Families are the most import thing in life. Enjoy these wonderful. ‘When you look at your life the greatest happiness are family happinesses’. The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof’.

FDA approves first home-test kit for HIV

Washington: The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first over-the-counter HIV test, allowing Americans to test themselves for the virus that causes AIDS in the privacy of their homes. The OraQuick test detects the presence of HIV in saliva collected using a mouth swab. The test is designed to return a result within 20 to 40 minutes.

Government officials estimate one-fifth, or about 240,000 people, of the 1.2 million HIV carriers in the US are not aware they are infected. Testing is one of the chief means of slowing new infections, which have held steady at about 50,000 per year for two decades. 

FDA officials said the test is aimed at people who might not otherwise get tested.

"The availability of a home-use HIV test kit provides another option for individuals to get tested so that they can seek medical care, if appropriate," said Dr Karen Midthun, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

FDA stressed in its approval announcement that the test is not 100 per cent accurate. A trial conducted by Orasure showed the home test only correctly detected HIV in those carrying the virus 92 per cent of the time. That means that the test could miss one person for every 12 HIV-infected people who use the kit.

The test was accurate 99 per cent in ruling out HIV in patients not carrying the virus. That means the test would incorrectly identify one patient as having HIV for every 5,000 HIV-negative people tested.

The FDA previously approved several HIV test kits designed to be used at home, although those kits — which usually require a blood sample — must be sent to a laboratory to be developed. While it's not clear why the test appears less accurate in consumer trials, company researchers said they expected the test's specificity to drop when used by consumers versus professionals.

connect with me on google+ at +lyne cruz My Google Profile

DNSChanger Virus last chance to remove before web access is cut

Thousands could lose internet access when FBI cuts off temporary servers

The good news is if you're among the 7,000 Canadian PC or Mac users — or the tens of thousands more worldwide —still believed to have machines infected with the nasty DNSChanger virus, you can spare yourself the misery of being cut off from email, Twitter, Facebook and other online distractions by performing a simple test.

The FBI is snipping a cyber safety net on Monday that kept thousands of computer users online after their internet connections were hijacked by a piece of malware called DNSChanger, meaning those users could be disconnected from the web if they still haven't removed the virus by July 9

Google, Facebook and the FBI have all issued repeated alerts over the past year about the estimated 650,000 computers worldwide that fell victim to the DNSChanger trojan, but they and media outlets made one last public appeal this week warning of the looming July 9 deadline.

That's when the FBI will shut down the temporary DNS servers it set up to keep the virus-infected computers connected to the internet after it broke up a criminal operation that had rerouted the machines through a system of false DNS servers, manipulating users' web searches in order to direct them to fraudulent websites.

The websites promoted fake products and allowed the cybercriminals to earn money off the sale of these products and advertising. 

It's always advisable to consult a reputable computer professional for help before taking any drastic steps to repair a machine infected with a computer virus.

connect with me on google+ at +lyne cruz My Google Profile

WARNING on Monday July 09, 2012 INTERNET BLACK OUT

The FBI statement, which includes advice on how to check for and remove the malware, can be found on its website.  Reports around the web suggest that while the FBI originally set up a ‘safety net’ to prevent the impact of the malware, they’ve now shut down this system.  Infected machines are therefore at risk.

'Internet blackout' set for 9 July: FBI to 'pull plug' on 350,000 virus-infected machines - cutting off Web for users in U.S. and UK.Machines infected with virus being 'kept alive' by FBI.

Operation costing so much FBI will 'pull plug' on 9 July

. 

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Hundreds of thousands of Internet users whose computers are infected with a particularly nasty virus will be unable to access the Web starting on Monday. The Federal Bureau of Investigation will shut down Internet servers that it temporarily set up to support those affected by malicious software, called DNSChanger. Turning off those servers will knock all those still infected offline. Over the past five years, a group of six Estonian cybercriminals infected about 4 million computers around the world with DNSChanger. The malware redirected infected users’ Web searches to spoofed sites with malicious advertisements.

“For computer users, a few mouse clicks could mean the difference between staying online and losing Internet connections this summer.

