Pranab Mukherjee is India's 13th president

NEW DELHI: United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate Pranab Mukherjee wins the presidential race by beating NDA-backed PA Sangma by a huge margin as he scored more than 558,000 votes crossing the required half-way mark of 5,25,140 votes.

His rival, former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma, was way behind with 239,966 votes as counting continued, Mukherjee's polling agent Pravin H. Parikh said. "He has crossed the halfway mark. He is the president-elect," Parikh said.

The win was anticipated as Mukherjee had the backing of the Trinamool Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the DMK, the Forward Bloc and Samajwadi Party but also National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally Janata Dal-United and Shiv Sena.

"I am very happy. I thank everybody for their love and support. I thank all the people of my country," Mukherjee told a Bengali news channel.

"In the last one month I have covered the entire country. And with the emotions and feelings that I have sensed in the common people revolving round this presidential election, it felt like it was not a presidential election but a general election.

"I am very happy, and I will strive to live up to the expectations and faith that people have bestowed on me," Mukherjee said in his first comments.

Officials opened the ballot boxes in Room 63 of Parliament House with representatives from both candidates present.

The first wooden box that was opened contained the votes of MPs cast in Delhi Thursday when the election took place.

Congress leaders including Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office V. Narayanasamy and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla were in the room.

Mukherjee will be administered the oath of office by the Chief Justice of India on July 25 at the Central Hall of Parliament.

The contest was between UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee and opposition-supported Purno Sangma, a former Lok Sabha speaker.

The odds were heavily stacked against Sangma the man who has never lost any election from 1977 till 2008. And Sanga's defeat to Mukherjee, would mean that for the first time in 35 years that he would be left without any 'current' designation.

Ever since he threw his hat into the presidential ring, Sangma has been clinging on to the 'conscience vote', 'miracle' and 'hope' rhetoric.

Sangma had indubitably brought in an element of excitement into the 2012 presidential poll which even made former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav fumble during Thursday's poll, rendering his vote invalid'.

Earlier in the day his daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee said the family will celebrate only after he was sworn in. However, celebrations began at Mukherjee's native village Birbhum in West Bengal much before the results were announced. Party leaders have also been visiting his residence with boxes of sweets to be distributed when the results are announced.

The counting of ballots were conducted amidst tight security in Parliament House in the presence of authorised representatives of both Mukherjee and Sangma. The ballot boxes of votes cast in Parliament House were taken up first for counting after which those from the states were opened.

Pranab Mukherjee's win will bring an end the lament of Bengalis of not seeing a local boy occupying the highest constitutional post of the country.

Mukherjee, often referred to as the best Prime Minister India never had, began his political career in 1969 and has served in every Congress cabinet since Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister.

Trinamool Congress (TMC), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), JD (S), CPI-M, YSR Congress and Forward Bloc have also extended their support to Mukherjee along with NDA partners Janata Dal-United and Shiv Sena.

About 95 percent of the 4,896 electorate exercised their franchise to elect India's 13th president at polling centres set up at Parliament House and 30 state and union territories.

The president is elected by an electoral college of MPs and members of state assemblies.

All MPs except those nominated to parliament are eligible to vote. There are 776 MPs; each MP's vote equals 708 votes.

There were 4,120 assembly members eligible to vote. The value of a legislator's vote is variable depending on the population of the state the member represents.

Besides the support of the UPA led by the Congress, Mukherjee enjoyed the backing of the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata Dal-Secular.

Constituents of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, Janata Dal-United and Shiv Sena, also extended their support to the former finance minister besides the CPI-M and Forward Bloc.

Sangma, a member of the Meghalaya assembly, is supported by the BJP, Akali Dal, Asom Gana Parishad, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, AIADMK and Biju Janata Dal.

P.A. Sangma, a former Lok Sabha Speaker, jumped into the fray playing the tribal card with the initial support of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

The BJP and Akali Dal decided to back Sangma, who quit the NCP, the party he founded with Sharad Pawar, to contest the election.

Source: Yahoo!

First HIV prevention drug gets green light from US

London, July 17 (ANI): A drug to prevent HIV infection has for the first time got the seal of approval from US health regulators.

Truvada can be used by those at high risk of infection and anyone who may engage in sexual activity with HIV-infected partners, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Studies have shown that the drug, made by California-based Gilead Sciences, reduced the risk of contracting HIV by up to 73 percent, the BBC reported.

Some health workers and groups active in the HIV community opposed a green light for the once-daily pill.

There have been concerns the circulation of such a drug could engender a false sense of security. There have also been fears that a drug-resistant strain of HIV could develop.

