The first Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace. The ceremony came on the fifth anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite and other high explosives. In his will, Nobel directed that the bulk of his vast fortune be placed in a fund in which the interest would be "annually distributed in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind." Although Nobel offered no public reason for his creation of the prizes, it is widely believed that he did so out of moral regret over the increasingly lethal uses of his inventions in war.
Alfred Bernhard Nobel was born in Stockholm in 1833, and four years later his family moved to Russia. His father ran a successful St. Petersburg factory that built explosive mines and other military equipment. Educated in Russia, Paris, and the United States, Alfred Nobel proved a brilliant chemist. When his father's business faltered after the end of the Crimean War, Nobel returned to Sweden and set up a laboratory to experiment with explosives. In 1863, he invented a way to control the detonation of nitroglycerin, a highly volatile liquid that had been recently discovered but was previously regarded as too dangerous for use. Two years later, Nobel invented the blasting cap, an improved detonator that inaugurated the modern use of high explosives. Previously, the most dependable explosive was black powder, a form of gunpowder.
Nitroglycerin remained dangerous, however, and in 1864 Nobel's nitroglycerin factory blew up, killing his younger brother and several other people. Searching for a safer explosive, Nobel discovered in 1867 that the combination of nitroglycerin and a porous substance called kieselguhr produced a highly explosive mixture that was much safer to handle and use. Nobel christened his invention "dynamite," for the Greek word dynamis, meaning "power." Securing patents on dynamite, Nobel acquired a fortune as humanity put his invention to use in construction and warfare.
In 1875, Nobel created a more powerful form of dynamite, blasting gelatin, and in 1887 introduced ballistite, a smokeless nitroglycerin powder. Around that time, one of Nobel's brothers died in France, and French newspapers printed obituaries in which they mistook him for Alfred. One headline read, "The merchant of death is dead." Alfred Nobel in fact had pacifist tendencies and in his later years apparently developed strong misgivings about the impact of his inventions on the world. After he died in San Remo, Italy, on December 10, 1896, the majority of his estate went toward the creation of prizes to be given annually in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace. The portion of his will establishing the Nobel Peace Prize read, "[one award shall be given] to the person who has done the most or best work for fraternity among nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." Exactly five years after his death, the first Nobel awards were presented.
Today, the Nobel Prizes are regarded as the most prestigious awards in the world in their various fields. Notable winners have included Marie Curie, Theodore Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, George Bernard Shaw, Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Martin Luther King, Jr., the Dalai Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Nelson Mandela. Multiple leaders and organizations sometimes receive the Nobel Peace Prize, and multiple researchers often share the scientific awards for their joint discoveries. In 1968, a Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science was established by the Swedish national bank, Sveriges Riksbank, and first awarded in 1969.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences decides the prizes in physics, chemistry, and economic science; the Swedish Royal Caroline Medico-Surgical Institute determines the physiology or medicine award; the Swedish Academy chooses literature; and a committee elected by the Norwegian parliament awards the peace prize. The Nobel Prizes are still presented annually on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death. In 2006, each Nobel Prize carried a cash prize of nearly $1,400,000 and recipients also received a gold medal, as is the tradition.
London trusts merger gathers pace
NHS London approves merger of Barts and the London, Newham and Whipps Cross trusts
The business case for the merger of three London NHS trusts – Barts and the London, Newham university hospital and Whipps Cross university hospital – has been approved by the NHS London board.
The approval follows an agreement to proceed with a merger by each of the three trust boards, as well as a confirmation of support from inner north-east London and outer north-east London clusters last week.
A spokeswoman for merger project said: "The merger has been talked about since 2009, but gathered momentum this March when we had a strategic outline case published."
According to the three trusts, the merger into a single organisation with the proposed name of Barts Health, will provide better standards of care for patients.
They have claimed that current services will be more sustainable, both financially and clinically, patients will get faster access to specialists services and nearly home, and the new trust will be able to understand local health needs better.
The next step will be for the strategic health authority to pass on its recommendation to the Department of Health transaction board, which will consider the case early next year.
The target date for the merger is 1 April 2012.
NHS London approves merger of Barts and the London (pictured), Newham and Whipps Cross trusts. Photograph: Alamy
The approval follows an agreement to proceed with a merger by each of the three trust boards, as well as a confirmation of support from inner north-east London and outer north-east London clusters last week.
A spokeswoman for merger project said: "The merger has been talked about since 2009, but gathered momentum this March when we had a strategic outline case published."
According to the three trusts, the merger into a single organisation with the proposed name of Barts Health, will provide better standards of care for patients.
