Eye drops may help cure baldness

Washington: In a new study, researchers have shown how a commonly prescribed glaucoma drug may be effective in treating male pattern baldness and other forms of alopecia.

The FDA-approved glaucoma drug, bimatoprost, causes human hair to re-grow and has been commercially available as a way to lengthen eyelashes, but these data are the first to show that it can actually grow human hair from the scalp.

“We hope this study will lead to the development of a new therapy for balding which should improve the quality of life for many people with hair loss,” Valerie Randall from the University of Bradford, Bradford, UK, said.

“Further research should increase our understanding of how hair follicles work and thereby allow new therapeutic approaches for many hair growth disorders,” Randall said.

To make this discovery, Randall and colleagues conducted three sets of experiments. Two involved human cells and the other involved mice. The tests on human cells involved using hair follicles growing in organ culture as well as those take directly from the human scalp.

In both of these experiments, the scientists found that bimatoprost led to hair growth.

The third set of experiments involved applying bimatoprost to the skin of bald spots on mice. As was the case with human cells, the drug caused hair to re-grow.

“This discovery could be the long-awaited follow up to Viagra that middle-aged men have been waiting for,” Gerald Weissmann, editor-in-chief of The FASEB Journal, said.  “Given that the drug is already approved for human use and its safety profile is generally understood, this looks like a promising discovery that has been right in front of our eyes the whole time. On to the front of our scalp!” he added.

The study has been published in the FASEB Journal.

Lebanese demands cabinet resignation at Chief intelligence funeral in beirut

 Future Movement MP Fouad Siniora demanded Sunday the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s Cabinet and the formation of a “neutral salvation Cabinet” at the funeral of slain Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan in Beirut.

Speaking to thousands of March 14 supporters outside the Mohammad Amin Mosque where the top security official was laid to rest, Siniora said “No to a government that covers crimes: yes to a neutral salvation government ... a government that protects all Lebanese and shifts them to a new phase.”

He also accused the government of being responsible for the killing of Hasan, who headed the police’s Information Branch since its inception in 2006 and was killed in a car bomb in the Beirut district of Ashrafieh.

Following Siniora’s speech, hundreds of angry protesters clashed with police in an attempt to break through the Grand Serail. Several were injured as security forces used tear gas and fired gunshots in the air to disperse the crowd.

Addressing Mikati, Siniora angrily said that the prime minister could not remain in office “because remaining in his post means you approve what is happening.”

Hasan, 47, was assassinated in a car bomb Friday that ripped through the Beirut neighborhood of Ashrafieh. His driver and a woman identified as Georgette Sarkissian were also killed in the explosion, the most serious since 2008.

The security official’s killing has raised concern of a return to the series of political assassinations that Lebanon saw between 2005 and 2008.

The opposition March 14 group has accused President Bashar Assad of being behind the assassination, holding Mikati personally responsible for his killing.

Hasan will be laid to rest alongside former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri who himself was a victim of a 2005 car bomb.

In his address Sunday, Siniora, head of the Future parliamentary bloc, said there were local elements that aided the assassins without naming anyone.

“There was a local conspiracy and assistance to the coward criminal and there was support on the ground starting from Beirut airport to Ashrafieh,” he said.

The funeral ceremony of the slain intelligence chief took place Sunday at the Beirut police headquarters, before his coffin was transported to Mohammad Amin Mosque in Downtown Beirut.

Thousands of people gathered in Martyrs' Square carrying party flags as well as Lebanese and "Syrian revolution" flags cheered heavily upon their arrival to the mosque.

Supporters carried signs that read: “Leave, leave Najib,” “Remove Bashar [Assad] from Lebanon,” and a picture of Mikati with Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah that read: “The blood of Wissam is on your hands.”

Huge posters of Hasan hung on the buildings surrounding the square where the funeral was held. Family members consoled each other as they watched his coffin wrapped in the Lebanese flag being carried alongside that of his driver, First Sergeant Ahmad Sahyouni.

Mikati along with President Michel Sleiman as well as several Cabinet ministers and police chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi, himself a target of assassination in the past, attended the service where they offered condolences to Hasan’s parents, his wife, and two children.

In a speech commemorating Hasan, Sleiman tied the security chief’s killing with the case of former Minister Michel Samaha, saying the Information Branch had been punished for its achievements.

“This [security] institution is being punished with the assassination of its leader Maj. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan because the Information Branch has achieved so much, including uncovering ... bomb plots where they confiscated explosives and arrested the transporter,” Sleiman said.

