Roger Federer played some of the best tennis of his life to beat Britain’s Andy Murray in the Wimbledon final yesterday.

Federer came back from a set and a break down to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4, claim his seventh Wimbledon title and 17^th career grandslam.

It was his first major victory since January 2010, and the king of the grass was relieved to be back at the top after a couple of years absent from the Wimbledon final with people doubting him.

“I think the belief got me to victory today, and almost two other ones in the last couple of years as well,” he said.

“When it all happened I was just so happy that it was all over and that the pressure was gone, basically.

“I guess that came due to the tough loss I had here last year. There were a couple of tough moments for me over the last couple years.

“But I think I’m playing some of the best tennis of my life right now.”

An emotional Murray was reduced to tears in front of his home crowd, showing how much the Wimbledon title meant to him.

He has now lost all four of his grand-slam finals – a feat that only his coach, Ivan Lendl, and Kim Clijsters have ever done before – the future looks bright if history is anything to go by.

This was by far his best effort; however, and while he will take some time to recover from this loss, he will be proud of the improvements he has made, particularly in his mental game.

“I am getting closer,” a tearful Murray said to the BBC immediately after the match.

“Everybody always talks about the pressure of playing at Wimbledon, but it’s not the people watching – they make it incredible.

“I felt like I was playing for the nation and I couldn’t quite do it.

“We’re talking about one of the greatest athletes of all time. You’ve got to put it in context a little bit.”

Murray got off to a flying start and made the Swiss superstar look distinctly average for a set and half. But after Federer clinched the second set the rain came down, meaning the remainder of the match was played under the roof of centre court.

Federer was able to hit his precise shots without the elements affecting him and showed the world why he has such an immaculate indoor record.

Murray never gave up fighting however, and pushed Federer until the final point.

A twenty minute game in the third set on the Scot’s serve in which he saved six break points before surrendering to the relentless pressure of Federer was the turning point of the match.

The 30-year-old continued to elevate his game, and played two of the best sets of his life to complete the turnaround.

He now regains the number one spot and will match Sampras’ record of 286 weeks at the top of the rankings.

Murray many have lost the final, but he won the hearts of a nation, and showed the world how close he is getting to that elusive grand slam he deserves.

He will join Federer and the other top players back at SW19 in a few weeks to compete for the Olympic title before the American hard court season and the US Open at the end of next month.

Image Courtesy of  meunierd / Shutterstock.com

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Washington, US – The Herschel Space Observatory has shown galaxies with the most powerful, active black holes at their cores produce fewer stars than galaxies with less active black holes. The results are the first to demonstrate black holes suppressed galactic star formation when the universe was less than half its current age. Herschel is a European Space Agency-led mission with important NASA contributions.

“We want to know how star formation and black hole activity are linked,” said Mathew Page of University College London’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory in the United Kingdom and lead author of the Nature paper describing these findings. “The two processes increase together up to a point, but the most energetic black holes appear to turn off star formation.”

Super massive black holes, weighing as much as millions of suns, are believed to reside in the hearts of all large galaxies. When gas falls upon these monsters, the material is accelerated and heated around the black hole, releasing great torrents of energy. Earlier in the history of the universe, these giant, luminous black holes, called active galactic nuclei, were often much brighter and more energetic. Star formation was also livelier back then.

Studies of nearby galaxies suggest active black holes can squash star formation. The revved-up, central black holes likely heat up and disperse the galactic reservoirs of cold gas needed to create new stars. These studies have only provided “snapshots” in time, however, leaving the overall relationship of active galactic nuclei and star formation unclear, especially over the cosmic history of galaxy formation.

“To understand how active galactic nuclei affect star formation over the history of the universe, we investigated a time when star formation was most vigorous, between eight and 12 billion years ago,” said co-author James Bock, a senior research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena and co-coordinator of the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey. “At that epoch, galaxies were forming stars 10 times more rapidly than they are today on average. Many of these galaxies are incredibly luminous, more than 1,000 times brighter than our Milky Way.”

For the new study, Page and colleagues used Herschel data that probed 65 galaxies at wavelengths equivalent to the thickness of several sheets of office paper, a region of the light spectrum known as the far-infrared. These wavelengths reveal the rate of star formation, because most of the energy released by developing stars heats surrounding dust, which then re-radiates starlight out in far-infrared wavelengths.

