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sábado, 31 de mayo de 2008

Luminous ripple faucet

Ascii curtains

Geeky Wall and Floor Decor

Reporting Religion

The former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has unveiled his Faith Foundation in New York.

In this special edition of Reporting Religion, Dan Damon talks exclusively to Tony Blair about his mission to promote respect, friendship and understanding between the major religious faiths.

The organisation which is named the 'Tony Blair Faith Foundation' will attempt to bring religions together to tackle global issues such as the UN's eight Millennium Development Goals.

Those goals cover issues which range from eradicating extreme poverty to ensuring environmental sustainability and one of Blair's first priorities will be to fight the spread of malaria.

The three key aims for the foundation are:

  • To promote respect and understanding between the major religions
  • To make the case for faith as a force for good
  • To encourage inter-faith initiatives to tackle global poverty and conflict

On the launch of the foundation, Tony Blair who is now a peace envoy to the Middle East said:

"Religious faith will be of the same significance to the 21st Century as political ideology was to the 20th Century.

"In an era of globalisation, there is nothing more important than getting people of different faiths and cultures to understand each other better and live in peace and mutual respect; and to give faith itself its proper place in the future."

Dan Damon also talks to the former Prime Minister about his recent conversion to Catholicism and how religion influenced his time in power.

MoD faces huge bill for destroying cluster bomb arsenal after ban agreed

Britain and the other signatories to a treaty banning cluster bombs will have eight years in which to destroy all their stocks but are forbidden to use the weapons during that period.

However, under the terms of the convention, which was formally adopted in Dublin yesterday by 111 countries, British Armed Forces will be allowed to fight alongside American troops who are armed with cluster bombs.

The United States took no part in the treaty negotiations.

One of the key sticking points of the convention, which was published in full yesterday after 12 days of negotiations, is Article 21.

It says that armed forces of those countries signed up to the treaty “may engage in military co-operation and operations” with nations “not party to this convention”, which might fire cluster munitions in a joint campaign.

Britain’s stocks of artillery-fired M85 and helicopter-launched M73 cluster bombs are covered by the agreed definition of these weapon systems, which embraces all explosive submunitions weighing less than 20kg (44lb).

The Ministry of Defence has not revealed how many cluster bombs are held in stock and has not yet worked out what it will cost to destroy them. However, it is acknowledged that this process will run to many millions of pounds.

The treaty text says that all cluster munitions must be kept separate from other weapon systems still in operational use and should be marked “for the purpose of destruction”.

The MoD confirmed that it did not have any other cluster-type weapon systems. However, a spokesman said that development work was currently under way to produce a replacement system that would not breach the convention but would provide a capability to hit enemy armour – the principal role of the cluster bomb.

The proposed system is the ballistic sensor-fused munition (BSFM) which will be fired by the Army’s self-propelled AS90 artillery. The munitions will be dropped by parachute and use sensors to seek out enemy targets such as tanks and other armoured vehicles as they drift down. Each weapon will have two submunitions.

The Army says that this new “smart” weapon will enable gunners in the artillery regiments to target the enemy with much greater accuracy, thus reducing any “collateral damage” (civilian deaths), although it will still be an indirect-fire weapon, like the cluster bomb.

However, the BSFM will not be ready for operations until 2012, which means the Army will have a capability gap of about four years.

Yesterday’s landmark international convention obliges each signatory “never under any circumstances” to use cluster munitions, or to “develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile, retain or transfer” these weapons to anyone else.

The signatories to the convention, which will need to be ratified by Parliament, are also obliged to clear and destroy the remnants of cluster munitions located in areas under its jurisdiction or control. In Britain’s case, this will entail clearance operations in southern Iraq where more than 100,000 M85 submunitions were fired by British forces in the 2003 invasion. Campaigners described the convention as “hugely significant”, despite the absence of countries such as the US, Russia and China.

Two children die of stab wounds in Surrey

The two children were found seriously injured at a house on Park Lane last night and died within minutes of each other just before midnight.

A six-month-old girl was initially fighting for her life but has improved after receiving treatment.

Staff at a hospital in London described her condition as serious.


Police have arrested a 39-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman, who are believed to be the children's parents.

Doctor Indira Naganathar, 65, lives nearby and said: "I saw the children being carried out, one was soaked in blood and one was being resuscitated."

The £300,000 two bedroom property was taped off as officers examined the scene.

