Voluntary code for internet speed

The way broadband speeds are advertised is to be regulated under a voluntary code published by Ofcom.

It wants companies to publish accurate estimates of the maximum connection speeds people can expect before they buy broadband packages.

Some 32 internet providers, covering more than 90% of UK broadband customers, have agreed to the code.

Ofcom is also undertaking what it says is the UK's "most authoritative and comprehensive broadband speed survey" to identify broadband performance across the country and its relationship to advertised speeds.

Code requirements

There are several steps that fixed-line internet service providers (ISPs) - ones that use cables - are required to take under the voluntary code.

These include

providing customers with an accurate estimate of the maximum speed that the line can support, whether in a shop, over the internet or on the phone.

resolving technical issues to improve speed

offering customers the choice to move onto a lower speed package when estimates given are inaccurate.

providing consumers with information on usage limits

alerting customers when they have breached usage limits

"This voluntary code is a significant step in this direction.

Ofcom has also previously reported that the geographical digital divide had been closed across the country, after its research found that homes in rural areas were more likely to have broadband than those in towns.

But a survey for BBC News suggested rural areas generally fared worse than towns, with telephone-line lengths and lack of access to cable being blamed.

We hope this promotion not just promese but real.

Source:BBC NEWS

Alcohol 'cuts risk of arthritis'

A regular tipple cuts the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis by up to half, Swedish research suggests.

The Karolinska Institute assessed 2,750 people in two studies, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases reports.

The risk was up to 50% lower for those who drank the equivalent of five glasses of wine a week compared with those who drank the least, they found.

Rheumatoid arthritis - an auto-immune disease caused by a malfunctioning immune system - is a condition which results in tender, stiff and swollen joints. It affects 400,000 people in the UK.

The two separate studies assessed environmental and genetic risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis.

Participants were quizzed about their lifestyle, including how much they smoked and drank, while blood samples were taken to check for genetic risk factors.

Smoking highlighted

Researcher Dr Henrik Kallberg stressed the most important finding of the study was that smoking was a very significant risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis.

However, he added: "In addition, it is important to know that moderate alcohol consumption is not deleterious and may in some contexts be beneficial concerning risk for future onset of rheumatoid arthritis."

There are known to be links between moderate alcohol consumption and a reduced risk of other inflammatory processes, such as cardiovascular disease. However, the reason for this is still unclear.

Professor Robert Moots, from the Arthritis Research Campaign, said it was possible that drinking alcohol may have a protective effect against rheumatoid arthritis.

He said: "There is no doubt that drinking too much is very bad for our health in many ways and these risks by far outweigh any potential benefit for reducing the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, which this study points to, without being conclusive.

"We must also remember that drinking alcohol in excess can be especially dangerous in patients taking some anti-rheumatoid drugs that may cause liver damage.

"There are many modifiable lifestyle risk factors for developing rheumatoid arthritis and, as this study also points out, smoking is by far the greatest."

We agree both smooking and drugs are bad for our healthy.

Source : BBC NEWS

Israeli Warning Over Nuclear Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said drastic measures are needed to stop Iran obtaining nuclear weapons.

Speaking to the main pro-Israel lobby in the US, he said Iran must be shown there will be devastating consequences if it did develop such weapons.

The US and others have accused Iran of building a nuclear arms capability. Tehran says its programme is peaceful.

UN concern

Mr Olmert told members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that targeted economic sanctions imposed against Iran were not enough.

"The long-term cost of a nuclear Iran greatly outweighs the short-term benefits of doing business with Iran," he said.

He continued that Iran's flouting of the international measures so far "leave no doubt as to the urgent need for more drastic and robust measures".

"The international community has a duty and responsibility to clarify to Iran, through drastic measures, that the repercussions of their continued pursuit of nuclear weapons will be devastating," he said.


Earlier, the UN's nuclear watchdog said Iran's alleged research into warheads was of "serious concern", urging the country to give "full disclosure" on its atomic work.

At home Mr Olmert has faced calls that he step down over allegations of corruption.

The prime minister has been accused of taking $500,000 (£250,000) in bribes or illegal campaign donations, accusations that he denies.

He has not been charged, but says he would resign if indicted.

Justice is key of peace. If we forbid a country own nuclear, so all of countries agree don't permite nuclear.

Source:BBC NEWS

OECD warning of sharper slowdown

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has warned that the global economic slowdown may last longer than expected.

Real GDP growth in the OECD area is set to slow from 2.7% in 2007 to just 1.8% in 2008 and 1.7% in 2009, it says.

