Malaysia antara 10 tertinggi ambil arak di dunia

Malaysia antara 10 tertinggi ambil arak di dunia

Nazri Abdullah

KUALA LUMPUR, 29 Mac: Biarpun mempunyai bilangan rakyat hampir 26 juta sahaja, namun Malaysia adalah antara 10 negara tertinggi dalam pengambilan arak di dunia, kata Ahli Parlimen Kota Raja, Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud (gambar). Mendedahkan perkara itu di Dewan Rakyat lewat petang ini, beliau berkata, rakyat negara ini membelanjakan sebanyak USD500 juta iaitu lebih kurang RM1.75 bilion bagi pembelian minuman keras. "Penjualan beer berkembang di antara 5 hingga 7 peratus setahun melebihi kadar pertumbuhan penduduk iaitu 2.4 peratus, manakala umur purata ketagihan arak ialah 23 tahun," dedahnya lagi sewaktu membahaskan Titah Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Menurutnya, pengambilan alkohol di kalangan remaja khususnya di bawah umur 18 tahun semakin meningkat iaitu kira-kira 45 peratus, dan mereka mengambilnya secara berterusan. Antara faktor peningkatan itu, jelasnya kerana mungkin arak jenis beer sangat mudah diperolehi di kedai-kedai. Lebih membimbangkan apabila pendedahan arak dibuat di peringkat umur yang lebih awal. Beliau sewaktu mengemukakan satu kajian, 19 peratus di kalangan pelajar sekolah menengah mengaku pernah meminum arak, manakala 1 peratus mengaku mengambilnya secara berterusan. "Dalam satu kajian yang dilakukan ke atas pesakit yang dimasukkan ke hospital KL pada tahun 1993, 48 peratus daripada yang ditanya mengaku minum arak. "Satu pertiga ketagih arak, 61 peratus adalah Cina, 60 peratus India dan 30 peratus Melayu,” katanya lagi. Jelasnya lagi, kerajaan dilihat tidak memberi perhatian sewajarnya kepada isu ketagihan arak dan sering mengatakan ianya isu kaum India. Arak juga jelasnya, dibuktikan bukan sahaja membahayakan kesihatan dan menyebabkan gejala sosial, namun kos rawatan penyakit disebabkan arak juga lebih tinggi berbanding pendapatan penjualannya. "Negara kita dalam fasa lima mengaku bahawa Islama adalah agama Persekutuan, apakah menyebabkan dadah kita panggil najis dan sekiranya didapati mengedar dadah boleh dihukum gantung sampai mati. "Tapi minuman keras, nikotin pada rokok, diberi layanan yang lain dan boleh didapati dengan berleluasa. Atas alasan apakah minuman keras tidak dimasukkan sekali dalam akta dadah merbahaya sedangkan kesannya atas kehidupan rakyat begitu meluas sekali," soalnya lagi. Trend di Asia, katanya menunjukkan peningkatan ketara setiap tahun berbanding trend di negara Eropah yang semakin menunjukkan penurunan akibat kempen mereka yang agresif. Peningkatan di negara ini juga, jelasnya akibat undang-undang terlalu longgar seperti Akta Aksais Seksyen 32 (1)(a) dan (b) mengecualikan penjualan todi dan beer dalam tin dan botol. "Apabila saya menang di Kota Raja, saya didatangi sekumpulan India dari golongan pertengahan dan rendah. "Mereka meminta tolong saya supaya memastikan arak dan todi tidak dijual secara mudah di kedai-kedai runcit," katanya. Mengulas lanjut beliau berkata, arak dan todi di kedai-kedai runcit pada waktu ini boleh diperolehi dalam plastik dengan harga RM2 atau RM3.

Kuasa politik dan kuasa agama

Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin Mac 28, 10 3:11pm

Ada yang menyatakan kepada saya bahawa dia bimbang negara ini menjadi negara mullah (clergy state) yang akan melarang kebebasan bersuara seperti yang saya dan beberapa pendakwah lain alami. Kata mereka, apabila kuasa agama mencengkam, ramai yang akan terhalang haknya seperti apa yang berlaku di Eropah sebelum Revolusi Perancis.

Saya jawab, saya tidak bimbang dengan pengaruh Islam terhadap negara, bahkan itulah harapan saya sebagai Muslim. Islam dibina atas keadilan dan rahmat. Apa yang saya bimbang adalah cengkaman sesetengah kelompok bernama agama yang berfikiran sempit, fanatik atau berkepentingan sehingga meminggirkan prinsip-prinsip keadilan seperti yang berlaku di Afghanistan dan Nigeria. Bukan salah Islam, tapi salah guna kuasa.

Kita hendaklah mengenal pasti kerjasama antara golongan politik dan agama itu sama ada demi kepentingan kuasa atau kepentingan Islam yang berasaskan keadilan dan kerahmatan.

Begini...

Sepanjang sejarah kita lihat bukan sedikit pemimpin yang cuba mendakwa dirinya adalah jelmaan Tuhan, atau dia merupakan Tuhan. Jika tidak pun, ramai pemimpin tanpa mengira jenis agama, bangsa dan negara cuba menguasai upacara agama, atau menguasai orang agama. Mengapakah hal ini berlaku?

