Chicken of the sea? Tuna farming getting a boost
photo source:www.kyokuyo.co.jp
Is this sushi's future? Tuna raised like chickens or cows?
As the world's love affair with raw fish depletes wild tuna populations, long-running efforts to breed the deep-sea fish from egg to adulthood may finally be bearing fruit. Although the challenges are daunting, the potential profits are huge.
By the end of this year, an Australian company says it will begin selling small amounts of southern bluefin tuna hatched in its fishery. A Japanese firm breeding the more prized Pacific bluefin tuna hopes to start sales in 2013 and ship 10,000 fish by 2015.
Whether tuna farming will become viable on a large scale remains an unanswered question.
Tuna are much harder to rear than the widely farmed salmon and shrimp. They are large and need room to swim. They spawn only under certain circumstances. In some experiments, fewer than 1 percent of the babies survive. And those that do eat so much that they could wipe out other fish species.
The bulk of the tuna farmed today is not bred from eggs; it is caught in the sea and fattened on farms, which does nothing to save nature's dwindling stock.
Atlantic bluefin, found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, is disappearing so rapidly that Monaco is pushing to list it as an endangered species at an international meeting in Qatar in March. The United States says it will support the proposal.
Separately, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas recently slashed the quota for next year's catch by about a third to 12,250 metric tons, a move criticized by environmentalists as not going far enough.
No wonder Japan's biggest seafood company, Maruha Nichiro Holdings Inc., is bullish on tuna. Maruha operates several tuna farms, including the one here in Kumano, a small coastal city in western Japan. Here, in a small bay, the fish live in netted sections mostly 50 meters by 80 meters, smaller than a football field.
"For years, everyone assumed it was impossible to breed tuna on farms," says Takashi Kusano, a general manager who has worked for 20 years on cultivating tuna. "Tuna remains forever a mystery."
Japanese consume 80 percent of the world's Atlantic and Pacific bluefin tuna, the two species most sought after by sushi lovers. In Japan, they are called "hon-maguro," which translates roughly as "true tuna."
The survival rate for hatched Pacific bluefin is about 0.4 percent of the 28 million eggs collected for tests at Maruha's farms. Another effort, at Japan's Kinki University, has achieved a 6 percent survival rate.
Those numbers sound low, but one tuna lays tens of millions of eggs and the survival rates are improving.
"I had to solve the puzzle of why our fish kept dying," recalls Kusano.
Unlike other fish, which can pump oxygen better through their mouths, tuna must swim continuously at up to 80 kph to absorb oxygen through their gills.
Baby fish, which are not developed enough to brake or steer, often die ramming into the nets that cordon off tuna farms in coastal waters.
Learning about tuna diseases and dietary habits took years of trial and error, and tuna are surprisingly vulnerable to stress, Kusano said.
A handful of tuna that Maruha has produced are set to lay eggs next year, a sign that the full life cycle may be finally completed.
Kinki University already has done that, producing 40,000 Pacific bluefin babies this year from eggs laid by tuna on its farms, up from 10,000 last year.
Even if the hurdles to a full life cycle are cleared, other problems remain, such as the tuna's voracious appetite.
"Bluefin tuna are like lions and tigers. They are at the very, very top of the food chain. And they eat other fish. What you are doing is catching wild fish to create bluefin tuna," said Mike Hirshfield, chief scientist at Oceana, an advocacy group for the world's oceans. "The anchovies, the sardines and the herrings are already fished to the max."
That raises ethical questions about feeding tuna with relatively cheap fish that are needed by people in developing countries, Hirshfield said.
Maruha's answer is a tuna feed, which it patented in 2006, made of fishmeal mixed with oils and nutrients and looking like brown sausages.
The company says its feed is less polluting, fattens tuna three times faster than feeding them small fish, uses fish that are not eaten by people and can be stored at room temperature, which slashes energy needs.
Eventually, Maruha hopes to develop a vegetarian tuna feed.
Hirshfield calls vegetarian feed the last hope, noting it has had some success with salmon and trout.
Wild tuna still commands a premium over farmed tuna. In January, a 200-kilogram Pacific bluefin tuna fetched a record 20.2 million yen ($220,000) at a Japanese fish market. 40-kilogram tuna raised at Maruha fetch about 100,000 yen ($1,100) each.
Farmed tuna's disadvantage is that "it doesn't have a fish taste, and its color is almost white," said Kazuo Sato, 56, who has run a sushi shop outside of Tokyo for 31 years. But, he said, "we can't be relying just on natural tuna these days, and there are bound to be improvements in farmed tuna."
Maruha harvests its fish the old-fashioned way, with baited lines from small boats, the method believed best to preserve a sought-after buttery taste.
The company aims to be marketing 10,000 tuna bred from eggs in 2015, worth 1.5 billion yen ($17 million) at today's prices. That would be 10 percent of Japan's current annual farmed tuna production of 5,000 tons, only a tiny fraction of the 44,000 tons still caught in the wild.
At Kinki University, Osamu Murata, head of research, says, "It's our mission to spread to the world our knowledge about producing man-raised tuna that doesn't rely on nature's resources."
In Australia, Clean Seas Tuna worked with Kinki to overcome such problems as cannibalism and young tuna crashing into tank walls, the company said. And Hawaiian regulators have approved the world's first commercial farm for "ahi," bigeye tuna.
In Japan, tuna is such a staple that it recently merited an editorial in Yomiuri, the country's largest newspaper, urging readers to curb their appetites for the sake of the fish's long-term survival.
That would include eating less "toro," the prized fatty cut. "To keep enjoying 'toro,' we must exercise self-control," it said.
(Mainichi Japan) December 9, 2009
Solar plane bidding to fly round the world makes maiden flight... and gets THREE FEET off the ground
However, the maiden journey of the 'Solar Impulse' was more of a hop. The plane, which has a wingspan of a Boeing 747 but weighs less than a small car, flew 1,150 feet just 3ft above the ground.
The prototype of the solar powered plane fliew three feet above the field of Duebendorf Airpot in Switzerland'It was absolutely great to see this plane in the air,' he said.
'It's a completely new flight domain. There has never been an airplane so big and so light flying with so little energy.'
He compared the flight to the early test-runs by the groundbreaking Wright brothers. When Orville Wright made the first successful powered and piloted flight in history in December 1903 he was off the ground for only 12 seconds.
This time around the prototype was controlled by test pilot Markus Scherdel.
Mr Piccard said the achievement was a vital step in their plan to circumnavigate the globe.
'The goal was not to make a big flight, but to see if this airplane is behaving the way the engineers designed it,' he said.
'And the result was excellent. On the other hand, we see how long the road is still before we fly around the world with it.'
Swiss Bertrand Piccard (left) and Andre Borschberg (right) inventers of the solar powered plane Solar Impulse, celebrate with the test pilot Markus Scherdel (centre) after successful test flights. Mr Picard plans to fly around the world to highlight the potential of alternative energy sources
Piccard and co-pilot Andre Borschberg will alternate in the cockpit when they try to take the plane around the world in 2012. They will need to make stops to allow for pilots to switch over and stretch after long periods in the cramped cockpit.
The plane, part of a £70million project, will fly day and night using almost 12,000 solar cells, rechargeable lithium batteries and four electric motors.