"Our forecast is more negative than the one we produced six months ago," said Jorgen Elmeskov, acting chief economist at the OECD.

"Some of the factors we were worried about, such as financial market turmoil, have actually come about.

"So we expect growth to be weak throughout the whole of 2008."

Tricky dilemma

Mr Elmeskov said that there were "three main forces acting on the world economy at the moment: financial turmoil, the collapse of the housing market, commodity prices which have increased rapidly".

He said that the high energy and commodity prices posed a dilemma for the world's central banks and made it more difficult for them to take appropriate action to deal with the economic slowdown.

The OECD warns that in the US, growth will be at virtual standstill, with its economy growing at just 0.3% in the first half of this year.

But it says that the falling US dollar will help boost US exports, leading to higher growth in 2009.

However, conditions in the euro area are expected to get worse as the full effects of the credit crunch take hold.

It sees the eurozone as growing by 1.7% in 2008 and 1.4% in 2009.

And the slowdown in both Europe and the US, as well as the housing slump, is likely to hit growth in the UK, where economic growth is also expected to slow to 1.4% in 2009.

Financial sector

The OECD thinks that the risk of a financial melt-down has diminished somewhat, following the dramatic central bank rescue of Bear Stearns in the US and Northern Rock in the UK.

But it warns that further financial turbulence could reduce OECD growth by another 0.3%.

And it says that inflationary pressures - led by food and oil prices - are also building up in OECD countries, reducing the room for manoeuvre for cutting interest rates.


Although we may have seen the worst of the financial crisis, the lagging effects on the world economy are likely to be severe
Denis Snower,
Kiel centre for the World Economy

And in some countries - notably the US and the UK - the lack of fiscal discipline means that there is little scope for increased government spending to help overcome the slowdown.

The OECD also includes growth estimates for the major emerging market countries such as Brazil, India and China, with whom it is now establishing a closer working relationship.

Their estimates suggest that these countries will be the main engines of world growth over the next two years, with only a modest slowdown despite the reduction in demand in their main Western markets.

"I expect the world economy to slow even faster than the OECD forecast," said Denis Snower, director of the Kiel centre for the World Economy.

"Although we may have seen the worst of the financial crisis, the lagging effects on the world economy are likely to be severe."

We live in global economy, so if there are a few big countries have crisis financial, it will influence economy in the word. All countries must cooperate to solve this economy crisis.

Source:BBC NEWS

Japan Space Lab Anchored to ISS

A team of astronauts have attached a $1bn (£500m) Japanese laboratory to the International Space Station (ISS).

The 16-tonne Kibo lab was delivered by the shuttle Discovery. It will be the station's biggest room, for the study of biomedicine and material sciences.

Astronauts Akihiko Hoshide and Karen Nyberg manoeuvred Kibo into place, using the space station's robotic arm.

The lab was anchored after two crew members had made preparations during a spacewalk lasting more than six hours.

Pad damage

The Kibo Japanese Pressurised Module (JPM) is the size of a school bus and joins the US Destiny lab and the European Columbus lab already attached to the platform.

Meanwhile, Nasa is investigating the greater than usual damage caused to Discovery's launch pad during lift-off on Saturday from the Kennedy Space Center.

A large section of the flame pit broke away, sending heat-resistant bricks flying as far as 1,800ft (550m).

Research Coorperation in Space Lab is expected to produce new something for people in the world.

Source: BBC NEWS

Lesotho Gardens Relieve Food Crisis

Lesotho's vast highland plains are spectacular places for tourists. Broad and treeless, they offer stunning views of the mountains looming over shimmering gold grasslands.

But they are terrible for farmers.

Decades of intensive agriculture have stripped the land of trees, and exposed soils to wind and rain.

Erosion has created countless miniature canyons that split the plains everywhere you look. The already thin mountain soils have lost virtually all their productive nutrients.

Global forces

The forces now shaping global food prices are way beyond its control.

"The last summer season, most of our tractors couldn't go to the fields because of the cost of diesel. Now that the price has doubled, we're not expecting any to be able to go," Mr Lehata said. "It is very difficult."

In many respects, Lesotho is a microcosm of the problems facing so many parts of the developing world.

Keyhole gardens

They are now thriving on what have become known as "keyhole gardens". They are round gardens of about two metres in diameter and raised to waist-height to make them easy for the sick and elderly to work.

Inside, the garden-beds are layered with tin cans, mulch and ash which together provide the nutrients to make the gardens extraordinarily productive.