Sebenarnya, politik adalah penguasaan terhadap rakyat. Penguasaan yang paling kuat adalah apabila seseorang pemimpin berjaya menguasai kepercayaan, jiwa dan perasaan rakyat. Sehinggalah apabila 'iman rakyat' dikuasai olehnya, dia bererti benar-benar menguasai rakyat. Mengaitkan diri pemimpin dengan 'Tuhan' atau 'pegangan agama' adalah faktor terkuat untuk rakyat taat dan setia tanpa berbelah bahagi terhadap seseorang pemimpin.

Sebab itu, ramai pemimpin tanpa mengira agama akan mengaitkan dirinya dengan agama tertentu apabila dia dapati pengaruhi agama tersebut kuat menguasai rakyatnya. Dakwaan diri sebagai 'tuhan' atau 'jelmaan Tuhan' adalah termasuk dalam usaha menguasai jiwa dan perasaan rakyat atau menguasai 'iman rakyat'.

Begitulah juga penonjolan ciri-ciri agama seperti membawa orang agama menyokong atau berdoa atau berdampingan dengan sesebuah kepimpinan politik itu kadangkala atas tujuan sedemikian. Maka, sikap pemimpin atau raja menonjolkan unsur-unsur agama atau hubungannya dengan ahli-ahli agama mempunyai berbagai andaian; boleh jadi atas kesedaran dan kecintaan serta ikhlas kepada agama atau 'Tuhan', tetapi boleh jadi juga ada tujuan yang membabitkan agenda penguasaan politiknya.

Orang Agama
Rentetan dari itu, kita hendaklah sedar bahawa seseorang yang diberikan kepercayaan oleh orang ramai disebabkan faktor agama, dia sebenarnya telah memiliki sebahagian daripada kuasa penguasaan terhadap orang lain. Ertinya, dia mempunyai sebahagian 'penguasaan politik' atau kuasa yang menyebabkan orang lain hormat, patuh dan menurut arahannya.

Maka jangan hairan jika ada orang agama yang bersaing antara satu sama lain seperti mana orang politik bersaing. Jangan hairan jika ada imam yang 'senior' tidak mahu memberi laluan kepada 'imam junior' di sesebuah masjid yang hanya berada di hulu kampung. Walaupun kadangkala tiada elaun yang tinggi yang dibayar, namun 'pengaruh politik agama' amat besar harganya bagi seseorang yang terbiasa dengan kuasa penguasaan ke atas orang lain. Itu jika di hulu kampung, bagaimana pulak jika membabitkan tempat, atau wilayah yang lebih besar?

Maka janganlah hairan, jika tanpa keikhlasan iman golongan agama juga akan bertarung dan jatuh menjatuh sama seperti orang politik. Bukan kerana perbezaan idea, tetapi kerana 'kemaruk kuasa' seperti mana yang berlaku kepada ramai orang politik yang tidak bersandarkan wahyu. Mereka pun akan menghapuskan apa sahaja yang boleh mengikis penguasaan mereka. Kata Sufyan al-Thauri (meninggal 161H): "Aku tidak melihat kezuhudan itu paling kurang melainkan dalam perkara kepimpinan (kuasa). Engkau akan dapati seseorang yang zuhud dalam makanan, minuman, harta dan pakaian tetapi apabila tiba soal kuasa maka dia akan mempertahan dan bermusuhan kerananya" (al-Zahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala, 7/262).

Justeru itu juga, kita melihat bukan sedikit golongan agama yang cuba mendampingi pemerintah atau raja. Perdampingan mereka itu boleh jadi kerana keikhlasan untuk menerapkan nilai-nilai agama dan keadilan demi kebaikan rakyat, tetapi boleh jadi juga kerana tujuan untuk menguatkan penguasaan mereka terhadap masyarakat dan rakyat.

Perkongsian dan pertarungan kuasa

Sepertimana politik boleh menjadi saluran mendapat kemegahan, sanjungan, kekuasaaan dan harta, demikianlah agama. Maka sepanjang sejarah, bukan sedikit kita melihat dua kelompok ini berpakat untuk menguatkan antara satu sama lain. Tujuannya; sama ada demi mematuhi perintah agama, ataupun demi mengukuhkan cengkaman mereka ke atas orang lain.

Begitulah juga kita melihat kedua kuasa ini; kuasa politik dan kuasa agama kadangkala bersaing dan bertarung antara satu sama lain. Boleh jadi pertarungan itu disebabkan kuasa politik merasakan kuasa agama bersaing pengaruh terhadap rakyat, ataupun kuasa agama merasakan kuasa politik telah berperanan merentasi sempadan yang sepatutnya dikawal oleh pengaruh agama.

Maka kerja sama atau pertarungan antara dua kuasa ini boleh jadi atas asas menegakkan kebenaran dan keadilan di mana kuasa agama cuba mencegah kezaliman kuasa politik seperti para nabi menentang pemerintah yang zalim di zaman mereka.