The engines provide just 40 horsepower so the plane will take off at 22 mph, accelerating at altitude to an average flight speed of 44 mph.
Piccard set a world record in 1999 when he and Brian Jones of Britain took their balloon, Breitling Orbiter III, on a 20-day circumnavigation of the globe - an achievement that had eluded many before them, including tycoons Steve Fossett and Richard Branson.
He hopes his solar-powered flight will raise awareness of alternative energy sources.
Source: Daily Mail
1,500 years after she was buried alive, scientists resurrect 16-year-old servant girl
Her petite features and slim build would have marked her out as a beauty in any era.
And by using modern technology South Korean archaeologists have been able to recreate just how the 5ft servant girl would have looked 1,500 years ago, the first time such a task has been done in the country.
The life-size model of what is believed to be a 16-year-old who lived with a powerful family in the sixth century Gaya Kingdom (42-562) was unveiled today.
A computerised image of the 16-year-old teenager who is thought to have been buried alive 1,500 years ago. A life-size model of the teenager has gone on display in South Korea
'We have excavated human bones on many occasions but it is the first time we created a full-scale model,' said Kang Soon-hyung, director of the Gaya National Research Institute of Cultural Heritageo.
However her beauty did not save her from a grisly fate as researchers believe she was buried alive with her dead masters.
The teenager's 5ft skeleton was used as a starting point for the model before layers of muscle and skin were added
Why this is reckoned to have happened is expected to be contained in a study on the Gayan custom of burying the living with the dead which is soon to be published.
The teenager's 5ft skeleton was used as a starting point for the model before layers of muscle and skin were added.
The project was carried out by sculptor-anatomy specialist Kim Byung-ha and CELL, a firm that does costumes for feature films.
Her remains were among those of four people that were unearthed during an excavation project carried out three years ago.
She had a short jawbone and thus had a rather wide face but had a long neck. The teenager's arms were short but she had long fingers and toes.
Her waist measured 21.5in and an examination of her bones has led scientists to speculate that she frequently knelt on her knees.
DAILY MAIL
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Horned dinosaur fossils found in Japan for first time
SANDA, Hyogo -- Horned dinosaur fossils have been found in Japan for the first time after they were discovered in a geological layer here, local officials have announced.
The Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo, in Sanda, Hyogo Prefecture, said fossils of a horned dinosaur were discovered in the lower layer of the Sasayama group from the Early Cretaceous Period in the prefectural city of Sasayama. The lower layer dates back some 120 million to 140 million years.
Horned dinosaurs are among a group of large herbivorous dinosaurs including Triceratops that inhabited the North American Continent during the Late Cretaceous Period.
"The find is a precious resource for studying the evolution of dinosaurs in East Asia," said Haruo Saegusa, chief researcher at the museum. The fossils will be put on display at the museum from Saturday through Dec. 27.
The unearthed fossils are those of three jaw bones, including an upper jaw bone (42 millimeters long) with teeth and a front jaw bone (29 millimeters long). They were found almost in their entirety and bear such features as muscles on the surface of teeth.
The dinosaur is presumed to have walked on two legs and had short frills behind its head. It was likely to be a young dinosaur, with its body measuring an estimated 60 centimeters long. Fossils of similar types of dinosaurs have been discovered in five other places including China, and the latest find is close to the fossils of Archaeoceratops that were found in China's Gansu Province in 1992.
The Sasayama group geological layer, which straddles the Hyogo Prefecture cities of Sasayama and Tamba, is home to fossils of the nation's largest herbivorous dinosaur named Tambaryu, Tyrannosaurs and the nation's oldest mammalian fossils -- all unearthed since 2006.
"I had initially thought the fossils may be those of shellfish, such as shrimps or crabs, but I'm surprised to learn that they are of dinosaur bones," said Kiyoshi Adachi, 66, a former high school teacher who is one of the discoverers of the Tambaryu fossils and the latest find.
"I hope to find plant fossils and determine the climate back in those days," he added.
(Mainichi Japan) November 27, 2009
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Being Too Fat Illegal in Japan Now
TOKYO, In Japan, being thin isn’t just the price you pay for fashion or social acceptance. It’s the law.
So before the fat police could throw her in pudgy purgatory, Miki Yabe, 39, a manager at a major transportation corporation, went on a crash diet last month. In the week before her company’s annual health check-up, Yabe ate 21 consecutive meals of vegetable soup and hit the gym for 30 minutes a day of running and swimming.
“It’s scary,” said Yabe, who is 5 feet 3 inches and 133 pounds. “I gained 2 kilos [4.5 pounds] this year.”
In Japan, already the slimmest industrialized nation, people are fighting fat to ward off dreaded metabolic syndrome and comply with a government-imposed waistline standard. Metabolic syndrome, known here simply as “metabo,” is a combination of health risks, including stomach flab, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, that can lead to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Concerned about rising rates of both in a graying nation, Japanese lawmakers last year set a maximum waistline size for anyone age 40 and older: 85 centimeters (33.5 inches) for men and 90 centimeters (35.4 inches) for women.
In the United States, the Senate and House health care reform bills have included the so-called “Safeway Amendment,” which would offer reductions in insurance premiums to people who lead fitter lives. The experience of the Japanese offers lessons in how complicated it is to legislate good health.
Though Japan’s “metabo law” aims to save money by heading off health risks related to obesity, there is no consensus that it will. Doctors and health experts have said the waistline limits conflict with the International Diabetes Federation’s recommended guidelines for Japan. Meantime, ordinary residents have been buying fitness equipment, joining gyms and popping herbal pills in an effort to lose weight, even though some doctors warn that they are already too thin to begin with.
The amount of “food calories which the Japanese intake is decreasing from 10 years ago,” said Yoichi Ogushi, professor of medicine at Tokai University and one of the leading critics of the law. “So there is no obesity problem as in the USA. To the contrary, there is a problem of leanness in young females.”
One thing’s certain: Most Japanese aren’t taking any chances.
Companies are offering discounted gym memberships and developing special diet plans for employees. Residents are buying new products touted as fighting metabo, including a $1,400 machine called the Joba that imitates a bucking bronco. The convenience store chain Lawson has opened healthier food stores called Natural Lawson, featuring fresh fruits and vegetables.
Under Japan’s health care coverage, companies administer check-ups to employees once a year. Those who fail to meet the waistline requirement must undergo counseling. If companies do not reduce the number of overweight employees by 10 percent by 2012 and 25 percent by 2015, they could be required to pay more money into a health care program for the elderly. An estimated 56 million Japanese will have their waists measured this year.
Though Japan has some of the world’s lowest rates of obesity — less than 5 percent, compared to nearly 35 percent for the United States — people here on average have gotten heavier in the past three decades, according to government statistics. More worrisome, in a nation that is aging faster than any other because of long life spans and low birth rates, the number of people with diabetes has risen from 6.9 million in 1997 to 8.9 million last year.
Health care costs here are projected to double by 2020 and represent 11.5 percent of gross domestic product. That’s why some health experts support the metabo law.