Neighbour Pam Thomas, 68, said she saw police bring out the baby first, followed by another bundle which looked "lifeless and limp".

"Then they brought out a bigger one in a white blanket and they had oxygen and they were pumping its chest," she said.

She said a man came out and was seen "talking and shouting on the phone" followed by a woman who was "very quiet".

She said the couple had moved into the house just before Christmas and that the woman was pregnant when they moved in.

Jim Duffy, who also lives nearby, said that a woman seen coming out of the house had blood on her back but did not appear to be injured.

He said that Carshalton village was a pleasant "oasis" between the more built up areas of Croydon and Sutton.

"It's a popular area and house prices are reasonable. You don't get fights or brawls and even the kids are well behaved so this is very unusual."

It is thought that the family are from the Tamil area of Sri Lanka.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said officers were called at 10.30pm last night and found three seriously injured children.

"Police and London Ambulance attended, and found three children suffering serious injuries, believed to be stab wounds," he said.

sábado, 24 de mayo de 2008

UFO over London

ufo in london
v

Mötley Crüe: Saints of Los Angeles

Saints of Los Angeles


"Saints Of Los Angeles" is the lead single off of the first full length album from all four original members of Mötley Crüe in over a decade. This hook-laden, thunderous rock song harkens back to the band's heyday and again proves Mötley Crüe is among an elite group of Rock Royalty. Also featured, fellow Crüe Fest artists Josh Todd (Buckcherry), Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach), Chris Brown (Trapt) and James Michael (SIXX:A.M.).

martes, 13 de mayo de 2008

lunes, 12 de mayo de 2008

Indymedia Journalists Targeted in Ecuador, Five Arrested

cuadorian police detained five journalists associated with Ecuador Indymedia late Tuesday night, May 6th. Four of the five were released from custody on Wednesday afternoon. The government says that the four activists were detained because of their relationship with the fifth detainee, Ecuadorian resident and Colombian national Antonio Alcívar.

The government at first refused to issue a statement on the matter or inform the detainees of the reason for their arrests. The Regional Foundation for Assistance in Human Rights (INREDH) noted that this was a violation of the detainees' constitutional right to be clearly informed of the reason for their detention along with the identities of those who ordered and carried out the arrests.

Galatasaray

1999-2000 sezonunda Şampiyonlar Ligi’nde mücadele eden Galatasaray, grubundaki son maçında Milan’ı son dakikalarda gelen gollerle 3-2 yenerek UEFA Kupası’nda oynama şansını elde etmişti.

UEFA Kupası’nda sırayla Bologna, B. Dortmund, Real Mallorca ve Leeds United’ı eleyen Galatasaray, finalde de İngiltere’nin Arsenal takımıyla karşılaştı. Kopenhag (Danimarka) Parken Stadı'nda oynanan, normal süresi ve uzatma bölümü golsüz sona eren maçın ardından penaltı atışlarına geçildi. Rakibine 4-1 üstünlük sağlayan Galatasaray, UEFA Kupasını kazanan taraf oldu. Penaltı atışlarında Ergun Penbe, Hakan Şükür, Ümit Davala ve Giga Popescu Galatasaray adına topu ağlara gönderen isimler oldular.

Bu büyük başarı, bir Türk takımının ülke tarihinde ilk bir Avrupa kupasını Türkiye'ye getirmesi anlamını taşıyordu. Galatasaray'ın bu büyük başarısı, Türk futbolunda yepyeni bir ufuk açmış, o güne kadar yerel hedeflerle yetinen Türk kulüplerinin önüne uluslararası perspektif açmıştır. Galatasaray'ın, Avrupa'nın futbolda ileri gitmiş ülkeleri arasında kendi çabasıyla edindiği bu haklı yer, tüm dünyada da yankı bulmuştur. Galatasaray adı, bu büyük başarıyla dünyanın birçok ülkesinde ve özellikle 3. dünya ülkeleri arasında büyük bir sevgi ve sempatiyle bilinir olmuştur.

Bugüne kadar geçilememiş olduğu gibi, aynı sezonun devamı niteliğinde olan UEFA Super Cup'un da alınmasıyla daha perçinlenmiştir..

Goeie dag

Hi daar al jul jonges van dae 35jaar en oor. Kom wys 'n bietjie die jonger veterane wat die ouer veterane kan doen.

Die "Master Games" is die jaar in Pretoria vanaf die 24st to 28st September 2008. Ringtennis gebruik gewoonlik net 2 to 3 dae.