Unknown to most of them, their problem began when international hackers ran an online advertising scam to take control of infected computers around the world. In a highly unusual response, the FBI set up a safety net months ago using government computers to prevent Internet disruptions for those infected users. But that system is to be shut down.

The FBI is encouraging users to visit a website run by its security partner, http://www.dcwg.org, that will let them know if they’re infected and explain how to fix the problem. After July 9, infected users won’t be able to connect to the Internet.”

This virus is relatively asymptomatic when in your system; it doesn’t crash your computer and it doesn’t invade your files. What this virus does is send users to illegal websites, all with just the click of a button. The FBI was made aware of the virus some time ago, and because of the large number of infected computers — over 350,000 — the government organization set up alternative servers so that users could continue to access the Internet .without interruption. The endeavor was so costly, however, that on July 9^th, 2012, the servers will be shut down. Anyone with the DNSChanger virus will not be allowed internet access. Unfortunately, most of the affected machines are owned by private individuals.

Most people know when their computers are at risk. If you are frequently redirected to websites that you have no interest in or don’t match your search criteria, there is a good chance you have a malicious form of software on your system.  With this particular virus, taking the machine to a computer programmer to have the Trojan removed might be your only option.

connect with me on google+ at +lyne cruz My Google Profile

Rapa Nui the Easter Island

Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui, is remotely located 2,000 miles off the coast of Tahiti. The original settlers of the island were Polynesians who migrated to the far-off land between 400 and 600 BC. They built many shrines and statues, called moai, from stones quarried throughout the island including a volcano site. Researchers still question exactly how the large stones were moved.

Is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people. It is aWorld Heritage Site (as determined by UNESCO) with much of the island protected within Rapa Nui National Park. In recent times the island has served as a warning of the cultural and environmental dangers of overexploitation. Ethnographers and archaeologists also blame diseases carried by European colonizers and slave raiding of the 1860s for devastating the local peoples. The name "Easter Island" was given by the island's first recorded European visitor, the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who encountered it on Easter Sunday 1722, while searching for Davis or David's island. Roggeveen named it Paasch-Eyland(18th century Dutch for "Easter Island").The island's official Spanish name,Isla de Pascua, also means "Easter Island".

The current Polynesian name of the island, Rapa Nui, "Big Rapa", was coined after the slave raids of the early 1860s, and refers to the island's topographic resemblance to the island of Rapa in the Bass Islands of the Austral Islands group. However Thor Heyerdahl argued that Rapa was the original name of Easter Island, and that Rapa Iti was named by refugees from there. The phrase Te pito o te henua has been said to be the original name of the island since Alphonse Pinart gave it the romantic translation "the Navel of the World" in his Voyage à l'Île de Pâques, published in 1877.

The history of Easter Island is rich and controversial. Its inhabitants have endured famines, epidemics, civil war, slave raids, colonialism, and near deforestation; its population declined precipitously more than once.Estimated dates of initial settlement of Easter Island have ranged from 300 to 1200 CE, approximately coinciding with the arrival of the first settlers in Hawaii. Rectifications in radiocarbon dating have changed almost all of the previously posited early settlement dates in Polynesia. Rapa Nui has more recently been considered to have been settled in the narrower range of 700 to 1100 CE. An ongoing study by archaeologists Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo suggests a still-later date: "Radiocarbon dates for the earliest stratigraphic layers at Anakena, Easter Island, and analysis of previous radiocarbon dates imply that the island was colonized late, about 1200 CE. Significant ecological impacts and major cultural investments in monumental architecture and statuary thus began soon after initial settlement.

connect with me on google+ at +lyne cruz My Google Profile

Super Trees In Singapore soon to Light Up

The Supertree Grove is illuminated during the Gardens by the Bay, Light and Sound show on July 2, 2012 in Singapore. The free nightly light and sound display which sees the massive man made Supertrees lit up with spotlights and neon lights officially opened tonight in the 54 hectare south section of the Gardens by the Bay. The Gardens by the Bay was opened on June 29 and features over 220,000 plants, the vertical gradens of the Supertrees,

Beginning June 29th, visitors to Singapore will be able to add one more attraction to their already long list of things to see - The 133-acre Bay South Garden. Located in the city's swanky Marina Bay, the eco-park is the first of three attractions under the Garden by the Bay project, a 250-acre (the size of 190 football fields) green initiative embarked on by Singapore's government in 2006.

