuracy, the length of time it takes Elenin to complete its ellipse is not so well defined. Based upon one set of data, Elenin’s period could be 11,000 years; based upon another set of data, the period is 600,000 years. The truth is probably somewhere in between, but that is a large margin of possibilities. Most likely, this is why NASA is mum on the object; no one likes to look dumb, and astrophysicists are particularly sensitive in this area. Me, I’m genuinely curious on this one, so I’ll take the risk.
Space distance is measured in astronomical units [a.u.], with 1 a.u. being the distance from the Earth to the sun. That being said, Elenin is currently estimated to pass within 0.24 a.u. of Earth after it makes its turn around the sun and begins heading back out into space. It should be clarified here that the exact position of Elenin as it passes by Earth is still unknown, so people who say it will hit Earth are just as inaccurate as those that are saying it will not.
There is a lot of space and a lot of objects in between where it is now and its approach to Earth that could affect its path, and the slightest push or pull could magnify dramatically over the course of 100 million miles. In addition, gravitational forcings of planets in the inner solar system as they align themselves during the comets incoming path could act as a forcing mechanism that either causes the 0.24 a.u. to either widen or shrink.
Elenin has recently entered the inner solar system and should pass through Mars orbit by the end of June sometime. There are several alignments that happen between then and its rendezvous with Earth that could alter its trajectory slightly.
The ecliptic is a horizontal field created by the planets and sun orbiting on a relatively flat plane. Many of these long-period objects do not travel along the ecliptic plane. They either come up from below the ecliptic, cross the ecliptic, and travel out above the ecliptic plane, or they do the opposite. In Elenin’s case, it will cross the ecliptic on September 11, 2011, and shortly thereafter line up with Mercury, the Sun, and the Earth. There is no telling how such an alignment on the ecliptic plane will affect the trajectory of Elenin.
From October 10-24, 2011 comet Elenin is forecast to be within 0.25 a.u. of Earth, according to NASA JPL diagram. In the modern world that we are living in, Elenin is simply a comet, but since the beginning of time, space objects have fascinated mankind, inspiring stories that have been passed down for millenia. Even though technology has taken over our lives and the magic has been sucked out of the natural world, the stories still exist, and on a certain plane, long-period time, these stories ARE reality. We just happen to be living in a time when our short-sightedness is running headstrong into long-period time, and in some ways, our space knowledge through technology is just beginning to catch up to that held by the ancients.
There are two stories that describe human short-sightedness within long-period time I want to mention; the first is the story of the Blue Star and Red Star Kachinas in Hopi Prophecy. According to these stories, the Blue Star Kachina acts as a warning, an alarm bell, that announces the imminent arrival of the Red Star Kachina. The story is about the cyclical nature of life; it is a story about humanity forgetting to remember its purpose; it is a story of destruction and purification; it is a story repeated a thousand times throughout history; and as always, it is ultimately a story of renewal.
The other story comes from the Sumerians. The Sumerians referred to an ancient planet called Nibiru, the 12th planet of our solar system. It was a rogue planet, causing havoc in our solar system as it passed through because its orbit was in the opposite direction of the planets. When it appeared, it did so in the shape of a red cross in the night sky before flipping the Earth’s poles.
Combining the two stories, this is the Red Star Kachina that sits in judgement as life on Earth is reset.
There is a lot of the information online regarding stories relating to near-earth misses from heavenly bodies, and it is all incredibly cryptic and mostly contradictory when compared together. The information provided here on the Hopi and Sumerian is done so as to give a sampling of the saner rambling explanations of an incredibly complex topic, that is, long-period time, a topic coming to light more so each day as the end of the Mayan calendar approaches 12.21.2012, a topic based upon such complex heavenly motions that NASA can’t even explain its meaning yet using modern world high-tech gadgetry. To dismiss these ancient stories is to dismiss the majesty and complexity of the planet, solar system, galaxy, and universe that we live within.Source
The Hopi are praying the people of Japan and for the people around the world as we face crisis in our world out of balance. We are all in a time of great change upon mother earth and these events have been foretold by our Elders.
Through our Prophecies and our Ceremonies the sacred land of this earth is now crying. And our children are looking to Hopi to balance life for their future.