Onthou jul wat na PE se "Master Games" toe was die pret wat ons gehad het. Nou ja toe kom ons laat weet die mense weer wat is ringtennis.

Inskrywings geld is maar net R150 per persoon. Die sluitings datum vir die inskrywings geld is 1 Augustus 2008.

Laat weet my of jul belang stel sodat ons kan sien of dit die moeite werd is om in te skryf.

LAAT STAAN JUL LUIHEID en laat ons RINGTENNIS speel.

miércoles, 7 de mayo de 2008

Death by Digg



What can Digg KIll???
:)

domingo, 4 de mayo de 2008

Salmond backs Sir Tom's comments

First Minister Alex Salmond has said he agrees with one of the SNP's biggest donors that independence should not be the "be-all and end-all".

Sir Tom Farmer, the multi-millionaire founder of Kwik-Fit, said Mr Salmond should concentrate on improving the quality of life for people in Scotland.

The tycoon said he did not think it was the time for major discussions about referendums on independence.

The first minister said he agreed that the SNP government had to prove itself.

Quality of life

Sir Tom, who donated £100,000 to the SNP ahead of last year's Holyrood election, was writing in the Sunday Times Scotland on the anniversary of the party's victory.

He said: "I don't think we should be talking about referendums at this time.

"For me, quite simply, the question of more power coming to Scotland is almost inevitable.

"But change should happen at a pace that we can cope with."

He called on Mr Salmond to prove himself by improving the quality of life for Scottish people.

The tycoon also rejected "separatism" and called for a "higher degree of independence" but with a close relationship with England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Mr Salmond told BBC Scotland's Politics Show: "I agree it [independence] is not the be-all and end-all.

"I have always argued that we have to demonstrate our competence and authority in government before the referendum question.

"In that so far, I agree with Tom."

He added: "One of the most exciting phrases in Sir Tom's article was this concept of United Kingdoms, as opposed to United Kingdom - why he didn't want separation, he wanted a continued relationship.

"I am delighted he is highlighting a concept that I have been trying to put forward about independence, that particularly with the same Queen as head of state, it cannot be defined as separation.

"It is a new equal relationship between the partner countries of these islands."

McCanns hope spotlight will fade

Kate and Gerry McCann are hoping to slip out of the public spotlight after marking the first anniversary of their daughter Madeleine's disappearance.

The couple attended two special church services to remember the little girl on Saturday, exactly 12 months after she vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, southern Portugal.

A tearful Mrs McCann urged people to "pray like mad" for Madeleine at a morning service in the couple's home village of Rothley, Leicestershire.


jueves, 1 de mayo de 2008

Shell to pull out of UK wind power scheme

Green groups have reacted angrily to news that Shell is looking at selling its share in the world's largest offshore wind power scheme.

  • Lewis wind farm rejected by Scottish MPs
  • The oil giant said it was looking to dispose of its 33 per cent shareholding in the £2 billion London Array project which, if built, would supply enough electricity to power a quarter of Greater London homes.

    Shell logo - Shell spokesman said: We have a small but growing wind energy business
    Shell spokesman said: We have a small but growing wind energy business

    E.ON, a partner in the 341-turbine project, said it was disappointed by Shell's decision, which could delay the project and introduced "a new element of risk" to the scheme.

    Shell's decision is thought to be an economic one, with money redirected towards potentially more profitable wind schemes in the US.

    But Friends of the Earth energy campaigner Nick Rau accused the oil company of leaving a renewables project "high and dry" while investing in fossil fuel production which added to the problem of climate change.

    "We're very disappointed that Shell - which touts itself as a progressive green company - is pulling out of the London Array project, and leaving a key clean energy project high and dry.

    "Shell announced a 12 per cent profit rise yesterday to £3.92bn. It should be investing those profits in renewable energy projects not focusing its efforts on making money from sucking fossil fuels out of the ground and contributing to climate change," he said.

    Climate Change Chokes Oceans

    Rising temperatures have caused oxygen-starved swaths of ocean to expand over the last half-century -- a disturbing trend that, if it continues, could wreak havoc on global fisheries.

    Led by University of Kiel oceanographer Lothar Stramma, researchers analyzed 50 years of ocean oxygen data. The findings, published today in Science, dovetail with predictions made by earlier climate models.