“Due to the check up, there is increased public awareness on the issue of obesity and metabolic syndrome,” said James Kondo, president of the Health Policy Institute Japan, an independent think tank. “Since fighting obesity is a habit underlined by heightened awareness, this is a good thing. The program is also revolutionary in that incentivizes [companies] to reduce obesity.”
Though the health exams for metabolic syndrome factor in blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, weight and smoking, waist size is the most critical element in the Japanese law — and perhaps the most humiliating.
The hesitancy of some Japanese to expose their bare stomachs to the tape measure has led the government to allow the tape measures to be administered to clothed patients. Those who elect not to strip down are permitted to deduct 1.5 centimeters from their results.
The crudeness of the system has alarmed some doctors. Satoru Yamada, a doctor at Kitasato Institute Hospital in Tokyo, published a study two years ago in which several doctors measured the waist of the same person. Their results varied by as much as 7.8 centimeters.
“I cannot agree with waist size being the essential element,” Yamada said.
Perhaps more astounding, even before Japanese lawmakers set the waistline limits last year, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) amended its recommended guidelines for the Japanese. The new IDF standard is 90 centimeters (35.4 inches) for men and 80 centimeters (31.5 inches) for women. But the Japanese government has yet to modify its limits.
On the day of her exam, Yabe arrived at the clinic at 8:30 in the morning. The battery of tests lasted an hour. The result: her waist was 84 centimeters — safely under the limit. She had shed 6.5 pounds thanks to her diet and exercise.
A week later, however, Yabe was back to eating pasta and other favorite foods.
“I want to keep healthy now, but I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe in December, I will have many bonenkai [year-end parties]. And next summer I will drink beer, almost every day.”
Editor: jimbon
Source : globalpost
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Hard facts to swallow on aspirin as doctors warn of dangers
By Dr Ellie Cannon
A new study by The Lancet shows that aspirin should no longer be used to help prevent cardiovascular disease. What does this mean if you're taking aspirin? The Mail on Sunday's expert looks at the findings.
Q: What did the new research on aspirin show?
A: The study by The Lancet looked at a large number of people who were advised to take aspirin to help prevent cardiovascular disease - strokes and heart attacks. In the past few years, doctors have advised aspirin for two groups of patients who are highly likely to have a heart attack: the first because they have risk factors such as diabetes or obesity (what's called primary prevention), the second because they have already had a heart attack (secondary prevention). The study showed that aspirin should no longer be used as primary prevention.
Q: Does that mean it is dangerous?
A: All medication has potential side effects and we know that taking aspirin long-term can cause bleeding from the stomach, although the risks are small. Since the benefits seen in primary prevention were negligible, it is felt that the risks of bleeding outweigh the potential benefits. For those who have already had a heart attack or stroke, the benefits are well established and far outweigh the small risk of bleeding.
Q: Can I just stop it if I am taking it for primary prevention?
A: It is a good idea to discuss it with your GP in case there is anything specific to your medical history that would mean you should continue.
Q: What does aspirin actually do?
A: Aspirin works to prevent heart attacks and strokes by stopping blood clots that are often the cause. There are cells in your blood called platelets which stick together to make clots. Aspirin is an 'anti-platelet' drug and prevents this happening. This action also causes the bleeding.
Q: What else is aspirin used for?
A: Aspirin is an extremely useful drug. As well as being anti-platelet, it is good for lowering temperature and is helpful in inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. It is widely used as a painkiller, and in soluble form can be highly effective at the onset of a migraine.
Q: Who should not take aspirin?
A: Anybody with bleeding problems such as haemophilia or with stomach ulcers must never take aspirin. Caution would be advised in those with asthma, gout or kidney problems.
Q: Can children take aspirin?
A: Children under the age of 16 should not be given aspirin. There is a serious, often fatal, condition called Reye's syndrome which was shown to be linked to giving aspirin to feverish children. For this reason children are no longer given aspirin. For pain relief and fever in children, use ibuprofen or paracetamol.
Q: Can pregnant women take aspirin?
A: Only on the advice of a doctor. It is sometimes prescribed by obstetricians for specific conditions; otherwise use paracetamol when pregnan
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Windows 7 versus Apple: The great computer software battle
By Tom Dunmore
There's no escaping it: Windows Vista was a disaster. Launched in 2007, Microsoft's follow-up to the massively successful Windows XP software, which powers the vast majority of the world's computers, met with lukewarm reviews and terrible customer satisfaction ratings.
It was simply too demanding of the computers it ran on – and the people who used it. Which is why Microsoft is going to great lengths to prove its new operating system, Windows 7, isn't just better than Vista – it's also simpler.
It takes up 40 per cent less disk space and has lower hardware requirements, so it runs faster on the new cut-price laptops known as netbooks. But it faces tough competition from two of the biggest names in technology: Apple and Google.
The Windows advantage
Microsoft Windows runs on over 90 per cent of all PCs and, despite losing a few percent in the last two years, it's reassuringly familiar for most computer users. What's more, the ubiquity of Windows means many applications – particularly business-critical ones – are written exclusively for Windows.
The Windows-only gaming market is massive, too.
But Windows' dominance comes at a cost: the vast majority of malicious viruses are created to target the system. Which is why Windows 7 builds on one of Vista's notable strengths – security.
Microsoft has produced its own anti-virus software, Security Essentials, which is available as a free download; the latest Internet Explorer browser will stop you giving personal data to spoof websites; and regular software updates will fix any problems as soon as they're discovered.
Just as important as security is simplicity. The new system borrows some of the best bits of the Apple Mac user interface – such as a taskbar at the bottom of the screen allowing you to launch software quickly. The taskbar will also allow you to view thumbnail images of the windows associated with each open application, which helps you navigate your way through email and web pages
There are some cool features that are totally original to Windows, too – like the ability to drag two windows to either side of the screen and have them automatically resize so you can compare and contrast.
The built-in Media Center software makes it easy to enjoy music and video on a laptop that's hooked up to a TV, and you can even 'push' video from one computer to another – enabling parents to control what their children are watching in their bedrooms.
Return of the Mac
Two months before the launch of Windows 7, Microsoft's old rival Apple launched its own operating system update, called Snow Leopard. Rather than adding new features, most of the changes were under-the-bonnet performance improvements. But Apple has less to prove – sales of Macs have been steadily increasing, buoyed by the success of the iPod and iPhone.
Unlike Microsoft, Apple designs both hardware and software, which makes it easier to create stylish and stable systems. You'll pay more for a Mac, but the price includes brilliant software for managing your digital photos, editing home videos, recording music and even designing your own website.
While Apple's high prices mean its computers are unlikely to threaten the supremacy of Windows, the massive success of the iPhone – which offers web browsing, email and downloadable applications – suggests that the face of computing is changing. And in the world of mobile, Microsoft is struggling to keep up with the pace.
The threat of Google
Windows' biggest challenge will come when Google releases its own operating system, Chrome, next year. It's built on the same foundations as Linux – the free, open-source software that powers many netbooks.
But Google promises something altogether different: an operating system 'designed for people who live on the web'. Chrome will provide access to Google's free 'cloud computing' services – everything from email to photo galleries. Because the hard work is done by 'the cloud' – Google's vast server farms – computers running the Chrome operating system can be cheap and low-powered.
