Bracelets For Women

Anderson has the birthday and England enjoy the party

July 31st, 2010   by Isabella

Careers advisers might have been encouraged by events in the first Test here yesterday to suggest that seam bowling is a fit and rewarding job.

This would involve the revision of most recent information on the subject which has concluded that it is a dead- end occupation, but the fall, nay the clatter, of 15 wickets on the second day represented compelling evidence.

Six of them fell to Pakistan in the morning and another nine to England thereafter. Conditions overhead and the business area of the pitch were conducive to swing and seam, and skilful bowlers deservedly reaped the dividends as greedily as brokers in a bull market. Jimmy Anderson, on his 28th birthday, took five for 49 – his ninth five-wicket haul in Tests and third at Trent Bridge – in engineering Pakistan's downfall, given exciting assistance by Steve Finn, for whom Test cricket so far has been a doddle.

Their endeavours left Pakistan in a perilous position, and merely a week after the thrill of defeating Australia in a Test match for the first time in 15 years they are in imminent danger of returning to their losing streak. The tourists' bowlers, however, suffered nothing by comparison, slicing their way expertly through the remainder of England's innings with little more than an hour gone.

It was a pleasure to watch Mohammad Asif go about his work with the delicate touch of a surgeon, and his four wickets, all leg-before, all given by the umpire Tony Hill, were all stone-dead. Not that it was to any avail. When bad light stopped play prematurely Pakistan were on 147 for nine, still needing eight runs to avoid the follow-on. If they fail to acquire them, England will inevitably ask them to bat again and will be disappointed to be detained until tomorrow.

England, having posted a fifth- wicket partnership of 219 between Eoin Morgan and Paul Collingwood, lost their last six wickets for 17 runs in 51 balls. Peculiarly, this immediately augured badly for the tourists whose batting is in stark contrast to their bowling: woeful, that is, compared with splendid.

Anderson sensed blood immediately. He is a contrary bowler, as clinically effective some days as he is innocuous on others. The explanation usually provided for this is that he needs the ball to swing and if it does not, his quest for it to do so can lead to many other things going wrong. But, boy, everything went right yesterday.

Before lunch he had sent back the Pakistan captain, Salman Butt, persuading him to jab at a ball moving away late. After lunch, batsmen were falling over each to be dismissed. Anderson's second wicket was a thing of beauty as he came round the wicket to the left-handed Imran Farhat, slanted the ball in and then darted it away at the last to confound the batsman and remove his off stump.

These are the rare moments that bowlers such as Anderson live for, instead of which their precious talents are too often blunted on a succession of anodyne surfaces which undeservedly assist batsmen who are short on expertise. Soon, Pakistan's innings was reduced to the rubble of 47 for 6, their batsmen's inexperience allied to a reluctance for the fray.

Finn came on at the pavilion end for his first spell of international bowling since the England and Wales Cricket Board sent him on a strength and conditioning regime. Whatever this entailed, it appears to have had a similar effect on him as spinach on Popeye. With his sixth ball, delivered at approaching 90mph, he achieved a hint of bounce and a further hint of late movement and Umar Amin was snaffled at second slip.

So, too, was Umar Akmal in similar circumstances after Azhar Ali was adjudged to have edged Anderson to the wicketkeeper, Matt Prior. When Finn collected his third wicket, Kamran Akmal continuing his wretched match by prodding to third slip to embellish his shabby wicketkeeping, there was the serious prospect of Pakistan being dismissed for their smallest total against England.

That they managed to overhaul the 87 for which they succumbed at Lord's in 1954 was thanks solely to sensible methods adopted by Shoaib Malik and the apprentice Mohammad Aamer. As a specialist batsman with the ball becoming older, something of such resistance might have been expected of Malik but Aamer at 18 was equally sedate.

They demonstrated that batting, while not a bed of roses, was eminently possible on this pitch. By then it was too late but they nudged the total sensibly up into three figures, keeping the scoreboard ticking over. He might be a teenager but Aamer understands instinctively the old-fashioned virtues.

Anderson, returning for his second spell, did for them both. He had Malik caught by Andrew Strauss at slip at the second attempt, a superb reaction with his left hand close to the ground after fluffing the regulation edge, and then had Aamer held more comfortably at second slip, driving away from his body.

As the light seeped away Umar Gul came in and wielded the long handle, which included a six over square leg against the birthday boy. Gul's effort took Pakistan close to the follow-on figure of 155 before Danish Kaneria was bowled by Stuart Broad, and without more ado the umpires took the players off.