    Two mechanisms are responsible for the drop. As water warms, it holds less oxygen. More significantly, Earth's oceans are oxygenated in large part by cold waters that sink at high latitudes, then ride deep-sea currents to the equator. But water becomes buoyant as it warms: it no longer sinks so readily into this cycle.

    "The surface warmer getting warmer means it's harder for oxygen to mix down, to the deeper parts, and that's the dominant effect," said study co-author and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researcher Greg Johnson.

    Oceanoxygen_2 Stramma said that data is still too patchy to estimate the total spread of low-oxygen zones, but it appears that existing zones are growing vertically -- reaching deeper into ocean depths, and closer to the surface.

    These patterns are especially pronounced in the equatorial Pacific and tropical Atlantic: in the tropical North Atlantic, low-oxygen areas expanded from a thickness of 370 meters in 1960 to 690 meters in 2006.

    "Reduced oxygen levels may have dramatic consequences for ecosystems and coastal economies," wrote the researchers.

    I asked Francisco Chavez, a Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute scientist now devising fisheries management strategies suitable for a changing climate, what these consequences could look like.

    According to Chavez, destructive Humboldt squid invading the coast of California are fleeing from spreading low-oxygen zones. Commercial fishing for bottom-dwellers, such as hake and rockfish, could be decimated.

    When Chavez told me that, I remarked that -- in the larger scheme of things -- it didn't seem so terrible: fishing would take a hit, but hardly a fatal one.

    "Well, there won't be an eruption in the ocean that's going to kill everyone," he said. "But if this phenomenon would spread everywhere, then the whole ocean would die. At the current rate of expansion, that's not something that would happen in 100 or 200 years -- it would be a long process."

    Continued Chavez, "Do I think that will happen? No, I don't think so. We don't understand enough about how the climate and ocean interaction with each other yet. There's been a lot of discussion in the scientific literature about tipping points -- will we get to a place where we have dramatic and rapid change, where we can't get out of whatever we've done? Right now it seems that we could, if we curbed emissions and did some sort of geoengineering. But it's like predicting the stock market."

    Of course, given the state of the American economy, that's not a comforting analogy.


    McCain should adopt more 'hopeful' approach

    Sen. John McCain has been on the Republican equivalent of a Bed-Stuy tour. Bedford-Stuyvesant was once a frequent campaign stop for Democratic candidates who stood in front of destroyed or rundown buildings amid some of the worst poverty in New York City, promising to fix the place with more government spending.

    McCain has been touring poor neighborhoods, where the likelihood of his winning votes is nil. In New Orleans, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, he stood with the new Republican governor, Bobby Jindal, and pledged to the residents of the 9th Ward, "the people of New Orleans, and the people of this country that never again, never again will a disaster of this nature be handled in the terrible and disgraceful way it was handled."

    All of this is fine, and it might even help diminish the usual slurs Democrats use against Republicans about how they care nothing for the poor. The answer to this is that if Democrats care about the poor, why haven't they solved the problem of poverty?

    And the answer to that is that Democrats need people to remain poor and, thus, dependent on them so they can get their votes. McCain has repeatedly said he wants a "civil" campaign so don't look for him to offer such a response.

    Here is some advice for McCain: Stop identifying with failure and begin identifying with success. Before the era of entitlement and low expectations, there were Horatio Alger stories about people who overcame difficult circumstances and prospered. McCain should begin identifying people who have overcome poverty and let them tell their stories of how they did it.

    Those stories are better than the stories of people mired in poverty, largely because of wrong decisions, who are doomed to remain there because they've been told the best they can hope for is a government check. Success becomes an example for others to follow. Stories about poverty inspire no one.

    Victory not defeat, achievement not failure, ought to be McCain's strategy. These American stories are really the story of America.

    One doesn't "tackle poverty," like a football player. One shows the way of escape and provides sufficient role models along with capital and moral and educational structures that serve as ladders so people who want to climb out of the hole can do so.

    Here's one way it might work, based on strategies developed for the Third World by the humanitarian organization World Vision and the micro-loan vision of Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.

    McCain could announce the formation of H.O.P.E.F.U.L., which would stand for Helping Other People Enjoy Full and Useful Lives. Churches (the moral structure), businesses (some capital and training) and individuals (more capital and encouragement) would be involved in H.O.P.E.F.U.L.

    Every American participating would "adopt" a poor person who would be screened for drug and alcohol addiction, criminal backgrounds and interviewed to determine whether, if given a chance, they were – or might be – motivated to escape poverty.

