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Asteroid has only 1-in-40 chance (2.5%) of hitting Mars

Posted by evdomada on January 10, 2008

By William Atkins
Thursday, 10 January 2008

The trajectory of asteroid 2007 WD5 as it nears Mars is being better estimated by astronomers here on Earth. As of January 8, 2008, it is expected to miss the Red Planet by about 18,641 miles (30,000 kilometers).

According to a Tuesday, January 8, 2008, news report (“Mars Impact Seems Less Likely”) by researchers at the NASA Near Earth Object (NEO) Program, the orbit of the asteroid has been more accurately predicted with the use of the 3.5-meter telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory in Spain.

The NEO Program is part of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Astronomers studying the asteroid 2007 WD5 now state that it has only a 1-in-40 chance (2.5%) of impacting Mars on January 30, 2008. And, they say that future updates on the path of the asteroid should further reduce the chance of it hitting Mars.

This latest information is good for Mars, but bad for Earth astronomers who were hoping to study the collision of the asteroid onto the surface of Mars. They were hoping to learn more about what happens when asteroids and other space objects hit rocky planets like Mars and Earth.

Whatever happens, three spacecraft orbiting Mars and two rovers (Spirit and Opportunity) on the surface of the planet will be likely observing the asteroid as it passes very close to Mars.

Source:  iTWire

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Alkistis Protopsalti – Sto Oraiotero Simeio

Posted by evdomada on November 21, 2007

Alkistis Protopsalti has released her latest work Sto Oraiotero Simeio.  For those not familiar with Alkistis, she has always been  regarded one of the more serious contemporary Greek artists with a string of big hits such as Lava, Dithesio and more recently O Anthropos Mou.

Her new release has the usual sound that her fans expect.  There are no risks taken but it is a polished production.

It’s a laid back release with a mixture of ballads, laika, latin, dance and even a reggae beat track.  She also delivers a Greek rendition of Michael Jackson’s “they don’t care about us” titled s’ena kosmo pou den kanei kati gia mas.

As usual her voice is impeccable and it’s a great CD to listen to when you want to sit back and relax.

6.5/10

prof@skylproductions.com

Posted in General Discussion, Greek CD Reviews, Greek Music | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Back to it …

Posted by evdomada on November 19, 2007

The evdomada.net team are back after fulfilling and completing their university obligations …

So apologies for the absence and hopefully the team will be back to it!

A few things have been happening in the world during our break …

Elections are on this weekend in Australia and the campaign is heating up to this Saturday’s poll. Some of us are interested in the result and we are curious as to how close all these polls that we are thrown at by the various newspapers, television shows, websites and the rest, will end up being to the actual outcome.

PASOK party members and “friends” voted Giorgos Papandreou back in as the party leader and by default the leader of the opposition in the Parliament of the Hellenes. Papandreou scored 55.57%, Venizelos second with 38.5% and Skandalidis a mere 5.76%. Whoever the leader though, it will be a tough job to get PASOK back in power against Nea Dimokratia. Karamanlis has defied his critics and has managed to unite the previously fragmented conservative party.

In entertainment news most fans have already snapped up a ticket to the Remos and Rouvas concert next April. Also Tsalikis and Lytra are coming to Melbourne only but I am sure a few fans will make their way down south for the show. Hopefully a few more Greek stars will visit down-under in 2008.

A few new albums have also been released; Nino, Elli Kokkinou and Alkistis Protopsalti to name a few. Notis Sfakianakis has a promo single floating about and Despina Vandi has released a CD to celebrate her 10 years with Phoivos.

Well, that’s enough for now and hopefully updates will be flowing more frequently.

prof@skylproductions.com

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Movember … support a good cause!!

Posted by evdomada on November 7, 2007

During Movember (the month formerly known as November) I’ll be growin a Mo. That’s right I’m bringing the Mo back because I’m passionate about changing men’s health and the fight against male depression and prostate cancer. Why…

  • Depression affects 1 in 6 men…Most don’t seek help. Untreated depression is a leading risk factor for suicide.
  • Last year in Australia 18,700 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 2,900 died of prostate cancer – equivalent to the number of women who die from breast cancer annually.
  • Men are far less healthy than women. The average life expectancy of males is 5 years less than females.

There’s a few ways to sponsor my Mo …

The easiest is to click on the blue Movember badge on the left hand side of this website.

Or you can go to http://www.movember.com/au/donate, enter my registration number which is 125546 and your credit card details.

Or you can sponsor me by cheque made payable to the “Movember Foundation” clearly marking the donation as being for my Registration Number: 125546. Please mail cheques to: PO Box 292, Prahran VIC 3181. All donations over $2 are tax deductible.

The money raised by Movember is donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue – the national depression initiative, which will use the funds to create awareness, fund research and increase support networks for those men who suffer from prostate cancer and male depression.

For those that have supported Movember in previous years you can be very proud of the impact it has had and can check out the detail at: Fundraising Outcomes.

Movember culminates at the end of the month at the Gala Partés. These glamorous and groomed events will see Tom Selleck and Borat look-a-likes battle it out for their chance to take home the prestigious Man of Movember title. If you would like to be part of this great night you’ll need to purchase a Gala Parté ticket .
Thanks for your support

More info is available at www.movember.com.

Movember is proudly grown by Commonwealth Bank, Holden, Schick and VB.

Movember is proud partners with the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue – the national depression initiative.

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Being Human by Dr Aniello Iannuzzi

Posted by evdomada on October 26, 2007

I have been recommended a book as a must read, by a friend of mine titled Being Human.  The book was written by Dr Aniello Iannuzzi.

being-human.jpg
This is the summary that was given for Being Human:

Many today have lost their balance and happiness by artificial distraction and scorn for tradition. This book will show you by daily lessons, a thought to put in your lunchbox at the busiest job, how to get the balance back in your life. It is a recipe book for life.