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Light speed: Japanese solar car wins desert race using half the power of a kettle
By Daily Mail Reporter
A solar car made by students from Japan's Tokai University has won the 1,864 mile biannual race across the Australian outback, which showcases green technology.
The Tokai Challenger crossed the finish line just north of Adelaide on Wednesday afternoon after a smooth run hampered by just one flat tyre along the way.
The winning vehicle speed along with a top speed of 93mph powered by 1.8KW of energy, which is just half that used by standard kettles.
Team members polish solar panels of the 'Sharp Toki' car at the start of the World Solar Challenge in Darwin. They went on to claim victory
It was equipped with 2,176 solar cells from Sharp, which covered a surface area of 65 sq ft. The cells that generated the energy were made from rare metals usually used in satellites.
'The victory by Tokai Challenger is the first by a Japanese team since 1993 when the event was won by Honda Dream II,' said the organisers of the 2009 Global Green Challenge.
The Tokai Challenger had started the event in fourth position as a fleet of 32 solar-powered cars from 16 countries set off from Darwin last Saturday, a showcase of prototype solar cars.
But the Japanese car went into the lead at the end of the first day, ahead of favourites Michigan University's Infinium and the Netherlands' Nuna V.
A total of 31 cars took part in the race including The Endeavour, which was Britain's only entry and designed by Cambridge University. 
The 'Endeavour' solar car from Cambridge University has a top speed of 60mph
The British car had a top speed of 60mph and the team were hoping for a top 10 finish. Cambridge University team manager Anthony Law said: 'We can't hope to compete with teams who have millions of dollars to spend on their cars.
'Our longer-term aim is to come back here in 2011 having raised even more sponsorship, and there is no reason we can't be competing for the top spot if we can get more funding.'
On day one, Belgium's Umicar Inspire from the Umicore Solar Team crashed 380 kms into the race after losing control during to a wind gust. The car was withdrawn from the event.
Race spokesman Mike Drewer said the second and third running cars are expected to cross the finish line on Thursday morning. 
The University of Michigan in their vehicle, 'Infinium' also participated in the 1,864mile trip across the outback
The solar race, staged every two years since 1987, was this year joined by another event, the Eco Challenge, in which 17 cars from 10 manufacturers are competing with eco-friendly vehicles to prove which is the most fuel-efficient. This race is expected to finish on Saturday.
Competitors included the all-electric Teslta sports car, vehicles made by Ford, Kia, Honda, Hyundai, BMW, Skoda, Suzuki, Holden, and HSV, and a modified Honda postman's scooter running on alcohol.
Obama Declares Swine Flu a National Emergency
Action allows hospitals to better handle large numbers of patients as outbreak spreads
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
SATURDAY, Oct. 24 (HealthDay News) -- President Barack Obama has declared the H1N1 swine flu a national emergency.
His proclamation, signed Friday night and released by the White House Saturday morning, will allow hospitals and doctors' offices to get legal waivers of federal rules so they can handle large numbers of sick people as the outbreak spreads.
"The H1N1 is moving rapidly, as expected. By the time regions or health-care systems recognize they are becoming overburdened, they need to implement disaster plans quickly," White House spokesman Reid Cherlin said Saturday, according to the Washington Post.
The waivers, which will be issued by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, still require individual requests by the hospitals, Cherlin noted.
The goal, according to the Associated Press, is to remove bureaucratic roadblocks and make it easier for sick people to seek treatment and for medical personnel to provide it immediately. That could mean fewer hurdles involving Medicare, Medicaid or health privacy regulations, the AP added.
The H1N1 swine flu is now widespread in 46 states, and there have been 1,000 laboratory-confirmed deaths since April, according to the latest estimates released Friday by U.S. health officials.
Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a news conference Friday, "We have already had millions of cases of pandemic influenza in the United States, and the numbers continue to increase."
At the same time, he said, production delays continue to hamper distribution of the H1N1 swine flu vaccine.
The vaccine is growing more slowly in egg-based cultures than manufacturers had anticipated, resulting in fewer available doses at this time, Frieden explained.
As of Friday, there were 16.1 million doses on hand nationwide, up from 14.1 on Wednesday, Frieden said. And there will be far fewer than the 40 million doses originally planned for the end of October, he added.
"Vaccine availability is increasing steadily, but far too slowly," Frieden said. "It's frustrating to all of us. We are nowhere near where we thought we would be by now. We are not near where the vaccine manufacturers predicted we would be."
The vaccine that is available comes in both nasal mist and injectable forms. The first doses were only the nasal spray, called FluMist, designed for healthy people 2 to 49 years of age. But now, more than half the doses are injectable, he said.
While children continue to be particularly vulnerable to the disease, Freiden said, "we are seeing it increasingly affect young adults as well as children. We are still not seeing significant numbers of cases among the elderly, and that's characteristic of this virus."
That's also a marked difference from run-of-the-mill seasonal flu, which typically poses a much bigger threat to the elderly.
There is encouraging news, Frieden said. The genetic makeup of the H1N1 virus hasn't changed, meaning the swine flu vaccine and the antiviral drug Tamiflu are a good match.
Frieden said the H1N1 flu would probably occur in waves, but "we can't predict how high, how far or long the wave will go, or when the next will come."
"We are now in the second wave of pandemic influenza and whether this will continue through the fall into the winter, whether it will go away and come back in traditional flu season, only time will tell," he said.
Original Source
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Why the world will NOT end in 2012: Nasa scientist debunks conspiracy theories
Skyscrapers crumble to the ground, fiery meteorites smash into Earth and a Tibetan monk cowers as a massive tidal wave swamps his mountain retreat.
It is a vision of the coming apocalypse thrillingly captured in the latest Hollywood blockbuster.
But fears that the world is due to end in December 2012 is just a myth fuelled by internet rumour, according to a leading Nasa scientist.
Doomsday? The film 2012 will inflame existing fears about the possible end of the world
Dr David Morrison, who runs the space agency's 'Ask an Astrobiologist' service, says he has received more than a thousand emails from those worried that the world is due to end in 2012.
In an article published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Dr Morrison has answered the top 20 questions in an attempt to assuage these fears.
According to the theories on the internet, the calendar used by the ancient civilisation of the Mayans is due to come to an end in December 2012.
Luckily for conspiracy theorists, this coincides neatly with predictions by an obscure sci-fi author, who wrote about the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of Sumer, that a planet named Nibiru will collide with Fears have been further inflamed by an apocalyptic film called '2012' starring John Cusack, which is out this November. A quick search on Amazon reveals there are 175 books listed that deal with 2012 doomsday.
First off Dr Morrison dismisses the possibility that the planet Nibiru even exists.
He writes: 'The bottom line is that Nibiru is a myth, with no basis in fact.
'To an astronomer, persistent claims about a planet that is "nearby" but “invisible” are just plain silly.'
And Dr Morrison laughs off suggestions that the government has been complicit in hiding its existence from the public.
'Even if they wanted to, the government could not keep Nibiru a secret,' he says.
'If it were real, it would be tracked by thousands of astronomers, amateurs as well a professional. These astronomers are spread all over the world.
'I know the astronomy community, and these scientists would not keep a secret even if ordered to. You just can’t hide a planet on its way to the inner solar system!'