Ataupun, kuasa politik cuba mencegah kezaliman atas nama agama seperti kebangkitan Eropah menentang kuasa gereja atau Pemerintah Inggeris yang menghapuskan beberapa amalan agama yang zalim di India seperti sati yang membakar hidup-hidup isteri bersama suami yang mati.

Islam Dan Pemerintah

Islam juga menyatakan pemerintah adalah khalifah yang bertanggungjawab terhadap menegakkan agama dan bersiasah dengan panduan agama. Namun, Islam menjadikan keadilan dan kebenaran yang terkandung dalam al-Quran dan al-Sunnah sebagai asas.

Pemerintah tiada kuasa mutlak atau dianggap maksum (infaillible). Pemerintah sentiasa terdedah kepada kritikan dan pembetulan. Ini terbukti dalam teksal-Quran dan al-Sunnah serta amalan Khulafa al-Rasyidin yang menegaskan prinsip ini.

Membetulkan pemerintah apabila salah adalah satu tanggungjawab. Islam tidak menyatakan semua perbuatan pemerintah itu divine atau diredhai Allah. Islam tidak menyatakan taatlah apa sahaja yang disuruh oleh pemerintah. Sebaliknya, Allah menyebut: (maksudnya) "Wahai mereka yang beriman! Taatilah Allah dan taatilah Rasul dan uli al-Amr (pemimpin) dari kalangan kamu. Kemudian jika kamu berselisih pendapat maka kembalilah kepada Allah (al-Quran) dan Rasul (Sunnah), jika kamu benar beriman dengan Allah dan hari akhirat. Yang demikian itu yang paling utama dan paling baik akibatnya" (Surah al-Nisa' 59).

Ertinya, jika berlaku perselisahan, asasnya bukan pendapat pemerintah tetapi kembali kepada prinsip-prinsip yang terkandung dalam al-Quran dan al-Sunnah. Selepas ayat ini, Allah menegaskan tanggungjawab rakyat melantik pemerintah yang berkualiti dan layak, dan tanggungjawab pemerintah yang dilantik melaksanakan keadilan: (maksudnya) "Sesungguhnya Allah menyuruh kamu menyampaikan amanah kepada yang berhak menerimanya dan apabila kamu berhukum dalam kalangan manusia maka hendaklah kamu berhukum dengan adil. Sesungguhnya Allah memberikan pengajaran yang sebaik-baiknya kepadamu. Sesungguhnya Allah adalah Maha mendengar lagi Maha melihat". (Surah al-Nisa: 58).

Terlalu banyak nas-nas yang melarang mentaati pemimpin secara 'membabi buta' (blind imitation). Antaranya, sabda Nabi s.a.w: "Dengar dan taat (kepada pemerintah) adalah kewajipan setiap individu Muslim dalam perkara yang dia suka atau benci selagi dia tidak diperintahkan dalam perkara maksiat. Apabila dia diperintahkan dalam perkara maksiat maka tiada lagi dengar dan taat".
(Riwayat al-Bukhari dan Muslim).

Islam dan ulama
Islam tidak pernah memaksumkan ulama. Seperti mana orang lain, ulama terdedah kepada salah dan silap. Sebab itu adanya istilah ulama al-suk atau ulama jahat yang menggunakan ilmu untuk kepentingan diri sehingga menggadaikan kebenaran. Bahkan al-Quran mensifatkan ulama jahat seperti anjing dalam Surah al-'Araf ayat 75-76.

Ulama dilarang mengampu pemerintah atas kesalahan atau bersekongkol dengan mereka atas kezaliman. Sehingga Nabi s.a.w memberi amaran: "Sesungguhnya selepasku ini akan adanya para pemimpin yang melakukan kezaliman dan pembohongan. Sesiapa masuk kepada mereka lalu membenarkan pembohongan mereka dan menolong kezaliman mereka maka dia bukan dariku dan aku bukan darinya dan dia tidak akan mendatangi telaga (di syurga). Sesiapa yang tidak membenar pembohongan mereka dan tidak menolong kezaliman mereka, maka dia dari kalanganku dan aku dari kalangannya dan dia akan mendatangi telaga (di syurga)". Riwayat Ahmad, al-Nasai dan al-Tirmizi, ia dinilai sahih oleh al-Albani).

Pemerintah dan ulama

Pemerintah dalam Islam tunduk kepada prinsip-prinsip keadilan dan kemaslahatan rakyat. Bukan kepentingan diri ataupun puak tertentu semata sehingga meminggirkan prinsip kepentingan umum. Pemerintah di suruh bersama ulama jujur demi memastikan mereka sentiasa berada atas landasan yang redhai Allah bukan untuk menguatkan cengkaman kuasa kedua kelompok itu. Sabda Nabi s.a.w: "Tidak dilantik seorang khalifah melainkan akan ada baginya dua bitanah (penasihat yang rapat). (Pertama) Bitanah yang menyuruhnya untuk melakukan kebaikan serta menggalakkannya. (Kedua) bitanah yang menyuruhnya untuk melakukan kejahatan serta menggalakkannya. Hanya selamat ialah sesiapa yang diselamatkan Allah". (Riwayat al-Bukhari dan al-Nasai).

