Little Dipper

The Latest Developments In The Audio Book World

2011-11-06T03:31:00.000-08:00

In the recorded history of humanity, probably no invention has had a greater influence than the introduction of printing in the fifteenth century by Johannes Gutenberg. Nowadays, with the latest development in audio books, some believe that the printing era is coming to its' end.

If you are an audio book publisher, an audio book fan or just wondering whether you should try one of theses audio books everybody is talking about, you are in the right place. Find out the latest developments in this overwhelming market:

1. A higher percentage of books are being published as audio books – All the bestsellers, all the important magazines and journals and a high percentage of the new books are published also as audio books. More than that, thousands of classic books are published as audio books each year.
Audio books could be found in more and more shops – from book shops and music shops to many online sources like online audio book rental services.

2. Massive increases of potential customers – Audio books answer a certain need – the need to maximize time and productivity. Audio books are considered as excellent method to improve time management. In the competitive world we are living today time is money. Therefore, more and more people understand that to make the most of their time they should start using audio books.

3. Audio books are free – The mass production and the development of new technologies reduced the costs of audio books. One can get free downloadable audio books, low cost audio book rentals or pay a couple of bucks for a brand new audio book on cd or a book on tape.

4. A disposal audio book – downloadable audio books are the most popular audio book' method today – they are cheap and require only a MP3 player or other media player to play them. However, in the past year disposal audio books are published – there is no need for an external device, just the audio book a couple of AAA batteries.

Audio books will surprise publishers, book sellers and libraries that are not joining the celebration. I don't know what about you – but I don't have any more a book shelf in my house.

Sunscreen Selection Advice

2011-11-06T03:30:00.000-08:00

The sun releases many kinds of radiation, each with a wavelength band that is specified. As soon as UVR reach the skin, it is readily absorbed by the skin molecules that intermingle more intensely with a specific wavelength. This act may result in damaging the skin proteins, lipids and cellular DNA, eventually leading to skin cancer. Ultraviolet radiation is broken into three types of wavelengths:

- UV-A: The longest wavelength is not absorbed by the ozone. It deeply penetrates the skin.
- UV-B: It is blocked partially by the ozone layer and is accountable for sunburns.
- UV-C: This is entirely absorbed by the atmosphere; it can only be encountered from artificial radiation sources.

1. Sunscreen

Sunscreens can absorb or redirect these harmful rays before they can interact with the skin. A sunscreen product will typically contain a combination of chemical and moisturizing ingredients. Certain ingredients are much better in blocking UVB while others block UVA. Chemical sunscreen ingredients PABA esters, cinnamates, para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), benzophenes, salicylates, octocrylene and dibenzoyl-methane. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are physical blockers and board spectrum which block both UVB and UVA.

2. What is SPF?

Stands for Sun Protection Factor. The number is determined and established by the degree of light that stimulate and encourages redness in skins that are sunscreen-protected, divided by the degree of light that encourages redness in skins that are not protected is the SPF. It is simply a measure of protection from UVB which ranges from 1 to 45 or above. A sunscreen product having an SPF of 15 will filters 92 percent of the UVB. Or, a sunscreen product having an SPF of 15 will defer the beginning of a sunburn in an individual who would burn in 10 minutes to burn in 150 minutes. The SPF 15 sunscreen can allow an individual to remain in the sun 15 times longer.

3. Sunscreen Application And Selection:

- Before buying a sunscreen product, read the label and be sure that it will filter and absorb both UVA and UVB.

- Check also the products level of protection. SPF 15, or 30, depending on how long you usually stay out in the sun.<

- Keep in mind that inexpensive brands are just as effective as the expensive brands.

- Check the expiration date. An expired product will lose its potency thereby will not perform its role. This could lead to serious sun burn.

- Choose a product too, that is labeled board spectrum, to give your skin complete protection from UVB, UVA and UVC.

- Remember that lighter skin will burn more quickly than darker skin. Therefore light skinned individuals needs higher SPF.

- The product should comply and abide with the standard AS/NZS2604 to support their claims and declaration for SPF, water resistance and board spectrum. This should be in their label.

- Check the products formulation. It must be non allergenic so it is safe to use on sensitive skin and on the face as well as nonacnegenic so as not to clog the pores.