He also addresses the concerns of those who worry that the Mayan calendar is due to end in 2012.
'Ancient calendars are interesting to historians, but they cannot match the ability we have today to keep track of time, or the precision of the calendars currently in use.
'The main point, however, is that calendars, whether contemporary or ancient, cannot predict the future of our planet or warn of things to happen on a specific date such as 2012.
'I note that my desk calendar ends much sooner, on December 31 2009, but I do not interpret this as a prediction of Armageddon. It is just the beginning of a new year.'
He added although many believe prophecies by the sixteenth century seer Nostradamus predict the end of the world in 2012, there is no evidence he has correctly predicted anything.
He also tackles the belief circulating on some internet forums that an alignment of planets in our galaxy the Milky Way could in some way disrupt the Earth's gravitational field or reverse the Earth's rotation.
'A reversal in the rotation of Earth is impossible. It has never happened and never will,' he said.
He added that although the magnetic polarity of Earth does take place around every 400,000 years scientists don't believe it will take place for another few millennia and there is no evidence it would do any harm.
Nasa scientist David Morrison (left) has moved to calm fears that the world will end in 2012, as predicted by sixteenth century seer Nostradamus (right)
Publicity for the film '2012' also comes under attack for stirring up fear about the date.
Like many Hollywood blockbusters nowadays, '2012' uses a sophisticated PR campaign which incorporates elements of 'viral' marketing.
In the trailer for the film, which plays on conspiracy theorists' fears that the truth is being somehow hidden, viewers are directed to a 'faux scientific' website.
The website purports to be the home for The Institute for Human Continuity, an entirely fictitious organisation which allows visitors to sign up for a lottery which will decide who will be saved when Armageddon comes.
'The whole 2012 disaster scenario is a hoax, fueled by ads for the Hollywood science-fiction disaster film “2012”,' he says.
'I can only hope that most people are able to distinguish Hollywood film plots from reality.'
Dr Morrison noted that a growing interest in outer space has led to a general 'cosmophobia', that is a fear of the cosmos.
He said he found people were frequently worried about the sun's magnetic field, solar storms, black holes and a rift in the Milky Way.
'Previously these would have merely been interesting astronomical ideas to explore, but now for many young people (who read misinformation about them on the web) they are objects of dread.
'This cosmophobia could be one of the worst long-term consequences of the 2012 doomsday hoax - to make people fearful of astronomy and the universe.'
トヨタ：新ＨＶ「ＳＡＩ」発表 １２月販売
トヨタ自動車は２０日、新型のハイブリッド専用車（ＨＶ）「ＳＡＩ（サイ）」を発表した。５月に発売した新型「プリウス」、７月発売の高級車ブランド「レクサス」の「ＨＳ２５０ｈ」に続く３車種目のＨＶ専用車。サイはセダンタイプで、最廉価モデルを３３８万円に設定。２００万円台が中心のプリウスと、４００万円台が中心のレクサスＨＳ２５０ｈの中間帯に位置付け、新車市場で人気のＨＶの品ぞろえを強化する。１２月７日からトヨタ系列販売店４チャンネルすべてで販売する。
サイはガソリンエンジンとモーターを組み合わせたハイブリッド。排気量２．４リットルとプリウス（同１．８リットル）より一回り大きいが、燃費はガソリン１リットル当たり２３キロと小型ガソリン車「ヴィッツ」並みの性能。４モデルがあり、価格は３３８万～４２６万円。
サイをセダンタイプとしたことについてトヨタは「中年以上の大人の客層に浸透させたい」としている。
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Surfing The Internet May Help The Aging Brain
HealthDay News
Surfing the Internet just might be a way to preserve your mental skills as you age. Researchers found that older adults who started browsing the Web experienced improved brain function after only a few days.
"You can teach an old brain new technology tricks," said Dr. Gary Small, a psychiatry professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the author of iBrain. With people who had little Internet experience, "we found that after just a week of practice, there was a much greater extent of activity particularly in the areas of the brain that make decisions, the thinking brain -- which makes sense because, when you're searching online, you're making a lot of decisions," he said. "It's interactive."
Small is co-author of the research, which was scheduled to be presented Monday in Chicago at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting."This makes intuitive sense, that getting on the Internet and exploring and getting new information and learning would help," said Paul Sanberg, director of the University of South Florida Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair in Tampa. "It supports the value of exploring the Internet for the elderly." Most experts now advocate a "use-it-or-lose-it" approach to mental functioning.
"We found a number of years ago that people who engaged in cognitive activities had better functioning and perspective than those who did not," said Dr. Richard Lipton, a professor of neurology and epidemiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City and director of the Einstein Aging Study. "Our study is often referenced as the crossword-puzzle study -- that doing puzzles, writing for pleasure, playing chess and engaging in a broader array of cognitive activities seem to protect against age-related decline in cognitive function and also dementia."
The new study takes the use-it-or-lose-it concept into the 21st century. For the research, 24 neurologically normal adults, aged 55 to 78, were asked to surf the Internet while hooked up to an MRI machine. Before the study began, half the participants had used the Internet daily, and the other half had little experience with it.
After an initial MRI scan, the participants were instructed to do Internet searches for an hour on each of seven days in the next two weeks. They then returned to the clinic for more brain scans.
"At baseline, those with prior Internet experience showed a much greater extent of brain activation," Small said.
After at-home practice, however, those who had just been introduced to the Internet were catching up to those who were old hands, the study found.
"This is a demonstration that, over a relatively short period of time, patterns of brain activation while engaging in cognitive activities change," Lipton said. "That is at least a first step toward gaining insight into the mechanisms that might allow cognitive engagement to influence brain function."
But, Small said, beware how you use the Internet. "You can exercise your mind by using the Internet, but it depends on how it's used," he explained. "If you get hooked on gambling or eBay shopping, that may not be positive."
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How to Hack Facebook (for a Fee)
Security vendor PandaLabs has discovered an online service offering to help those so inclined to hack into any Facebook account they choose for a price: $100.However, those who sign up for the service could find themselves becoming the victims instead, PandaLabs warned.
The Facebook hacking service, which is delivered via a professional-looking Web site, was discovered by PandaLabs earlier this week.
Users of the service are required to first register with the site and then provide an ID of the Facebook account they want hacked, said Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs. Users who enter the ID and click on a "Hack it" button are then presented with the username of the owner of the Facebook account. They then have the option to "Start Facebook hacking."
Those who follow the instructions are eventually told that the hack was successful and a password for the account was retrieved. But to actually get the password, the user is then required to send $100 via Western Union to an individual in Kirovohrad, Ukraine. It's not clear whether sending the money will yield any login and passwords, Corrons said.
But the way the site has been designed and the ease with which a potential client can interact with it lends it a certain degree of credibility, he said. The site contains an FAQ section, which claims the site has been in business for more than four years.
The site even provides a link to a Webmoney account that in fact does appear to be four years old, Corrons said. However the domain itself appears to have been registered by someone in Moscow only a couple of days ago, he said.
"We've been looking at it and we are 99.9% sure it is a ruse," to get people to pay up money in exchange for what they think will be legitimate Facebook credentials, he said.
At least as of the last time PandaLabs inspected the site, it was not downloading or distributing any malware and seems to have been set up purely to scam those seeking to gain illegal access to Facebook accounts, Corrons said.
