Daily News 2010-12-15

'Beauty sleep' no myth「美容覺」有科學依據The concept of "beauty sleep" has acquired scientific backing, according to a Swedish study of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, the BBC reports. People deprived of sleep for long periods appear less attractive and healthy than those who are well rested, researchers say. Volunteers were photographed after eight hours sleep and again after being kept awake for 31 hours. The photographs were shot in a well lit room. No one wore make-up, had styled hair, and all were equally well washed and shaved. The researchers prompted subjects to have a relaxed, neutral facial expression for both pictures. Observers scored the sleep-deprived participants as less healthy and less attractive.英國廣播公司報導，斯德哥爾摩卡羅林斯卡醫學院的研究表明，「美容覺」的概念是有科學依據的。研究者表示，長期缺覺的人看上去沒有那些休息好的人漂亮、健康。研究者在一個光線充足的房間裡，分別對睡足八小時和保持31小時不睡覺的志願人員進行拍照。所有志願人員都不化妝，不做髮型，把臉洗颳得同樣乾淨；研究者還要求志願者在兩幅照片裡都擺出放鬆、中性的表情。觀察人員給缺覺的人的評價是：不太健康也不太漂亮。Putin's 'mistress' gets Vogue cover普京「情婦」變身封面女郎The editor of Russian Vogue has boldly - or foolishly - put Vladimir Putin's alleged mistress on her first cover, The Telegraph reports. The January 2011 issue features former rhythmic Olympic gymnast Alina Kabayeva, 27, wearing a ￡21,000 gold Balmain dress with her hands on her hips. Although there is no substantive evidence that Putin, 58, and Kabayeva are romantically linked, the alleged affair has long been the hottest gossip among Russia's elite. Politically, Kabayeva serves as a member of parliament from Putin's United Russia party.俄羅斯《時尚》主編竟然將總理普京的緋聞情婦放上該雜誌的封面，這一舉動可謂大膽，甚至有點愚蠢。據英國《每日電訊報》報導，27歲的前韻律操奧運冠軍阿麗娜•卡巴耶娃身穿價值21000英鎊的巴爾曼牌金色裙子，雙手叉在臀部出現在2011年1月刊上。雖然沒有確鑿的證據證明58歲的普京與卡巴耶娃有一腿，但他們的緋聞早就是俄高層最熱衷的談資。據悉，卡巴耶娃是普京領導的統一俄羅斯黨的一名議員。Kosovo PM 'heads human organ ring'科總理被指販人體器官Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci is the head of a mafia-like Albanian group responsible for smuggling weapons, drugs and human organs through Eastern Europe, according to a Council of Europe report on organized crime, the Guardian reports. Thaci's network began operating criminal rackets in the run-up to the 1999 Kosovo war, and he has held sway over the country's government since. Figures in Thaci's inner circle are accused of taking Serb captives across the border into Albania to be murdered for their kidneys, which were then sold on the black market. The report also names Thaci as having exerted "violent control" over the heroin trade.英國《衛報》網站報導，歐洲理事會一項關於有組織犯罪的調查報告稱，科索沃總理哈西姆•薩奇是一個類似黑手黨的阿爾巴尼亞犯罪團夥的頭目，這一團夥曾在東歐販賣軍火、毒品以及人體器官。薩奇團夥是在1999年科索沃戰爭前夕開始犯罪活動的，並逐步開始控制政府權力。薩奇身邊的人被指控將塞爾維亞俘虜帶入阿爾巴尼亞境內加以殺害，取出他們的腎臟在黑市上販賣。調查報告還指稱薩奇本人掌控著科索沃的所有海洛因交易。Voyager 1 leaving Solar System「旅行者」抵達太陽系邊緣The Voyager 1 spacecraft is passing through the outer reaches of the solar system and moving into interstellar space, NPR reports. Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 has accomplished its initial goals of exploring the giant planets Jupiter and Saturn and is still sending back information. The spacecraft is currently 17.4 billion kilometers from the Sun and its latest readings show that in these remote regions "the velocity of the hot ionized gas, or plasma, emanating directly outward from the sun has slowed to zero."據美國國家公共廣播電臺報導，旅行者1號空間探測器正在飛越太陽系的邊緣，進入星際空間。旅行者1號於1977年發射升空，至今已經完成了探測木星和土星這兩顆巨行星的初始任務，並且還在不斷傳回信息數據。目前旅行者1號距離太陽174億千米。傳回的最新數據顯示，在那個距離，「直接從太陽發出的熱電離子束的速度已趨於零」。