Our Elders have given us guidance for how to move through these changes. Humanity is now choosing the path upon which all life will follow and we have known this time would come.
As Hopi, we ask you to join us in prayer to balance mother earth and all life. We believe that, through our prayers and that if we pray with good hearts as told by our Elders, we can lesson the impact of these events.
We as the Hopi join our prayers with those of the Dalai Lama along with people from around the world to send healing to Japan, the earth and all life.
In this time of change, we ask all the people of the world to return to a more balanced way of life.
Hopi say there is a path to follow that allows for us to move through this time of change.
Walk gently upon our earth with respect for her and all life.
A return to connecting our heart with the heart of the path to the future.
Join your hearts to Hopi in honoring our Mother Earth by planting gardens, respecting our Sacred life giving waters and all life for future generations of our children.
“Kwak wha, Lolmani” (Thank you, may there be good things in the future.)
Kikmongwi (Village Chief) Lee Wayne Lomayestewa of the Village of Sungopavi Hopi Nation
If this happens in the UK where police are perhaps one of the more ethical police forces in the world, don’t you think it is happening in North America ? Especially since the Canadian and American police forces have gone so right-wing in the last twenty years that it is not even funny ?
Dozens of police have been caught using equipment at work to spy on their neighbours or partners – and 20 have left the force as a result.
Lancashire Constabulary officers and staff breached data protection laws 84 times in the past three years, an investigation has revealed.
After disciplinary hearings, 13 members of the force were dismissed, seven opted to resign, with many more given final written warnings.
Abuse: Some 13 Lancashire Police officers have been dismissed after they were found to have used work computers for their own personal curiosities
Breaches include officers accessing police computer systems to access classified data about potential and ex-partners, disclosing private information to family and friends, spying on ongoing cases and misusing Facebook.
Lancashire Constabulary last night said data breaches ‘will not be tolerated’.
The data has come to light thanks to the Freedom of Information Act – and a string of allegations has been uncovered, including:
How a superintendent was alleged to have inappropriately used police systems to check the whereabouts of an ex-partner and information about her current boyfriend.
That a police officer told his daughter and a third party that her new boyfriend had previous convictions for sexual offences.
One officers conducted 53 different searches on a force computer with ‘no obvious policing purpose’.
Another policeman ‘significantly misused’ the database and disclosed secret information to a third party, amounting to ‘misconduct in a public office’.
A police constable used the IT systems to check the background of a car he was intending to buy.
A sergeant was handed a final warning after using the police computer to spy on his family.
Bobbies on the beat: Lancashire police said they will not tolerate abuse by their officers
Clampdown: The Lancashire police website shows that all crime is down 9.6 per cent – but they now have 20 less officers
Requests for a breakdown of breaches by police station were rebuffed by Lancashire Constabulary amid fears that information could lead to officers’ identification.
But a special constable and police constable based in the West Lancashire ‘Southern’ division were among those to face data breach allegations.
And another PC faced claims he used police systems to check residents in a Tarleton street prior to purchasing his home there.
The same officer is alleged to have accessed other logs relating to a complainant and their neighbours, and divulged the information to a third party.
But the force ultimately took no further action.
The use of restricted data systems is audited by the police’s Professional Standards Directorate, which investigates alleged breaches.
Sanctions range from advice, to formal written warnings and reprimands and, for the most serious offences, dismissal.
A spokesperson for Lancashire Constabulary said the force would always take ‘robust action to investigate when necessary’.
He continued: ‘Lancashire Constabulary expects the highest standards of professional behaviour from all employees in relation to information security.
‘The public rightly expect that we maintain the security and integrity of all information held on police databases and it is paramount that we maintain their confidence in our ability to do so.
‘We audit how our staff access information to ensure that it is for policing purposes and that they are using that information lawfully and appropriately.
‘The misuse of police systems by any individual staff member will not be tolerated.’
25 letters that claim nuclear bombs are hidden throughout the United States have been sent to multiple investigators and citizens in the Chicago area.
The letter inside said, “The Al-Qaeda organization has planted 160 nuclear bombs throughout the U.S. in schools, stadiums, churches, stores, financial institutions and government buildings.” It also said, “This is a suicide mission for us,” reported CBS Chicago.
