McCain takes lead over Obama

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In a sharp turnaround, Republican John McCain has opened a 5-point lead on Democrat Barack Obama in the U.S. presidential race and is seen as a stronger manager of the economy, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.

McCain leads Obama among likely U.S. voters by 46 percent to 41 percent, wiping out Obama’s solid 7-point advantage in July and taking his first lead in the monthly Reuters/Zogby poll.

The reversal follows a month of attacks by McCain, who has questioned Obama’s experience, criticized his opposition to most new offshore oil drilling and mocked his overseas trip.

The poll was taken Thursday through Saturday as Obama wrapped up a weeklong vacation in Hawaii that ceded the political spotlight to McCain, who seized on Russia’s invasion of Georgia to emphasize his foreign policy views.

“There is no doubt the campaign to discredit Obama is paying off for McCain right now,” pollster John Zogby said. “This is a significant ebb for Obama.”

McCain now has a 9-point edge, 49 percent to 40 percent, over Obama on the critical question of who would be the best manager of the economy — an issue nearly half of voters said was their top concern in the November 4 presidential election.

McCain takes lead over Obama: poll – Yahoo! News.

What?!?! Who in their right mind would vote for McCain over Obama?!

New rules make China’s Bao world’s tallest again

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Guinness World Records has returned the title of world’s tallest man to China’s Bao Xishun after Ukrainian Leonid Stadnyk refused to be measured under new guidelines.

Bao, who stands at 7 feet, 8.95 inches, held the title for a year before losing it in 2006 to Stadnyk, who is 8 feet 5.5 inches tall, Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records, told Reuters.

While Bao has been measured by Guinness, which required him to be measured six times in one day — both standing and lying down — Stadnyk has refused. His title was awarded based on a statement from his doctor.

New rules make China’s Bao world’s tallest again – Yahoo! News.

The world’s tallest and shortest man are both Chinese and live within a few hundred miles from each other.

Michael Phelps at a young age

YouTube – World’s Worst Olympic Swimming Trial

YouTube – World’s Worst Olympic Swimming Trial.

From the Sydney Olympics in 2000. How did this guy qualify for the Olympics?! He makes me look like Michael Phelps! But I’m sort of proud for the guy for at least beating the record for his country.

World records | Going swimmingly

TUMBLING world records are part of the Olympic experience, but just how much have swimmers or runners improved over the past 100 years? In Beijing, new records have been set in the most glamorous events in athletics and swimming—the men’s 100m sprint and freestyle. Jamaica’s Usain Bolt cruised to victory, taking his own 100m sprint world record down by three-hundredths of a second to 9.69 seconds. In the century or so since official records began, the quickest time has fallen by just under a second—a 9% improvement. But in the pool, Australia’s Eamon Sullivan covered 100m in the heats (although he lost in the final) in a world-fastest time of 47.05 seconds, 19 seconds (and 28%) quicker than the record-holder of 1905.

World records | Going swimmingly | Economist.com
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The Olympics: Michael Phelps’ Freakish Physique Explained

Swim demon Michael Phelps won his 8th gold medal of the 2008 Olympics last night, his 14th overall. How does he do it? It’s that crazy 6’4″ bod of his! “Generally, a man’s arm span equals his height but in his case it’s 6’7″—three inches more than his height. Naturally his arms work as powerful propulsive paddles, giving him a clear edge over others. His lower body, interestingly, is shorter than that of an average man of his height. His relatively short legs result in less drag or resistance. In short, Phelps has an upper body of a 6’8″ person but his lower body seems to be of someone who is only 5’10”, which also make the perfect plane in water.”

The Olympics: Michael Phelps’ Freakish Physique Explained.

Stock market investing in a nutshell…

Adult Swedes allowed to take any name

It has finally become easier for adult Swedes to change their name to whatever they like.

The Swedish Tax Authority has changed guidelines as to what names are suitable for both adult Swedes and children born in Sweden.

The Swedish Tax Authority holds a general registry of all people living in Sweden today. Up until now, the Swedish Tax Authority had forbidden name changes which didn’t fit into traditional Swedish names, so it was difficult to call yourself Apple if you were a Swede.

But now it will be fine to change your name to Apple or for that matter, call your baby after anything else that derives from the plant world.

Lars Tegenfeldt, a legal expert at the Swedish Tax Authority told The Local that adult people who wish to change their names may now judge for themselves whether the name might lead to any embarassment.

The Swedish Tax Authority continues to forbid taking on a name that is a swear word, describes genitalia or could offend others, although according to Tegenfeldt, this type of request is not common. Religious names are also taboo.

The Local – Adult Swedes allowed to take any name.

I didn’t realize Sweden had so many restrictions when it comes to names. That may explain why some names are so common.

How are swimmers smashing so many Olympic records?

BEIJING — Anyone tuning in to watch swimming for the first time in several years can’t help but be a little suspicious this week.

It’s one thing to watch Michael Phelps smash world records left and right, but should every world record in swimming be falling like this?

Through the first three days of the 2008 Olympics, there have been 10 world records broken in nine events. Phelps has broken two individual world records — the 400-meter medley and the 200-meter freestyle — and was a member of the United States team that lowered the world record in the 400-meter freestyle relay by nearly four seconds.

