Viet Nam News That summer I visited Varanasi for the first time. That city is considered a holy place because of its location on the sacred Ganges river. I had promised myself on this visit to that city I would visit the river. I was not traveling for pleasure. I’d be working. As a postgraduate student researching Oriental culture, I had accepted an offer to do some translations for the Indian railway ministry. Before I went to India to study, I had worked as an interpreter for diplomatic delegations for several years, so that work wasn’t unfamiliar to me. The only unfamiliar thing was that it was my first time interpreting for the railway industry, which required me to know about locomotives and diesel engines. For example, until then I only knew “solution” meant a way of solving something. Only when I visited the petrochemical factory of the Varanasi railway company did I learn that it had another meaning: a homogeneous, molecular … [Read more...] about A scoop of holy water
What dry ice is made of
Home is best
Viet Nam News by Hoàng Hiền This story happened nearly 20 years ago. It was the end of spring and the drizzling had started tapering off. The family's big pile of wet straw gave off such an unpleasant smell that the cows refused to eat it. That day, by order of his father, little Trung led one of the animals out of the shed to graze on vast grasslands by the dyke embankment. In the fine spring weather, his domestic cattle savoured the tender grass after so many days of chewing dry stuff. In order to free his hands, Trung tied the animal up, then stepped up to the top of the dyke and peered over the open field. Near his place, there was a large orchard of oleasters. Reaching the garden, he found countless ripe fruits. They looked like tiny red lanterns hanging among the canopies. Immediately, he picked them and enjoyed them to his heart's content. He chose some of the best fruits to take home for little Mây from the neighbourhood. Thinking of her sparkling eyes, he smiled. All of a … [Read more...] about Home is best
‘Strongest evidence yet’ of liquid water on Mars: NASA
PARIS — Scientists have announced "the strongest evidence yet" of liquid water on Mars, raising the distant prospect of microscopic life on our neighbouring planet. Curious lines running down steep slopes on the surface of the Red Planet may be streaks of super-salty brine, a team said on Monday. Evidence of "hydrated" salt minerals in the streaks "strongly support the hypothesis" of liquid water on Mars – though not H2O as we know it, concluded a research paper in the journal Nature Geoscience. If anything, it was likely "wet soil, not free water sitting on the surface," said study co-author Alfred McEwen from the University of Arizona. NASA said the findings, made with its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, "provide the strongest evidence yet that liquid water flows intermittently on present-day Mars." "Mars is not the dry, arid planet we thought of in the past," Jim Green, the American agency's planetary science director told journalists in Washington. The presence of … [Read more...] about ‘Strongest evidence yet’ of liquid water on Mars: NASA
Giant crater explains strange shape of Mars
A giant crater made by an asteroid or comet explains why Mars is so lopsided, with a basin on one hemisphere and high terrain on the other, three separate teams of scientists said Wednesday. The impact gouged out a hole 5,200 miles across and 6,500 miles long -- the size of the combined areas of Asia, Europe and Australia, the researchers reported in the journal Nature. Cutaway snapshot of Mars five minutes after being hit by an asteroid travelling 40 times the speed of sound … [Read more...] about Giant crater explains strange shape of Mars
Basilico, straight out of Roma
Last Sunday we went to Basilico at the InterContinental Saigon Asiana for an Italian meal. Basilico restaurant at InterContinental Asiana Saigon offers authentic Italian cuisine. "In Italy, Sunday is our day for pizza. The servings (at Basilico) are quite big so we could share," suggested my friend from Torino, Italy. With its fountain, stone columns, and walls beside glass walls with a view of the shady street outside, Basilico evokes the city of Roma. Around the bar area, bunches of dried garlic and cold cuts hang down with the traditional welcoming sight of Italian desserts on the sideboard. There is also a terrace where patrons can sit under white umbrellas and coconut trees. We had a table next to the terrace where I could see the light of the pizza oven in the corner and life outside through the glass walls. For starters, we ordered pan-fried foie gras with mashed potato, and a Greek salad that included feta cheese, olives, tomatoes and cucumbers. Next up was pan-fried … [Read more...] about Basilico, straight out of Roma