Friday, August 28, 2009

3 giants join their hands against Google

The three giants Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo join their hands to sign up the Open Book Alliance.

They go up against a legal resolution that could make Google the main basis for several online works.

In 2008, the search giant reached many publishers and authors to resolve two lawsuits that gave the company with copyright infringement for the unauthorized scanning of books.

In that decision, Google paid $125 million to create a Book Rights Registry, the authors and publishers received compensation.

Google might also be given the right to digitize unknown works i.e. whose rights-holders are not known and there are believed to be 50-70% of books published after 1923.

Explanation on the deal has to be lodged by 4 September. In early October, a judge will think whether to approve the class-action suit or not.

On the other side, the US Department of Justice is performing an anti-trust analysis into the impact of the agreement.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Importance of Physical activities

Regular exercise and physical activity are important to the physical and mental health of almost everyone, including older adults. Being physically active can help you continue to do the things you enjoy and stay independent as you age. Regular physical activity over long periods of time can produce long-term health benefits. That’s why health experts say that older adults should be active every day to maintain their health.

In addition, regular exercise and physical activity can reduce the risk of developing some diseases and disabilities that develop as people grow older. In some cases, exercise is an effective treatment for many chronic conditions. For example, studies show that people with arthritis, heart disease, or diabetes benefit from regular exercise. Exercise also helps people with high blood pressure, balance problems, or difficulty walking.

One of the great things about physical activity is that there are so many ways to be active. For example, you can be active in short spurts throughout the day, or you can set aside specific times of the day on specific days of the week to exercise. Many physical activities — such as brisk walking, raking leaves, or taking the stairs whenever you can — are free or low cost and do not require special equipment. You could also check out an exercise video from the library or use the fitness center at a local senior center.

This guide shows you many types of exercise and physical activity. It also has lots of tips to help you be active in ways that suit your lifestyle, interests, health, and budget, whether you’re just starting out, getting back to exercising after a break, or fit enough to run a 3-mile race. It’s for everyone — peoples who are healthy and those who live with an ongoing health problem or disability.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Do things that you enjoy to reduce weight

Physical activity can be fun! Do things you enjoy, like:

  • dancing
  • rollerblading
  • fast walking
  • playing sports
  • bicycling
  • swimming
  • group fitness classes, such as dance or aerobics

If you can, be physically active with a friend or a group. That way, you can cheer each other on, have a good time while being active, and feel safer when you are outdoors. Find a local school track or park where you can walk or run with your friends, or join a recreation center so you can work out or take a fun fitness class together.

Think you do not have time for physical activity? The good news is that you can be active for short periods of time throughout the day and still benefit. When fitting in physical activity, remember that any activity is better than none. So try to move more by making these small changes to your daily routine:

  • Get off the bus or subway one stop early and walk the rest of the way (be sure the area is safe).
  • Park your car farther away and walk to your destination.
  • Walk to each end of the mall when you go shopping.
  • Take the stairs rather than the elevator or escalator (make sure the stairs have working lights).
  • Put physical activity on your to-do list for the day. For example, plan on exercising right after work, before you can get distracted by dinner or going out.

Friday, August 07, 2009

Water Dragons

Water Dragons can be up to 1 meter, with long powerful legs and claws. Their tail forms 2/3 of their length and is almost all muscle. It is laterally compressed to help act like an oar when swimming. The Water Dragon has a nuchal crest – a central row of enlarged spikey spines at the back of the head. These spikes continue down the spine, decreasing in size to the base of the tail. At the tail the spines divide into two rows.

The Water Dragon’s upper body is a grey-green with cream and black transverse bands on the body and tail. Underneath the body is creamy brown-grey. They have loose folds of skin under the jaw, giving them an almost Bearded Dragon appearance.

Water Dragons as their name suggests are semi-aquatic lizards. They spend a lot of time perching in trees along creeks and rivers. At any sign of danger they will dive into the water and either remain underwater or swim away. Water Dragons have been known to remain underwater for up to 90 minutes. Water Dragons when underwater slow their heart rate and conduct some gas exchange across their skin, both O2 and CO2.

Water Dragons at slow speeds run on all four legs, but to increase their running speed they can run on their back legs only (bipedal). Their long powerful back legs and sharp claws help in their abilities to climb trees and dig holes for hibernation and nesting.