The secret behind Mona Lisa’s smile The secret of how Leonardo da Vinci produced the optical effects that created the Mona Lisa’s enigmatic smile can be revealed for the first time. By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent telegraph.co.uk Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci Photo: CORBIS Scientists have discovered how the artist managed to achieve his trademark smoky effect, known as sfumato, on the painting; by applying up to 40 layers of extremely thin glaze thought to have been smeared on with his fingers. The glaze, mixed with subtly different pigments, creates the slight blurring and shadows around the mouth that … Continue reading Mona Lisa – Secret

Dracula beats new blood to top vampire poll Twilight may be a top box office draw but old timer Dracula was voted the top screen vampire today. telegraph.co.uk Christopher Lee as Dracula (1958) The Transylvanian count proved to be top of the popularity stakes, beating characters from TV shows such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Being Human. Dracula beat the new blood to top the list in a poll commissioned by leading sci-fi and fantasy magazine SFX. The fiendish bloodsucker was memorably played by actor Christopher Lee in numerous Hammer films and revived by Gary Oldman in the 1992 … Continue reading Best Vampire is…… Dracula!

Julian Assange: WikiLeaks founder hits out at rape smears as Swedish warrant for his arrest is withdrawn Julian Assange’s supporters are quick to point the finger at American intelligence agencies and say they were expecting slurs after he posted 77,000 Afghanistan war documents online Jamie Doward and Tracy McVeigh The Observer, Sunday 22 August 2010 Article history WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Photograph: Andrew Winning/ReutersJulian Assange, the secretive founder of WikiLeaks, the website behind the biggest leak of US military documents in history, was the subject of conspiracy theories last night after prosecutors withdrew a warrant for his arrest in connection … Continue reading Julian Assange: hits out at rape smears

Breaking the taboo over the mental health crisis among Britain’s gay men Gay magazine Attitude this week explores a taboo subject – that many homosexuals suffer self-loathing, isolation and depression Tracy McVeigh The Observer, Sunday 22 August 2010 Article history Behind the thousands taking part in gay pride marches may lie blighted lives and high suicide rates. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/GettyMatthew Todd is feeling uncharacteristically nervous. “It’s a big taboo, we’re expecting it to cause quite a stir,” admits the editor of Britain’s award-winning gay lifestyle magazine, Attitude. Above the obligatory cover shot of a shirtless Adonis-type torso, this month’s mag … Continue reading Gays hate themselves?

Irish terror groups target Conservative party conference in Birmingham • Republican dissidents see attack as ‘top prize’ on hit list • Tory MP Patrick Mercer says threat to mainland is ‘worrying’ Mark Townsend and Toby Helm The Observer, Sunday 22 August 2010 Article history A nationalist protester throws a missile at police in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast in July. Photograph: Cathal McNaughton/ReutersIrish republican dissident groups are targeting the Conservative party conference this autumn, raising fears of a repeat of the 1984 Brighton attack that nearly killed the then prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. Sources in Northern Ireland said that … Continue reading Birmingham – A Terrorist Target in October 2010!

VIEW: Looking beyond the calamity —Imtiaz Alam Substituting a transparent, incorruptible and efficient mechanism with the option of “pious men” is an absurd replica of ‘Vilayat-e Faqih’ (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists), which serves neither the purpose of good and efficient governance nor a democratic federation Indeed the natural and no less man-made calamity of the floods is still continuing across Pakistan. The scale of devastation is so horrendously huge and still so incalculable that no government or agency of any capacity could cope with what the UN Secretary General has described as a “continuing tsunami”. Cursing a most vilified … Continue reading Pakistans Flood will cleanse the nation of Mullahs?

VIEW: Fuelling fundamentalism —Andleeb Abbas While the Jews and Indians have invested heavily in education, skills and research, Muslim countries have been busy trying to build inequitable societies where the accumulation of wealth in a few hands is more important than an accumulation of knowledge in the minds of the masses Fundamentalism is a state of mind where extreme views, mostly based on hardline religious preferences, create a provocation and retaliation to any opposition to the rigid stances held by the owners of these views. Sadly, this word is now considered synonymous with Muslims in general and any Muslim male … Continue reading Jews and Indians invest heavily in education, skills and research…

ANALYSIS: Relief work and politics —Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi The bottom line is that both the official and non-official circles took time to move out for rescue and relief work, which caused much frustration among the displaced people. They expected the government and other agencies to help them at the first sign of the floods Pakistan has been experiencing devastating floods for the last three weeks. In a week’s time the water will start falling into the Arabian Sea, which will be the beginning of the end of the floods. However, the devastation and sufferings caused by the floods would continue … Continue reading Relief work and politics

Park 51 dividing lines The ‘Ground Zero mosque’ is treated as a party-political issue. In reality, both Republicans and Democrats are split on it Tom Rogan guardian.co.uk, Saturday 21 August 2010 16.00 BST Article history The proposed ‘Ground Zero mosque’ has split the public and politicians alike. Photograph: Michael Nagle/Getty ImagesIn their reporting of the political arguments over the proposed Park 51 centre (the master building that will house the “Ground Zero mosque”), most US and international media coverage has characterised the ongoing debate as a Democrat v Republican party-line dispute. But this simplification obscures the reality of a disagreement … Continue reading Park 51

Rape warrant against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange cancelled Swedish authorities withdraw an arrest warrant for the founder of the whistleblowers’ website on suspicion of rape David Batty and agencies guardian.co.uk, Saturday 21 August 2010 13.20 BST Article history Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. He wrote: ‘The charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing’. Photograph: Scanpix Sweden/ReutersSwedish authorities have withdrawn an arrest warrant for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, stating that the accusation of rape against him was unfounded. The move came just a day after a warrant was issued by Sweden‘s prosecutors’ office in Stockholm in … Continue reading Julian Assange – The First Dirty Trick against him…