Ntsie Tlali from Care, the non-governmental organisation behind the gardens, believes they are revolutionary.

Lesotho sits on a high plateau and has a short growing season

"As you can see, (Mahaha's family) has three keyhole gardens and that's more than enough to supply all 10 of them with all the vegetables they need, and with some left over to sell. It's changed their lives."

Because they are protected by the stonework, the rich soils are safe from erosion.

They retain moisture far more effectively than land farmed by traditional farming methods, and they are compact enough to turn the tiniest plot of land into productive agriculture.

'Food is life'

Mr Lehata acknowledged that the gardens alone will not transform Lesotho, "but we've been really surprised by just how well they've worked," he said.

"We expected them to disappear after half a season, but you can see that although we have such cold winters, they are productive all year round. It's been really helpful to our people."

Even so, the one thing the minister wants from the Rome summit is urgent action on the cost of basic farm supplies like fuel, seed and fertiliser.

"Food is life," he said. "If we can't afford that, we're finished."

"The last summer season, most of our tractors couldn't go to the fields because of the cost of diesel. Now that the price has doubled, we're not expecting any to be able to go," Mr Lehata said. "It is very difficult."

In many respects, Lesotho is a microcosm of the problems facing so many parts of the developing world.

That is very terrible the effect of climate change. Many poor people suffer al the world, while developed country and Food Organisation of United Nation take action is very late to help them.

Source : BBC NEWS

Tripping the light fantastic

"This might make you jump a bit," warns Ian Cotton.

It is near pitch-black in the viewing room where we are standing; a soft red glow exuding from a warning light above the door barely cuts through the darkness.

Every day, millions of volts of electricity pass through the National Grid High Voltage Laboratory at the University of Manchester.

The hangar-like facility is packed with enormous pieces of equipment: transformers, generators and the odd huge aluminium sphere stand tall. A glass-fronted viewing room, where experiments can be safely watched, is adjacent.

It is one of the few places in the UK where scientists can work with huge voltages at first-hand.

Lightning tests

Ian Cotton, a senior lecturer at the University of Manchester's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, says: "We do a lot of lightning protection work here."

Electricity is taken straight from the mains, at the UK's standard 240 volts, but a towering impulse generator then ramps it up to a massive two million volts - creating a voltage that can be used to see how lightning attaches to objects.

But, according to Dr Cotton, this has a drawback: "If lightning hits [glass fibre], it would blow apart and incinerate - and you cannot have that on a plane.

"This means that they have to have special lightning protection - diverter strips that are often made from segmented pieces of metal.

"And we are able to test how well they can guide the lightning to a safe place in a lab like this."

Now the blades have a protection system built in, which is especially important as wind turbines can be placed offshore where repair is difficult.

Dr Cotton says: "We are constantly checking that these lightning protection systems work well and we are working on improving their resistance to lightning."

Buzzing power lines

This one boosts electricity to 800,000 volts - about double the voltage that power lines or substations carry.

"We use this generator to carry out experiments on all of the types of equipment that are used on the power system," Dr Cotton says.

"If you own lots of overhead lines and cables, you want to understand how they are working and when they will fail."

Of particular interest are insulators - the devices that resist the flow of electrical current to make electrical apparatus safe. You normally see these carrying the conductors on an overhead line.

The team feeds them with electricity to investigate where and when any strains and weaknesses appear.

In the lab, when the voltage is turned up, the insulators turn a gentle shade of blue as corona discharge - the buzzing noise you sometimes hear around power lines - begins to emit.

They then begin to spark violently as they reach the point at which an electrical breakdown occurs.

Ageing equipment

A decade after this life limit, some have expressed concerns of an impending electricity crisis should any equipment begin to fail.

However, regular tests carried out at this facility, and at other similar labs around the country, show that the equipment is continuing to function well and shows little decay.

Dr Cotton says: "The problem is, when a lot of this new kit was designed, no-one really knew how to predict its lifespan - 40 years was a pretty arbitrary number."

He adds that it is important to keep on testing the apparatus, a process known as condition monitoring - and this is really where high voltage labs come into their own.

He explains: "Electricity is important in our everyday lives; now people take it for granted - you switch on a light and you don't really think about how it gets from a power station to your house.

"But that process is a complex path of overhead lines, cables and substations, and all of them have to be working well virtually all of the time.

"You cannot make anything 100% perfect, but the better you can make it, the more chances you have of keeping the lights on."

We hope this researche find electricity source and applied as cheap and safe energy.