- Insist on a product that is PABA free, containing no irritating chemicals and is safe to use on the face.

- A water proof sunscreen is best.

- Read the label and make sure that aside from sun protection, it also contains essential skin moisturizers to nourish your skin at the same time.

- Before applying a sunscreen, the skin should be clean and dry so that it can be well absorbed.

- Apply a liberal amount of sunscreen all over the body and pay special attention to the face, nose, ears, cheeks, and scalp as these are areas that are prone to sun burn.

- Reapply often, when perspiring heavily or after swimming. It is best to apply it fifteen minutes before you go out in the sun.

- Even on cloudy days, there is still a need for sunscreen application.

- Even with a sunscreen, avoid the sun during the hottest hours of the day starting at ten in the morning until four in the afternoon.

- Reflectors like zinc cream that reflects UV rays off the skin, should only be applied on small areas of the skin as they tend to limit perspiration.

A very interesting conversation

2011-06-18T08:15:00.001-07:00

An Atheist Professor of Philosophy was speaking to ...his Class on the Problem Science has

with GOD, the ALMIGHTY. He asked one of his New Christian Students to stand and . . .

...

Professor : You are a Christian, aren't you, son ?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, you Believe in GOD ?

Student : Absolutely, sir.

Professor: Is GOD Good ?

Student : Sure.

Professor: Is GOD ALL - POWERFUL ?

Student : Yes.

Professor: My Brother died of Cancer even though he Prayed to GOD to Heal him.

Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill.

But GOD didn't. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

(Student was silent )

Professor: You can't answer, can you ? Let's start again, Young Fella.

Is GOD Good?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Is Satan good ?

Student : No.

Professor: Where does Satan come from ?

Student : From . . . GOD . . .

Professor: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this World?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn't it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?

Student : Yes.

Professor: So who created evil ?

(Student did not answer)

Professor: Is there Sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness?

All these terrible things exist in the World, don't they?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, who Created them ?

(Student had no answer)

Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to Identify and Observe the World around you.

Tell me, son . . . Have you ever Seen GOD?

Student : No, sir.

Professor: Tell us if you have ever Heard your GOD?

Student : No , sir.

Professor: Have you ever Felt your GOD, Tasted your GOD, Smelt your GOD?

Have you ever had any Sensory Perception of GOD for that matter?

Student : No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.

Professor: Yet you still Believe in HIM?

Student : Yes.

Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol,

Science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student : Nothing. I only have my Faith.

Professor: Yes,Faith. And that is the Problem Science has.

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as Heat?

Professor: Yes.

Student : And is there such a thing as Cold?

Professor: Yes.

Student : No, sir. There isn't.

(The Lecture Theatre became very quiet with this turn of events )

Student : Sir, you can have Lots of Heat, even More Heat, Superheat, Mega Heat, White Heat,

a Little Heat or No Heat.

But we don't have anything called Cold.

We can hit 458 Degrees below Zero which is No Heat, but we can't go any further after that.

There is no such thing as Cold.

Cold is only a Word we use to describe the Absence of Heat.

We cannot Measure Cold.

Heat is Energy.

Cold is Not the Opposite of Heat, sir, just the Absence of it.

(There was Pin-Drop Silence in the Lecture Theatre )

Student : What about Darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as Darkness?

Professor: Yes. What is Night if there isn't Darkness?

Student : You're wrong again, sir.

Darkness is the Absence of Something

You can have Low Light, Normal Light, Bright Light, Flashing Light . . .

But if you have No Light constantly, you have nothing and its called Darkness, isn't it?

In reality, Darkness isn't.

If it is, were you would be able to make Darkness Darker, wouldn't you?

Professor: So what is the point you are making, Young Man ?

Student : Sir, my point is your Philosophical Premise is flawed.

Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?

Student : Sir, you are working on the Premise of Duality.

You argue there is Life and then there is Death, a Good GOD and a Bad GOD.

You are viewing the Concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure.

Sir, Science can't even explain a Thought.

It uses Electricity and Magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.

To view Death as the Opposite of Life is to be ignorant of the fact that

Death cannot exist as a Substantive Thing.

Death is Not the Opposite of Life: just the Absence of it.

Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your Students that they evolved from a Monkey?

