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Over-enthusiastic female fans are to be blamed for encouraging predatory instincts among footballers, according to a study.The research, part of a larger study of female football fans in Australia and New Zealand, led by Peter Mewett and Kim Toffoletti from Deakin University’s Faculty of Arts, looked at female fans perspective about players’ sexual misconduct.

‘By looking at how women themselves speak about sexual misconduct by sportsmen such as Australian Football League (AFL) players, we gain insights into how the wider community understand this behaviour,’ Toffoletti explained.

‘There is a clear distinction between consensual sex, rape and assault, but while our interviewees universally condemned sexual violence, some reasoned if violence did occur it was the result of the women’s activities and that they shouldn’t put themselves in that position,’ he said, according to a release of Deakin University.

‘There is a perception that certain women hang around trying to pick up football players, imposing on the players’ freedom and making it difficult for them to say no. Indeed some interviewees thought some footballers were targeted because of their celebrity status.’

Dr Toffoletti said: ‘Footballers were perceived as sexually forward and confident with women, frequently making suggestive advances and expecting casual sex.’

‘A number of reasons were put forward to explain this behaviour, namely that elite footballers believed they were entitled to women and could do whatever they liked. Alcohol and team bonding was seen as cultivating this behaviour,’ she said.

‘There was also a view that such behaviour was part of the man’s biological make up. In other words, it is beyond their control, so what do you expect them to do?

‘Team pressure was also seen as an influence. It would be viewed as abnormal for a footballer to decline the advances of a woman who was seriously throwing herself at him. He would be perceived as weak, possibly homosexual.’

‘Despite the AFL’s explicit and vocal condemnation of violence against women in the media, the code of conduct that gives the AFL power to sanction the players is yet to be fully tested,’ the study noted.

Three Chinese astronauts have returned to Earth after a milestone mission to carry out the country’s first spacewalk, showing off China’s technological know-how and cementing its status as a space power and future competitor to the United States. A senior space official said the mission ending Sunday China’s most ambitious yet took the country one step closer in its plan to build a space station and then to land a man on the moon. Wang Zhaoyao, deputy director of manned space flight, said the program is looking to launch a new orbiting vehicle and set up a simple space lab by 2011. There are also hopes of sending unmanned and manned space vehicles to perform docking activities with the target vehicle.

By 2020, China wants to launch a manned mission to experiment with technologies that will enable astronauts to take care of spacecraft for longer periods of time, Wang told reporters at a briefing in Beijing after a parachute brought the astronauts’ capsule back to ground. “After we have successfully completed these three steps, we will go to even more remote areas,” Wang said, adding that China hopes to send a manned mission to the moon “in the near future.

” The United States is the only country to have accomplished that feat, putting its first astronaut team on the moon in 1969. But its last human landing was in 1972, and it has since concentrated on unmanned probes.

China’s communist leaders, riding a wave of pride and patriotism after hosting the Olympics, face few of the public doubts or budgetary pressures that have constrained space programs elsewhere. Saturday’s spacewalk was watched by cheering crowds on huge outdoor TV screens.

State broadcaster CCTV showed the astronauts’ return Sunday after their Shenzhou 7 ship’s re-entry vehicle burst through the Earth’s atmosphere to make a landing under clear skies in the grasslands of China’s northern Inner Mongolia region. The vessel floated down gently while attached to a giant red-and-white striped parachute, marking the end of the 68-hour endeavor.

“It was a glorious mission, full of challenges with a successful end,” said mission commander Zhai Zhigang, a 41-year-old fighter pilot. “We feel proud of the motherland.

” Zhai, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng stayed inside the capsule after landing for about 46 minutes to adapt to Earth’s gravity before slowly crawling out the narrow entrance. Outside, the trio cheerily waved to cameras and reporters from Chinese state media before sitting down in blue fold-out chairs.

They saluted as they were presented with bouquets of flowers. Premier Wen Jiabao applauded at mission control in Beijing and shook hands with staff.