While it promises many wonderful attractions, the most anticipated one is the Gold and Silver Gardens - A series of the 18 gigantic super-trees that were inspired by the tallest and most dominant rainforest trees.While made from metal, the trees that range from 80-164 feet in height, are as eco-friendly as their greener counterparts. Their large canopies do not only collect rain water, but also, absorb heat and provide shade, helping the over 200,000 species of flowers and ferns planted around and below them, flourish. Thanks to their built-in photovoltaic solar cells that capture the sun's energy, they also provide enough green energy to power the park lights and water pumps.

Even better is the fact the some of the giant trees are linked together to form a 420-foot long skywalk, enabling visitors to stroll around and enjoy the view from the top. For those that wish to linger a little longer, there is even a restaurant!. Home to over 450 million residents, Singapore boasts of one of the highest population densities in the world. While beautiful, the popular tourist destination is largely an urban sprawl - Something, the government is now trying to change with this $700 million USD initiative. Their mission is to transform Singapore from a 'City Garden' to a City In A Garden'. If the other two green initiatives are as cool, we have no doubt they will succeed. Besides these gorgeous 'trees', the Bay South Garden is also home to The Flower Dome, a giant conservatory filled with some of the world's most exotic flower species, The Dragonfly Lake that is filled with various species of fish and plants and many other eco-friendly attractions.

connect with me on google+ at +lyne cruz My Google Profile

Mayan Temple

According to the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar, made famous by the ancient Mayan people, December 2012 marks the ending of the current baktun cycle. This little bit of information has many archeologists spooked. Some believe the Mayans were warning of a coming apocalypse, while others insist it's simply a mathematical misconception.

The Pyramid of Kukulkan, a temple built to honor the feathered serpent god, still stands in Chichen Itza.

The first temples of the Maya arose more than 2,000 years ago. Their word for these stone pyramids was the same as their word for mountain, and the massive stepped temples at times reached more than 200 feet high. It was long thought that the ancient stone pyramid temples of the Maya were built by their royalty. The fact that different groups had the will and the power to build temples suggests "the Maya could choose which temples to worship in and support; they had a voice in who succeeded politically," said researcher Lisa Lucero, an archaeologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign."Human sacrifice did occur at temples, but only rarely, unlike the Aztec, who sacrificed daily in the belief the sun would not rise otherwise," Lucero said, speaking of the Maya during the Classic Period, from 250 A.D. to 900 A.D. "Only a few powerful Maya kings performed human sacrifice, and they did it to kill rulers from elsewhere.

Mysteriously, there are six temples all close together in Yalbac, ranging from 25 to 50 feet high. "Why did they need six? Did they have one for different days of the week? Different gods? Different seasons?" Lucero wondered. Lucero and her colleagues investigated temples in Yalbac, a Mayan center in the steaming jungles of central Belize. "We were surrounded by howler monkeys, toucans, spider monkeys, orchids, spiders, scorpions and snakes," she recalled. "Killer bees are now in the area, and a hive can just appear one day. I ran immediately when I saw one, and I was still stung four times."

Upon investigating each temple — which date from the Late Classic period of Mayan history , about 550 to 850 A.D. — she noted their construction and materials could differ from each other quite significantly. Two higher quality temples used larger outermost stones and more mortar to fill the insides of the pyramids. "These essentially cost more money, and may have been royal," Lucero said. "But the other temples may not have been built by royalty at all."

Each temple might have served a different god, such as the rain god Chak, or the sun god or maize god. The building of each temple might also serve as a record of ancient power struggles. When a new ruler comes to power, they might build their own place, or if the rulers did not predict the best time to plant crops, others might suggest, 'Come to my temple, the ruler has clearly failed,'. 

Lucero and her colleagues detailed their findings in the latest issue of the journal Latin American Antiquity.

• Top 10 Ancient Capitals
• History's Most Overlooked Mysteries
• Evidence May Back Human Sacrifice Claims

connect with me on google+ at +lyne cruz My Google Profile