Professor: If you are referring to the Natural Evolutionary Process, yes, of course, I do.

Student : Have you ever observed Evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shook his head with a Smile, beginning to realize where the Argument was going )

Student : Since no one has ever observed the Process of Evolution at work and

Cannot even prove that this Process is an On-Going Endeavor,

Are you not teaching your Opinion, sir?

Are you not a Scientist but a Preacher?

(The Class was in Uproar )

Student : Is there anyone in the Class who has ever seen the Professor's Brain?

(The Class broke out into Laughter )

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's Brain, Felt it, touched or Smelt it? . . .

No one appears to have done so.

So, according to the Established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol,

Science says that You have No Brain, sir.

With all due respect, sir, how do we then Trust your Lectures, sir?

(The Room was Silent. The Professor stared at the Student, his face unfathomable)

Professor: I guess you'll have to take them on Faith, son.

Student : That is it sir . . . Exactly !

The Link between Man & GOD is FAITH.

That is all that Keeps Things Alive and Moving.

NB:

I believe you have enjoyed the Conversation . . . and if so . . .

You'll probably want your Friends / Colleagues to enjoy the same . . . won't you?

Forward them to Increase their Knowledge . . . or FAITH.

A Glimpse Of Your True Nature...

2011-06-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

I believe that every moment of existence holds within it, somewhere, a key to your true nature. So as you read this article, do so as if this could be your key, and let's see which doors it opens within you.

There is a simple fact of nature that I would like you to consider – YOU ARE ALREADY PERFECT!All of nature, or existence, or reality, or whatever you prefer to call it, is already perfect.There is nothing outside of you that you need to find to complete you. You are already complete.There is nothing you need to achieve. There is nothing you need to get, do or become. Everything you need to "be you" is already within you. You are perfect, as is all other creation.A rock is a rock. It doesn't try to be anything other than itself. It does not look elsewhere for its identity. It just is, and it's perfect.A tree does not try to be something it's not. It's a tree. And it spends its time just being. Without struggle, it is what it is- perfect.I have a cat named Schrody. Now Schrody lives an incredibly free life, because he simply is who he is. He spends his time just being Schrody. And he does it perfectly.There is not one example in nature, living or non-living, which is not already perfect. Including YOU! You are perfect right now- exactly how you are meant to be.If you were meant to be something or someone else, then you would be.If you were meant to have something else, then you would have it.If you were meant to achieve something, then you would have achieved it.You are already perfect, just as you are.

So why don't you feel perfect? Why are you not happy? Why are you looking outside of yourself for that something else which will complete you?

Perhaps because you falsely believe you should be something else? Something other than what you truly are. You are refusing to accept reality. You fight what is, and that's a fight you can never win. You believe you should be richer. Or have a better job. Or a different relationship.These things are just your external environment. And if you wish to change them, you can certainly do it. The circumstances you live with now are a result of your choices so far, and you can create a new life for the future by choosing to make changes in your life, and taking appropriate action.If that is your desire, you can change your finances. You can change your career. You can improve your relationships. And making these changes will certainly make your life different. However, they cannot make YOU better. It's impossible to improve on perfection.Personal development and growth does not improve you. It simply expands your awareness of the truth- that you are already perfect.Until you recognize this fact, you will continue in your suffering. Happiness cannot be found outside you. Happiness comes from within, when you give up the illusion, and just love yourself unconditionally.So! How about no more thinking, "I should be this…", or "I should have that." How about thinking, "I am exactly who I am, and no-one could do a more perfect job at it than me."Be happy being who you are.Lance Beggs

Mercury is so dense that you can float cannon balls in it.

2011-06-02T05:06:00.000-07:00

Mercury is actually the densest liquid. It's 13 times as dense as water. It's even denser than lead! The reason that you can float cannon balls in a tub of mercury is the same reason you can float a piece of wood on water. Anything can float if it's less dense than the fluid it's floating on. Mercury is even denser than the cannon balls!

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has vowed to only eat meat from animals he has killed himself!