Those who do fall for the scam are unlikely to go to law enforcement to report it, he noted.
Kim Kardashian unveils bikini body after losing half a stone using weight loss products
Daily Mail
Kim Kardashian has posted pictures of herself in a pair of bikinis as she shows the results of losing almost half a stone.
The reality star has been using dieting product Quick Trim, which she claims has helped her shift the weight 'fast'.
Posting the images on Twitter, the 28-year-old said: 'I lost my last 6lbs fast & toned up! Loving Quick Trim, adding: 'Quick Trim does a body good!'Both her and her sister Khloe promote the weight-loss product.
The Quick Trim 14 day system comes with a complete diet and exercise program as well as recipes and includes a lemonade flavoured drink which the makers claim helps 'rid the body of excess water weight, belly bloating and intestinal bulk.'
Kim, star of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, is famous for her abundant curves, and recently posted pictures of herself in her underwear as she filmed an advert for Quick Trim.
Just last week she went back to her roots and dyed her hair brunette after five months of sporting a blonde look.
Kim pictured last Wednesday with sister Khloe at the film premiere Whiteout)After undergoing the transformation she tweeted: 'Loved the blonde but that is my alter ego, I am back! Feels good to be me again! I swear I was a different person with blonde hair.'
Away from the cameras Kim has been busy creating a new untitled reality TV show about PR with her friends and Jonathan Cheban and Simon Huck of Command Public Relations.
According to People magazine, a pilot for the show has been shot the series is due to be made next year by the makers of reality show 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' and 'Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami.'
She said going behind the camera is 'the next step in my career'.
'I’ve always wanted to get into producing. After my reality TV show is done, the next step is producing. I definitely see myself in the producing chair.'
She said the show would 'show all the ins-and-outs or PR. It’s going to be really fun. It’ll show how there’s lots of drama and crisis in the PR world.'
Claudia Schiffer goes unretouched on magazine cover... as she insists she'll keep stripping off for fashion
Daily Mail
Claudia Schiffer may be more supermum than supermodel these days but she found time to strip off for a rare au natural photoshoot ahead of her 40th birthday.
Posing topless on the front cover of Tank magazine, the German model shows she's still got the same amazing figure which first captivated fashion designers in the late Eighties.
In the earthy, unretouched shots, the 39-year-old looks fresh-faced as she lets her true beauty shine through.
The Tank cover shot is reminiscent of Claudia's early modelling days, in which she posed topless in a pair of jeans for Guess.
In the provocative shoot photographed by Luis Sanchis, the mother-of-two poses in several shots wearing little but her underwear and a Van Cleef and Arpels necklace.
The magazine shoot is the second time Claudia has appeared topless in recent weeks.
She teamed up with fellow Nineties catwalk queen Naomi Campbell and Eva Herzigova to strip off in the adverts for Dolce & Gabbana's new fragrance Anthology.
And despite growing closer to her 40th birthday, Claudia insists she will continue to strip as she ages.
Claudia told the Daily Mail's Richard Kay: 'I'm happy to do it.
'I didn't work out, I didn't do anything special for the advert and I wasn't even nervous. Of course, as a model it is normal to be taking your clothes off all the time.
'I wouldn't think I was ever too old to do something like that. I mean, maybe if I was 60 or 70, then yes, I'd stop doing nude shoots, but then I guess it depends who is asking.
'With Mario Testino, for example, who is such a brilliant photographer, you would do anything.'
As she prepares for her 40th next year, Claudia insists she will age gracefully without the aid of surgery or Botox.
She said: 'It's poison in my skin and no-one knows the long-term effects. I'm far more scared of that than a wrinkle on my forehead.
'All of my friends are my age and we are all ageing at the same time. We talk about it and moan, but it doesn't bother me.'
Her sexy image in the shoot is a far cry from Claudia's appearance yesterday, as she dressed down in jeans and a sweater to join other mum's outside her children's school yesterday.
Later on, she donned a leopard-print dress to attend a Vogue magazine party at Burberry in Bond Street
To see more photos of Claudia, visit Tank magazine's website at www.tankmagazine.com/
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暴対法テスト：滋賀拠点の山口組系、暴力団員に 高額賠償の回避が目的？
暴力団組員による被害の賠償を上位団体の代表者に請求できるとした改正暴力団対策法（０８年８月施行）に対処するため、滋賀県を拠点とする山口組系暴力団が同法を学ばせる「テスト用紙」を組員に配っていたことが、県警への取材で明らかになった。県警は、暴力団が組員を“教育”し、高額な賠償請求を未然に防止する狙いと見ており、「全国各地で同様のテストや対策用リポートが作成されているのではないか」と警戒を強めている。
県警が今年７月までに山口組系暴力団組員への捜査でテスト用紙を押収。全１２問の設問があり、それぞれの回答欄に手書きで“模範解答”が書き込まれていた。
設問は、例えば「どのシノギが禁じられているか」。正解は「産業廃棄物投棄、不正軽油の密売、建設機械など高額窃盗、オレオレ詐欺」など。最後の設問は「シノギをやる上で守らなくてはいけないものは？」で、「何でも上に報告、相談すること」が模範解答として記されていたという。
県警は、暴力団が改正暴対法に対する組員の理解度をチェックし、組員らの行為が組長の高額賠償責任につながるのを防止する狙いと見ている。
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Lady Gaga 'Buzz's' The Stress Away
Lady Gaga, has taken advice from the lyrics of the old Beach Boys classic - 'Good Vibrations.
The whacky singer has been saying that she has no chance of finding a boyfriend because her mad work schedule means she is unable to find the time to get on the dating curcuit.
But not to be left fustrated the singer admits to Britains Sun newspaper she has found other ways to relieve the tension of being a single girl.
She said: "I am single and a workaholic and very lonely.
"But I'm good. Me and my vibrator are very happy."
Lady GaGa recently blasted rumours that she's a hermaphrodite as "ridiculous".
An Australian radio show host put the question to the singer that many others were dying to ask following the video footage that pointed the first fingers of doubt,
Ms Gaga replied "It's too low brow for me to even discuss."
The US singer, real name Stefani Germanotta, has been the subject of speculation after controversial internet video footage of a concert appeared to to contain more than was expected.
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Diagnosing ADHD Symptoms in Children
Signs of disturbance in fact have ADHD can be detected since the pre-school children. Lack of attention, hyperactivity and compulsive are signs that can capture any direct interference with the child, for example, children do not like or lost interest in playing, running here and there, can not control his desire to touch surrounding objects. When parents catch these symptoms should immediately take his son to the pediatrician or psychologist. Early handler will contribute to a better behavior when the child enters the next stage of development.
Hyperactive-compulsive disorders may be seen directly on the child's behavior, but not the type of attention disorder, the child seemed to be working with people around, so this type are sometimes ignored visible.
ADHD Information
The term ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is also known by the acronym ADD (attention deficit disorder) or hyperkinetic disorder. It is estimated that these types of disorders have been around for a long time, even this disturbance characteristics much like the once described by Hippocrates (460-370 BC).