The crowd for the second day's proceedings was much more heartening than that on the first, confirming that there is still an appetite for Test cricket in these parts and probably that in these straitened times it is easier to get Friday off than Thursday. They would have been anticipating seeing Morgan and Collingwood continue their outstanding partnership but were swiftly disappointed.

Collingwood was Asif's first victim of the day, his optimistic referral merely lending authority to the verdict, and Morgan his second, hit on the back pad. It was controlled, manipulative bowling of a very high order and he had a chance of a hat-trick after dismissing Graeme Swann and Anderson, who padded up as if dreaming about what other delightful things he might be doing on his birthday. Soon, England's king of swing found out what they were.

driver from www.independent.co.uk

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Open every day, dogs welcome: the new face of high street banking

July 30th, 2010   by Isabella

The last time a high street bank opened in Britain, William Gladstone was Prime Minister, the police in London were striking and England was about to face Scotland in the first ever international football match. The year, if you haven't guessed, was 1872, and the Co-operative had just opened its doors.

Yesterday heralded what could be the dawning of a new era in the history of British financing, with the opening of the first branch of Metro Bank in Holborn, central London.

The chain is launching itself at a time when bankers are about as popular as biblical tax collectors. But this, its owners say, is exactly what will help the bank thrive – it will be different to its competitors.

Metro branches – or "stores", as they prefer to be called – will open seven days a week from 8am (Monday to Saturday) to 8pm (Monday to Friday) and 11am to 4pm on Sundays. Employees at their London call centre claim they will pick up their phones within three rings and you will be able to open an account, complete with card and pin number, within 15 minutes. There are even in-store treats on offer for dogs brought in by customers.

Over the next year the bank hopes to open a further eight stores in London and there are plans to launch 200 outlets nationwide by 2020. The downside to such uncharacteristically helpful banking practices, however, is that Metro's rates are not as tempting as those of its high street competitors.

Not that Ruwan Ranawake seemed to mind. The 46-year-old from Twickenham, south-west London, was one of the first people to open a new account at yesterday's launch.

"It took a little longer than 15 minutes but you can't really blame them for that on their opening day," he said, clutching his brand new Metro debit card which had been printed on a machine at the back of the branch. "It's good to see a newcomer on the scene and I'd like to support it. I'll give them six months and then decide whether I want to move permanently with Metro or stay with First Direct."

Mr Ranawake, who works in the banking sector, had travelled to the Holborn branch with his son Dileepa, 20, both of whom left with a bag stuffed full of Metro-branded goodies (a free sandwich toaster was available for those opening an account with £50).

Waiting for a chat with the cashiers, seated behind a long open desk shaped more like a hotel check-in counter than a security-conscious bank, was Angela Moore, a local who had come down to the launch with her neighbour, Andrew Murphy.

"It's the opening hours that have got me interested," she said. "Banks around here are disappearing all the time and the queues are horrendous. Neither of us have the internet so we need to be able to walk into a local branch."

Nearby is Metro Bank's founder, Vernon Hill, an American billionaire who made a fortune with New Jersey-based bank Commerce Bancorp. Clutching his Yorkshire terrier, Duffy (now you know why the bank is so dog-friendly), he said: "This model is about redefining the service experience and that's why I compare it to Apple. Apple redefined the computer business and they redefined the mobile phone business."

driver from www.independent.co.uk

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We've got rhythm

July 29th, 2010   by Isabella

THESE days a lot of crime is planned, executed, and sometimes gloated over, via the medium of the mobile phone. So a new field of forensic phonetics has arisen, which tries to identify people from their voices. But the technology is fallible and criminals often have the last, unidentifiable, laugh. But the International Crime Science Conference, held recently in London, heard that better techniques are on the way.

Voices acquire idiosyncratic features from a number of sources such as parents, co-workers and school friends. Accents and vocal mannerisms can help identify a person but these can also be disguised. Something that is harder to cover up is the stamp that the anatomy of a person’s vocal tract leaves. The smaller the larynx, for example, the higher the frequency at which the vocal cords vibrate, and the higher-pitched the voice.

This “fundamental frequency” is fairly stable across a person’s speech, and it is one of the characteristics voice experts use to try to match, say, a taped message from a terrorist or hoax call to a recording of a suspect. But fundamental frequencies, too, can be disguised.