    Individuals would contribute, say, $20 per month to a privately managed account in the recipient's name. The money would be managed by H.O.P.E.F.U.L. to help the poor person with a private school education, job training, capital for starting a small business, and whatever else it takes to help.

    The sponsor would be urged to meet and serve as a mentor to the poor person, or at least correspond with encouraging words. Regular progress reports would be sent to the sponsor(s) and when the person is declared a success, all would rejoice and the nation would be better off. This would not be a government program, improving its chance of success.

    If you're reading this newspaper, chances are you are not poor. Do you know any poor people? If your life has been built around pursuing happiness by the accumulation of material goods and wealth, investing yourself in another human being and seeing him triumph might be the greatest gift you could give yourself and your nation. I know this from personal experience.

    If John McCain rallied the good nature of Americans behind such a vision, it could be his top achievement should he become president. And it's a good idea, no matter who wins

    Election latest: voters out in force in battle to be London mayor

    Londoners were today thought to be turning out in their biggest numbers ever for a mayoral election, as the battle between Ken Livingstone and his maverick rival Boris Johnson went right to the wire.

    Early projections put voter turnout as touching the 50 per cent mark - far higher than the 37 per cent and 35 per cent turnouts in 2004 and 2000 - amid indications that the closeness of the conflict between two of British politics' most colourful characters has caught the public's imagination.

    A key indication of the high turnout came at a polling station in Streatham, south London, where 85 people were reported to have voted by 9.15am, out of 1,970 in total. If traditional voting patterns were repeated during the day this would give a final poll of just under 50 per cent.

    The turnout was projected to be high in advance because opinion polls have put the mayoral conflict as too close to call, while the campaign between Mr Johnson and Mr Livingstone has also been one of the most personalised and most colourful ever.

    Mr Livingstone upped the rhetoric yesterday when he described Mr Johnson, the former Spectator editor and newspaper journalist, as a "joke" and "celebrity" unable to take major political decisions.

    The stakes in London could not be higher, with the winner being placed in charge of an £11.3billion budget to run public transport - much of which requires modernisation - police and fire services and promote the capital's economy. The elected mayor will also act as London's figurehead in the build-up to the Olympic Games in 2012.

    Voting got off to a rocky start in the London borough of Barnet, however, when about 10 polling stations did not receive ballot papers until just after the election officially began, at 7am. Barnet Council said it "sincerely apologised" to voters for the slip-up.

    As the London electorate cast their ballots, Labour councillors all over the country were holding their breath for a huge national backlash against the Prime Minister in local elections, in which some 4,000 seats on 160 councils were at stake.

    Labour strategists fear that the party could record its lowest share of the vote since the 1970s, falling as low as 25 per cent and finishing third behind the Tories and Liberal Democrats. The Conservatives expect to secure more than 40 per cent with strong gains in northern England.

    Results are expected overnight for more than 100 councils, but voters elsewhere - including London - will only have the results on Friday night.

    Faced with the possibility of a heavy defeat, the Prime Minister is already planning an aggressive "relaunch" campaign, with new policies, a contrite and listening tone and a fresh attempt to expose divisions with the Conservatives, party sources said. His closest advisers have been drawing up plans to limit the damage.

    In particular, Mr Brown is planning to unveil a draft Queen’s Speech at the end of this month to show that he is not running out of steam. It is expected to include measures on welfare, education reforms and involving the community in tackling crime.

    Full list of candidates to be London Mayor:

    Ken Livingstone (Labour Party)

    Boris Johnson (Conservative Party)

    Brian Paddick (Liberal Democrats)

    Sian Berry (Green Party)

    Gerard Batten (UK Independence Party)

    Richard Barnbrook (British National Party)

    Alan Craig (Christian Peoples Alliance and Christian Party)

    Lindsey German (Left List)

    Winston McKenzie (Independent)

    Matt O'Connor (English Democrats)


    Judges back Alzheimer's drug review

    Plans to restrict certain Alzheimer's drugs on the NHS are to be reviewed after a landmark ruling by the Court of Appeal.

    Three judges found that the process by which the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) decided to restrict the anti-dementia medicines for newly diagnosed patients with mild Alzheimer's was procedurally unfair.

    Eisai, licence holder of Aricept, and Pfizer, which challenged the Nice decision, said the ruling brought renewed hope for Alzheimer's patients.