The researchers compared their infrared readings with X-rays streaming from the active central black holes in the survey’s galaxies, measured by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. At lower intensities, the black holes’ brightness and star formation increased in sync. However, star formation dropped off in galaxies with the most energetic central black holes. Astronomers think inflows of gas fuel new stars and super massive black holes. Feed a black hole too much, however, and it starts spewing radiation into the galaxy that prevents raw material from coalescing into new stars.

“Now that we see the relationship between active super massive black holes and star formation, we want to know more about how this process works,” said Bill Danchi, Herschel program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Does star formation get disrupted from the beginning with the formation of the brightest galaxies of this type, or do all active black holes eventually shut off star formation, and energetic ones do this more quickly than less active ones?”

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Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical, and medical information products and services, and the Scaliger Institute of Leiden University Libraries announced the founding of a three year fellowship program to enable international rare books scholars to study 16th -18th century scientific scholarship and publishing.

The program will support two scholars to work with the extensive Leiden University Special Collections and the Elsevier Heritage Collection for a period of one to three months annually. They will be invited to share their research through public lectures and publications.

The fellowship program builds on Elsevier’s recent launch of the Elsevier Heritage Collection’s online catalogue comprising over 2,000 rare books with more than 1,000 distinct titles published by the original Elzevier publishing house from 1580 to 1712. Based in the Netherlands and closely tied to Leiden University, the original company published groundbreaking work from contemporary scholars including Descartes, Huygens, and Galileo.

The modern publisher Elsevier, founded in 1880, was named after the original firm as a tribute to the publishing achievements of the Elzeviers. The Scaliger Institute will also work closely with the Elsevier Heritage Collection team to provide training and expertise on preservation, exhibitions, display techniques, cataloguing, bindings, history, and provenance study.

The fellowships offer a scientific publishing complement to the longstanding Scaliger Institute Brill fellowships. These focus on rare books research in the fields of Middle East, Islamic, and Asian Studies, medieval and early modern history, as well as religious and classical studies.

“Our collaboration falls squarely in the tradition of the Scaliger Institute,” remarked Kurt De Belder, University Librarian and Director of Leiden University Libraries. “It stimulates the study of rare books and special collections to further our understanding of the foundations of academia. The Scaliger Institute is also dedicated to public outreach and looks forward to hosting the lectures and master classes generated by studying the history of publishing and scientific scholarships.”

“The Elsevier Heritage fellowships reinforce our longstanding relationship with the University of Leiden and builds upon the original Elzeviers’ tradition of publishing the great scientific minds of the 16th-18th century,” noted David Ruth, Senior Vice President of Global Communications, Elsevier.

“Supporting scholars to study the history of scholarship and science also ensures that the Elsevier Heritage Collection can be more fully researched and made available to scholars around the world.”

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The Center for Jewish History is pleased to announce a $2.5 million gift from The David Berg Foundation to establish The David Berg Rare Book Room.  This contribution will enable the Center and its partners to realize their longstanding goal of creating a public space that showcases and preserves some of the most important works in Jewish history.

“We are incredibly grateful to The David Berg Foundation for its unwavering commitment to the Center for Jewish History,” says Michael S. Glickman, chief operating officer of the Center. “It is only because of friends like this that the Center is able to ensure that Jewish history remains vibrant—as well as relevant—in today’s world. This rare book room will be part of David Berg’s legacy as an ardent supporter of the Jewish people and their history.”

The room will provide the Center’s partners — American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research — with a state-of-the-art facility in which to house some of their most important printed materials, including seminal first editions and a cross-section of rabbinical literature, Jewish philosophy, and intellectual history that dates back hundreds of years.

Scheduled to open this fall, the public will be able to visit The David Berg Rare Book Room six days a week, reinforcing the Center’s commitment to making information and history available to the thousands of people who visit each year. This glass-enclosed, high-security space—situated adjacent to the Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Great Hall and the Collection Management & Conservation Wing—will use the latest technology to display and protect the works that have helped establish the Center as a preeminent home for Jewish scholarship.

“Our core mission is to preserve, protect, and present the treasured collections of our partners,” says Center Co-Chairman William A. Ackman. “This project elevates our ability to showcase important works, and we are grateful to The David Berg Foundation and its trustees for this tremendous opportunity.”

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Taking a trip to historical Boston, Massachusetts is a travel experience for Americans, along with international tourists. As the biggest cosmopolitan city in New England, Boston is a hub for history buffs and sports fanatics, as well as those who like to shop, dine at fine restaurants, and explore what the city has to offer.