In a statement, the FDA stressed that the drug should be used as part of a "comprehensive HIV prevention plan", including condom use and regular HIV testing.

In May, an advisory group of health experts recommended approval for the pill.

Truvada is already backed by the FDA to be taken with existing anti-retroviral drugs for people who have HIV.

Studies from 2010 showed that Truvada reduced the risk of HIV in healthy gay men - and among HIV-negative heterosexual partners of HIV-positive people - by between 44 percent and 73 percent. (ANI)

Source: Yahoo!

Rajesh Khanna passes away at 69

Rajesh Khanna, the original superstar of the Hindi film industry, died at his home, Aashirvad, in Mumbai on Wednesday at the age of 69.


The yesteryear actor was ailing since quite a while and had just been discharged from Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital on Tuesday. He had been diagnosed with a kidney problem.
Reports said that Rajesh Khanna was not responding to medicines and had been put on IV and had been grasping for breath since morning.  He had been put on life support.

His family was present with him and his doctor and physician were also next to him.

 Television reports said that his son-in-law Akshay Kumar had returned from his shoots abroad to be by his side. All his family members had already gathered at his Bandra house which has been cordoned off by police officials.

Born Jatin Khanna on December 29, 1942, he took up the screen name of Rajesh Khanna when he entered filmdom. He acted in 163 films, including 106 as the hero.

Khanna won 3 Filmfare Best Actor Awards, four BFJA Awards for Best Actor (Hindi), and also the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.

He debuted in films in 1966 with the film Aakhri Khat. He attained unprecedented heights of stardom with films like Aradhana, Amar Prem, Kati Patang, Khamioshi, Raaz, Baharon Ke Sapne, Ittefaq, etc.

He married Dimple Kapadia in March 1973, but the couple separated in 1984. He has two daughters – Twinkle (Akshay Kumar’s wife) and Rinkie – from that marriage.

Source: Yahoo!

Gunman attacks 'Batman' premier in Colorado, 12 dead

AURORA, Colo. (Reuters) - A gunman in a gas mask and bullet-proof vest killed 12 people at a midnight premiere of the new "Batman" movie in a suburb of Denver early on Friday, sparking pandemonium when he hurled a gas canister into the auditorium and opened fire on moviegoers.

(See video here..)
The attack injured 55 others including children during a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" at a mall in the suburb of Aurora, which turned into a chaotic scene of bleeding victims, horrified screams and pleas of "I'm hit, help me," witnesses said.
(See pictures here.)
The suspect also booby-trapped his Aurora apartment with sophisticated explosives, creating a hazard for law-enforcement and bomb squad officers who swarmed to the scene. Authorities evacuated five nearby buildings, and created a perimeter of several blocks.
Officers took the suspect into custody in the parking lot behind the cinema, where he surrendered without a fight, police said.
He was armed with a high-powered rifle, a shotgun and two pistols, according to a law enforcement source close to the investigation.
The suspect was identified as James Eagan Holmes, 24, a University of Colorado medical school student who was in the process of dropping out of a graduate program in neurosciences, the university said in a statement. His family issued a statement of sympathy for the victims and asked for privacy while they "process this information."
The living room of the suspect's apartment was crisscrossed with trip wires connected to what appeared to be plastic bottles containing an unknown liquid, said Chris Henderson, Aurora's deputy fire chief. Authorities planned to detonate the suspected explosives with a robot, he said.
"The pictures are fairly disturbing. It looks very sophisticated, how it's booby-trapped. It could be a very long wait," Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates told reporters. (See video here.)
The gunman appeared at the front of the theater during the movie and released a canister which let out a hissing sound before gunfire erupted, police said.
"When we got out of the theater it was just chaos. There was this one ... guy, was on all fours crawling. There was this girl spitting up blood," witness Donovan Tate told KCNC television. "There were bullet holes in some people's backs, some people's arms. There was this one guy who was stripped down to just his boxers. It looked like he was shot in the back or something. It was crazy."
Confusion reigned as shooting broke out during an action scene in the summer blockbuster, one of the more highly anticipated films of the year. The gunman may have blended in with other moviegoers who wore costumes as heroes and villains.
"He looked like he was in the military or like he was a SWAT person so he just kind of blended in with the chaos of the crowd. People thought he was probably like a cop or something," witness Jennifer Seeger told NBC's "Today."
Chandler Brannon, 25, who had been watching the movie with his girlfriend, said that about 20 minutes into the movie he saw a smoke bomb go off and heard what sounded like fireworks. He later realized they were a rapid volley of gunshots.
"I told my girlfriend to just play dead," he told Reuters. "All I could see was a silhouette."
(See video of another e ye-witness )


CAMPAIGN TAKES A DAY OFF
President Barack Obama, who was notified of the shooting early on Friday morning by his homeland security adviser, John Brennan, urged Americans to "stand together" with the people of Aurora and said political campaigning ahead of the November 6 election should be set aside.
"There are going to be other days for politics. This, I think, is a day for prayer and reflection," Obama told supporters at a previously scheduled campaign event in Fort Myers, Florida, which he cut short to address the shooting.
White House officials saw no connection to terrorism, an Obama spokesman said.
Obama's opponent, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, pulled all television ads in Colorado until further notice, campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said, and a scheduled campaign was dedicated to addressing the shooting.
(Read  here about Obama, Romney cutting short presidential campaigns in the wake of the shooting.)
MEMORIES OF COLUMBINE
The shooting evoked memories of the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, also a Denver suburb and 17 miles (27 km) from Aurora, where two students opened fire and killed 12 students and a teacher.
(Read about mass shooting incidents in last 25 years  )
Six Aurora-area hospitals reported receiving 55 patients from the scene. Ten victims died in the theater and two died in the hospital, Aurora Police spokesman Frank Fania told NBC.
"This is one of the most horrific nights I've ever had to work," said Comilla Sasson, an emergency doctor at University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora where 22 patients ranging in age from three months to 45 years arrived in private cars, police cars and ambulances.

U.S. military personnel apparently were among the casualties but it was not immediately clear whether any were killed, the Defense Department said.
Buckley Air Force Base is the largest employer in Aurora, a city of more than 320,000 people, according to the Aurora Economic Development Council.

"Our hearts go out to those who were involved in this tragedy and to the families and friends of those involved," read a statement from Holmes' family in San Diego that was read by police there.
The family, which said it was cooperating with authorities, asked for privacy.

SECURITY PRECAUTIONS
In New York, police will deploy officers at screenings of "The Dark Knight Rises" throughout the city "as a precaution against copycats," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said in a statement.
The Paris movie premiere was cancelled on Friday, event organizers said. Workmen cleared away barriers that had been set up in preparation for the premiere at a cinema on the capital's Champs Elysees avenue.
"Warner Bros. is deeply saddened to learn about this shocking incident. We extend our sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims at this tragic time," said Jessica Zacholl, a spokeswoman for Time Warner-owned Warner Bros., the studio behind the film.

The film, with a budget of $250 million, opened on 4,404 screens, the second widest release ever behind "Twilight: Eclipse," and industry analysts had said it stood a good chance of matching or beating the opening weekend box office record of $207 million set by Disney's "Avengers" in May.
The prior release in the Batman series, "The Dark Knight," has grossed more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office since its release in 2008.
(Additional reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst, Joseph O'Leary, Sunaina Karkarey and Cynthia Johnston; Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Vicki Allen)

Source: Yahoo!

Computers with deadly virus to lose web link: FBI

London, July 5 (IANS) Internet users across the world have been warned by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that if they have the "Alureon/DNS Changer bot" virus on their computers, they will lose their internet connections July 9.

The virus "spoofs" popular websites in an attempt to steal personal information, the Daily Mail reported.

The software found its way into thousands of computers worldwide last year. It redirect users away from trusted websites, towards spoof websites in a bid to steal financial and personal information.

When the attack was noticed, the FBI routed infected machines through its server to stop the attacks.

But the servers will be taken down July 9. When this happens, computers still infected are likely to lose their internet connection without warning.

Warnings about the problem have been splashed across Facebook and Google, and the FBI has set up a special website.

The number of computers infected is more than 277,000 worldwide. The number was 360,000 in April. Of those still infected, the FBI believes that about 64,000 are in the US.

Users still infected will have to call their service providers for deleting the malware and reconnecting to the internet.

Last year, when international hackers ran an online advertising scam to take control of more than 570,000 infected computers around the world, the FBI agents realised that if they turned off the malicious servers being used to control the computers, all the victims would lose their internet service.

The FBI then installed two clean internet servers to take over instead of the malicious servers so that people would not suddenly lose internet.

But that temporary system will be shut down July 9.

Source: Yahoo!

5 Ways to Avoid Getting Ripped Off at the Doctor's Office

Most of us can think of at least a few times when we took our car to the mechanic and got the sense they were trying to sell us services we didn't need, or worse yet, overcharging us for the ones we do receive. And most of us can't deny that we've felt a similarly nagging feeling from time to time while sitting on the doctor's examining table, or in the dentist's chair. But we don't like to believe our intuition. It's been ingrained that our doctor knows what's best for us, and that their services are required and worth the money we pay.
So when a special advisory medical panel met last April, they cited up to 45 overused medical tests and procedures that should be used less in doctors' offices and hospitals. From that extra set of x-rays that isn't needed, to pointless stress tests for perfectly healthy people, or certain questionable prescription medications, the recommendations from the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation brought to light something we've hardly had the courage to express, but always wanted to: Sometimes we're just sick and tired of getting ripped off at the doctor's.
The costs are staggering: According to the Washington Post, A National Academy of Sciences report from 2005 found that 30 percent of U.S. healthcare spending was either unnecessary, wasteful, or both, and that some more recent studies revealed that the spending amounted to $600 billion to $700 billion annually.
Discussion forums across the Web are filled with complaints from people who criticize their dentist or primary care physician for trying to "up sell" them with products that are not only unneeded, but costly. According to Blisstree and other sources, when our doctor is insistent on giving us extra tests or exams, it's not to make more money, in fact, but to avoid a malpractice suit. Still, it's not much consolation when a dentist appears more eager to push their expensive tooth whitening package than to fill your painful cavity; or when a specialist insists on the most expensive prescriptions when a cheaper, over-the-counter alternative works just as well.
If you feel that you're paying more than you need to at the doctor, you can take control of your health (and the health of your savings account) by considering a few choices:
1. Seek out a second opinion.
Your dentist tells you that you need 10 cavities filled, seven root canals, and a new mouth of crowns--after insurance, it'll still cost you thousands of dollars. Yet another, separate dentist may find that all you need is some minimal dental work, saving you money, time, and physical discomfort.
The good news about healthcare is that you're not under contract or obligated to see just one doctor. If you're unhappy with the service you've received or price you've been quoted, it's perfectly acceptable to seek out another opinion from another doctor. Doctors are also required by law to forward your patient files or x-rays to other physicians. Don't feel guilty to shop around. Check with your insurance carrier--they'll be able to tell you which doctors in your network are board certified. Don't be afraid to refer to word-of-mouth websites like Yelp.com to see how some local specialists are rated. And when researching new physicians, see how much your co-payments will be stacked up against other doctors providing the same services.
2. Opt for medical schools and clinics.
Consider visiting a university dental or medical clinic for a checkup or exam. The cost is significantly cheaper and the care, very often, surpasses that of a regular medical practice. Most college clinic care is carried out by students under the supervision of a faculty M.D. Often, student doctors at specialty clinics, like those for chiropractic care or periodontal dental work, for example, have already received their full medical licensing.
Also consider visiting a low-cost medical clinic in your neighborhood. It's a cost-effective way of saving money while not skimping on the level of medical care you may need. It's a good option for the uninsured patient who can't afford to pay full cost, out of pocket, at a conventional medical practice.
3. Group exams and medical procedures together.
Say you've got three cavities that need filling, and you've scheduled three appointments for each--but you're unaware that there's a new co-payment for every visit. Now you may owe hundreds of dollars out of pocket. Work with your doctor or dentist to see their availability, and group major medical procedures into a plan that's physically, and financially, manageable for you. You can even do one better: If you're a prospective patient, schedule a consultation with the practitioner you've got in mind. Take a tour of their offices, ask about their rates, and see if you can receive an estimate of the services you may need. This can be an initial, low-cost way of diagnosing what kinds of medical services you may be in need of.
4. Avoid the up sell.
The Archives of Internal Medicine reported in 2011 that 40 percent of doctors polled, according to the L.A. Times, said that they ordered more tests and consultations than were necessary because they didn't get to spend enough time with their patients to make a proper diagnosis. Depending on your insurance plan, an extra test or three can come at a huge cost to you as the patient. If you're skeptical about a certain procedure, ask your doctor straight away if it's absolutely needed.
And like expensive cosmetics and other top-dollar products, which claim to perform better than their cheaper contemporaries, don't be swayed by a medical practitioner into buying pricey medicines or other items. Unless it's prescription, there's little reason to buy the tube of $30 toothpaste at the dentist's front counter when a generic $1.99 brand from the store works just as well. The same goes for prescriptions on everything from pain medication to back braces to contact lenses--your doctor may be able to prescribe you a generic brand at a savings to you.
5. Preventive care is the best medicine.
They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It can also be worth a lot to your finances, too. It goes without saying that eating right, exercising, and getting enough sleep keeps you healthy and prevents illness and disease. Some lifestyle changes may be all the treatment that's needed to avoid costly doctor visit or exams, even those that rightly justify a high price tag. The first step in avoiding a medical rip-off is to ensure that we're not just being honest with our choices we make in physicians and services, but the ones we make with our health.

Source: Yahoo!

How to become a Millionaire before 30

  So your ambition in life is to be a millionaire before you turn 30! Fabulous.
It’s a great ambition. It is not difficult, but it is not that easy either, as you might very well know. There are many routes that people take to become a millionaire – betting on horses, gambling, investing in real estate, winning a lottery, becoming an entrepreneur. Some rely on luck while some work hard for it. Luck is fleeting, rare, but hard work pays, hundred percent. So, how do you become a millionaire? Here’s how:

Earnings from your job

Obviously you need a steady stream of income to build your million. The more money you earn, the quicker the journey to your milestone will be. But that doesn’t mean you can get there on a Government salary. It has to be substantial.

Know your limits

You have to know your limits. You obviously cannot spend more than you make. That’s a financial suicide. If you can’t afford to buy that Sedan, don’t. Buy a hatch. If you can’t afford to eat at fancy restaurants, start cooking at home. If traveling by your vehicle is expensive, switch to public transport. You don’t have to turn into a pauper, just practice smart living. Quit getting magazines you don’t read; get rid of the internet connection if you don’t use it that often. You use it at work anyway. Switch to prepaid connection if you’re on a postpaid mobile plan. Get rid of that credit card so you never get tempted into buying stuff on an impulse. When you shop, shop in bulk. Quit buying the newest gadgets. Basically, live a lifestyle that you can afford.

Save Money

Just making money won’t suffice. You need a savings plan. Don’t leave it for too late. The longer you save the more money you will end up with. Don’t think of saving after you’ve paid all your bills. Set aside a percentage of your salary every week or every month and put that money into a separate account and refrain from getting an ATM card. That way you will think twice before withdrawing money.

Make good investments

Make sound investment decisions. Listen to news, read the papers, talk to knowledgeable people and seek their advice on investments. You can even seek services of an investment agency. Invest in a diversified portfolio and be consistent. Maybe a systematic investment plan or SIP. You can even look at mutual funds, stocks, shares etc. Make sure you have the ability to take risks because you will win some and you will lose some. Buy land or gold or flats if you have that kind of cash. It will appreciate over a period of time and you can sell it off later to make a good profit.

Start your own business

You can turn into an entrepreneur even, investing your money into growing your business. If the idea is good and you’re a good manager, you will be able to make quite a bit of money. Always keep looking at avenues to increase your income.

Your hobby could make you rich

If you have a hobby like stamp collection or comic books collection (in mint condition), antiques or original paintings, or any collector’s items. They could fetch a great amount if you decide to auction them.

Get married

By marrying a working woman, you not only double your salary but also your savings.
Becoming a millionaire is not easy, or else all of us would be one. It is tough. It needs planning and perseverance. If you’re willing to put in hard work over a period of time, you will be rewarded.

Source: Yahoo!

It's a boson- Higgs quest bears new particle

              GENEVA (Reuters) - Scientists at Europe's CERN research centre have found a new subatomic particle, a basic building block of the universe, which appears to be the boson imagined and named half a century ago by theoretical physicist Peter Higgs.

"We have reached a milestone in our understanding of nature," CERN director general Rolf Heuer told a gathering of scientists and the world's media near Geneva on Wednesday.

"The discovery of a particle consistent with the Higgs boson opens the way to more detailed studies, requiring larger statistics, which will pin down the new particle's properties, and is likely to shed light on other mysteries of our universe."

Two independent studies of data produced by smashing proton particles together at CERN's Large Hadron Collider produced a convergent near-certainty on the existence of the new particle.

It is unclear that it is exactly the boson Higgs foresaw, which by bestowing mass on other matter helps explain the way the universe was ordered after the chaos of Big Bang.

But addressing scientists assembled in the CERN auditorium, Heuer posed them a question: "As a layman, I would say I think we have it. Would you agree?" A roar of applause said they did.

For some, there was no doubt the Higgs boson is found: "It's the Higgs," said Jim Al-Khalili of Surrey University, a British physicist and popular broadcaster. "The announcement from CERN is even more definitive and clear-cut than most of us expected.

"Nobel prizes all round."

Higgs, now 83, from Edinburgh University was among six theorists who in the early 1960s proposed the existence of a mechanism by which matter in the universe gained mass. Higgs himself argued that if there were an invisible field responsible for the process, it must be made up of particles.

He and some of the others were at CERN to welcome news of what, to the embarrassment of many scientists, some commentators have labelled the "God particle", for its role in turning the Big Bang into an ordered universe. Clearly overwhelmed, his eyes welling up, Higgs told the symposium of fellow researchers: "It is an incredible thing that it has happened in my lifetime."

Scientists see confirmation of his theory as accelerating investigations into the still unexplained "dark matter" they believe pervades the universe and into the possibility of a fourth or more dimensions, or of parallel universes. It may help in resolving contradictions between their model of how the world works at the subatomic level and Einstein's theory of gravity.

END OF AN ERA

"It is very satisfying," Higgs told Reuters. "For me personally it's just the confirmation of something I did 48 years ago," he said of the achievement of the thousands who laboured on the practical experimental work which had, finally, confirmed what he and others had described with mathematics.

"I had no expectation that I would still be alive when it happened," he said of the speed with which they found evidence.

"For physics, in one way, it is the end of an era in that it completes the Standard Model," he said of the basic theory physicists currently use to describe what they understand so far of a cosmos built from 12 fundamental particles and four forces.

CERN's Large Hadron Collider is the world's biggest and most powerful particle accelerator. Two beams of protons are fired in opposite directions around the 27-km (17-mile) looped pipe built under the Swiss-French border before smashing into each other.

The collisions, which mimic the moments just after the Big Bang, throw off debris signals picked up by a vast complex of detectors and the data is examined by banks of computers.

The two separate CERN teams worked independently through that data, hunting for tiny divergences which might betray the existence of the new boson, a class of particle that includes the photon, associated with light. The class is named in honour of Albert Einstein's Indian collaborator Satyendra Nath Bose.

Both teams found strong signals of the new particle at around 125 to 126 gigaelectron volts (GeV) - a unit of mass-energy. That makes it some 130-140 times heavier than a proton.

Scientists struggling to explain the theory have likened Higgs particles to a throng of paparazzi photographers; the greater the "celebrity" of a passing particle, the more the Higgs bosons get in its way and slow it down, imparting it mass; but a particle such as a photon of light is of no interest to the paparazzi and passes through easily - a photon has no mass.

Presenting the results, Joe Incandela at CERN showed off two peaks on a graph of debris hitting the detectors, which he said revealed the hitherto unseen presence of the enigmatic particle. "That is what we are sure is the Higgs," a CERN scientist said.

LESS THAN ONE IN A MILLION
"It's a boson!" headlined Britain's Science and Technology Facilities Council in a statement on the role its researchers had played in the delivery of the "dramatic 5 sigma signal" for the existence of the long-sought particle.

Five sigma, a measure of probability reflecting a less than one in a million chance of a fluke in the data, is a widely accepted standard for scientists to agree the particle exists.

"The fact that both our teams have independently come to the same results is very powerful," Oliver Buchmueller, a senior physicist on one of the research teams, told Reuters.

"We know it is a new boson. But we still have to prove definitively that it is the one that Higgs predicted."

"If I were a betting man, I would bet that it is the Higgs. But we can't say that definitely yet. It is very much a smoking duck that walks and quacks like the Higgs. But we now have to open it up and look inside before we can say that it is indeed the Higgs."

Al-Khalili said the researchers' caution was extreme: "Cutting through all the jargon about sigmas and decay channels, the bottom line is that CERN have indeed discovered the Higgs boson," he said. "In my view, if it looks like the Higgs, smells like the Higgs and is exactly what we expected from the Higgs, then it's the Higgs."
UNIVERSAL THEORY

The Higgs theory explains how particles clumped together to form stars, planets and life itself. Without the Higgs boson, the universe would have remained a formless soup of particles shooting around at the speed of light, the theory goes.

It is the last undiscovered piece of the Standard Model that describes the fundamental make-up of the universe. The model is for physicists what the theory of evolution is for biologists.

What scientists do not yet know from the latest findings is whether the particle they have discovered is the Higgs boson as exactly described by the Standard Model. It could be a variant of the Higgs idea or an entirely new subatomic particle that could force a rethink on the fundamental structure of matter.

The last two possibilities are, in scientific terms, even more exciting.

Packed audiences of particle physicists, journalists, students and even politicians filled conference rooms in Geneva, London and a major physics conference in Melbourne, Australia, to hear the announcement.

Despite the excitement, physicists cautioned that there was still much to learn: "We have closed one chapter and opened another," said Peter Knight of Britain's Institute of Physics.

Paul Nurse, president of Britain's science academy The Royal Society, said: "This is a big day for science and for human achievement ... Today moves us a step closer to a fuller understanding of the very stuff of which the universe is made."

Higgs himself called it a great achievement for CERN's collider. Without it, his ideas would remain just a paper theory and he conceded that he personally was never cut out for laboratory experimentation: "I certainly did some lab work as a schoolboy in Bristol," he told Reuters. "I was incompetent." (Additional reporting by Rosalba O'Brien in London and Sonali Paul in Melbourne; Writing by Alastair Macdonald)

Source: Yahoo!

In search of a simple explanation of Higgs boson, aka the God Particle

Click image to see more photos.

Higgs boson verified at Level 5 sigma signal at around 125 GeV????? Yowza.
OK, let's try this again: Scientists are now within reach of finding the so-called God particle. About 5,000 researchers divided into two teams--ATLAS and CMS--found a subatomic particle, and it could be the elusive Higgs, the polka-dotted unicorn of the physics world. Here's a "simple" explanation of what has physicists agog the world over:

As of July 4, 2012, the Higgs boson is the last fundamental piece of the standard model of particle physics to be discovered experimentally. But you might ask, why was the Higgs boson included in the standard model alongside well-known particles like electrons and protons and quarks, if they hadn't been discovered back then in the 1970s? (The Higgs Boson, Part I, Minute Physics)

Wait, is this the simple explanation? Let's try this again, because our decoder rings are telling us that scientists are on the verge of discovering the mass behind matter, the be-all behind the universe coming into being. And, if we're understanding these overly intelligent mutterings, the applications of this finding has all sorts of implications, like figuring out dark matter, time travel, and other exhilarating-terrifying possibilities. So here's a layman's low-down on Higgs boson and what it could mean for humankind.
I thought these animals were extinct? Not bison, but boson. The name Higgs boson comes from a mash-up of two names: British physicist Peter Higgs and an Indian scientist, whose underrated accomplishments got a class of particles named after him.

[A] boson -- one of the two fundamental classes of subatomic particles -- is named after Satyendra Nath Bose, who preceded Higgs. ... Bose, who worked with Albert Einstein to bring out the Bose-Einstein statistics and the theory of Bose-Einstein condensate in the 1920s, was a natural candidate for a Nobel Prize, which he never got. But his work on quantum mechanics was so substantial that one of the subatomic particles was named after him. However, when science's biggest find came, Bose was missing from the limelight, even in India. (July 5, Times of India)

What does God have to do with this: Nobel Prize winner Leon Lederman, who wanted to push the (expensive) idea of building the Superconducting Super Collider in Texas, dropped the term in his 1993 book, "The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question?" The phrase came from his desire for a defining name that would explain humankind's "final understanding of the structure of matter."

Why God Particle? Two reasons. One, the publisher wouldn't let us call it the Goddamn Particle, though that might be a more appropriate title, given its villainous nature and the expense it is causing. And two, there is a connection, of sorts, to another book, a much older one. (July 5, Poynter)

Thanks for the etymology, what about the science? Here goes: A 20th-century breakthrough figured out that atoms were made up of three particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. Then, as physicists are wont to do, they started smashing the particles, which broke down into even smaller particles.
Scientists figured these itty-bitty particles were quarks, held together by gluons. Then scientist Peter Higgs proposed the burning, yearning question: Surely there must be one uber-particle that creates an invisible field (called the Higgs field) that adds mass to matter. After all, why do planets cluster around the sun?

As Higgs theorized things, the universe is filled with an energy field through which all particles must move much the way an airplane has to push its way through a stiff headwind. The greater the potential mass of the particle, the greater the resistance it encounters. It's theoretically possible for a particle to have no actual mass at all, and indeed, the photon is massless. But that's the exception. All other particles -- protons, electrons, neutrons, neutrinos -- are eventually pinged by the Higgs bosons that suffuse the field. That tiny collision converts the particle from a packet of energy to a packet of matter. (The Higgs acquires its own mass through its own interactions with the field.) (July 4, Time)

Higgs field is what's important: MSNBC's Cosmic Log, which does a manly job at a resource roundup, updates a 1993 analogy to explain the Higgs field: You're on a balcony watching a cocktail party. People come in and walk from one end of the room to another. Then, Justin Bieber enters. Hysteria ensues -- partygoers cluster around him and he can barely move and get to the cocktail franks at the other end of the room.

[O]nce he moves, the crowd moves with him in such a way that the whole group is harder to stop. The partygoers are like Higgs bosons, the just plain folks are like massless particles, and Bieber is like a massive Z boson. (July 3, MSNBC)

Isn't everything simpler when Bieber's in the picture?
What's the big deal? Besides understanding how the universe works?