“This mission’s success is a milestone; a stride forward,” Wen said. “I would like to extend my congratulations to the heroic astronauts who successfully completed this mission.

” The spacewalk was a key step in mastering techniques for docking two orbiters to create China’s first orbiting space station. Tethered to handles attached to the Shenzhou 7 ship’s orbital module, Zhai remained outside for about 13 minutes before climbing back inside.

China has relied heavily on homegrown technology, partly out of necessity. It has trouble obtaining such technology abroad due to U.S. and European bans and is not a participant in the International Space Station.

The Chinese program is backed by the secretive military. While Beijing insists it is committed to a peaceful program, analysts point to numerous potential applications for its technology, such as when it used a land-based missile to blast apart an old satellite last January.

Most Internet users cannot distinguish between genuine and false popup warnings messages, even after repeated mistakes, according to a new study by researchers at North Carolina State University.Fake popup warnings are usually designed to trick users into downloading harmful software.

“This study demonstrates how easy it is to fool people on the Web,” said study co-author Dr. Michael S. Wogalter, professor of psychology at NC State.

In the study, led by psychology graduate student David Sharek and co-authored by undergraduate Cameron Swofford, the researchers analysed the responses of undergraduate students to real and fake warning messages while they did a series of search tasks on a personal computer connected to the Internet.

While the real warning messages simulated local Windows operating system warnings, the fake messages were popup messages were cropping up from an exterior source via the Internet.

The physical differences between the real and the fake messages were quite subtle, making it difficult for most participants to discern them.

Sixty-percent of the time, the subjects were fooled by the fake messages, hitting the “OK” button in the message box appearing on the screen despite being told that some of them could be false.

Wogalter said that the ways people responded could potentially open them up to malevolent software, such as spyware or a computer virus. Safer options, such as simply closing the message box, were infrequently chosen.

He pointed out that companies and other credible entities may want to incorporate additional unique features into the real messages to allow people to differentiate between genuine warning messages and fake popups.

However, he said: “I don’t know if you could develop a legitimate message that could not be duplicated and used illegitimately.”

Wogalter says the results of the study highlight the need to educate Internet users to be cautious.

“Be suspicious when things pop up. Don’t click OK - close the box instead,” he said.

The US has denied a Pakistan claim of shooting down an unmanned American drone in South Waziristan last night.”No such thing occurred,” one senior US official said while denying the reports, reported The Telegraph.

Earlier, reports had quoted Pakistani intelligence officials as saying local Taliban groups had shot down a drone on Tuesday night.

A Pakistani TV channel reported security forces had discovered the remains of the drone near the Afghan border. The channel said that the local Pashtun tribesmen claimed to have shot down the machine.

US operations - including bomb attacks carried out using drones - have attracted bitter resentment in Pakistan. Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani said that foreign troops would not be allowed on Pakistani soil.

Social networking sites are the biggest drawers, when it comes to Internet searches, dethroning online pornography, according to a new survey, which has provided an up-to-date view of how society is changing.To reach the conclusion, Bill Tancer, a self-confessed ‘data geek’, analysed the search habits of more than 10 million web users.

“There are some patterns to our internet use that we tend to repeat very specifically and predictably, from diet searches to prom dresses to what we do around the holidays,” Telegraph quoted Tancer, as saying.

The research shows that elbows, belly button fluff and ceiling fans rank among the things people fear most, as do social intimacy and worries about rejection.

He said: “As social networking traffic has increased, visits to porn sites have decreased.”