Volker Dellwo, a phonetic scientist from University College London, conducted a small study in which he asked an actor to read 25 sentences in either his natural voice or with an accent. Dr Dellwo found that the actor’s fundamental frequency went from 120 hertz to 170 hertz when disguised. Furthermore, phonetic experts found it difficult to say in many cases if the same person was reading the sentence.

Dr Dellwo thinks it would be better to focus on rhythmic aspects of speech, such as the way a person lingers over vowels. He has found that the percentage of speech that is vocalic, as opposed to consonantal, is not only highly idiosyncratic and stable regardless how fast a person is speaking, but also is not perceived by the ear, making it hard to disguise. In the same study he found that this aspect of the actor’s speech did not change much, whether he read in a normal or disguised voice.

This study needs to be replicated with many more subjects and types of speech, but the results hint that speech rhythm could be profitably tapped by voice analysts. One snag is that, at present, the visual representation of the voice has to be tediously annotated manually for its vowel and consonant content.

However, a slightly different approach, measuring the proportion of speech time during which the vocal cords vibrate, could be automated—since software for extracting that feature already exists. If this proves viable it could become useful in police work, prosecutions and courtrooms. Scientists may yet have the last laugh.

driver from www.economist.com

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Some Like It Warm (If They’re Marmots)

July 28th, 2010   by Isabella

Warmer temperatures in the Colorado Rockies have produced a population boom of yellow-bellied marmots, at least in one well-studied valley. In an unusual,

long-term study, scientists have been tracking marmots there since 1962. A new paper compares marmots from 1976 through 2008 to look for the effects of

global warming on the animals.

Over that time, the winter thaws have been arriving sooner, and the marmots have been emerging out of hibernation earlier — the first sighting of a marmot

now comes around April 20, a month earlier than in 1976. They have also been going back into hibernation later in the fall.

That gives them more time to eat and grow, and the result is that a female marmot was on average about 7.6 poundsduring the second half of the observational

period, about three-quarters of a pound more than the average in earlier years, researchers reported in the current issue of the journal Nature.

Until 2000, the population remained steady at about 100. But as the marmots got heavier and the winters shorter the percentage surviving winter hibernation

rose to 80 percent from 70 percent. The population has since tripled.

The data on the marmots give some hints of how different species might react to a changing environment. (By contrast, scientists reported last year that

warmer winters on a Scottish isle led to smaller sheep, because smaller lambs that would have starved to death in the past now survive.)

And although marmots in the valley, which now number 300, are thriving today, continued global warming may not be such good news, the researchers warned,

because of the increased chance of summer droughts.

driver from www.nytimes.com

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Greenspace facilities are contributing to an important extent to the quality of the urban environment

July 26th, 2010   by Isabella

Fortunately it is no longer necessary that j every lecture of every book about this subject has to start with the proof of j this idea. At present it is generally accepted, although more as a self-evident j statement that on the base of a closely-reasoned scientific proof. The recognition of the importance of greenspaces in the urban environment is a first step of the right way,this does not mean,however,that sufficient details are known about the functions of greenspace in towns and about the way in which the inhabitants are using these spaces. As to this rather complex subject I shall,within the scope of this lecture,enter into one aspect only, namely the recreative function of greenspace facilities. :

The theoretical separation of living,working,traffic and recreation which for many years has been used in <own-and-country planning,has in j my opinion resulted in disproportionate attention for forms of recreation far j from home,whereas there was relatively little attention for improvement of recreative possibilities in the direct neighbourhood of the home. We have come to the conclusion that this is not right, because an important part of the time which we do not pass in sleeping or working,is used for activities at and around home. So it is obvious that recreation in the open air has to begin at the street-door of the house. The urban environment has to offer as many recreation activities as possible,and the design of these has to be such that more obligatory activities can also have a recreative aspect.

The very best standard of living is nothing if it is not possible to take a pleasant walk in the district,if the children cannot be allowed to play in the streets,because the risks of traffic are too great,if during shopping you can nowhere find a sport for enjoying for a moment the nice weather. In short,if you only feel yourself at home after the street-door of your house is closed after you.