2011-06-02T05:05:00.000-07:00

Each year, the social networking mogul takes on a new personal challenge in order to build greater self-discipline and expand his interests and knowledge. In 2009, he vowed to wear a necktie each day for the entire year and last year his goal was to learn Chinese, but for this year’s challenge he wasn’t afraid to go for something quite a bit less tame. Naturally, the big reveal came via his Facebook page, with his status reading “I just killed a pig and a goat.” on May 4th! Zuckerberg has been guided in this unusual venture by a well-known Silicon Valley chef by the name of Jesse Cool. She was even there giving him pointers as he killed his first chicken, pig, and goat! After Zuck kills his prey, the dead animals are shipped to a butcher in Santa Cruz, who prepares the flesh for consumption. Mark and his girlfriend then cook the meat and eat it for dinner - he even devoured the chicken’s heart and liver!

(source)

The youngest person to receive their PhD was only 12 years old!

2011-06-02T05:03:00.000-07:00

Karl Witte

Karl Witte was born in Germany in 1800. His father, a pastor also named Karl, promoted a fairly rigorous deal of studying for his young son. This was due to the elder Karl’s belief that intelligence is not hereditary. He instead thought that a person’s smarts were due strictly to the amount of knowledge they managed to gain as a young child. Therefore, he had already taught his son to read and write Latin and Greek by the time he was six years old. By the tender age of eight, the younger Karl knew SIX different languages: German, Latin, French, Italian, English, and Greek! He went on to study at the University of Leipzig at the age 10, and received his doctorate in philosophy just two years later. He then got his doctorate of law by age 16 and became a professor at Berlin University.

(source)

Narcissism: Is Your Child In A Path To Self-Destruction?

2011-06-02T04:59:00.000-07:00

Do you look in the mirror to admire yourself more often that normal people would? Do you believe that you're more important person than everybody else? Do people say that you're self-centered and you believe that it's okay to be like that?

Once there was a boy named Narcissus

In Greek mythology, there was a boy named Narcissus. He was a very handsome young man. He was so beautiful that women and nymphs swooned over his striking appearance. Even the goddess Echo had fallen prey to his charms and was helplessly in love with the young man. Unfortunately, he was full of himself and rudely shunned the goddess Echo and the other nymphs and ladies that were in love with him. One day, a young woman who tried wooing Narcissus prayed that he be taught a lesson on unrequited love. Echo, hurt and vengeful, granted the woman's prayer and punished Narcissus to fall in love and receive no reciprocation. Narcissus fell in love with himself, watching his own image day and night over the lake's reflection, losing thought of eating and resting. He did this until he lost his old beauty which had charmed Echo and the other nymphs in the beginning. He wilted away loving himself and was changed into a flower that later on bore his name.

Narcissism

Simply put, this condition relates to self love. Sigmund Freud said that self love is an essential part of all men since birth. Andrew Morrison said that, in adults, an adequate amount of healthy self love allows a person's perception of his needs to be balanced in relation to others.

Pathological narcissism is a life-long pattern of traits and behaviors which signify love and obsession with one's self shutting out everybody else and the egotistic and ruthless pursuit of one's gratification, dominance and ambition.

Compared to having a healthy amount of self love which we all have during childhood and even now, pathological narcissism is maladaptive, rigid, persisting, and causes significant distress, and functional impairment. It manifests in the chronic pursuit of personal gratification and attention (narcissistic supply), in social dominance and personal ambition, bragging, insensitivity to others, lack of empathy and/or excessive dependence on others to meet his/her responsibilities in daily living and thinking.

Pathological narcissism has been debated to have rooted from: genetic programming; faulty upbringing and/or growing up in a dysfunctional family; or reclusive societies and disruptive socialization processes.

It has been said that pathological narcissism is a defense mechanism. Certain medical conditions, chronic ailments and brain trauma may induce a pathologic narcissistic tendency. However this kind of narcissism disappear once the underlying medical condition or trauma is cured.

