Archive for October 19th, 2009

Jupiter’s Moon Europa Has Enough Oxygen To Support Life On Earth

New research shows that one of Jupiter’s moons, Europa, has enough oxygen available in it’s subsurface ocean to support life.

The global ocean on Jupiter’s moon Europa contains about twice the liquid water of all the Earth’s oceans combined. New research suggests that there may be plenty of oxygen available in that ocean to support life, a hundred times more oxygen than previously estimated.

The chances for life there have been uncertain, because Europa’s ocean lies beneath several miles of ice, which separates it from the production of oxygen at the surface by energetic charged particles (similar to cosmic rays). Without oxygen, life could conceivably exist at hot springs in the ocean floor using exotic metabolic chemistries, based on sulfur or the production of methane. However, it is not certain whether the ocean floor actually would provide the conditions for such life.

That would be awesome if life actually could exist there. Now all we’ve got to do is get there. I’ll fire up the sat-nav!

Link

It’s Official: Your Bullying Boss Really Is An Idiot

I’m sure it will give many of you great satisfaction to know that new research has proved that leaders who feel incompetent really do lash out at others to temper their own inferiority.

The research was carried out by psychologists at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles who led a series of experiments to explore this effect.

In one, 90 men and women who had jobs were asked to complete online questionnaires about their aggressive tendencies and perceived competence. The most aggressive of the lot tended to have both high-power jobs and a chip on their shoulder.

In another, the volunteers were asked to select a punishment to be given to university students for wrong answers in a hypothetical test of learning. Volunteers chose between horn sounds that ranged from 10 decibels to a deafening 130 decibels.

The volunteers who felt the most incompetent and empowered picked the loudest punishments – 71 decibels on average. Workers who felt up to their jobs, selected far quieter punishments, between 55 and 62 decibels, as did those primed to feel incompetent yet powerless.

They also found that flattery seemed to temper the aggressive urges of insecure leaders.

So there we have it – your bullying boss is simply an idiot, if you didn’t know that already, and to temper the idiocy, all you have to do is flatter them, if you can pain yourself to do so. Alternatively, a swift kick to the…wait, don’t do that. Flattery is best.

Link

A Personal Insight Into The World’s Most Wanted: Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden’s first wife has given a revealing insight into the complex character of the world’s most wanted man.

In a book to be published at the end of this month, Najwa bin Laden and fourth son, Omar, give a rare glimpse into Bin Laden’s personal life, from a 17-year-old newlywed, up to the 9/11 attacks which he is believed to have masterminded.

Najwa reveals that Bin Laden was a disciplinarian, but in contrast, maintained a passion for sunflowers and a love for fast cars.

She speaks about how his role took the family from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, Sudan, Afghanistan and at one point, Najwa revealed, to the United States.

“We were only there for only two weeks, and for one of those weeks, Osama was away in Los Angeles to meet with some men in that city,” Najwa told the book’s co-author Jean Sasson, later recalling the gathering was with Azzam. Soon after, Bin Laden began to travel to Pakistan and Afghanistan to fight against the Soviet occupation, returning to tell his sons tales of battles in Afghan caves and mountains under Soviet fire. He eventually returned to Saudi Arabia a hero, but at home was increasingly disciplinarian, punishing his children – who eventually numbered more than a dozen – for transgressions such as “showing too many teeth” while laughing. Meanwhile, Najwa was kept in seclusion with Osama’s new wives, one of whom she picked, in a spartan home without the mod-cons that make life in the stifling desert lands of Saudi Arabia and Sudan more comfortable.

“My father would not allow my mother to turn on the air conditioning that the contractor had built into the apartment building,” Omar relayed. “Neither would he allow her to use the refrigerator that was standing in the kitchen.” Despite this aversion to modern appliances, Bin Laden indulged in his penchant for fast cars, including at least one gold-colored Mercedes. He once even bought a speed boat. “Nothing gave him more satisfaction than having a full day to take a speedy drive to the desert, where he would leave his automobile while he took long walks,” said Najwa. After being forced into exile in Sudan because of his vocal opposition to US troop deployments in Saudi Arabia, Bin Laden would later take pride in growing sunflowers as he dodged assassination plots and built the Al Qaeda network.

“Osama’s favorite undertaking was working the land, growing the best corn and the biggest sunflowers,” Najwa said. But his love of nature was also coloured by growing political fervour. He forced the family to spend nights in the desert, with only dirt as cover from the cold. He also forced his sons to climb desert mountains without water to toughen them ahead of more difficult times. But there were more lighthearted moments with Bin Laden, whom his sons admired as a good horseman, a fluent English speaker – thanks to his school days – and a mathematics whiz. “My father was so well known for the skill that there were times when men would come to our home and ask him to match his wits against a calculator,” Omar said, adding his father usually won. They also spoke about a man who loved eating fruit, particularly mangoes, took two sugars in his tea, whose favourite meal was marrow-stuffed zucchini and who liked to listen to BBC radio.

Via Daily Times

Top 5 Scary Wake Up Pranks

These are the top 5 wake up pranks from break.com. All these poor fools are terrified out of peaceful dream states with the rudest of awakenings. So funny.

World’s Tallest Cat

Take a look at this F1 Savannah, which has claimed the world record for the tallest of her species.

18 month old Scarlett’s Magic measures 43.43 centimetres (17.1 inches) from shoulder to toe, and she’s now also awaiting the result on a second nomination as the longest (tip of the nose to tip of the tail) domestic cat.

According to Scarlett’s Magic owner, Kim Draper, Savannahs are becoming increasingly popular in California due to their unique appearance and learning abilities.

“They are active animals, they like to play, they like to be near their owners and family,” says Kim.

“Savannahs are for people who want a really unique pet and this is as close to a wild cat as you can get in the state of California.”

Link

A Billion For A Billion

For the first time in human history, the number of hungry people this year will exceed 1 billion. You can make a difference. http://www.wfp.org/donate/1billion.

Please spread the word, however you can. Please retweet, digg, stumbleupon, or share with others by whatever method you prefer by clicking the ’share’ button below this post. Your small actions now, can make a big difference to the billion who are suffering. Thank you.

The 50 Most Stunning Wall Murals From Around The World

People paint wall murals for a variety of different reasons; to make a political statement, promote a particular ideology, commemorate a historical figure or loved one, or simply get their artwork seen by hundreds, if not thousands, on a daily basis.

Click the link to take a look at images of some of the most incredible murals the world has to offer. Most are hand painted, with ordinary or spray paint, while some have been printed onto plastic or paper and “stuck” onto the wall. While the painting of murals is often contentious (one man’s masterpiece is another’s act of vandalism), we’re sure people wouldn’t object to having most of these fantastic works of art on display in their towns and cities.

Link (Thanks Andy!)