Australian Billionaire Plans to Build Titanic II to Set Sail in 2016

Australian businessman Clive Palmer has announced his plans to create a replica of the Titanic. Palmer is collaborating with the Chinese company CSC Jinling Shipyard to create what he is calling the Titanic II. In addition, Palmer's new ship is going to re-create the voyage of the original Titanic as it set sail from England to New York in 1912.

Palmer says the new ship will be "as luxurious as the original Titanic," adding that Titanic II will be equipped with "state-of-the-art 21st-century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems." His vessel will have identical dimensions to its predecessor, and will feature nine decks, 840 rooms, gymnasiums, swimming pools, libraries, and restaurants. Other improvements to the ship include greater fuel efficiency and diesel generation, and an enlarged rudder and bow thrusters for improved maneuverability.

When news of Palmer's new creation began circulating, Tumblr and Twitter buzzed with people's reactions. In just 36 hours, "Titanic II" had been mentioned 34,000 times, and a new meme was born. There are countless parodies and digitally altered images like the one using the original movie poster and the tag line, "Jack is back." On Twitter, "Titanic II" was trending with a slew of tweets mocking Palmer's idea. One person tweeted, "Luckily there probably won't be any icebergs left by then." The original Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, after colliding with an iceberg, and more than 1,500 people died.

When asked if the ship could sink, Palmer responded, "Of course it will sink if you put a hole in it." He then added, "It is going to be designed so it won't sink."

In case you are reading this and you want to set sail on Titanic II, you'll have to wait a while. The maiden voyage is not scheduled until 2016.

Source: Yahoo

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Italy Scientists Say They Have Found Oldest Human Blood

ROME, Italy - Scientists examining the remains of "Otzi," Italy's prehistoric iceman who roamed the Alps some 5,300 years ago, said on Wednesday they have isolated what are believed to be the oldest traces of human blood ever found.

The German and Italian scientists said they used an atomic force microscope to examine tissue sections from a wound caused by an arrow that killed the Copper Age man, who was found frozen in a glacier, and from a laceration on his right hand.

"They really looked similar to modern-day blood samples," said Professor Albert Zink, 46, the German head of the Institute for Mummies and the Iceman at the European Academy in Bolzano, the capital of Italy's German-speaking Alto-Adige region.

"So far, this is the clearest evidence of the oldest blood cells," he said by telephone, adding that the new technique might now be used to examine mummies from Egypt.

The studies were carried out in conjunction with the Center for Smart Interfaces at Darmstadt Technical University in Germany and the Center for Nano Sciences in Munich.

Over the last two decades, scientists have collected data from the stomach, bowels and teeth of the well-preserved man, who was found protruding out of a glacier by German climbers in 1991 in the Tyrolean Alps on the Austrian-Italian border.

Otzi, whose nickname derives from the German word for the area where he was found, had brown hair and type-O blood and was believed to be 45 when he was felled by an arrow while climbing the high mountains some 5,300 years ago.

The nanotechnology instrument used by Zink and his team scans the surface of the tissue sections using a very fine probe, the scientists said in a summary of their report.

As the probe moves over the surface, sensors measure every tiny deflection of the probe, line by line and point by point, building up a three-dimensional image.

Red doughnut cells

Zink, an anthropologist, said the red blood cells his team found had a classic doughnut shape seen in healthy people today.

"It is very interesting to see that the red blood cells can last for such a long time," he said.

"This will also open up possibilities for forensic science and may help lead to a more precise determination of the age of blood spots in crime investigations," he added.

Earlier this year, the scientists made the first complete genome-sequencing on Otzi, determining that the man had a predisposition for cardiovascular diseases and brown eyes that betrayed possible near-Eastern origins.

Otzi had lactose intolerance that was common among Neolithic agrarian societies and was also the first-known carrier of Lyme disease, a bacterial infection spread by ticks.

Examination of the wound where the arrow entered Otzi's back identified fibrin, a protein involved in the clotting of blood, a summary of the report said.

Because fibrin is present in fresh wounds and then decays, this appears to show that the hunter died quickly rather than after a few days as had been previously thought, it said.

Zink carried out his research with Marek Janko and Robert Stark, professors of material sciences at the Center for Nano Sciences in Munich and Italian colleagues in Bolzano.

To be certain that the specimens they were examining were blood and not pollen, the scientists used a second analytical method known as the Raman spectroscopy method.