Inilah Perbezaannya...

Jika gabungan pemerintah dan golongan agama itu jujur, maka natijahnya akan ditegakkan kebenaran, keadilan dan kerahmatan kepada rakyat. Pemerintah akan tunduk kepada agama dan ulama akan bebas daripada kepentingan lantas rakyat menikmati keadilan. Sebaliknya, jika tujuannya untuk cengkaman kuasa, kita akan mendapati kedudukan kedua golongan bertambah selesa sedangkan rakyat bertambah resah.

Di dunia Islam, ada mufti-mufti yang berjenama besar, tetapi gagal untuk menasihati pemerintah mereka dengan tegas agar jangan bersekongkol dengan Israel yang menzalimi rakyat Palestin. Lihat apa yang Mesir, Jordan dan negara-negara lain lakukan terhadap nasib rakyat Palestin yang terkepung di sempadan mereka. Ketika golongan agamawan makan mewah di meja bersama penguasa, rakyat Palestin di sempadan mati kebuluran!!

Di negara kita juga mesti dilihat keadaan mana yang berlaku. Umpamanya, jika peraturan agama pencetakan atau selainnya dibuat dengan ditegaskan 'tidak boleh mengkritik mufti' atau sultan atau majlis agama, maka itu untuk cengkaman kuasa. Jika dimasukkan 'tidak boleh menghina Allah dan Rasulullah, itu untuk Islam dan kebenaran!!! Setiap pihak terdedahkan kepada kesilapan dan penilaian, sehingga Abu Bakr dan Umar membenarkan diri mereka dikritik, bagaimana ada kelompok yang tidak boleh dikritik!!

Apabila sesebuah buku diharamkan tanpa alasan melainkan 'panel kurang selesa' atau 'panel agama merasa keliru' maka itu ke arah negara primitive dan kepentingan kuasa. Namun jika dilarang dengan asas-asas ilmiah yang dibahas secara ilmu dan adil, maka itu prinsip Islam!!

Jika yoga diharamkan kerana ada unsur bagai menyembah, tetapi dalam masa yang sama 'adat menyembah raja sehingga merangkak' direstui golongan agamawan, maka itu kepentingan! Jika doa dibaca buat pemimpin dan sultan dimasukkan unsur mengampu dipuja sultan dan raja dalam doa sehingga hilang rasa rendah diri di hadapan Allah maka itu kepentingan 'sambungan jawatan'! Demikianlah seterusnya..

Kita tidak takutkan prinsip Islam ditegakkan, kita takut nama agama digunakan untuk cengkaman kuasa dan kerjasama 'pintar dan putar' antara kedua kelompok ini untuk kepentingan masing-masing! Marilah kita nilai dengan teliti apa sebenarnya yang sedang berlaku...

Nota pengarang: Dr Mohd Asri - bekas mufti Perlis - adalah lulusan sarjana mudanya Universiti Jordan dalam bidang bahasa Arab dan syariah, sebelum melanjutkan pengajian di Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) dalam bidang pengajian Islam. Beliau seterusnya mengikuti pengajian di peringkat doktor falsafahnya di Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) dengan tesisnya berhubung sebab wurud (terbitnya) hadis.

31 fingers and toes

Schoolboy with 31 fingers and toes has surgery to remove his extra digits

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 1:01 PM on 24th March 2010

A six-year-old boy with 15 fingers and 16 toes has undergone surgery to remove his extra digits.
The unnamed Chinese child had four fingers on one hand and three on the other fused together.
He now has ten fingers and ten toes following a six-and-a-half hour operation at a hospital in Shenyang, Liaoning, to remove the surplus 11 digits.

Digitally enhanced: A Chinese schoolboy with 16 toes (above) has undergone surgery to have his surplus toes removed (below)

The boy has a condition known as polydactyly, in which one of a variety of genetic disorders - which can be inherited, or are new mutations - gives rise to excess digits.
Most commonly, the extra digits appear on the little finger side of the hand.

This child appears to have the much rarer condition of central polydactyly, in which the middle fingers and toes are duplicated.

Handy: The boy has a condition known as polydactyly, in which one of a variety of genetic disorders gives rise to too many digits

His mother said he had been ridiculed and called a 'monster' by his schoolmates in kindergarten.
He is thought to hold the world record for the number of digits ever recorded on a human being. The current official record holders are two Indian children, Pranamya Menaria and Devendra Harne, who both have 12 fingers and 13 toes.

Fixed: The child's right hand before and after this week's surgery

Walnuts prevent prostate cancer

Snacking on walnuts 'helps to prevent prostate cancer'

By Fiona Macrae
Last updated at 12:17 AM on 23rd March 2010

A handful of walnuts a day could help keep prostate cancer at bay.
Snacking on the nuts can cut the size of tumours and slow their growth, research shows.
Although the experiments were carried out on mice, the researchers believe they are relevant to humans.

Cancer prevention: Walnuts are high in health-boosting chemicals

They advise that men add around 14 shelled nuts to their diet for optimal health.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men and the second highest killer after lung cancer. Some 35,000 Britons are diagnosed with it each year, and 10,000 die.
Although the causes of the disease are not entirely clear, it is known to be linked to diet, and tends to be most common in those who eat fatty meals low in fruit and vegetables.

 

Walnuts, which are naturally high in a host of health boosting chemicals, including omega-3 fatty acids, have already been shown to help stave off breast cancer and heart disease.
In the latest study, University of California researchers studied mice genetically prone to prostate cancer.
Some had walnuts added to their grain for two months.
Researcher Paul Davis told an American Chemical Society conference: 'We found that walnut feeding resulted in smaller, slower-growing tumours.
'Walnuts should be part of a balanced diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables.'
Dr Helen Rippon, of the Prostate Cancer Charity, said: 'It is far too early to say whether walnuts can prevent prostate cancer in men as well as in genetically modified mice.
'Nonetheless, dietary modification is of great interest in prostate cancer prevention, particularly as it involves men taking action to support their own health.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1259938/Snacking-walnuts-helps-prevent-prostate-cancer.html#ixzz0iyX1kLa0

bald eagle chases down

Amazing moment bald eagle chases down and catches a starling in mid-air

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 1:04 AM on 16th March 2010
This tiny starling didn't stand a chance after a hungry bald eagle chose it as a mid-air snack.
This incredible sequence of pictures shows the enormous bird of prey closing in on its target.
The defenceless starling flies on, apparently unaware of the eagle behind it.

Too late: The tiny starling is dwarfed by the massive bird of prey as it lifts its talons to grab its meal

But within seconds the eagle is so close its beak almost grazes the tail of the tiny bird.
In one swift moment, the hunter's razor-sharp claws have closed around its prey.
Photographer Rob Palmer captured these incredible pictures in Colorado, U.S.
The 56-year-old, from Littleton, said: 'I noticed a group of eagles sitting in the trees and then I spotted they were catching the starlings and blackbirds.
'It went on for a number of days. The starlings would launch out of the yard and into the air as one.

Zeroing in: The bald eagle spots its target as it flies through the air and begins to close the distance

Razor sharp: The starling seems to be completely unaware it is on the lunch menu as the bald eagle makes it attack at high speed

'Two or three eagles would then start to pursue. It seemed as if the starlings had been hypnotised because they acted as if they were not being chased.
'Over ten days I saw at least 50 starlings getting caught and eaten by various eagles. It would happen anywhere from 100 to 500ft in the air.
'It was an awesome and inspiring thing to witness.
'As a photographer, you only dream of seeing wild instances like this and I took advantage of the situation. I have not witnessed anything like this since then.'

Defenceless: The oblivious starling is grabbed in mid-air as the bald eagle swoops on its prey

The bald eagle, native to North America, can grow up to 3ft long and has a wingspan of 8ft.
The bird of prey eats mostly fish, but is known to be an opportunistic feeder - eating anything from small mammals like rabbits to larger prey like the Great Blue Heron.
Its talons are so powerful it has even been known to carry off deer fawns weighing around 15 pounds.
Bald eagles can reach speeds of up to 43 miles per hour and are able to dive for fish at an incredible 99 miles per hour.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1258110/Amazing-moment-bald-eagle-chases-catches-starling-mid-air.html#ixzz0iPcHgXS4

four-legged Jumper

Just popping out with the dog (from 10,000ft): Meet the special forces hound that likes to parachute

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:51 PM on 16th March 2010

This has to be the ultimate in walkies... a four-legged recruit to the special forces joining troops on a parachute jump into one of Europe's biggest military training exercises in Norway.
The explosives sniffing dog,  which is a member of Austria's version of the SAS, took part in Operation Cold Response along with British special forces and Royal Marines assault teams.

Parachute dog

Are you barking? In freefall, the sniffer dog calmly takes in the view as they both hurtle towards the ground on their assignment

Ruff landing: This four-legged recruit and handler

Securely strapped to his handler and with a muzzle to stop him damaging his mouth on landing, he plunged 10,000ft from a transporter plane over Narvik.

'It's something he does a lot and he's very comfortable with. He has a much cooler head than most recruits,' said one special operations trooper.
Far from panicking at the experience of hurling themselves out of a plane from such a great height, the Austrians' Belgian Shepherd dogs appear to be perfectly calm both before and during the jump.
One handler explained: 'They don't perceive height difference the same way humans do, so that doesn't worry them.
'They're more likely to be bothered by the roar of the engines, but once we're on the way down, that doesn't matter and they just enjoy the view.
'It’s something he does a lot. He has a much cooler head than most recruits.'

He was also eager to point out that the dogs, like their human colleagues, are regarded as valued team members and aren't put into situations that could prove unnecessarily dangerous.
Special forces troops from 14 countries, including Britian, took part in the Nato exercise.