In here you will find no passwords, no secrets, no cosmic healers and no TV evangelists.

The prescription: take daily until contented. The answers are obvious! We just need to open our eyes.

This is an ideal book for daily reflection, to stimulate conversations and to teach children and young adults about values. An ideal gift for those who like to think about the world and the meaning of life.

What reviewers have said about Being Human:

Those of us with our eyes fixed on outer space in search of answers find it easy to forget that the inner space of the human mind is by far the richer and more complex part of the Universe. In this refreshing and provocative book, Dr. Aniello Iannuzzi explores the essential ingredients of what it is to be human, juxtaposing his own words with those of some of the greatest thinkers of history. Whether you believe the human spirit is merely a product of evolution and biochemistry, or that there is something more at work, you will find much to inspire you in this thoughtful celebration of humanity.
Prof. Fred Watson – Astronomer and Science Writer

A book with great heart.
Maggie Hamilton – Writer, teacher, publisher

Being Human is a book for our times -   one to savour every day to remind
ourselves about the true meaning of life and the important things that shape our being. Dr Iannuzzi has produced an important book of relevance to everyone on planet Earth.
Dr Ron Georgiou MW

For those of you interested in purchasing a copy online click here

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Individual fined for music file sharing

Posted by evdomada on October 8, 2007

An individual in the US was fined $US220,000 last week for sharing her music through a P2P network – KAZAA.  I believe it’s the first major case to be judged against someone for such an action.  She wasn’t the only one “caught” but she was the only one that decided to take it to court.

That’s in the U.S.A. but what’s the story down-under?

Currently there are no plans by the Australian Music Industry Piracy Investigations (MIPI)  to sue individuals but they are threatening to be forced to go to those extremes if our ISPs (internet service providers) don’t do something to police us users.

The ISPs have already stated that they should not be responsible for their users actions.  It’s going to be an ongoing argument until some law will be introduced and then it will be clear who will be responsible … Us or the ISPs?

The question has to be asked though … is music file sharing illegal or not?  And does it really hurt the music industry?

There is the argument that if you are listening to music for personal enjoyment then it’s not an issue.  There is the other argument that if those that are “sharing” these music files are selling them to make a profit then they are open to legal scrutiny.

Some say that those that acquire their music through these means would never have purchased it in the first place.

Others then claim that the record companies need to be reimbursed for their risk-taking on bands, the investment to promote them and release their songs.  Without record companies and their support to bands will the music industry spiral to its demise?

Some of us can reminisce back to the days when we used to tape songs off the radio to listen to our favorite songs over and over again.  Interesting to note that the record industry wasn’t as interested back in those days to catch prepubescent kids taping songs.

And what of the argument that if you buy your own copy of the CD you could tape it for your own listening pleasure?  Why isn’t the record industry as interested to police the “borrowing” of these tapes?

I guess it all comes down to the available technology and its rampant use.

It also comes with the territory, as the internet can be monitored with all sorts of trackers by certain “agents”- which by the way are dubious in terms of their legality, especially if you are unaware that they have been infiltrated onto your personal computer or laptop.

I wonder if we can counter claim on the invasion of our privacy??

It’s the start of an ongoing saga that many of us will be following intently.

For more on this story you can read up on it at SMH 

prof@skylproductions.com

Posted in General Discussion, Greek Music, Music | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

To Taze or Not to Taze?

Posted by evdomada on September 21, 2007

A journalism student at the University of Florida had begun asking John Kerry a few questions.  He did seem a bit excited while he was putting forward his questions and a bit over the top.  I think the sight of the University of Florida police enclosing on him had something to do with his questioning style.

You may have seen other youtube footage or news footage of the student being “tazed” but I liked this one as it has a bit of commentary from the MSNBC journos.

Click here for the youtube video

There are questions that need to be asked …

Was all that force necessary?  Could he have finished his questions and sat down with no commotion? Did he break any laws or really cause any public offence?

If he was allowed to finish his question and sit down, the Kerry gathering may not have even made the news.

Could it have been a publicity stunt???

In any case we are always told about the virtues of democracy and the need to spread it to the rest of the world.  I was sure that one of the key elements of democracy is freedom of speech.  The capability to get on your soap-box and tell the world what your thoughts are … especially in a democratic country.

It’s a never ending debate with no answers.

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Greece lose to Spain and Zagorakis farewell

Posted by evdomada on August 23, 2007

Greece lost in their friendly match against Spain 2-3 this morning at Toumba in Thessaloniki.

It was Zagorakis’ 120th cap for the national side and the 17000 fans were there to thank him for his service.  In particular how could we forget his player of the tournament achievement in the Euro 2004 and captaining the team to their greatest triumph.

The game apparently wasn’t such a bad outing for the Greek national side and was a good test in preparation for our next Euro 2008 qualifier against Norway.

Scorers for Greece were Gekkas 18′ and Katsouranis 44′ and we were up 2-1 at half time.  Spain equalised twice with Marcena 38′ and Silva 66′ and it wasn’t until in injury time that Silva scored again to give Spain victory.

Rehagel tried a few different things during the game with 7 changes in total – including a 17th minute change to take Zagorakis from the game and hand over to the new team structure.

www.sportnet.gr

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When Will We Have Had Enough??

Posted by evdomada on July 23, 2007

This following clip I believe was from an episode of Boston Legal with James Spader putting together an impressive speech.  Although it refers to the political and social system in the US, we here in the land Down Under are not far behind in what is happening to our freedom of speech.

prof@skylproductions.com

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Lies … Who US? Never …

Posted by evdomada on July 23, 2007

An interesting clip that I came across today in my search for my daily news …

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