A recent study shows that playing action video games can boost part of eyesight called contrast sensitivity, one of the first parts of vision to be affected by aging.
Contrast sensitivity is the the ability to notice even minor changes in shades of grey against a uniform background which helps people in night driving. This ability is lost by ageing and by conditions such as such as amblyopia, also known as 'lazy eye'.
The research was conducted by a team comprising of Professors from Rochester University in New York ,Goldschleger Eye Research Institute and Tel Aviv University. The study says that that action video games train the brain to process the existing visual information more efficiently.
For the study, a group of students were divided into two groups. One group played the action games "Call of Duty 2" by Activision Blizzard Inc and Epic Games' "Unreal Tournament 2004." A second played Electronic Arts Inc's "The Sims 2," a game they said does not require as much hand-eye coordination.
The two groups played 50 hours of their assigned games over a time period of nine weeks. At the end of the training, those playing action games saw their ability to discern contrast improve by between 43 and 58 per cent, while the other group of players didn't show any improvement in their contrast sensitivity.
Daphne Bavelier, professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester who led the study team said:
"To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that contrast sensitivity can be improved by simple training.When people play action games, they're changing the brain's pathway responsible for visual processing. These games push the human visual system to the limits and the brain adapts to it, and we've seen the positive effect remains even two years after the training was over".
According to the study report, action video-game training may be a useful complement to eye-correction techniques.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Burning car rammed into French synagogue
A car rammed the doors of a synagogue in Toulouse in southern France on Monday night, causing the building to catch fire. Nobody was hurt in the blaze
A car packed with petrol bombs was set on fire and pushed by another car into a synagogue. At the time of the attack, twelve people were attending a lecture given from a rabbi. The synagogue door caught fire, but there was no other damage. No arrests have been made by the police till now.
The attack appears to be a spill over of anger over Israel's attacks in Gaza. France has the largest community of Muslims and Jews in Western Europe. The attack comes just one day after French defence minister met Jewish and Muslim community leaders requesting to stay away from violence.
Dominique Sopo, the head of France's main anti-racist movement SOS Racisme condemned the incident.
Those who want to import the Middle East conflict over here aren't helping the Israelis or the Palestinians, unless they can explain why hitting a Jew here improves the situation in Gaza, or how Arab-bashing helps protect Israel.
France has seen an increase in Anti-semitic violence since 2002 when Israel launched it's offensive on West Bank. Over 2,000 Jews have left France for Israel since 2002 as they felt insecure in France. France which had seen rioting by North African immigrants in the past fear more such incidents if the situation in Gaza deteriorates further. An Anti-Israel demonstration held on Monday in Paris had turned violent with the demonstrators torching cars and vandalizing several shops.
A car packed with petrol bombs was set on fire and pushed by another car into a synagogue. At the time of the attack, twelve people were attending a lecture given from a rabbi. The synagogue door caught fire, but there was no other damage. No arrests have been made by the police till now.
The attack appears to be a spill over of anger over Israel's attacks in Gaza. France has the largest community of Muslims and Jews in Western Europe. The attack comes just one day after French defence minister met Jewish and Muslim community leaders requesting to stay away from violence.
Dominique Sopo, the head of France's main anti-racist movement SOS Racisme condemned the incident.
Those who want to import the Middle East conflict over here aren't helping the Israelis or the Palestinians, unless they can explain why hitting a Jew here improves the situation in Gaza, or how Arab-bashing helps protect Israel.
France has seen an increase in Anti-semitic violence since 2002 when Israel launched it's offensive on West Bank. Over 2,000 Jews have left France for Israel since 2002 as they felt insecure in France. France which had seen rioting by North African immigrants in the past fear more such incidents if the situation in Gaza deteriorates further. An Anti-Israel demonstration held on Monday in Paris had turned violent with the demonstrators torching cars and vandalizing several shops.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Contraceptive pill is polluting environment : Vatican newspaper
A report in the semi-official Vatican newspaper claims that contraceptive pill is polluting the environment and is a key cause for the increase in male infertility.
L'Osservatore Romano ( The Roman Observer) is the semi-official Vatican newspaper published from Vatican. It covers views from important churchmen and runs official documents released from the Pope.
A report published in the newspaper by Pedro Jose Maria Simon Castellvi, president of the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, claimed that they have enough evidence that contraceptive pill is a cause for male infertility. According to the report, the Pill is responsible for releasing tons of hormones into nature through female urine, polluting the environment . It quotes various WHO reports for substantiating it's claim.
The report says
We have sufficient evidence to state that a non-negligible cause of male infertility in the West is the environmental pollution caused by the pill. We are faced with a clear anti-environmental effect which demands more explanation on the part of the manufacturers.
Many organisations have dismissed the claims made by the report saying it as baseless. Gianbenedetto Melis, vice-president of a contraceptive research association said.
Once metabolised, the hormones contained in oral contraceptives no longer have any of the characteristic effects of feminine hormones.