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1258091/Just-popping-dog-10-000ft--Meet-special-forces-hound-likes-parachute.html#ixzz0iPbQcZxR

Total Eclipse

Stunning pictures of a solar corona where temperatures around Sun reach 2,000,000c

By Michael Hanlon
Last updated at 11:12 PM on 10th March 2010

Shooting a million miles or more out into the hard, cold vacuum of space, this fiery halo is one of the wonders of the universe.

Whipped into gigantic swirls by the Sun's ferocious magnetic fields, the shell of super-hot gas is as beautiful as it is dangerous.
It's called a corona and can't normally be seen because of the brightness of the Sun, a broiling sea of hydrogen gas at 10,000c. But during a solar eclipse, the Moon blocks out the Sun and the corona is spectacularly revealed.

A photo montage captured during a solar eclipse over the Marshall Islands in July 2009. The beautiful image shows the solar corona that makes up the sun's 'atmosphere' in amazing detail as the sun passes behind the Moon

This extraordinary image is a montage, digitally stitched together from 38 photos taken in Mongolia in August 2008 by veteran eclipse hunter Miloslav Druckmuller.
Even though there are small pink areas resulting from over-exposure, the result is still the clearest picture yet of this extraordinary phenomenon. To understand it is to come closer to grasping the awesome power of the Sun.

 

This flaming ball of hydrogen and helium gas, at 865,000 miles across, is 100 times wider than the Earth, with a million times its volume. Powered by nuclear reactions in its core, it is the most majestic object in our skies. 

This picture was created from 38 individual photographs at ISO 100, exposure time was between 1/125 seconds and 8 seconds

As well as being very hot, the ionised gas of the corona (called plasma) has a superthin consistency. It is less than a billionth of the density of the hydrogen that makes up the main ball of the Sun

As hot as the Sun is, the corona is 200 times hotter - more than a million degrees celsius. Why this should be is a mystery. Some believe it is the result of a form of heating called induction - the same thing that powers hi-tech cooking hobs.
As well as being very hot, the ionised gas of the corona (called plasma) has a superthin consistency. It is less than a billionth of the density of the hydrogen that makes up the main ball of the Sun.
The odd result of this is that if, by some magic, you were to touch the corona, you would freeze rather than fry.
Despite its thinness, the corona can pack a deadly punch. Occasionally, the Sun's surface erupts in a solar quake, a paroxysm of gigantic storms and flares. Sometimes these are powerful enough to eject vast blobs of corona gas into space at millions of miles per hour.

This was the view from the Marshall Islands for Mr Druckmuller where the pictures were taken. He has travelled the world chasing eclipses

In 1859, one such eruption hit the Earth square on, generating a brilliant aurora in the night sky (bright enough to wake sleeping Gold Rush miners in the Klondyke) and shorting out much of the world's nascent telegraph system.
Though solar storms can't hurt humans directly, the 1859 event was powerful enough to melt copper cables. Should such an event happen today, it would cause utter chaos and could well precipitate an economic meltdown.
Our electricity grids would be fried and phone and internet lines would be shut down.
But what's the likelihood of that happening? Unfortunately, it's impossible to say - though some scientists predict another corona eruption in the summer of 2012, when the Sun is predicted to enter a new 'manic' phase of turbulence.

A total eclipse is only seen along a narrow band on Earth that is covered by the Moon's umbra

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1256875/Solar-power-Stunning-picture-shows-Suns-blustery-atmosphere-total-eclipse.html#ixzz0hpUOblV8

World Cup glory is no tall order.

Highs and lows ... from left to right, Nikola Zigic, Serbia, 6ft 8 (2.03m); Peter Crouch, England 6ft 7 (2.01m); Kostas Chalkias, Greece, 6ft 6½ (2.00m); Per Mertesacker, Germany, 6ft 6 (1.98m); Kanu, Nigeria, 6ft 5½ (1.97m); Steven Gerrard, England, 6ft (1.83m); Arthur Boka, Ivory Coast, 5ft 5½ (1.66m); Shaun Wright-Phillips, England, 5ft 5½ (1.66m); Aaron Lennon, England, 5ft 5 (1.65m); Bakari Kone, Ivory Coast, 5ft 4 (1.63m); Sinha, Mexico, 5ft 4 (1.63m)

ENGLAND's little and large act look odd on the pitch - but proved World Cup glory is no tall order.

Goals ... Peter Crouch and Shaun Wright-Phillips

Towering Peter Crouch and tiny Shaun Wright-Phillips shared our three goals in the friendly against Egypt on Wednesday.

At 6ft 7in, Crouchy is more than a foot taller than his equally agile ally.

Yet neither the lanky Spurs forward nor the vertically challenged Manchester City winger will be at the top or bottom of the league of lofty - and little - World Cup players.

Needing the most leg room on the flight to South Africa is soaring Serb striker Nikola Zigic, who is an inch taller than Crouch. 

Tied for smallest stars, at 5ft 4in, are Mexican António Naélson Matias, known as Sinha, and Ivory Coast striker Bakari Koné.