The president also asked the judiciary to speed up the investigation process and issue an indictment in the case of Samaha.

“I call on politicians and the government not to provide cover for the perpetrator but provide for security agencies and judiciary [to facilitate their duty],” Sleiman said.

Hasan was posthumously awarded the Cedar Medal and promoted to the rank of major general.

Samaha, who has maintained close ties with the Syrian regime for decades, was charged in August with transporting explosives from Syria into Lebanon to use them in terrorist attacks aimed at assassinating religious and political figures.

Hours after news of his death, angry protesters in several parts of the country blocked roads with burning tires for two consecutive days.

His assassination has also put in doubt the fate of the Lebanese government, which was formed in early 2011 after ministers in the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition resigned, forcing the collapse of the government of then Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

On Saturday, Mikati said he had suspended his decision to resign and given Sleiman time to consult the National Dialogue Committee on the matter.

Following an emergency Cabinet meeting over Hasan’s assassination, Mikati also told reporters that it was difficult not to link the intelligence chief’s killing with the case of Samaha.

France urged Sleiman Saturday to avoid a political vacuum in Lebanon and said that the Cabinet should continue its mandate, while Britain said the international community would help prevent divisions in the country.

Male nude poster plaster Vienna, draw complaints i

Naked men of all sizes and shapes are appearing on Vienna kiosks as a prestigious museum kicks off an exhibit of male nudity.
But outside the exhibition, organizers are being forced into cover-up mode after a storm of complaints that the ad posters are offensive.

In a show titled "Nude Men from 1800 to Today," the Leopold Museum opened its doors Friday to examine how artists have dealt with the theme of male nudity over the centuries.
"Mr. Big" — a four-meter (more than 12-foot) high full-frontal photo mounted on plywood and depicting a naked young man in an indolent sprawl — is set up near the show's entrance, lest there be any doubt what visitors are about to see.

Inside, around 300 art works are on display — including the controversial photograph that is raising the ire of Viennese. Created by French artists Pierre & Gilles, "Vive La France" shows three young, athletic men of different races wearing nothing but blue, white and red socks and soccer shoes.
No visitors were complaining Friday as they filed past that photo and even more graphic examples of male nudity, including some depicted in sex acts.

"I've seen worse on late-night TV," said Franz Steiner, 27, as he left the show.
Not so in the city. Posters of the three men were given impromptu fig-leafs — lines of red tape covering their private parts.
The complaints clearly caught the museum by surprise. Vienna's turn-of-the-century decadence allowed erotic artists such as Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt to flourish, and has turned these days into complacent acceptance of displays of the flesh. Today, lingerie ads are racy and one popular daily paper regularly features pictures of half-naked women.

Vienna's public transport system reacted laconically earlier this week to reports that a young woman on a downtown subway line was dressed in nothing but knee-high boots.
"We know that everyone has a different temperature comfort zone," the agency said in a statement. "But we do not think that our subways are so warm that one has to get undressed."
But there seems to be less tolerance for shows of male nudity. Museum officials say they received a flood of complaints by last week, mostly from outlying districts heavily populated by new immigrants from Muslim countries.

Museum director Tobias Natter says the flap serves to point out "that nobody gets offended by naked women, but with naked men: yes."
A poster near a school was also removed when parents complained.
"I can understand women with children who think that this is too wild, when the kids keep asking questions," said Susanne Eigner, a woman her 20s standing next to a still-uncovered poster.
But other reactions were positive.

"I like that we get to see naked men for a change," said Veronika Kren, as she paused from pushing her bike laden with groceries. "We have to look at naked women all the time and now I find it quite interesting to see something different — and especially the reaction of the men."
The museum is making the most of the controversy. Natter says he hopes the poster will spark lively debate.

"Some people will say, 'What a shame. I want to see what's under that,'" he said about the red tape. "Others will say, 'Let's go the museum. There we can see the original.' And some will say, 'That's good. I don't want to see that in the public space.'
"It's about making people aware."

Angelina Jolie: We All Are Malala

On Wednesday morning, as we readied the kids for school amidst a few of the usual complaints about not wanting to go, I saw a headline on the cover of The New York Times: Taliban Gun Down a Girl Who Spoke Up for Rights. The Taliban claimed that 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai “ignored their warnings, and she left them no choice.” They approached her school bus, asking for her by name, and shot her in the head for promoting girls’ education.