A decade ago, porn-related searches accounted for 20 per cent of all internet searches made, he noted. They now account for about 10 per cent, said Tancer, who also found that web users aged between 18 and 24 were searching for less porn

Victims of sexual harassment will now be able to directly lodge their complaints through e-mails or helpline systems of MCD. An e-mail, helplinecomplaintsmcd@gmail.Com, and Helpline — 011-23919312 — was launched by MCD through which victims can file their complaints that will be referred to the sexual harassment committee for quick redressal and necessary action. This was today launched by MCD Leader of House Subhas Arya at a workshop organised here to sensitise municipal employees of Najafgarh and West Zones about sexual harassment. “This campaign has been initiated to educate the women employees of MCD about the definition of sexual harassment, their rights to fight against it as well as the judicial procedure available to get the guilty punished in the related areas,” Rekha Gupta, the civic body’s Women Welfare and Child Development committee chairman, said.

She said that the helpline has been started to help and create more awareness about sexual harassment. PTI.

An Australian company has invented “shower suits” that can be worn while they wash.Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), the research and marketing body which represents Australian woolgrowers, has revealed that the garment does not require soaking, dry cleaning or even soap.

“The idea is that you hang it up and then … you give it a spray, and leave it overnight, and it’s dry the next morning,” news.com.au quoted Stephen Feighan, the company’s corporate affairs spokesman, as saying.

He has revealed that it was a Japanese researcher working for AWI who invented the suit by combining three technologies.

He says that the minimal use of lining allows the suit to dry quickly.

Feighan says that the shower suit will particularly be of interest to busy corporate executives who travel frequently or stay up late.

According to him, the airline industry has also evinced interest in the garment.

Feighan admits that he has not tried the shower suit himself, as they are cut to fit Japanese figures.

He, however, insists that the Japanese market has taken a liking to the “shower suit”, and that orders have been placed for 170,000 of the woollen garments.

The company believes that its shower suit will spread from the Japanese market through Europe and India.

Feighan thinks the suit, made from local wool, may be available in Australia in 12 to 18 months’ time.

At a time when India is scaling new scientific heights, designing fast breeder reactors and sending rockets to the moon, the pay poor packets of scientists may not attract fresh talent, the scientists feel.The country’s premier scientific officers belonging to the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) under the banner of Confederation of Atomic and Space Scientists/Technologists (Coast) met in Bangalore Sunday and demanded an ombudsman to mediate for their demands and arrive at an amicable solution.

‘We want the assurances made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as to payment of 40 percent of our basic pay as technology excellence pay or incentive to be fulfilled,’ said Coast president S. Joesph Winston.

According to him, the pay parity amongst comparable services like academia, research and civil services has been deteriorating against the interests of DAE and DOS scientists.

‘This anamoly in the long run will not attract bright talent to the two important sectors,’ he added.

Successive pay commissions have progressively downgraded the status of scientists as compared to university professors.

In addition, Coast has demanded better insurance schemes for its members as they work in challenging environments involving high probability of risk.

‘We would also like to meet the prime minister to voice our concerns,’ Winston said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni wasted no time Sunday working to put together a new government, meeting with potential coalition partners even as outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert formally resigned. Her ability to move fast in her first task could have far-reaching effects on Mideast peace talks.

Livni, who has gained respect for favoring peace deals with the Palestinians and Syria while distancing herself from the unpopular Olmert, would become Israel’s second female prime minister after Golda Meir, who served from 1969-1974.

A former lawyer and one-time agent in the Mossad spy agency, Livni has 42 days to form a government.

Olmert remains in office until a new government is approved by the parliament, and he has pledged to press ahead with peace efforts as long as he is premier. That in itself might push reluctant Israeli politicians to deal quickly with Livni.

Olmert’s dismal approval ratings approach single figures, and both those who favor an accord with the Palestinians and those who oppose it don’t want him to be the one who presents an agreement to the people.

She met leaders from the pivotal Shas Party Thursday, hours after she won a primary election to succeed Olmert as head of their Kadima Party. Over the weekend, she sat with leaders of several other factions, and later Sunday, she met with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, head of the Labor Party, Olmert’s main partner.

Formal steps were overtaken by events, and the two unfolded in parallel universes.