The term Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) was first introduced in the 1980s in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) III the third edition of the psychiatric manual. In 1994 the term was changed into a division with ADHD are three types of disturbances; hyperactive-impulsive type, the type of attention disorder, and a combination of both.
ADHD Symptoms
Diagnosis when symptoms 6 or more permanent symptoms for at least 6 months or more influential on the level of mental development;
1) the type of attention disorder symptoms
a) It is hard to concentrate, organize tasks, or prepare equipment for the task
b) Easily influenced or lose concentration when there is interference or the sound factor
c) Not able to concentrate on the things or follow the instructions detailed
d) often make mistakes on the task at school or a particular activity
e) Failure to complete the important tasks at school
f) Easy to forget
g) Just do not listen to the conversation, looked lethargic or less passionate and often daydream
2) symptoms of hyperactivity disorder-compulsive type
a) Always look on, wanted to do something
b) Restless, always folded his arms or legs when sitting
c) It can not be silent, always wanted to move
d) The relatively small children like to run, jump and climb to constantly
e) Talking all the time
f) Direct questions to answer before the proposed completion
g) No patient in waiting for their turn
h) Like others blurted out talks
3) Type a combination of attention and hyperactivity disorders, compulsive
Every child suspected of ADHD disorder should be cautious in diagnostic conclusions, because there are symptoms that may resemble ADHD-like interference but the fact the child could have in a particular medical condition, or in stressful situations that can affect behavior disorders like ADHD. Therefore, these conditions must be diagnosed by professional staffs who are experienced in their fields.
In making the diagnosis, professionals (and even some areas of experts involved in it such as psychiatrists, psychologists, pediatricians, neurological, social workers) will conduct a clinical assessment by looking at the academic and social situation of children, emotional function and ability in development.
Diagnosing ADHD
To diagnose properly, professionals typically will collect data in full to decide whether the child is diagnosed disorder ADHD or not, the data form;
- The child's family background
- The possibility of hearing loss
- Inability to learn
- Anxiety and depression
- The influence of previous drugs that allow for brain disorders
- The physical condition as the condition of the frontal lobe
- Test psychology (social adaptation, mental health, intelligence test, and test performance)
- These situations trigger stress in children
Several other tests can be given by the therapist of reading ability tests, solving math, or some board games. Sometimes professionals also need to do observe directly in the child's life. When found in the ADHD disorder for sure, experts will discuss this issue to the teacher at the school, teachers will also be involved in diagnosing these disorders, usually the teacher will be given an evaluation form (behavior rating scales) the child's behavior to be filled by the teacher concerned.
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Dangerous Cyber Babe Jessica Biel
Jessica Biel is the most "dangerous celebrity" on the internet.
According to security technology company McAfee Inc, online searches for the 27-year-old actress - who is dating Justin Timberlake - are more likely to spread computer viruses than any other star.
The company - who last year found Brad Pitt to be the most "dangerous" online celebrity - said there was a one-in-five chance that looking for information, wallpapers, images and videos of the 'Easy Virtue' star would lead users to a website designed to cause damage.
Pop star Beyonce Knowles, 'Marley and Me' star Jennifer Aniston, American football player Tom Brady - who is married to supermodel Gisele Bundchen - and singer-and-actress Jessica Simpson also pose a high risk to web users.
Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee's product development, said: "Cybercriminals are star watchers, too. They latch onto popular celebrities to encourage the download of malicious software in disguise.
"Searching for the latest celebrity news and downloads can cause serious damage to one's personal computer.
"Every day, cybercriminals use celebrities' names and images, like Rihanna, to lure surfers searching for the latest stories, screensavers and ringtones to sites offering free downloads laden with malware."
McAfee's most dangerous celebrity to search in cyberspace:
1. Jessica Biel
2. Beyonce Knowles
3. Jennifer Aniston
4. Tom Brady
5. Jessica Simpson
6. Gisele Bundchen
7. Miley Cyrus
8 = Megan Fox
8 = Angelina Jolie
9. Ashley Tisdale
10. Brad Pitt
11. Reese Witherspoon
12. Britney Spears
13. Rihanna
14. Lindsay Lohan
15. Kim Kardashian
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£200,000 and 51 operations turn a mother of three into Queen Nefertiti
Her transformation began more than 20 years ago after she decided that in a past life she had lived as Queen Nefertiti.
The mother of three has had 51 cosmetic surgery operations - including eight nose jobs, three chin implants, one eyebrow lift, three facelifts, six mini facelifts, two lip surgeries, five eye surgeries and 20 minor tweaks - in her efforts to recreate herself in the image of the 'Beauty of the Nile'.
Miss Namita, a 49-year-old artist from Brighton, says her quest for perfection isn't over yet and plans further surgery, describing her face as a 'work in progress'.
She began her transformation in 1987 after deciding that in a past life she had lived as Nefertiti.
She said: 'Throughout my childhood and teen years I had constant vivid dreams of this ancient queen.
'They were visions of incredible intensity - I could see where she lived, her servants, her rooms, even the food she ate - and although at first I found the dreams frightening, I began to research what they meant.
'Aged 23 I underwent psychoanalysis with a counsellor. Slowly I began to realise that I was having these dreams because I am a reincarnation of Nefertiti
'A few weeks later I saw a picture of Nefertiti for the first time and I was struck by how familiar it was.
'I know some people will find it hard to understand why I have put myself through so much surgery, but by then the visions had become even more powerful, I decided to remodel my face so I looked like a modern version of Nefertiti.
'It was a way of allowing that part of my personality to show itself.'
Miss Namita, who single but has been married and divorced twice, began by remodelling her nose.
Since then she says she has spent all her spare money on her face.She said: 'I am fortunate in that I have good genes. I don't have any cellulite and have never had to diet but because I didn't want to look unnatural with an older body and a younger face, I do eat very healthily.
'No one believes I am almost 50 years old and have had three children because my body and face look as through I am only 25.
'Now when I go out, I gain attention from men much younger than me - often they are in their twenties - because I look so youthful.
'I am sure some people will disapprove of me having so many operations but I believe my look is ageless and timeless. Seeing myself looking so much younger makes me feel young and energetic.'
Miss Namita, who has yet to visit Egypt but is writing a book about her life as a modern Nefertiti, says her three children aged 30, 25 and 15 approve of her appearance.
'My youngest daughter, who still lives with me, is very proud to have such a youthful looking mother,' she said.
Miss Namita is now planning her next operations.
'I would like my lips to be made a little finer and plan to have some more surgery on my nose to even out my nostrils,' she said.
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Super-safe Web Browsing
As a security analyst and researcher, I often find myself exploring some of the darker corners of the Internet. In the course of staying current on security issues, I frequently must browse the sorts of Web sites no average person should go anywhere near; I'm also far more likely to be targeted in an attack. That's forced me to develop a somewhat extreme approach to safer surfing.
Understand the risks
Web browser attacks fall into two general categories. The first type target your browser. They include:
* Cross-site scripting (XSS), in which an attacker illicitly inserts malicious code--which your browser automatically runs--into a Web page you trust;
* Cross-site request forgery (CSRF), in which the attacker inserts code in one Web page that allows him to send commands in your name, using your browser, to another (your bank, for example);
* Click-jacking, in which malicious programmers overlay hidden buttons on a Web site, which you may then inadvertently click.