He has a chance to break two more world records today in the 200-meter butterfly and the 800-meter freestyle relay. Katie Hoff also has shot at a world record in the 200-meter individual medley, and possibly in the 200-meter freestyle.

Is it the new Speedo suits? The deeper pool? Does the sport have a drug problem that no one is talking about? All of the above?

People within the worldwide swimming community have different answers. But for the most part, athletes and coaches believe it’s just the accelerated progression of the sport.

Swimmers are sticking around longer because sponsorship money has increased exponentially and as a result, an athlete is able to peak at a later age.

How are swimmers smashing so many Olympic records? – Los Angeles Times.

Age Is Little Match for Money, Science and Effort

At age 41, Dara Torres seems to have broken new ground, showing that it is possible for athletes to continue to compete at the highest levels, even making Olympic teams, at advanced ages.

But, exercise physiologists say, the conventional wisdom about age and sports is more urban legend than fact. There were Dara Torreses in the past, these experts say, and athletes like her will probably be more common in the future — because of an infusion of money into many sports, combined with improvements in sports medicine and training.

Exercise researchers cite athlete after athlete who competed at ages when they should have seemingly been washed up. Even sprinters, who are widely believed to reach their peak performances in their early 20s and decline a few years later, have defied expectations. In fact, said José González-Alonso, the director of the Center for Sports Medicine and Human Performance at Brunel University in London, the notion about sprinters peaking early may have no basis in science.

Age Is Little Match for Money, Science and Effort – NYTimes.com.

Sweden Rolling Out 183 MPH High-Speed Green Train

Maybe you’ve heard about the proposed high-speed train in California. Well, Sweden is beating the West Coast to the punch with their Green Train.

The Green Train, or Gröna Tåget, will cut energy use on rail lines by 30 percent through lowered operational costs and journey times. Top speeds reached 183 MPH on a test run.

Best of all, the Green Train can operate on the current rail infrastructure. That means there’s no need to lay down new tracks.

Energy saving measures on the train include a permanent magnet motor to increase propulsion chain efficiency and a system that saves up to 15 percent of traction energy by assisting drivers with speed and traction force information.

Sweden Rolling Out 183 MPH High-Speed Green Train : CleanTechnica.

Olympic child singing star revealed as fake

BEIJING (AFP) – The little girl who starred at the Olympic opening ceremony was miming and only put on stage because the real singer was not considered attractive enough, the show’s musical director has revealed.

Pigtailed Lin Miaoke was selected to appear because of her cute appearance and did not sing a note, Chen Qigang, the general music designer of the ceremony, said in an interview with a state broadcaster aired Tuesday.

Photographs of Lin in a bright red party dress were published in newspapers and websites all over the world and the official China Daily hailed her as a rising star on Tuesday.

But Chen said the girl whose voice was actually heard by the 91,000 capacity crowd at the Olympic stadium during the spectacular ceremony was in fact seven-year-old Yang Peiyi, who has a chubby face and uneven teeth.

“The reason why little Yang was not chosen to appear was because we wanted to project the right image, we were thinking about what was best for the nation,” Chen said in an interview that appeared briefly on the news website Sina.com before it was apparently wiped from the Internet in China.

Olympic child singing star revealed as fake – Yahoo! News.

Running ‘can slow ageing process’

Running on a regular basis can slow the effects of ageing, a study by US researchers shows.

Elderly joggers were half as likely to die prematurely from conditions like cancer than non-runners.

They also enjoyed a healthier life with fewer disabilities, the Stanford University Medical Center team found.

Experts said the findings in Archives of Internal Medicine reinforced the importance that older people exercise regularly.

BBC NEWS | Health | Running ‘can slow ageing process’.

The E-Tongue Passes Wine Taste Test

Admittedly, it can’t wax poetic about the mouthfeel of a Pinot or the flavors of mown grass and flint in a 2007 Sauvignon. But an electronic “tongue” recently unveiled by scientists at Barcelona’s Institute for Microelectronics is capable of identifying different wines, and may be used as a new weapon in the battle against wine fraud. In a study published last week in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s journal The Analyst, Cecilia Jonquera-Jiménez and her colleagues announced that by using microsensors cued to chemical ions, their device, or “e-tongue,” can distinguish among grapes and vintages.

The E-Tongue Passes Wine Taste Test – TIME.

IKEA Solar Panels on the Horizon

Eponymous big-box colossus IKEA has shown some great green developments lately, from flat-pack bike trailers to eco-friendly lines of housewares. Now the patent purveyor of all things flat-pack has announced plans to invest $77 million into its GreenTech energy fund with the goal of eventually producing solar panels, efficiency meters, and energy efficient lighting. Granted its massive distribution network, IKEA’s uptake of green tech could pose a monumental shift in the accessibility and affordability of these technologies.

Inhabitat » IKEA Solar Panels on the Horizon.

Ikea is really popular here in Sweden – at least to the students. Cheap furniture and (relatively) cheap food! I had lunch there yesterday after shopping for some things for my room. The food was decent and it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg!