10 Creative Vegetables for a Sizzlin' Crudités Platter | Reader's Digest Version

10 Creative Vegetables for a Sizzlin' Crudités Platter | Reader's Digest Version

Fennel

The crisp anise flavor of fennel is perfect with creamy dips. Fennel also pairs exceptionally well with roasted red peppers.

Geo tv | Geo News | Pakistan, Sports, World, Video News

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Big underground river flows below Amazon

Updated at: 1702 PST, Sunday, August 28, 2011

RIO DE JANEIRO: Scientists in Brazil claim to have discovered a massive 6000km river running deep below the Amazon basin, but other researchers think it might just be water trickling through underground rocks. Known for its rich biodiversity and misty beauty, researchers are now wondering if they have only seen part of the Amazon, since the "discovery" of the underground Hamza River was presented by scientists from Brazil’s National Observatory at a conference last week. Elizabeth Tavares Pimentel and Valiya Hamza located the river by collecting data samples from temperature variations in 241 abandoned deep wells, drilled in the Amazon by Petrobras, Brazil's state oil company, in the 1970s and 1980s. If the river, located between two and four kilometres below the earth's surface, is as big as the scientists believe, it could be the longest underground river in the world. "It is kind of fascinating from a scientific point of view," said Michael Coe, leader of the Amazon programme at the Woods Hole research centre in the US who has studied the area for 12 years. "What we see on the surface is not all that is going on." Untraditional river While massive in size, the underground formation probably holds less than three per cent of the water, which flows through the traditional Amazon, Coe said. "It is not a river in the sense of water flowing through a tube; it would be water flowing through porous stones," he told Al Jazeera. "The lion's share of the water is still on the surface." Jorge Figueiredo, a geologist with Petrobras who has published widely on the Amazon, scoffs when asked if the underground water should be considered a river. “The authors made their conclusion based on the temperature of the rocks, but we have data against this possibility.” He doesn’t think the discovery was based on sound science. The report came from a presentation at a conference. It did not pass peer review from other scientists in a scholarly journal. “It seems to be a bit of nonsense work,” Figueiredo said. The variation of temperature, an important part of the researcher’s theory, “can be based on many different things,” he said. While the Hamza River may be massive, the water running through it moves slowly. About 133,000 cubic metres of water flows through the traditional Amazon each second, while the underground river's flow rate has been estimated at about 3900 cubic metres per second. While the Amazon ranges from one kilometer to 100 kilometers in width, the Hamza is much wider, allegedly ranging from 200 to 400km. But the river’s size means it is unlikely to be a continuous flow, Figueiredo said. Broader implications unclear “Six thousands kilometres [the apparent length of the river] is almost the width of South America,” Figueiredo told Al Jazeera. Underground rock formations across the contient are not all connected, he said, meaning the chances of one continuous river are unlikely at best. He does not believe the underground water should be considered a river. Scientists are not sure what the discovery means for broader ecological issues. “This could contribute to slow salinity in near-coastal environments, but I am not sure,” Coe said. If the water is fresh, as some scientists claim, it could affect coastal ecosystems from mangroves to marshlands. Figueiredo does not think there is any way fresh water could be buried that deep. Bacteria and other small organisms are likely the only life, which could survive in water this far underground, Coe said. If nothing else the discovery underscores how many important natural resources exist, undiscovered, in the Amazon, said Rafael Cruz, a Greenpeace campaigner in Brazil. “For us, it is a confirmation of how precious the Amazon forest is and how we have to preserve it,” he told Al Jazeera. “The scientific community is going to speak out with this new discovery and it will be important in the whole conservation debate.”

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MTV video awards honor Britney Spears, Katy Perry

Updated at: 1109 PST, Monday, August 29, 2011

LOS ANGELES: Pop star Lady Gaga opened the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday dressed in drag and singing her "You and I" while Britney Spears and Katy Perry took awards, but it may be Beyonce who stole the show. The R&B singer whose hits include "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" appeared visibly pregnant as she showed up on the red carpet outside the show, posing for photographers and outlining a baby bump with her hands under her long gown. Beyonce, who is married to rapper Jay-Z, avoided reporters waiting to ask whether she is pregnant. For years, her fans and the media have speculated whether and when the pair might have a baby. Lady Gaga, who showed up last year at the MTV video awards in a dress made of raw meat, did an about face this year, opening the program in a man's dark suit and T-shirt as her male alter ego, Joe Calderon who gave the audience a lecture in just who Gaga is -- high heels, wild hair and crazy costumes. "When she gets on stage, she holds nothing back," Calderon said. Lady Gaga then launched into a version of "You and I," backed by a group of dancers and legendary rock guitarist Brian May of Queen. She danced on her piano and spewed beer from a bottle into the air in celebration. The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) annually give out honors for the top music videos and performances to singers and bands, and each year, audiences can count on at least one surprise. Beyonce's picture-perfect baby news will likely be this year's unexpected event. But awards are the focus of the night and the first winner was Spears for best pop music video "Till the World Ends." The pop star took the stage and seemed surprised, saying she hadn't expected to win and thanking her family and fans. Along with Spears, Foo Fighters picked up an early honor for best rock video with "Walk," and Nicki Minaj picked up the "Moonman" winner's statuette for her "Super Bass." Katy Perry and Kanye West were named best collaboration with "E.T." Another major award still to come is best new artist, and Tyler, The Creator figures prominently in that race, too, alongside Wiz Khalifa with "Black and Yellow," Kreayshawn for "Gucci Gucci," Foster the People with "Pumped Up Kicks," and Big Sean (featuring Chris Brown) for "My Last." British singer Adele with her chart-topping song "Rolling in the Deep" is vying for the top award, video of the year, against Katy Perry ("Firework"), Bruno Mars ("Grenade"), the Beastie Boys ("Make Some Noise") and Tyler, The Creator ("Yonkers"). Early performances included a duet by Jay-Z and Kanye West, singing a song from their new album, "Watch the Throne." Other singers still to come include Lil Wayne, and there will be special tributes to Britney Spears and late soul singer Amy Winehouse. (Reuters)

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GRIEVOUS SITUATION ! MAY GOD BLESS THE AMERICANS !

At least 21 killed as a result of Hurricane Irene

Updated at: 1015 PST, Monday, August 29, 2011

NEW YORK: Emergency officials said at least 21 people across the United States have died as a result of Hurricane Irene: six in North Carolina; four each in Virginia and Pennsylvania; two in New York; and one each in Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey and Florida. Authorities are trying to determine whether an additional death reported in New York is connected to the storm. The youngest fatalities were a boy killed by a falling tree in his apartment in Newport News, a city on a coastal peninsula in Virginia, and a girl who died in North Carolina. North Carolina emergency management spokesman Brad Deen said one of the six victims in his state was a man who had a heart attack on Friday while nailing plywood over his windows in preparation for the hurricane. Two people were also killed in the state in separate driving accidents. Another North Carolina fatality was a man struck by a falling tree limb while outside feeding his animals. Ruth Miller, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, told that four fatalities had so far been confirmed in her state. In New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie initially said two people had been killed -- a woman trapped in her car by rising floodwaters and a firefighter who succumbed to his injuries during a rescue attempt. But only the woman's death was confirmed -- the firefighter was still alive in a critical condition in hospital and Christie had spoken out of turn after being given inaccurate information by his staff. One man was killed by a storm-related electrical fire in Connecticut, while another storm-related death was a 55-year-old surfer who took to his board in treacherously high waves off the Florida coast on Friday. Irene barreled up the east coast Sunday into the densely populated northeastern states of Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. In Vermont, Governor Peter Shumlin told CNN that a woman was feared dead after being swept into a rushing river, but a spokesman for the state's Emergency Management Agency, Mark Bosma, said her death was not confirmed. Millions of people are without power and officials warned that flood damage from Irene's heavy rains may be felt for days. Irene earlier left at least five people dead in the Caribbean, including one in the US territory of Puerto Rico. (AFP)