After reading the article, I felt compelled to share Malala’s story with my children. It was difficult for them to comprehend a world where men would try to kill a child whose only “crime” was the desire that she and others like her be allowed to go to school.

Malala’s story stayed with them throughout the day, and that night they were full of questions. We learned about Malala together, watching her interviews and reading her diaries. Malala was just 11 years old when she began blogging for the BBC. She wrote of life under the Taliban, of trading in her school uniform for colorless plain clothes, of hiding books under her shawl, and eventually having to stop going to school entirely. 

Our 8-year-old suggested that the world build a statue for Malala, and fittingly create a reading nook near it. Our 6-year-old asked the practical question of whether Malala had any pets, and if so, who would take care of them? She also asked about Malala’s parents and if they were crying. We decided that they were, but not only for their daughter, also for children around the world denied this basic human right. Like Malala, her parents are icons of bravery and strength. Malala’s father, also a long time champion for girls’ education, is a school principal, teacher, and poet.

he 37-year-old actress said that later that night, her 8-year-old "suggested that the world build a statue for Malala, and fittingly create a reading nook near it," while her 6-year-old wanted to know if Malala had any pets, and if so, who'd care for them.

But Jolie added that her children also wanted to know, "'Why did those men think they needed to kill Malala?' I answered, 'because an education is a powerful thing.'"

Jolie is backing up her statement through her charity, donating $50,000 to Tina Brown's Women in the World Foundation through her Education Partnership for Children of Conflict.

From the highway, to the waterway. Amphibious car debut

Associated Press/Carlos Osorio - In this Friday, Oct. 12, 2012 photo, the Quadski, a one-person motor boat that also drives on land, is tested in in Oxford Mich. 

Amphibious vehicles could soon be zooming out of James Bond's garage — or pond — and into yours.

The Quadski — a one-person all-terrain vehicle that doubles as a personal watercraft — is being billed by its makers as the first high-speed, commercially available amphibious vehicle. It's scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. by the end of this year for around $40,000. Michigan-based Gibbs Sports Amphibians Inc. hopes to sell the vehicle worldwide by 2014.

With its all-terrain tires and four-cylinder, BMW-supplied engine, the Quadski can drive up to 45 miles per hour on land. To take it into the water, the driver presses a button. In five seconds, the four wheels fold up and tuck into the sides. The Quadski can go a brisk 45 miles per hour in the water before a press of the button brings the wheels out again.

"You just drive straight into the water, quite fast, and keep on going. It's sort of magic," the founder of Gibbs Sports Amphibians, Alan Gibbs, told The Associated Press in a recent interview.
History is littered with attempts to make fast, long-lasting amphibious cars, from the campy German Amphicar of the early 1960s to current companies that rework sports cars by hand for $200,000 or more. But Gibbs, a former diplomat and entrepreneur from New Zealand, says the Quadski is the first land vehicle for sale that can go more than 10 mph in water. A lightweight, fiberglass hull and front wheels that rise mechanically when the vehicle hits the water are among the tricks the Quadski uses.

Gibbs, who has made everything from bras to television sets over a long career in New Zealand and the U.K., launched Gibbs Sports Amphibians 16 years ago after building his own amphibious car and wondering if he could make it on a larger scale. Since then, the company has spent $200 million, built nine prototypes and amassed more than 300 patents.
"It seems so simple, but it's really difficult," Gibbs said.
The Quadski isn't the Gibbs' first vehicle. That honor belongs to the three-seat Aquada, which debuted in 2003 and goes 100 mph on land and 30 mph in the water. Virgin Group CEO Richard Branson used an Aquada in 2004 when he set an amphibious vehicle speed record crossing the English Channel.

But the Aquada never went on sale. First its engine supplier, Rover, went out of business. Then U.S. safety regulators wouldn't approve it for street use because of several safety issues. The government insisted on air bags, for example, even though Gibbs argued that they might deploy every time the Aquada hit a large wave.
Gibbs Sports Amphibians hopes to turn things around with the Quadski, which has fewer safety requirements because it's an ATV. The company's target customers are outdoor sportsmen as well as first responders. The Quadski will come in five colors and will be available at power sports dealers, concentrated in Florida, Texas, the New York to Boston corridor and the Great Lakes region.

Ryan Brown, a salesman at Carter Powersports in Las Vegas, has never heard of another vehicle like the Quadski and thinks it's a great concept. But he's not sure customers will pay $40,000 for one when a standard ATV costs between $4,400 and $10,000.
"These are toys people don't have a lot of extra money for right now," he said. "People are having a hard enough time getting financed on a $5,000 motorcycle."