With more than 18 million tourists traveling to Boston each year, the city has made a name for itself as one of the top travel destinations in the United States. Divided into distinct neighborhoods, including Beacon Hill, the South End, Back Bay, and Downtown, contemporary activities are intertwined throughout the historical city.

Visiting Boston often begins at the famous Boston Common, a historical park in the heart of the city. Boston Common, also referred to as the Commons, is the oldest park in the United States. First opened in 1634, the park is a 50 acre nature retreat amidst the bustling streets and skyscrapers. The park has served as a public space for hundreds of years, paving the way for historical events throughout the years.

The Commons once housed camps of soldiers in 1775, followed by scenes of public hangings in the 1800s. In more recent times, Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech there. A walk through Boston Common allows visitors to step back in history while admiring the beautiful green space. The Commons now is a place where visitors and Bostonians can enjoy festivals and the natural outdoors.

The history of the city can be seen in its famous marketplace, Faneuil Hall. Created in 1742, Faneuil Hall was considered to be a meeting place, where people could come and share ideas and news.

The original Faneuil Hall also had a portion designated as a marketplace. The use of Faneuil Hall has changed over the course of time, now making it one of the most popular marketplaces for people to visit.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace is a shopping and dining spot where visitors can browse through nationally known apparel stores. Visitors can also choose from dozens of food vendors, as well as 14 different restaurants and bars. Visiting Faneuil Hall brings the pleasures of contemporary shopping into a historic space, where people can view the old architecture of the building while admiring the history behind it.

Traces of Boston’s history can be seen all throughout the city’s architecture. A walk through the South End neighborhood of Boston can be an easy way for visitors to understand and appreciate the history in its houses. The streets of this quieter neighborhood are lined with brownstones; a Victorian style of housing which dates back to the 19^th century.

Walking through the neighborhood is a great way for visitors to get away from more famous tourist traps for the opportunity to experience Boston the way Bostonians do.

The South End is a neighborhood full of unique shops and hip restaurants. Tremont 647 offers an array of delicious food for anyone with a hungry appetite.

For those who want to catch live music, The Beehive is a spot where people can grab a drink at the bar or have dinner while listening to new music. With a minimal amount of venues offering live music in Boston proper, The Beehive makes sure it offers a live band every day of the week, often having numerous bands throughout the weekend. Spending time in Boston’s South End shows how a neighborhood rich with history can mix contemporary restaurants and bars.

For visitors with a sweet tooth, a stop at the legendary Oak Room in the Fairmont Copley Plaza is a must. The Oak Room, opened in 1912, is rich with history in every inch of its regal wood paneling and ornate drapery. Ordering a slice of the city’s famous Boston Cream Pie at the Oak Room is a way to taste history in the luxurious dining room. Located in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, the Oak Room is just a short distance from the South End.

Visiting the sights, sounds, and tastes of Boston give visitors the chance to take in the contemporary, cosmopolitan experience of New England’s popular city, while also stepping back in its history rich culture that remains the backbone of the city.

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U.S. students don’t know their own country’s history.

Based on recent national test scores, results show less than one-fourth of students are “proficient” in American history, CNN reports.

The Nation’s Report Card: U.S. History 2010, test results report by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education showed 20 percent of fourth graders, 17 percent of eighth graders and 12 percent of 12th graders showed “solid academic performance” on the tests.

Exam statics are based on 7,000 fourth graders, 11,000 eighth graders and 12,000 12th graders.
When it comes to testing, it doesn’t seem as though history is the most important subject for students to know anyways. U.S. history is not even tested in the No Child left Behind policy.

Knowing history also can’t help students pass the SAT, because there’s no history section on that test. Most jobs don’t even focus on employees’ abilities to remember what year the civil war started or who the president was during that time period.

Teachers tend to focus on subjects such as English and math, which have more practical and vocational applications for students, beyond standardized testing.

There could be many factors and reasons why students are doing so poorly in U.S. history. Teachers may need to venture into new methods of teaching history to the country’s children.

“All of these students will be voters… and almost 40 percent were already eligible to vote when they took the assessment,” said Diane Ravitch, a New York University research professor of education in a statement released after the results of the study were published. “They will be making decisions in the voting booth that influence our lives.

They should be well informed and capable of weighing the contending claims of candidates, especially when the candidates rest their arguments on historical precedent.”

Knowing history may not help to perform well on the job at McDonalds or Starbucks. But, knowing history helps those who are informed make better decisions in life.

“If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree,” the words of Michael Crichton an American writer.