Browser attacks use deceptive Web pages or links to redirect you to undesired locations, to hijack browsing sessions, to download software to your computer, or to perform transactions (such as forwarding your Web mail to the attacker).
The second type of Web attacks target your entire system. Such systemic attacks exploit security flaws in your browser or its plug-ins (such as QuickTime or Flash) to compromise your computer. These attacks take advantage of buffer overflows and vulnerabilities that have long enabled viruses, worms, and remote attacks.
To protect myself from both kinds of attacks and to isolate the damage if I do get hacked, I use a multilevel strategy. That starts with generating and storing passwords with 1Password. (For more password tips, see Top Password Tips.) But I also use a layered system of multiple browsers and even operating systems to keep myself as safe as possible. Even if you don't visit the kinds of sites I do, some of these precautions could be useful to you, too.
Multiple browsers
My first line of defense is to use different Web browsers for different activities. That way, even if an attacker compromises a Web forum that I log in to, he or she can't cross over from there to attack my online banking, because I use a separate browser for that. Or, because I use a dedicated browser for Facebook, the latest XSS Facebook worm can't escape from there to gain access to my Amazon or Web mail accounts.
My primary browser is Firefox 3.5 configured with the NoScript and Adblock Plus plug-ins.
By default, NoScript disables Java, JavaScript, Flash, and other dynamic content that's often used in attacks. It gives me fine-grained control, so I can permanently or temporarily enable scripts for specific sites or pages. Because it's nearly impossible to attack a browser that doesn't run scripts or plug-ins, NoScript is extremely effective as long as I don't accidentally authorize anything malicious.
Adblock Plus uses blacklists of known advertising and spyware sites to automatically block content from them. I use it as a backup to NoScript in case I do slip up and authorize a script I shouldn't have. Bad guys are increasingly using ad banners and trackers to distribute their mischief; Adblock Plus gives me a little extra insurance.
In addition to those two plug-ins, I also tell Firefox not to store my passwords (Preferences -> Security); I use 1Password for that.
I use Firefox for general browsing and commerce sites such as Amazon, but I don't use it for sites where I'll have to enter extremely sensitive personal information (such as banks) or sites that I know to be extremely risky. For those, I use some of the more stringent measures outlined below.
Because Safari is harder to lock down than Firefox, I use it for sites that are neither sensitive nor risky, such as Wikipedia, Pandora, and Apple. These are sites I visit frequently, where I don't want to deal with managing NoScript exemptions, or which tend to work better in Safari than in Firefox. Under Preferences -> General, I disable Open Safe Files After Downloading. Under Preferences -> Autofill, I disable User Names And Passwords.
By default, both Firefox and Safari will try to identify known fraudulent sites using public blacklists. (In Firefox, go to Preferences -> Security -> Block Reported Attack Sites; in Safari, go to Preferences -> Security -> Warn When Visiting A Fraudulent Website.) I leave these settings activated.
I use NetNewsWire as my RSS feed reader. In its Preferences -> Browsing -> Web Pages pane, I disable all plug-ins, to prevent malicious code from being sent via an RSS feed (such as a video file containing a buffer overflow).
Dedicated browsers
Although Firefox and Safari are good for general browsing, when I need more protection, I use either a dedicated browser or a site-specific browser (SSB).
By "dedicated browser," I mean a regular Web browser that I use only for one site. In my case, I use OmniWeb to manage my company Web site and blog.
I've implemented rules in OmniWeb to keep it from accessing any site outside my corporate domain: in Preferences -> Ad Blocking, I clicked Edit The Blocked URLs List. In the top window listing blocked sites, I added a rule for /* to block every Web site. In the bottom, trusted-sites window (which overrides the blocked-sites list), I added securosis\.com to allow anything from my site. Those windows support complex regular expressions, so you can create some pretty sophisticated rules.
For sites that I don't trust at all, I use an SSB. For example, as I mentioned above, I'm wary of Facebook; I access it through an SSB.
An SSB is essentially a stripped-down Web browser that you can create yourself in a few clicks. I created one with the Prism add-on for Firefox. (Go to Tools -> Add-ons -> Get Add-ons, search for Prism, and then install it.) With Prism installed, browse to that site and select Tools -> Convert Web Site To Application.
Unlike a dedicated browser, an SSB lets me browse to other Web sites. But because an SSB is a completely separate process, I can restrict its Web access using the Little Snitch outbound firewall. If someone attacks the SSB, they can't touch my other browsers or steal my browsing history, except for the SSB's.
Multiple operating systems
For extremely risky or sensitive sites, I use virtual machines (VMs), using VMware Fusion or Parallels, to isolate Web activity even more.
For example, I do all of my banking in a dedicated VM using Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 running on the latest release candidate of Windows 7. IE8 on Windows 7 is very secure--especially because I don't use it to visit any Web sites other than my banks, nor do I use the VM for e-mail or other Internet activity. This eliminates all possible browser attacks (unless my bank itself is compromised), and an attacker would need to completely take over my Mac to get my banking information.
For maximum browsing security, I use the Incognito Linux live CD in a VM. A live CD contains a bootable operating system; it runs the OS from the optical drive, without installing anything on the hard drive. I like Incognito because it includes other privacy-enhancement features, but any live CD with a Web browser will work.
Because the CDs are read-only, the VM runs everything in memory without touching the local file system (except for virtual memory). An attacker could completely compromise and control that VM, but he or she couldn't touch anything else on my system. Because the state of the VM is never saved to disk, all I have to do is shut it down and reboot to return to a pristine, clean image.
Granted, my chosen profession requires a tad more paranoia than is mentally healthy for the average user. Still, these techniques are relevant for anyone concerned about security. At a minimum, I recommend dedicated password management, a dedicated Web browser or SSB for banking, and perhaps a VM for those occasional trips to the darker edges of the Internet.
Rich Mogull has worked in the security world for 17 years. He writes for TidBits and works as a security analyst through Securosis.com.
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Britney's bikini of the day
Britney Spears just can't help showing off her figure - and extensive wardrobe.
Revealing her third bikini in as many days, the pop star flaunted her toned abs again for another dip in the pool with her sons.
The singer played doting mother to Sean Preston, three, and Jayden James, two, showing off the enviable body she recently acquired through intense training for her current tour.
Britney opted for a mauve polka-dotted two-piece for day three of her LA holiday - displaying her rainbow selection of swimwear as she played with the boys at the Ritz Carlton hotel yesterday.
'I have had to work hard at getting my body back to where it used to be,' she told Glamour earlier this year.
'I used to be obsessed with working out ... But I can't get motivated right now because I'm so focused on my music.'
Saturday saw the pretty in pink blonde sporting a fuchsia bikini - and on Sunday, Britney slipped into an aquamarine number.
Clearly, the star is sticking to the unwritten Hollywood code of wearing a different swimsuit for every day.
The 27-year-old singer is currently enjoying a well-earned month off after her gruelling 'The Circus... Starring Britney Spears' world tour.
Despite the relaxing holiday, Britney cut a glum figure by the pool. Perhaps she was missing her notably absent boyfriend Jason Trawick.She was wearing the ring all weekend - but took it off when she spent time in the pool.