Over the years, Vatican has been against the use of contraceptives equating it to abortion. Many Women's rights organizations have voiced their concern over Vatican's stand on issues such as emergency contraception to rape victims.
L'Osservatore Romano ( The Roman Observer) is the semi-official Vatican newspaper published from Vatican. It covers views from important churchmen and runs official documents released from the Pope.
A report published in the newspaper by Pedro Jose Maria Simon Castellvi, president of the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, claimed that they have enough evidence that contraceptive pill is a cause for male infertility. According to the report, the Pill is responsible for releasing tons of hormones into nature through female urine, polluting the environment . It quotes various WHO reports for substantiating it's claim.
The report says
We have sufficient evidence to state that a non-negligible cause of male infertility in the West is the environmental pollution caused by the pill. We are faced with a clear anti-environmental effect which demands more explanation on the part of the manufacturers.
Many organisations have dismissed the claims made by the report saying it as baseless. Gianbenedetto Melis, vice-president of a contraceptive research association said.
Once metabolised, the hormones contained in oral contraceptives no longer have any of the characteristic effects of feminine hormones.
Over the years, Vatican has been against the use of contraceptives equating it to abortion. Many Women's rights organizations have voiced their concern over Vatican's stand on issues such as emergency contraception to rape victims.
Iranian newspaper closed for anti-Hamas article
Iranian reformist newspaper Kargozaran has been closed down by the authorities for publishing an article criticizing Hamas and allegedly justifying ' Zionist crimes '.
Kargozaran is a reformist daily close to the former President Hashemi Rafsanjani. It carried an article on last Tuesday calling Hamas a terrorist organization and accusing them of hiding in kindergartens and hospitals causing the death of many children and innocent civilians. On Wednesday, the authorities issued an order to close down the newspaper.
Mohammad Parvizi , Spokesperson of the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry of Iran said
The reason for the closure of the newspaper is because it published an article yesterday in which it sanitized the Zionist regime's crimes in Gaza.The paper is banned upon articles 6 and 12 of Press Law and the case has been sent to the court.
Kargozaran is the latest among a group of publications to be closed by the government since President Ahmedi Nejad took office in 2005. Last month, Shahrvand-e Emrouz, a reformist magazine was asked to stop publishing for carrying articles against the regime.
Kargozaran's director Morteza Sajadian hoped that the closure will be temporary. He regretted for carrying article and said it was mistakenly printed.
Kargozaran is a reformist daily close to the former President Hashemi Rafsanjani. It carried an article on last Tuesday calling Hamas a terrorist organization and accusing them of hiding in kindergartens and hospitals causing the death of many children and innocent civilians. On Wednesday, the authorities issued an order to close down the newspaper.
Mohammad Parvizi , Spokesperson of the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry of Iran said
The reason for the closure of the newspaper is because it published an article yesterday in which it sanitized the Zionist regime's crimes in Gaza.The paper is banned upon articles 6 and 12 of Press Law and the case has been sent to the court.
Kargozaran is the latest among a group of publications to be closed by the government since President Ahmedi Nejad took office in 2005. Last month, Shahrvand-e Emrouz, a reformist magazine was asked to stop publishing for carrying articles against the regime.
Kargozaran's director Morteza Sajadian hoped that the closure will be temporary. He regretted for carrying article and said it was mistakenly printed.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Jewish 'modesty patrols' terrorize Israeli citizens
Increasing amount of moral policing by ultra orthodox Jews has sparked fear among Israeli women. In recent weeks, many women were attacked by modesty squads for not following the Jewish dress code.
Taking a lead from the Islamic fundamentalists, Jewish modesty squad attacks on Women has increased in the recent months in Israel. Several incidents of stone pelting, beating, acid spilling on women have been reported.
In a recent incident a woman was beaten up in an ultra orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood. She was accused of leading an ' indecent ' lifestyle by wearing trousers and meeting men in private. A 14 year old girl was hospitalized in June after acid was spilled over her for wearing pants and a woman was stoned for wearing red blouse telling the color attracted attention.
Israeli-American novelist Naomi Ragen told AP
Stores that sell MP4 players and cloth stores selling 'provocative' clothes have been vandalized in recent months.
A 17 year girl who was a attacked with pepper spray tells about the ultra orthodox neighborhood she lives in
Although many arrests have been made by authorities in recent months, the government tolerates religious exclusive activities such as subsidizing gender-segregated bus routes that service religious neighborhoods.
Taking a lead from the Islamic fundamentalists, Jewish modesty squad attacks on Women has increased in the recent months in Israel. Several incidents of stone pelting, beating, acid spilling on women have been reported.
In a recent incident a woman was beaten up in an ultra orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood. She was accused of leading an ' indecent ' lifestyle by wearing trousers and meeting men in private. A 14 year old girl was hospitalized in June after acid was spilled over her for wearing pants and a woman was stoned for wearing red blouse telling the color attracted attention.
Israeli-American novelist Naomi Ragen told AP
There are eyes and ears all over the place, very similar to what you hear about in countries like Iran.
Stores that sell MP4 players and cloth stores selling 'provocative' clothes have been vandalized in recent months.