They have claimed that current services will be more sustainable, both financially and clinically, patients will get faster access to specialists services and nearly home, and the new trust will be able to understand local health needs better.
The next step will be for the strategic health authority to pass on its recommendation to the Department of Health transaction board, which will consider the case early next year.
The target date for the merger is 1 April 2012.
Broadband use in Europe 'on the up'
Telappliant News: 2011-12-14
An increasing number of people, homes and possibly businesses could have access to the internet, making it easier to enjoy technology such as voice over internet protocol (VoIP) solutions.
New figures from the European Commission show that between 2006 and 2011, the number of individuals in the continent with the ability to browse the web went up.
Indeed, it noted that within the 27 nations that make up the European Union, the amount of premises with broadband links grew from 30 per cent to 68 per cent.
Sweden is arguably a broadband leader as just five per cent of its population have never been online, while in the Netherlands some 94 per cent of households have a permanent connection.
In the UK, plenty is being done to encourage the adoption and use of high-speed broadband, with the government recently inviting cities to apply for a share of a £100 million infrastructure fund.
New figures from the European Commission show that between 2006 and 2011, the number of individuals in the continent with the ability to browse the web went up.
Indeed, it noted that within the 27 nations that make up the European Union, the amount of premises with broadband links grew from 30 per cent to 68 per cent.
Sweden is arguably a broadband leader as just five per cent of its population have never been online, while in the Netherlands some 94 per cent of households have a permanent connection.
In the UK, plenty is being done to encourage the adoption and use of high-speed broadband, with the government recently inviting cities to apply for a share of a £100 million infrastructure fund.
Samsung tablet to challenge Apple’s ‘retina display’
A new Samsung tablet to be launched in February is set to offer a display beyond anything currently on the market, reports suggest.
The follow-up to Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1" is likely to feature a higher-resolution display
Long-standing rumours that Samsung has been working on a tablet with a thinner bezel, building on the work done on the company’s televisions, were bolstered by reports that a new product would launch at Mobile World Congress in February.
According to BGR.com, an 11.6” screen-size tablet will launch at the Barcelona show, but will be approximately the same size as the current, wide-bezelled Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1” and feature 2560 x 1600 resolution. The current iPad 2 offer 1024 x 768 pixels in a 9.7” screen. A new iPad, with a display equivalent to the iPhone's 'Retina Display', is expected in Spring or Summer next year.
Apple and Samsung have been locked in a battle over patents and any revisions to the Samsung product range are likely to make it less similar to the iPad 2. Samsung, however, also supplies chips for the iPad 2 itself. Apple successfully got the Galaxy Tab banned in Australia and some European countries earlier this year, but those bans have now been lifted.
BGR claims that the new Samsung tablet will run Google's Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and offer a 16:10 aspect ratio while running from a dual-core Exynos 5250 processor clocked at 2GHz. Android 4.0 also features the Android Beam technology for transferring files, and BGR suggests that wireless docking could also be used to encourage Android users to adopt Apple AirPlay-style technology to put their content onto TV screens.
Lindsay Lohan's Playboy photos leak online
Playboy is to release its January/February issue early after nude pictures of troubled starlet Lindsay Lohan leaked online, boss Hugh Hefner said Friday.
The actress, who was reportedly paid nearly $1 million for the magazine spread, appears on the cover seated on a bright red Playboy bunny chair, only just protecting her modesty.
"Because of the interest & the internet leak, we're releasing the Lindsay Lohan issue early," Hefner said on Twitter, adding: "Lindsay Lohan was the top search name on the internet yesterday.
"Hot. Hot. Hot," tweeted Hefner, announcing that the next issue of the magazine will come out next week.
The leaked pictures show the curvy actress channeling Marilyn Monroe, flirting with the camera in a series of soft porn-style poses lying, kneeling or stretching herself voluptuously against red velvet drapery.
The actress had wanted $1 million for the Playboy spread and balked at an initial offer of $750,000 -- but Hefner eventually made an offer near enough to $1 million to entice her, celebrity news website TMZ reported.
Lohan -- once the promising child star of hit Disney movies "The Parent Trap" and "Freaky Friday" -- has a reputation for hard partying and has faced a series of legal tangles over the years.
Lohan was sentenced to 35 days of house detention in May as part of a plea bargain over the alleged theft of a $2,500 necklace from a jewelry shop near her home in Venice Beach.
Last month she spent five hours in prison after being sentenced to a 30-day stretch, for breaching probation on previous offences including a 2007 drug and drunk driving misdemeanor.
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