In that method, a laser beam illuminates a tissue sample and analysis of the spectrum of the scattered light permits the identification of various molecules.

Zink said he and his colleagues hope to carry out further analysis on Otzi's enzymes, proteins and immune system.

"We hope we can make good progress in this area too," he said.

The complete results will be published by Britain's Journal of the Royal Society Interface.

Source: Abs-Cbn News

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Tipid Tips: 23 Ways Families Can Be Thrifty

KIDS

1. When looking for toys, party favors, and school supplies, make it a habit to see if the manufacturer or supplier information is printed on the packaging. If you go straight to them, you can save up to 20 or 30 percent.

2. Don’t throw away broken crayons. Put them all in a box where your children can search for a replacement when they’re missing a color. This saves you from buying several boxes in one year.

3. If you know someone who works in a manufacturing or pharmaceutical company, ask them to buy you products you will need like pambaon or vitamins, which you can purchase at company price. This will mean a sale for them and savings for you.

4. When your kids have grown up, just hire a part-time helper to wash and iron clothes. That way, you don’t have to pay for the salary of a full-time maid.

HOME

5. Use bright and glossy paint on walls to minimize the use of lights. Electric consumption can be reduced by at least 15 percent.

6. Clean bulbs regularly to keep them bright thus requiring fewer lamps.

7. Clean the air conditioner filter to lower power consumption.

8. When watering plants, use a dipper or tabo instead of a hose; this cuts water consumption.

9. Instead of taking the car to a car wash, just buy a hose and a sponge and do it at home. You can save cash and gas, and get some exercise too!

10. Instead of buying black trash bags, recycle the grocery bags. You get to save, and you get to do something environment-friendly too. 

11. To lower your water bill, wash plates in a basin instead of washing directly under the faucet. Also, don’t throw out water used for cleaning bigas—use it to water your orchids because it also fertilizes. 

FOOD

12. Make your own pizza at home instead of having it delivered. Buy the crust and ingredients when you do your groceries, store them properly, and make your pizza whenever you want.

13. Plant your own spices and vegetables (like tomato,kangkong, kalabasa, andampalaya) so that you can just get some when you need them for your cooking.

14. For bread and pastry lovers, visit your favorite bread shop an hour or two before closing time when prices are slashed by 20 to 50 percent to avoid spoilage. Some even offer the breads at "buy one, take one." Check out the bread section at supermarkets and hotel bake shops too.

15. If your kids like cupcakes, rolls, and muffins, instead of taking out high-priced cinnamon rolls and other yummies, ask them to pick out their favorite bran muffin flavors from the supermarket. Schedule a weekend afternoon and help them bake their choice. Wrap the muffins in wax paper for them to bring to school as baon for the week. You get to save, and they get to have a sense of accomplishment as well.

WORK

16. If you and your hubby work somewhere where the parking fees are expensive, make it a point to prepare lunch baon for both of you. That way, you won’t have to spend for food and your only shared expense at the end of the day is parking.

17. Don’t trash old memos and reports; use the back of the bond paper as scratch. Also, try using first-class newsprint paper in making inter-office reports. Newsprint is cheaper than bond paper.

18. There are plenty of opportunities for moonlighting. By sacrificing even just one hour of your time daily—for tasks such as tutoring a neighbor’s child, making bead jewelry, or selling insurance, real estate, or beauty products—you will earn extra money. If you go the selling route, you can also avail of the products you sell at discounted prices.

19. No malling on weekends! By avoiding the malls, you keep control of your hard-earned bucks as well as your sanity. Stay at home instead. If you’re a working mom, this is the perfect time to do some catching up. Review the week’s lessons with your children, rearrange the furniture, work in the garden, etc. You will feel relaxed knowing that the day is well spent—and that y

RECREATION

20. Have a get-together in each assigned house within your circle of friends every weekend. Divide the expenses or simply do pot-luck. This is less expensive (and you can bond more) than hanging out in pricey establishments. 

21. Instead of renting or buying DVDs, borrow from friends who collect movies and even swap collections. This way, you can all cut down on spending and generate some savings.

22. Save money by subscribing to your favorite magazines. Subscriptions are offered at a lower rate, about 20 percent less. You’ll spend less energy too because you don’t have to go out and buy; it’s delivered right to your doorstep.

23. Instead of going to the salon for a foot spa, facial, body massage, etc., buy your own lotions and tools for these kinds of treatments and do it at home.

Ssource: FN

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