While this news may be startling to many, it is no surprise to those in the alternative media. The idea of nukes in the United States has run rampant for years, with many believing rogue elements of our government will actually use these nukes within the United States to create enough chaos to initiate a world government.
In 2002 the right wing news organization World Net Daily reported that Bin Laden had snuck over 20 suitcase nukes into the United States,
A new book by an FBI consultant on international terrorism says Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida terrorist network purchased 20 suitcase nuclear weapons from former KGB agents in 1998 for $30 million.
The book,“Al Qaeda: Brotherhood of Terror,” by Paul L. Williams, also says this deal was one of at least three in the last decade in which al-Qaida purchased small nuclear weapons or weapons-grade nuclear uranium.
This report was one of the first out of a long line of fear mongering reports that have been used to plant the idea of Al Qaeda nuking us into the mind of everyday American citizens. Most remember the “missing nukes” report that broke in 2007. Apparently several nukes were lost for upwards of 36 hours after leaving U.S.A.F Base Minot in North Dakota.
According to a wide range of reports, several nuclear bombs were “lost” for 36 hours after taking off August 29/30, 2007 on a “cross-country journey” across the U.S., from U.S.A.F Base Minot in North Dakota to U.S.A.F. Base Barksdale in Louisiana. Reportedly, in total there were six W80-1 nuclear warheads armed on AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missiles (ACMs) that were “lost.” The story was first reported by the Military Times, after military servicemen leaked the story, reported Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya.
The idea that Al Qaeda could place over a hundred nuclear weapons into government buildings throughout the United States is 100% impossible. Cave dwelling ninjas do not have the ability to either steal or create nuclear weapons, fly them over to America, and somehow plant them in government buildings.
The fact that the Pentagon and the CIA run Al Qaeda, have dined with top “terrorist” Anwar al-Awlaki, and openly fund Al Qaeda seems to be unimportant to the corporate controlled media.
This isn’t a realistic option yet reports like this are used to trick ignorant Americans into hating Muslims even more.
This also gives elements of our government the ability to say, “told you so” if or when a nuke detonates in an American city.
And yet, the information in this model is the sharpest view we have of how gravity varies across the Earth.
The globe has been released by the team working on Europe’s Goce satellite.
It is a highly exaggerated rendering, but it neatly illustrates how the tug we feel from the mass of rock under our feet is not the same in every location.
Gravity is strongest in yellow areas; it is weakest in blue ones.
Scientists say the data gathered by the super-sleek space probe is bringing a step change in our understanding of the force that pulls us downwards and the way it is shaping some key processes on Earth.
Chief among these new insights is a clearer view of how the oceans are moving and how they redistribute the heat from the Sun around the world – information that is paramount to climate studies.
Those interested in earthquakes are also poring over the Goce results. The giant jolts that struck Japan last month and Chile last year occurred because huge masses of rock suddenly moved. Goce should reveal a three-dimensional view of what was going on inside the Earth.
“Even though these quakes resulted from big movements in the Earth, at the altitude of the satellite the signals are very small. But we should still seem them in the data,” said Dr Johannes Bouman from the German Geodetic Research Institute (DGFI).
Built from Goce data: To understand how ocean currents move you need to understand the role of gravity
Technically speaking, the model at the top of this page is what researchers refer to as a geoid.
It is not the easiest of concepts to grasp, but essentially it describes the “level” surface on an idealised world.
Look at the potato and its slopes. Put simply, the surface which traces the lumps and bumps is where the pull of gravity is the same.
Described another way, if you were to place a ball anywhere on this potato, it would not roll because, from the ball’s perspective, there is no “up” or “down” on the undulating surface.
According to this slightly bizarre way of viewing things, a boat off the coast of Europe (bright yellow) can sit 180m “higher” than a boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean (deep blue) and still be on the same level plain.
But this is the trick gravity plays on Earth because the space rock on which we live is not a perfect sphere and its mass is not evenly distributed.
It flies pole to pole at an altitude of just 254.9km – the lowest orbit of any research satellite in operation today.
