Egypt made preparations Friday for an expected IDF operation in Gaza by reinforcing security along its border with the Strip. Egyptian security forces are concerned that an IDF operation would lead to an attempt by Gazans to break through the Rafah border crossing, AFP reported. Meanwhile, although Israel stepped up its threatening rhetoric against them, Gaza terrorists intensified their attacks, firing at least 25 mortar shells at the South overnight Thursday and early Friday, one of which hit a building in the Eshkol region. No one was wounded in the attacks, but the building was damaged. Despite the mortar shell fire, Israel allowed humanitarian aid into Gaza on Friday morning. The IDF said approximately 90 trucks delivered medicine, fuel, cooking gas and other vital goods into Gaza. The shipment included a large donation of goods from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s wife as well as more than 400,000 liters of fuel and 200 tons of natural gas, the military said. Defense Minister Ehud Barak decided Thursday to open the Kerem Shalom and Sufa crossings to allow the transfer of the humanitarian supplies to Gaza. The shipment was originally scheduled to enter Gaza on Wednesday but […]
Ah, the holidays. Time to enjoy decorations and presents. Time to relax around the Christmas dinner table with family and friends. Time to catch up on sleep? For those who are always looking for an excuse to sleep in, or sleep more, your search is not in vain: According to new research, hours spent sleeping protects against calcium deposits in the coronary arteries — the deposits responsible for heart attacks. A study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association by Christopher King and colleagues from the University of Chicago has found a relationship between sleep quantity (hours spent asleep) and calcium build up — or calcification — in the arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood. For each additional hour of sleep, the risk of calcification of the coronary arteries decreased by 33 percent — an outcome equal to reducing blood pressure by 16 point elevations. Moreover, the sleep relationship did not change even when the researchers controlled for certain traditional risk factors for heart disease, such as cholesterol, weight and diabetes. The results were part of the ongoing Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study […]
What makes us feel spiritual? It could be the quieting of a small area in our brains, a new study suggests. The area in question - the right parietal lobe - is responsible for defining ‘Me,’ said researcher Brick Johnstone of Missouri University. It generates self-criticism, he said, and guides us through physical and social terrains by constantly updating our self-knowledge: my hand, my cocktail, my witty conversation skills, my new love interest … People with less active Me-Definers are more likely to lead spiritual lives, reports the study in the current issue of the journal Zygon. Most previous research on neuro-spirituality has been based on brain scans of actively practicing adherents (i.e. meditating monks, praying nuns) and has resulted in broad and inconclusive findings. (Is the brain area lighting up in response to verse or spiritual experience?) So Johnstone and colleague Bret Glass turned to the tried-and-true techniques of neuroscience’s early days - studying brain-injured patients. The researchers tested brain regions implicated in the previous imaging studies with exams tailored to each area’s expertise - similar to studying the prowess of an ear with a hearing test. They then looked for correlations between brain region […]
Dentsu, Japan’s largest ad agency, said it will team up with Nintendo to launch a video distribution service on the Wii. The two companies plan to offer programs created specifically for the service, a Dentsu representative said Thursday. By contrast, most online channels tend to carry existing TV shows and movies. According to the Nikkei business daily, the programs will focus on cartoons and other entertainment. Viewers will need to pay to see some of the programs, while others will be offered free of charge and accompanied by ads, the representative said. Nintendo had sold 34.6 million Wii consoles as of the end of September, far outselling Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3. Dentsu and Nintendo will launch the new service in Japan next year, while the timing for overseas sales has yet to be set, the Dentsu representative said.
I wish each of you, your family, and the friends with whom you gather, my best wishes for the merriest of Christmases, and the best of Holiday seasons. — Stephan
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