Bang in the middle of the size-mic chart is Liverpool's England ace Steven Gerrard, at 6ft.

And while Crouchy tops the England squad's tallest tally, Spurs winger Aaron Lennon is our shortest - half an inch smaller than SWP.

Here GRANT ROLLINGS takes a look at the highs and lows of World Cup 2010.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/2879441/Tallchart-of-biggest-and-smallest-World-Cup-footballers.html#ixzz0hMg7xr2O

'skyaking''skyaker'

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No... it's a man in a flying KAYAK: Daredevil claims to be world's first 'skyaker'

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 9:08 AM on 05th March 2010

Danger man Miles Daisher casts a bizarre image paddling across the sky - 13,000 feet up in a kayak.
The daredevil has turned extreme sport skydiving on its head after deciding to jump out of a plane in equipment normally used only in water - giving birth to 'skyaking'.  
His spin on the risky hobby means anyone looking up will draw a blank when they ask: 'Is it a bird? Is it a plane?' 
But the answer will become clear when Miles swoops in at 50mph and lands on the water in spectacular fashion.

Making a splash: Skyaker Miles Daisher is ready to launch out of the Caravan at 13,500 ft above the ground

His unbelievable antics are set to explode onto the worldwide silver screen in a sensational new 3D film on skydiving, base jumping, wingsuit flying and skyaking.
The 40-year-old, from Twin Falls, Idaho, decided to put a twist into has favourite pastime when looking for new ideas to take it even more extreme.
And as these pictures 13,000 feet over beautiful Lake Tahoe show his efforts are both incredible and hilarious.
'It took us nearly a year before we could get our wish to come true as no-one was really looking to throw a kayak out of an aeroplane.
'To begin with we did it off a 600ft bridge on a static line, and landed in Feather River, California.' 

Up a creek with no paddle: Miles uses his arms to get his ballance and keep the Skyak stable while falling towards Earth at 101 mph

Static lines connect the jumper to the point they are jumping from - such as a plane or in Miles' case the bridge - and automatically pulls their parachute as they fall away. 
He continued: 'A year later I got permission to jump out of an aeroplane and so since that time I have jumped out of four different aircraft, including a helicopter.
'We have taken it all over the world from Mexico to Abu Dhabi and I have been skyaking for nearly eight years now.'  
Over the years father-of-two Miles and his team have slowly perfected the art of skyaking.
'There are a lot of things that can go wrong in skyaking and so you have to be prepared,' he said.

The daredevil has turned extreme sport skydiving on its head after deciding to jump out of a plane in equipment normally used only in water

'In skyaking I usually put the chute quite high. With skydives I will pull at 2,000 ft above the ground whereas with skyaking I will pull at 5,000 ft above the ground incase anything starts to go a little crazy.
'That way I have a time to sort things out, get out of the boat and then pull the chute for the kayak.'  And he has noted some strong differences in regular skydiving.
'The rate at which you fall is a lot different,' he said.
'Instead of falling flat on your belly you are sitting up right in an L position. I liken it to sitting on a space hopper, balancing front to back and side to side.
'It does take some decent balance skills. And because the boat has such a big surface area your fall rate is a lot slower.
'If you are lying on your belly, a normal sized human will fall at 120 mph.
'If you go into a stand up or a head down then you can build the speed up to 160-180 mph.
'But with this boat, that has so much surface area and weighs 35 lbs, meaning that I fall at only 98 mph.  
The reduced rate of Miles' descent through the clouds means that cameramen wishing to film him need to wear special wingsuits to increase drag and reduce their own fall rate - so they don't just hurtle past skyaking Miles.
Wingsuits are specially adapted bodywear for skydivers and base jumpers. Flaps of material running across the gaps between arms and legs increase drag for jumpers and allow them to glide like a flying squirrel.
Danger-hungry Miles has completed more base jumps than anyone in the world with 2,570 and has completed a whopping 3,000 skydives since he quit his job and took up the sport in 1995.

Water landing: Miles Skyaks into the ditch for a perfect splashdown, water landing at Skydive Sebastian, Florida

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1255387/Is-bird-Is-plane-No--man-flying-KAYAK-Daredevil-claims-worlds-skyaker.html#ixzz0hMbFVwr3

'blue marble' Earth

On a clear day.... Nasa reveals mesmerising 'blue marble' images of Earth

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:17 AM on 03rd March 2010

These spectacular 'blue marble' images are the most detailed views of Earth to date.
Using a collection of satellite images, scientists painstakingly stitched together months of observations to create these montages which show the surface of the continents and oceans in stunning detail.

This mesmerising view of Earth is a montage of images taken by the Terra satellite orbiting 435miles above the planet's surface

Much of the imagery came from a space camera onboard the Nasa satellite Terra, which is orbiting 435miles above the Earth's surface.
A spokesman from the Nasa Goddard Space Flight Centre, which released the pictures, said: 'These are spectacular "blue marble" images, which show the beauty of our small planet.'