Olmert told his Cabinet on Sunday morning that he would resign and followed that with a visit to the official Jerusalem residence of President Shimon Peres — both formalities in a process that began in late July, when Olmert caved under the pressure of multiple corruption probes and announced he would step down after the Kadima primary election.

“This decision was not easy, it was not simple, and it was not taken in an offhanded way,” Olmert said before the start of the Sunday Cabinet meeting. He pledged to help Livni, a longtime rival, form a new government.

“Prime Minister Ehud Olmert presented to me this evening his resignation as head of the government,” Peres said after the two met. Peres thanked him for his service. Olmert did not talk to reporters.

At stake is political stability in Israel as the clock winds down on a January target date for a peace accord with the Palestinians, set by Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at a U.S.-sponsored peace conference last November.

Livni favors negotiations and making concessions to forge a peace agreement, but if she fails to form a coalition, elections would be called, and Israel might not have a new government until next spring. That could freeze peace efforts for months.

Olmert succeeded the popular and respected Ariel Sharon, who was felled by a stroke, and weeks later Olmert led Israel into a war with Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. The decision to go to war and its inconclusive outcome, along with the damage wrought by almost 4,000 rockets fired at Israel by Hezbollah, decimated Olmert’s popular support.

Then old corruption allegations caught up with him. Police began pressing their investigations, and a key witness testified in a “trial” against Olmert though no charges had been filed. That led Olmert to step down, setting the search for a new leader in motion.

On Sunday, Peres consulted with the parties over who should join the new government. Peres faced a shorter deadline than the week allotted him by law — he was due to leave for the United Nations on Monday to address the General Assembly session the next day. Peres said he would announce his decision before leaving for New York.

It was a foregone conclusion that Livni would be his choice, so even before receiving the formal title of prime minister-designate, Livni was sounding out the parties about their demands for remaining on or joining her team.

Livni won the Kadima primary by a small margin over hawkish former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who announced he would not serve in her government. With Kadima already holding only 29 seats in the 120-member parliament, a split in her party could doom her efforts to forge a majority coalition.

Shas has already demanded additional funds to help needy Israelis, the party’s main constituency.

Barak’s Labor is in a difficult position. On the one hand, Labor does not want to continue in its subordinate position as a junior partner to Kadima. But polls show that if an election were held now, Labor would win only a dozen or so seats, a drastic comedown for the party that ruled Israel practically unchallenged for its first three decades.

Analysts believe that after an initial show of reluctance, Labor will join along with Shas and the Pensioners party, the other member of the outgoing government. Livni would like to add others to the team to increase its stability.

The main opposition leader, Benjamin Netanyahu of the hawkish Likud, is calling for new elections. Likud stalwarts are ridiculing Kadima, Livni and Olmert, saying they have failed the country and must all be replaced. Polls show Kadima and Likud virtually tied if an election were held now.

Livni has 28 days to form a government after she is formally tapped by Peres and can receive an extra two weeks if necessary. Israeli political historians point out that in every case in the past, the politician chosen to form a government here has succeeded.

The leaked flyer was only the start of it; there’s still no official press release [update: press release after the cut, and the microsite is up], but the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 netbook (aka Dell Inspiron 910) is now available to order on their website.  The three Mini 9 models - Standard, Social and XP Edition - are there, priced from $349 for the Standard and up to $449 for the Windows-based XP Edition, with an estimated ship date of September 16th.

Dell’s support site also has a new document detailing the Inspiron Mini 9’s expansion capabilities.  In the image above, 1 refers to the SSD, 2 to the WWAN card, 3 to the RAM and 4 to the WiFi card.

The WWAN card shown in the image - a cellular modem - is not currently listed as an option on the Dell Mini 9 configuration page.  Currently the $449 full specification gets you an Intel Atom 1.6GHz CPU, 8GB SSD, 1GB RAM, Bluetooth 2.1, Windows XP and a 1.3-megapixel webcam; a white casing is a $25 option