A 17 year girl who was a attacked with pepper spray tells about the ultra orthodox neighborhood she lives in
Zealots there have thrown rocks and spat at women, and set fire to trash bins to protest impiety. Walls of the neighborhood are plastered with signs exhorting women to dress modestly — spelled out as closed-necked, long-sleeved blouses and long skirts.
Although many arrests have been made by authorities in recent months, the government tolerates religious exclusive activities such as subsidizing gender-segregated bus routes that service religious neighborhoods.
Pakistani President Zardari receives fatwa for flirting with Palin
Pakistani religious leaders have issued a fatwa against President Asif Ali Zardari after his remarks on Sarah Palin. Zardari had praised Palin as ' gorgeous ' when they met last week at the UN.
lslamic leaders in Pakistan have condemned the remark made by their President on Sarah Palin during his recent visit to New York. Radical Islamic cleric at Lal masjid in the Pakistani has gone one step ahead by issuing a fatwa against Zardari. Lal Masjid ( Red mosque) was in the limelight last year when more than 100 people were killed in military action .
Maulana Abdul Ghafar, the prayer leader at the mosque said
In the Video , Zardari is seen telling Palin "You are more gorgeous than you are on television .Then he turns to the others in the room to confess, "Now I know why the whole of America is crazy about you." Palin accepts the complement with a "thank you". What created more anger among the fundamentalists is his final 'hug' remark. According to Islamic laws, physical contact and flattery between a man and woman who aren't married to each other is punishable.
Zardari, who became the President of Pakistan last month is the widower of Benazir Bhutto, the first female prime minister of a Muslim country. Palin had met several World leaders last week at the UN, but no other meeting received as much attention as with Zardari.
lslamic leaders in Pakistan have condemned the remark made by their President on Sarah Palin during his recent visit to New York. Radical Islamic cleric at Lal masjid in the Pakistani has gone one step ahead by issuing a fatwa against Zardari. Lal Masjid ( Red mosque) was in the limelight last year when more than 100 people were killed in military action .
Maulana Abdul Ghafar, the prayer leader at the mosque said
Zardari's filthy remarks and repeated praise of a non-Muslim lady wearing a short skirt was unbecoming of a head of state of a Muslim country.
In the Video , Zardari is seen telling Palin "You are more gorgeous than you are on television .Then he turns to the others in the room to confess, "Now I know why the whole of America is crazy about you." Palin accepts the complement with a "thank you". What created more anger among the fundamentalists is his final 'hug' remark. According to Islamic laws, physical contact and flattery between a man and woman who aren't married to each other is punishable.
Zardari, who became the President of Pakistan last month is the widower of Benazir Bhutto, the first female prime minister of a Muslim country. Palin had met several World leaders last week at the UN, but no other meeting received as much attention as with Zardari.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Credit crisis spreads across Europe, more banks bailed out
Fears have grown that entire Europe may slip into a recession with five banks bailed out in the last couple of days by authorities.Many more are expected to fail in the coming days.
hen the credit crisis in U S took an ugly turn with the collapse of Lehman, European regulators were saying their banks were fundamentally strong. Now, a couple weeks later, they are scrambling to rescue the troubled banks.
Five banks were bailed out by governments in France, U K, Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland and Luxembourg. Fortis, the biggest private employer in Belgium and the largest banking group in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg was partially nationalized. Other banks to be bailed out were Bradford & Bingley in Britain, Germany's Hypo Real Estate, Ireland's Glitnir Bank, the third largest in the country and Dexia, a French-Belgian lender to local banks.
Overnight, the money lending rates such as Libor and Euribor soared to their highest levels on record making the banks virtually impossible to get money. What makes regulators more worried is that Fortis, the biggest causality so far had a leverage ratio ((assets to equity) of 30 whereas other big banks such as UBS have a much worse leverage ratio at 40.
Many European banks have become too big and internationalized that it has become impossible for their home-country governments to rescue them. Many countries don't have the financial muscle to bail out their banks like in the U.S.
hen the credit crisis in U S took an ugly turn with the collapse of Lehman, European regulators were saying their banks were fundamentally strong. Now, a couple weeks later, they are scrambling to rescue the troubled banks.
Five banks were bailed out by governments in France, U K, Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland and Luxembourg. Fortis, the biggest private employer in Belgium and the largest banking group in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg was partially nationalized. Other banks to be bailed out were Bradford & Bingley in Britain, Germany's Hypo Real Estate, Ireland's Glitnir Bank, the third largest in the country and Dexia, a French-Belgian lender to local banks.
Overnight, the money lending rates such as Libor and Euribor soared to their highest levels on record making the banks virtually impossible to get money. What makes regulators more worried is that Fortis, the biggest causality so far had a leverage ratio ((assets to equity) of 30 whereas other big banks such as UBS have a much worse leverage ratio at 40.
Many European banks have become too big and internationalized that it has become impossible for their home-country governments to rescue them. Many countries don't have the financial muscle to bail out their banks like in the U.S.
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