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"You're supposed to remember something, but you haven't encoded it deeply

July 23rd, 2010   by Isabella

Most episodes of absent-mindedness — forgetting where you left something or wondering why you just entered a room — are caused by a simple lack of attention, says Schacter. "You're supposed to remember something, but you haven't encoded it deeply. "

Encoding, Schacter explains, is a special way of paying attention to-an event that has a major impact on recalling it later. Failure to encode properly can create annoying situations, if you put your mobile phone in a pocket, for example, and don't pay attention to what you did because you're involved in a conversation, you'll probably forget that the phone is in the jacket now hanging in your wardrobe (^c^E) . "Your memory itself isn't failing you," says Schacter. "Rather, you didn't give your memory system the information it needed. "

Lack of interest can also lead to absent-mindedness. "A man who can recite sports statistics from 30 years ago," says Zelinski, "may not remember to drop a letter in the mailbox. " Women have slightly better memories than men, possibly because they pay more attention to their environment, and memory relies on just that.

Visual cues can help prevent absent-mindedness, says Schacter. "But be sure the cue is clear and available," he cautions. If you want to remember to take a medication (S§4&) with lunch, put the pill bottle on the kitchen table — don't leave it in the medicine chest and write yourself a note that you keep in a pocket.

Another common episode of absent-mindedness: walking into a room and wondering why you're there. Most likely, you were thinking about something else. "Everyone does this from time to time," says Zelinski. The best thing to do is to return to where you were before entering the room, and you'll likely remember.

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Bums in the Attic

July 22nd, 2010   by Isabella

I want a house on a hill like the ones with the gardens where Papa works. We go on Sundays, Papa's day off. I used to go. I don't anymore. You don't like to go out with us, Papa says. Getting too old? Getting too stuck-up, says Nenny. I don't tell them I am ashamed—all of us staring out the win-dow like the hungry. I am tired of looking at what we can't have. When we win the lottery... Mama begins, and then I stop listening.

People who live on hills sleep so close to the stars they for-get those of us who live too much on earth. They don't look down at all except to be content to live on hills. They have nothing to do with last week's garbage or fear of rats. Night comes. Nothing wakes them but the wind.

One day I'll own my own house, but I won't forget who I am or where I came from. Passing bums will ask, Can I come in? I'll offer them the attic, ask them to stay, because I know how it is to be without a house.

Some days after dinner, guests and I will sit in front of a fire. Floorboards will squeak upstairs. The attic grumble.

Rats? They'll ask.

Bums, I'll say, and I'll be happy.

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There are many reasons why family life in Britain has changed so much in the last 50 years

July 21st, 2010   by Isabella

The liberation of women in the early part of the 20th century and social and economic effects of the World War Two had a great impact on the traditional family life. Women became essential to industry and professions. During the war, they had worked in factories and proved their worth. Now with the loss of millions of man their service was indispensable to the nation. More recently great advances in scientific knowledge, and particularly in medicine have had enormous social consequences. Children are better cared for and are far healthier. Infant death rate was low. Above all, parents now can plan the size of their family if they wish through more effective means of birth control. Different attitudes to religion, authority and tradition generally have also contributed to changes in family life. But these developments have affected all aspects of society. It is particularly interesting to know that the concept of the family as a social unit has survived all these challenges.

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The decline in moral standards-which has long concerned social analysts-has at last captured the attention of average Americans

July 20th, 2010   by Isabella

And Jean Bethke Elshtain, for one. is glad.

The fact that ordinary citizens are now starting to think seriously about the nation's moral climate, says this ethics (f£3H^) professor at the University of Chicago, is reason to hope that new ideas' will come forward to improve it.

But the challenge is not to be underestimated. Materialism and individualism in American society are the biggest obstacles. "The thought that I'm in it for me' has become deeply rooted in the national consciousness," Ms. Elshtain says.

Some of this can be attributed to the disintegration of traditional communities, in which neighbors looked out for one another, she says. With today's greater mobility and with so many couples working, those bonds have been weakened, replaced by a greater emphasis on self.

In a 1996 poll of Americans, loss of morality topped the list of the biggest problems facing the U. S. And Elshtain says the public is correct to sense that: Data show that Americans are struggling with problems unheard of in the 1950s, such as classroom violence and a high rate of births to unmarried mothers.

The desire for a higher moral standard is not a lament (i&fiO for some nonexistent "golden age", Elshtain says, nor is it a wishful (—M'lWK^)) longing for a time that denied opportunities to women and minorities. Most people, in fact, favor the lessening of prejudice.

Moral decline will not be reversed until people find ways to counter the materialism in society, she says. "Slowly, you recognize that the things that matter are those that can't be bought."

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