The Quadski will be made at the company's Auburn Hills, Mich., factory, a former Daewoo Group parts plant. Gibbs Chairman and CEO Neil Jenkins said the company now has 100 employees at the plant. It plans to produce 20 Quadskis per day with 150 employees when the plant is in full operation. The company expects to sell around 1,000 Quadskis in the first year, but Gibbs says he won't be disappointed if the company doesn't meet its sales targets.
"We'll respond to how the market develops," he said. "We wouldn't be doing it without being very confident people will love them."

Gibbs said the company may return to the Aquada someday and try to make it street legal for U.S. buyers. In the meantime it's planning eight personal sports vehicles based on the Quadski, including some with more seating and SUV-like proportions.
The company is also preparing to introduce the Phibian, a 30-foot long, 6.5-ton model, and the Humdinga, a 22-foot, 3.5-ton model, which are both intended for the military and first responders, Gibbs said. The company is looking for partners to produce those vehicles.

The new 100$ bill, stolen in Philadelphia before entering circulation, FBI said

Associated Press/FBI - This undated image provided by FBI shows the newly designed $100 bill. The FBI is reporting an unusual heist of some of the bills, which aren't going into circulation until next year. Agent Frank Burton Jr. says the cash was stolen from a plane that arrived at Philadelphia International Airport around 10:25 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012, from Dallas. (AP Photo/FBI)

The FBI is reporting an unusual heist of some newly designed $100 bills that aren't going into circulation until next year.

Agent Frank Burton Jr. says the cash was stolen from a plane that arrived at Philadelphia International Airport around 10:25 a.m. Thursday from Dallas.

Investigators said these Benjamins are easy to spot. The new bills have sophisticated elements to thwart counterfeiters, like a disappearing Liberty Bell in an orange inkwell and a bright blue security ribbon.

The FBI said a "large amount" of bills were stolen, but agents aren't giving specifics.

The theft was reported by a courier service transporting the C-notes when the shipment arrived Thursday afternoon at the Federal Reserve Building in East Rutherford, N.J. Officials then discovered some of the money was missing.

New 007 movie shows the true face of Bond girl Naomi Harris

Naomie Harris in 'Pirates' and 'Skyfall' (Photo: Walt Disney Pictures/Columbia Pictures)

She starred in a pair of movies that made $2 billion worldwide, and you probably wouldn't recognize her if you saw her on the street. Her name is Naomie Harris, and her face is about to get a lot more familiar.
Harris played Tia Dalma, the witchy woman (who was actually the physical embodiment of the sea goddess, Calypso) in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels "Dead Man's Chest" and "At World's End."  With her long dreadlocks, face markings, bloodshot eyes, and very bad teeth, Harris was hardly identifiable as the character.
Now she's trading in her ratty voodoo priestess look for the glamorous but lethal style of a Bond girl in the new 007 adventure, "Skyfall."  She plays Eve, a fellow MI6 agent on a mission with James Bond (Daniel Craig).  In this exclusive clip, Eve has her sights on a villain who is fighting Bond on top of a moving train.  With time running short, M (by Judi Dench) orders Eve to fire on the target, even at the risk of hitting Bond.

Harris began acting in her native England when she was just a child. Her mother, Lisselle Kayla, was a television writer who had emigrated to the UK from Jamaica. Harris said she spent time in Jamaica as a child, which must have helped her develop Tia Dalma's accent in "Pirates." She graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Political Science, and she was classically trained in acting at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.


She first gained notice in the U.S. in director Danny Boyle's acclaimed 2002 zombie film, "28 Days Later."  She then appeared alongside Pierce Brosnan (another Bond) in 2004's "After the Sunset." And she also played Jamie Foxx's love interest in the financially disappointing big-screen adaptation of "Miami Vice."
The 36-year-old Harris told The Daily Mail that she didn't immediately jump at the opportunity to audition for "Skyfall." She said, "I thought, 'Me? A Bond Girl? I don't see it myself."  But she was won over by the character, who is a capable spy in her own right. She spent nine months working with a personal trainer to get in shape, and another two months in weapons and driving training. Eve gets to carry a Walther PPK, the handgun traditionally preferred by 007 himself. And she also received special instruction from a professional barber for a scene where she seductively shaves Daniel Craig's face.