    The judges said procedural fairness demanded that Nice should release a full version of the cost-effectiveness model it used to produce guidance for the form of treatment.

    They invited Nice to make a new determination after the drugs companies make representations when they have studied the guidance model.

    Nick Burgin, managing director of Eisai, commenting on the judgment, said: "We believe that this decision represents a victory for common sense. As soon as we have reviewed their cost-effectiveness calculations we will submit any new findings to Nice.

    "We hope that this action will ultimately restore access to anti-dementia medicines for those patients at the mild stages of Alzheimer's disease."

    David Pannick QC, representing Eisai, told the Court of Appeal at a hearing last month that the guidance ruling by Nice would have "a very substantial effect upon the availability and the potential duration of treatment" with the drugs.

    Nice had ruled that the drugs are not cost-effective for patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's - a decision upheld by the High Court last year.

    Nice had decided in 2004 that the drugs, which cost about £2.50 a day, did not make enough of a difference to recommend them for all patients.

    Is Mariah Carey wearing engagement ring of fiancé’s ex?


    Mariah Carey has been wearing a ring on her engagement finger - identical to the one her boyfriend Nick Cannon gave his last fiancée.

    Rumours the Butterfly singer was planning to marry her actor/rapper lover began when she was spotted at the premiere for her latest film, Tennessee, at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, sporting a whopping great rock on her left hand.

    According to witnesses at the afterparty Mariah, 38, and Nick, 27, couldn’t take their hands off each other. And Access Hollywood claim a source has confirmed the couple are getting hitched, although neither of their representatives have confirmed that.

    However, it seems Nick, who until last October was engaged to Victoria’s Secrets model Selita Banks, may be recycling his bling.

    'Pixie dust' makes man's severed finger regrow

    A man who lost the tip of his finger in an accident claims that it has regrown after he sprinkled it with a powder created from a pig’s bladder.

    Lee Spievak, from Ohio, lost part of his middle finger three years ago after it was hit by the propeller of a model airplane at the toy shop where he worked.

    He said that doctors told him that it would never grow back. Yet Mr Spievak, 69, once again has all of his finger thanks, he claims, to a magic “pixie dust”.

    The powder was produced by the company owned by Mr Spievak’s brother, Alan. It is technically known as extra cellular matrix and was pioneered by Dr Stephen Badylak at the University of Pittsburgh.

    For ten days, Mr Spievak applied the powder to the gaping hole on his finger. “The second time I put it on I already could see growth,” he said. “Each day it was up further. Finally it closed up and was a finger.

    It took about four weeks before it was sealed.”

    His finger now has “complete feeling, complete movement” as well as a fingernail and fingerprint.

    “Except for a tiny scar, it’s just like the finger I always had,” he said.

    While even Dr Badylak is not entirely sure how the powder works, it is believed that it kick-starts the body’s healing process.

    Made from dried pig’s bladder, it is packed with collagen, the protein that gives skin its strength and elasticity, and was originally developed to heal damaged ligaments in horses.

    Dr Badylak believes that the extra cellular matrix stimulates cells in a wound to grow rather than scar.

    “There are all sorts of signals in the body,” Dr Badylak said. “We have got signals that are good for forming scar, and others that are good for regenerating tissues. One way to think about these matrices is that we have taken out many of the stimuli for scar tissue formation and left those signals that were always there anyway for constructive remodelling.”

    Dr Badylak said that he hoped that within ten years the powder, which also comes in sheet form, would be able to “regrow the bones, and promote the growth of functional tissue around those bones”.

    He said that eventually it might help to regrow an entire limb.

    Dr Badylak is now preparing to continue testing the powder on a woman in Buenos Aires who has cancer of the oesophagus. The US military is due to start trials of the powder to regrow parts of the fingers of injured soldiers.

    However, Dr Badylak said that the powder “isn’t ready for prime time” yet. “This is a real shot in the dark,” he said. “But there’s literally nothing else these individuals have to try. They have nothing to lose.”

    In a bid to more fully understand the powers of the powder, Dr Badylak is also researching animals such as the salamander, whose limbs can grow back unaided within a matter of weeks.

    Dr Badylak does not know when scientists will be able to apply this research to people and it seems that Mr Spievak is unwilling to be a human guinea-pig for much longer.

    “I don't plan on cutting anything more off to find out if I can grow that back,” Mr Spievak insisted.

    Songs That Get Stuck in Your Head CD Collection

    Will Ferrel Sings with Shaq