The spacecraft carries three pairs of precision-built platinum blocks inside its gradiometer instrument that sense accelerations which are as small as 1 part in 10,000,000,000,000 of the gravity experienced on Earth.
This allows it to map the almost imperceptible differences in the pull exerted by the mass of the planet from one place to the next – from the great mountain ranges to the deepest ocean trenches.
An initial two months of observations were fashioned into a geoid that was released in June last year. The latest version, released in Munich at a workshop for Goce scientists, includes an additional four months of data. Each release should bring an improvement in quality.
“The more data we add, the more we are able to suppress the noise in the solutions, and the errors scale down,” said Dr Rune Floberghagen, the European Space Agency‘s Goce mission manager. “And of course the more precisely you know the geoid, the better the science you can do using the geoid.
“We are seeing completely new information in areas like the Himalayas, the Andes mountain range, and in Antarctica particularly – the whole continent is desperate for better gravity field information, which we are now providing.”
The mission has funding up until the end of 2012 when, like all European Space Agency Earth observation missions, it must seek further financial support from member states to continue.
Goce has delivered the data promised in its primary mission – some 14 months of observations in total – but researchers would like to see it fly for as long as is possible.
Because it flies so low in the sky – a requirement of being able to sense gravity signals which are incredibly weak – it needs an engine to push it forwards through the wisps of atmosphere still present at its altitude.
Without this engine, Goce would rapidly fall from the sky. But the mission team reported here in Munich that Goce probably has sufficient propellant onboard to drive its engine until deep into 2014.
GOCE SPACECRAFT PROBES GRAVITY FIELD VARIATIONS
1. Earth is a slightly flattened sphere – it is ellipsoidal in shape
2. Goce senses tiny variations in the pull of gravity over Earth
3. The data is used to construct an idealised surface, or geoid
4. It traces gravity of equal ‘potential’; balls won’t roll on its ‘slopes’
5. It is the shape the oceans would take without winds and currents
6. So, comparing sea level and geoid data reveals ocean behaviour
7. Gravity changes can betray magma movements under volcanoes
8. A precise geoid underpins a universal height system for the world
9. Gravity data can also reveal how much mass is lost by ice sheets
The trial of the vegan couple in France whose baby died highlights how difficult it is not to eat meat there
Easy on the vegetables: steak frites. Photograph: Image Source/Rex Features
The trial in France of two vegan parents charged with “neglect or food deprivation” after the death of their baby daughter has raised hackles on both sides of the Channel from those who feel their dietary choices are being questioned.
The fact that Sergine and Joel Le Moaligou fed the child only breast milk during her short 11-month life, and treated her bronchitis with cabbage and clay poultices, would suggest their parenting skills were more to blame than their eating habits. But evidence presented to the court made a direct link between baby Louise’s death and her parents’ diet. The child was underweight and suffering severe vitamin deficiencies, making her susceptible to the bronchial infection that killed her – deficiencies possibly linked to the mother’s diet, according to the deputy state prosecutor.
Even without the opprobrium a case such as this provokes, it is not easy being vegetarian in France, the land of steak-frites, foie gras and other solidly carnivorous fare. Studies suggest four million Britons may be vegetarians, though others claim 10% of the population are “meat avoiders”. In France there are an estimated one million vegetarians. A non-scientific survey of Facebook reveals that the British-based Vegan society has 60,978 fans, while the French Vegetarian Association has 1,518 and the Vegetarian and Vegan page 1,173. (By comparison the French “Slap a Vegetarian with an Escalope” page has 168,294 fans.)
If it is hard work being a Gallic vegetarian, it is nigh on impossible being a vegan. The Le Moaligous were forced to educate their elder daughter Elodie, now 13, at home. French school canteens are largely run on the premise that a child should eat everything on their plate. In her blog, food writer Rosa Jackson recounts how when her son Sam became a vegetarian, a member of the school staff explained to her: “Vegetarianism is not a recognised diet in France. We’ll have to put everything on the plate even if he doesn’t eat it.”
One poster responding to the blog recounted how a chef in Normandy insisted the omelette he had served was still vegetarian even though it was covered in “just a foie gras sauce”.
Scientists have reported discovery of the active ingredients in an herb used in traditional Chinese medicine for skin whitening, changing skin color to a lighter shade. The ingredients are poised for clinical trials as a safer, more effective alternative to skin whitening creams and lotions that millions of women and some men use in Asia and elsewhere, they said. The report was among more than 9,500 presentations the week of March 28 at the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
The finding, which caps an intense search for these natural skin lightening substances, could be a boon to women in Asian countries, said study leader Hui-Min Wang, Ph.D. He explained that skin whitening products are all the rage there, but too-often accompanied by itching, redness, inflammation, and other side effects.
“Toxic skin whitening creams are a growing threat to women’s health, especially in Asia,” Wang said. “We hope that our product will improve lives and provide a safer, more natural way to lighten skin. A cream based on these herbal ingredients could be available on store shelves in as little as a year.”
Skin-whitening is big business in countries like China, Japan, Korea, and India, where many women view whiter skin as a symbol of beauty, good health, and high social status. One study estimates that half the women in Asian countries use skin lightening creams, spending the equivalent of several billion dollars annually. People also use such products to fade unsightly age spots, freckles, and scars that have collected pigment.
Dozens of skin whitening creams, lotions, and other products are on sale throughout Asia. Some products contain toxic mercury, hydroquinone, and other potentially toxic substances that can cause redness, itching, inflammation and other skin problems. Some whitening ingredients could increase the risk of skin cancer when used frequently and at high doses, Wang said, citing the need for safer, more effective alternatives.
Wang and colleagues say that they have found a promising alternative in the form of an herbal “cure-all” used in traditional Chinese medicine in the form of soup or tea. The evergreen bush, Cinnamomum subavenium, is a close relative of the trees whose inner bark is the source of cinnamon. The scientists isolated two chemicals from the plant that have the ability to block tyrosinase, an enzyme that controls the synthesis of melanin, a dark pigment responsible for coloring skin, hair, and eyes. Inhibiting tyrosinase is one of the major strategies for skin-whitening, Wang said.
They tested these so-called “melanogenesis inhibitors” on the embryos of zebrafish, which are widely used as stand-ins for people and other animals in biomedical research. The embryos contain a highly visible band of black pigment. Exposure to low levels of the two chemicals reduced melanin production in the fish embryos by almost 50 percent within just four days, turning the embryos snowy white, the scientists said.
“When we saw the results, we were amazed,” said Wang, who is with Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan. “My first thought was, well, ‘If these herbal whiteners can transform zebrafish embryos from black to white, maybe they can also lighten women’s skin.’”
He estimated that the chemicals are 100 times more effective in reducing melanin pigmentation than the common skin whitening agents kojic acid and arbutin, which have been used in cosmetics for more than 30 years. The substances did not appear to be toxic when tested in low doses on both cultured human skin cells and zebrafish embryos, Wang noted.
Wang is looking forward to clinical trials of a new beauty product based on the ingredients. Just a one percent solution of the chemicals could achieve dramatic skin whitening, Wang said, adding that several cosmetic companies are working with his group. Wang and his colleagues have applied for patents in the U.S., Japan, and Taiwan.
New USresearch announced March 27 suggests walnuts are a top nibble in that they fight free radicals that can damage our body’s cells and cause disease better than just about any other popular nut.
Walnuts are loaded with antioxidant polyphenols, compounds that interact with free radicals to stabilize them and prevent them from wrecking havoc on our cells. Walnuts have almost twice as many antioxidant polyphenols as almonds, peanuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, cashews, macadamias, Brazil nuts, and pecans, researchers said.
“A handful of walnuts contains almost twice as much antioxidants as an equivalent amount of any other commonly consumed nut,” said US chemistry professor and study researcher Joe Vinson in a statement. “But unfortunately, people don’t eat a lot of them.” His advice: eat seven walnuts a day.
Plus, like all nuts, walnuts are loaded with protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Prior research has also claimed that walnuts are a top brain booster because of their antioxidant power. Walnuts may combat the damage to brain cells’ DNA caused by free radicals in our bodies, experts say. A 2009 rat study also found that diets in which nuts made up as little as two percent reversed signs of aging.
If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be 
Easy on the vegetables: steak frites. Photograph: Image Source/Rex Features