Jorg Hackemann / Shutterstock.com

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When you think of this “City of Lights”, you think of romance, arts, delicious French Cuisine, and for some – it’s the place to fall in love. While many might say the city is “overrated”. Well, I think the city is very well lives up to its reputation. It’s one of a kind city.

Paris, as many of us know, is full of attractions – the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Notre Dame are just a few examples.  Sure, when we travel, we want to see the most talked about destinations but what funny is most of the times, we are mesmerized by the lesser known, hidden spots.

The fact is there is so much to see that sometimes visitors tend to overlook these great details about Paris – the places, which in my case, made my top 3 best Paris experience.

The Museums

You can be a fast traveler, but the truth is one simply can’t visit Paris in one day. Museums such as the Louvre and Musee D’Orsay can easily takes a day to enjoy. True, most visitors do go to these museums, but the “go” they’re talking about is to just take pictures from the outside.

Believe it or not, this is actually a pretty common mistake. First and foremost, the point of these wonderful museums is for everyone to see the world class arts – from up close. However, if you happen to have a time constraint and able to be in the city for only a couple of days, try this: go to the Louvre if you have a deep interest in arts reflecting in Medieval, Roman, and Renaissance history.

Also home to the world-renowned Mona Lisa painting, the Louvre contain more than 35,000 works which means you might want to start prioritizing which ones you really love to see from the rest.

On the other side of the Seine, Musée D’Orsay, a train station turned museum, covers the whole spectrums of arts from Impressionisms, Neoclassical, Art Nouveau, Naturalism, photography, cinematography, to urban planning and more. If you are a big fan of Monet’s paintings, this might just be your heaven.

Montmartre

Being a lovely artistic area outside the Paris’s center, Montmartre is home to the beautiful basilica, Sacré-Cœur. This is where one of my best Paris pictures was taken – it was on the steps in front of this stunning place on a sunny day.

To get there, take a metro to Abbesses station and walk alone Rue Yvonne le Tac and Rue Tardieu, then walk up its steep steps. Please note that this is not the closest route but it gives you a chance to appreciate Montmartre and its surroundings.

Interested in having your portrait drawn by a local painter? Look for an artist who actually has the works showcased in their own shop and pay more for the painting, instead of letting a passerby asked to paint your picture for 30-40 euros (or more!) because you will simply end up paying ridiculous amount of money for a drawing that your 8 years old niece could probably do a better job at.

Paris Dinner Cruise

Though many guidebooks suggest a Paris architectural cruise as part of the day time sightseeing, I, on the other hand, think the Paris dinner cruise has everyone’s heart. The cruise we took was run by Bateaux Parisiens. They offer different types of tour, though the Paris Illuminations is the one not to be missed.

What is a better way to see Paris at night than to hop on board of a glass-encased boat, sampling traditional French Cuisine, listening to live music while this gorgeous city is just outside the window? At approximately 8:30 pm, the cruise departed the dock near the Eiffel Tower. From there, it will pass Les Invalides, La Cathédrale Notre-Dame, L’Hotel de Ville – just to name a few.

This is truly an amazing way to see Paris transform from day to night. As the matter of fact, Bateaux Parisiens’s dinner cruise was my best Paris experience. My suggestion: take the cruise, and you will dicover why this metropolis is nicknamed the “city of light”.

Other notable places worth visiting: Place des Vosges, Jardin du Luxembourg, and Latin Quarter.

F.C.G. / Shutterstock.com

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When we recently visited the beautiful passages of Paris, I was awestruck. I had heard of these places in stories, full of wonder and carnival-esque mystique. Somehow it had never quite occurred to me that these niches of dreams existed in reality, gems of history laden with memories. Built in the early 1800’s, these passageways were technological wonders, offering unheard of amenities to the emerging class of bourgeois consumers. Gas lighting and heated shelter protected from rain and mud, while creating a beautiful setting for copious goods, services, cafes and restaurants where one could rest and observe fellow lingerers. These cathedrals of commerce and leisure were a luxurious option over the shopping experience of hunting and gathering all around town.

Unfortunately they became somewhat distinct after the introduction of department stores, falling out of fashion permanently and becoming home to vagrants and gamblers. Today, only 20 or so remain out of the 150 original arcades, most of which have rebuilt repeatedly. Those precious few that remain still showcase the artistic wonder that kept Paris alive, filled with ancient book shops, art galleries, and cafes. The light twinkles through the glass roofs, and sunlight slices clouds of dust like mist over a waterfall, recalling stories past. It only takes one to shut their eyes and the soft hum of music boxes and the ring of children’s joy comes flooding back.

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