The two pictures show opposite sides of Earth. One reveals the entire North American continent, Central America, the northern half of South America, Greenland and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, in one perfect shot.
The other highlights most of Europe, Africa and Asia. However, both northern Europe and Australia are just out of the picture.
Our planet's surface covers 197 million square miles with 57 million square miles of land and the rest as water.

India takes centre stage here with the vast continent of Africa curving away to the left. Images were taken every eight days to reveal land surface that might otherwise be obscured by cloud

The land and coastal ocean portions of the images are based on surface observations collected from June through September 2001 and combined every eight days to compensate for clouds that might block the sensor’s view of the surface on any single day.
Nasa has been photographing the Earth from space since the first camera equipped satellites were launched into space in the early 1960's.
Since then the space agency has been compiling images of our home planet year on year, with the most iconic image being the famous 'Blue Marble' photograph taken by the astronauts of Apollo 17 in 1972.

This 'Blue Marble' image was taken by Apollo 17 astronauts on December 7, 1972.  With the Sun behind them, the Earth had the appearance of a marble, hence the name

'Earthrise' was taken in 1968 by astronaut William Anders during the Apollo 8 mission, which was the first manned voyage to orbit the Moon. The image (right) from October 24, 1946, was taken at an altitude of 65 miles by a 35mm camera within a V-2 missile and showed the first pictures of Earth as seen from space. The missile which had been taken from the Germans at the end of World War II and was launched in the New Mexico desert

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1254834/Nasa-reveals-detailed-images-Earth.html#ixzz0h5cA3KJw

Superman? no it's Super Husky

Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it's Ice the super husky

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 7:28 PM on 01st March 2010

A pet dog has become an internet sensation after its owner posted a series of pictures of it online dressed as Superman.
The pictures of five-year-old husky Ice disguised as the caped crusader have garnered rave reviews from delighted fans.

Canine in command: Ice poses regally in her Superman outfit in China

Here she comes to save the day: Ice has become an internet sensation

One viewer even reported laughing so much he fell out of his chair.
In the pictures, Ice is seen posing in her outfit as well as running through a park, her cape streaming behind her.
Huskies are extremely intelligent dogs and are affectionate with calm temperaments.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1254634/Is-bird-plane-No-Ice-super-husky.html#ixzz0gz6BeC3M

'Rubber Man'

The real-life flexible friend: India's very own 'Rubber Man' makes the Guinness Book of World Records

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:48 PM on 28th February 2010

Vijay Sharma can wrap his legs over his head, wriggle through a tennis racket and wind his arms around his back.
His flexibility has earned him the title of 'Rubber Man' in the Limca book of Records, India's version of the Guinness book of World Records, and he hopes to one-day achieve global fame.
'It was when I was training for martial arts I realised my body was so bendable I might be capable of setting a world record in flexibility,' the 27-year-old said.

'Rubber Man' Vijay Sharma demonstrates his flexibility by winding his arms around his back and wrapping then around his waist in Delhi

Write caption hereThe village boy from Rajashtan's Jhunjhunu district started taking martial arts lessons in 1999 in a bid to learn Chan's acrobatic fighting style

ts became a source of motivation for me.' Shop assistant Vijay claims his bendy obsession stems from watching Jackie Chan movies when he was a youngster.
The village boy from Rajashtan's Jhunjhunu district started taking martial arts lessons in 1999 in a bid to learn Chan's acrobatic fighting style.
It was during these lessons he discovered the extent of his flexibility and started experimenting.
He squeezed into tiny spaces, curled his body into boxes and attempted to drink from bottles held between his toes.
After seeing the tennis racket stunt in Guinness book of world records, he became curious and bought a tennis racket the next day.  He quickly removed the strings and tried to pass through the nine-and-a-half-inch surface.
'I tried to get through it, but got stuck for the entire night,' he said.  'I had to shut myself in my room and sleep with it. I got up at 3 o clock and tried to get out of it.
'I began to bleed but that didn't stop me.' Vijay, who practices up to four hours a day to improve his elasticity, has performed on TV Shows and various tournaments at national level. But he believes, he has performed the toughest stunt on a Zee TV show.

Least interested in his father's clothes shop business, Vijay wants to achieve fame by working on martial arts and body flexibility

'I added a kick to my stunt, that is I pulled my leg up all the way so it was perpendicular to the floor and pushed my torso along with my leg out of the racket,' he explained.
'It was such a stunt that I couldn't breathe for a moment while doing it.' He has won a silver medal in body flexibility at a country level tournament, held at Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh in 2001. He also claims to have broken the world record for wrist-egg-crushing - which involves pushing your hand backwards to lie flat against the arm - set by a Lissa Patterson (CORR) in 2005.
'I made the claim and even got some documents from Guinness Book of World Records to complete, but I couldn't get back because of constraints of time and money,' he said.
Least interested in his father's clothes shop business, Vijay wants to achieve fame by working on martial arts and body flexibility.
'Anything for fame,' he said.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1254391/The-real-life-flexible-friend-Indias-Rubber-Man-makes-Guinness-Book-World-Records.html#ixzz0gtLFniFK