Discovering the so-called Higgs boson particle would be one of the greatest achievements in science, rivaling the discovery of the structure of DNA in 1953 and the Apollo moon landings of the 1960s and 1970s. It can explain why some particles have mass, but why others, such as photons of light, do not. ... A Higgs boson particle is essential to the so-called standard model of physics -- the generally accepted theory about how the universe works. Finding it would effectively confirm the standard model. (July 5, Independent)

CERN researchers caution that, "despite press reports, the Higgs is not directly related either to the Big Bang or inflation -- as far as we know." That's not stopping a lot of what-if scenarios. After all, the Web came about by CERN scientists desire to give particle physicists quicker ways to commune. The U.S. Department of Energy lists the discipline for helping with eveything from food sterilization and scanning shipping containers to cancer research and testing nukes.
Space.com thinks the particle could explain dark matter (although CERN researchers threw cold water on that one, too, telling Nature that "Higgs boson alone wouldn't really help much with the 'big' questions [dark matter, dark energy, etc].") ZeeNews ponders that perhaps inertia (or drag) can be reduced in future technologies, like a jumbo jet. Two Vanderbilt University theoretical physicists propose a "long shot" pipe dream about time travel, but hey, isn't that the job of theoretical physicists?
Other things you didn't know but wanted to about Higgs boson:
—Higgs and the atom smasher: By the numbers (Live Science)
—Why scientists don't like the term 'God particle' for the Higgs boson (Christianity Today)
—CERN scientists inexplicably present Higgs boson findings in Comic Sans (The Verge)
—Hipster pop quiz: What is the Higgs boson (Motherboard, beware the foul mouths in Brooklyn)

Source: Yahoo!

5 Ways To Get Rich Online

To cash in online you need to be a game-changer. When Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook, there was nothing like it. He is now worth $17.5 billion according to recent Forbes valuations. Drew Houston saw money to be made in online storage, and co-founded Dropbox, the web-based tool that hit $240 million in revenue in 2011. Eric Lefkofsky spotted the potential in Groupon and gave $1 million to CEO and founder Andrew Mason. This year, Lefkofsky made the Forbes Billionaires list with a net worth of $2.9 billion. There are still fortunes to be made online, and we have found a few ways to do so.
YouTube has launched the career of many a musician, including Justin Bieber, the teen pop sensation who earned $108 million in the past two years. But have you heard of Karmin, the pop duo who signed a million dollar record deal after their Chris Brown "Look At Me Now" cover went viral? The duo, real-life couple Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan, hit it big when the video gained over 68 million views after its upload in April 2011, propelling Karmin to a million dollar deal with label heavyweight Epic Records just a month later. "Brokenhearted," the lead single from their debut album, has now gone platinum. [More from Forbes: 10 horrible reasons to get rich]
You do not have to be a singer to become a YouTube star. If you are lucky, you could shoot a video of your child, pet, or a double rainbow that strikes a chord and goes viral. YouTube might then get in touch asking you to become a partner, meaning the site will run ads along with your clip and share over 50% of the revenue with you. The father of "David After Dentist" has made more than $100,000 from YouTube ads alone. As well as advertising, viral video celebrities can diversify into TV appearances, merchandise and even iPhone apps, as the creator of "Charlie Bit My Finger" has done.
YouTube is not the only platform to launch the careers of millionaires. Sophia Amoruso, the founder of online clothing store Nasty Gal, started her business by selling vintage finds on eBay. After building a fan-base she outgrew the platform and created her own website. Nasty Gal is now worth $130 million, and is set to do $128 million in sales this year. [More from Forbes: Budget breaking discretionary spending]
These days, there are many more online retail options on which to cash in. Alongside the tried-and-tested web marketplaces of Craigslist and eBay are stylish sites like Threadflip, a place for sellers to turnaround their used women's apparel. ModCloth, which peddles vintage threads while carefully integrating social and mobile aspects has become increasingly popular, earning its 27-year-old husband-wife founders Eric and Susan Gregg Koger a spot on Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Bloggers can make it big, too. First, you'll need to set up a site which will become your platform to write on music, fashion, finance or whatever your interest may be. Build a following and readership, and you could catch the attention of companies looking to acquire your site. In 2008, Johns Wu, the founder of Bankaholic.com, sold the site to Bankrate, Inc. for $14.9 million. Entrepreneurial tech site TechCrunch was acquired by AOL in 2010 for $30 million, making its founder, Michael Arrington, a wealthy man.
Fashion bloggers can also get rich. Just look at Leandra Medine, the woman behind the Man Repeller blog, whose site grew so popular it spawned two jewelry lines with Dannijo and a collaboration with Del Toro on $325 shoes. [More from Forbes: The 20 new rules of money]
Other ways to monetize your writing include selling affiliate marketing through programs such as Amazon Affiliates. Bloggers place an affiliate link for the product on their site, and whenever a visitor buys a product by clicking on that link, they will be credited with a sale and make a commission. Bloggers can also sell advertising space, earning higher rates for more visitors.

With a little creativity, you might just become the next Internet millionaire. So power up, log on, and start turning your talents into cash. [More from Forbes: 5 easy ways to fight the urge to splurge]

Source: Yahoo!