As mentioned earlier, as toddlers, we were all narcissistic. Babies think they are the center of everybody's universe, and that parents are there solely to protect them and cater to their needs. But eventually, as babies grow old, these idealizations are disillusioned by the difficult conflicts that life throws them. If these conflicts occur abruptly, inconsistently, unpredictably, capriciously, arbitrarily and intensely, then the injuries sustained by the infant's self-esteem are severe and often irreversible. Coupled with the parents' lack of support to the child, these conflicts cause the child's sense of self-worth and self-esteem to fluctuates between over-evaluation and devaluation of both himself and the other people surrounding him. When a child is faced with a difficult obstacle, he regresses back to his infantile narcissistic phase rather than work around the hindrance. If the same obstacle comes up and continues to fail in it, the child might continually regress. And while in that regression stage, a child starts acting up: displays childish and immature behavior, feels omnipotent and pretends to know everything. His sensitivity to the needs of others will drastically deteriorate and becomes intolerably haughty and arrogant, with sadistic and paranoid tendencies. To top it all, he will then expect unconditional admiration from the people around him, even if he doesn't deserve it. This is the start of a self-destructive behavior cycle as the child engages in fantastic, magical thinking and daydreams. In this mode he tends to exploit others, to envy them, and to be explosive.

A personality disorder arises only when repeated attacks on the obstacle continue to fail -- especially if this recurrent failure happens during the formative stages (0-6 years of age). The contrast between the make-believe world occupied by the individual and the real world in which he keeps being frustrated (the grandiosity gap) is too acute to countenance for long. The dissonance gives rise to the unconscious decision to continue living in the world of fantasy, grandiosity and entitlement.

Healthy adults would normally accept their limitations and eventually cope with disappointments and failures that come their way. The opposite may be said for narcissistic adults. So it is best to watch your child closely during his growing years. Provide your child with sufficient support and teach him how to cope. This will help lead him to a better path in life, away from malignant narcissism.

Elevator Shoes - How to increase height and grow taller with elevator shoes

2011-06-02T04:57:00.000-07:00

Every man has a desire to look taller, which is surely a positive characteristic to highlight one's personality. A man of short height has to meet so much of hardships, either they go to a gym or undergo medical treatments in order to increase few inches in their height. But the shoe industry has brought an end to such worries. They have produced height increasing footwear which will make any man look taller instantly. Also, this will add upto your confidence.

The internal making of these elevator shoes is such that after wearing them, the height of a man can increase from 2 to 4 inches. The built of the height increasing footwear is very inimitable. In the internal built of the shoe, a light cork is used that is responsible for an increase in the height. The height increaser hidden inside the shoe does not give any unusual look. It has been so shaped and placed inside the shoe that the outside look is similar to any normal platform shoes.

These shoes are made keeping in mind the quality, style and the most important comfort. Light weight is also one of the best key features of the elevator shoes. With this feature, you don't have to compromise on the comfort issue. Another unique aspect is that it helps in maintaining a good posture. Also, these shoes are made out of finest leathers and meet the high standards, so you don't have to worry about the quality issue.

These exclusive shoes come in an assortment of forms and sizes. So, there is a vast collection of the elevator shoes for you to choose. The range includes shoes for sport events and work place to casual wear and formal occasions. The elevator sport shoes are so comfortable that you will not only enjoy looking taller in height but also you will enjoy the sport more actively. And if you are going to a special party wearing the elevator shoes, you will indubitably be surrounded by the company of gals. These shoes not only make you taller but also enhance your appearance and make you more attractive.

Now, the guys with shorter height don't have to envy the taller men till the time they are wearing these elevator shoes. So, go and try out these distinctive height increasing shoes. The increased height will not only build confidence in you but also will surely give an affirmative feeling of a well being.

Mind Power Through Mindfulness

2011-05-30T06:14:00.000-07:00

Basic mindfulness exercises put you in a state of awareness where distractions are let go, and your mind power is able to function more effectively. They help you think more clearly and concentrate better. They are also easy exercises to do.

More Mind Power in Minutes

A basic mindfulness exercise starts with sitting down, relaxing and breathing deeply through your nose. Close your eyes and be aware of your breath going in and out. After a minute, move your attention to your body, one part at a time, noting sensations of cold, hot, tight, sore and anything else you identify. In a few minutes, start listening to sounds in the room, without thinking about them. Just listen.

When it feels right, open your eyes and look around as if you are seeing for the first time. Rest your eyes on an object for half a minute, examining it without talking about it in your mind. Then move to another object, and another, while still maintaining an awareness of your body, your breathing, and any sounds. Stay in this state of mindfulness until you are ready to get up.

Being aware of your body, breath and immediate enviroment, puts you more fully "in the moment." Your mind is in a very receptive state, with fewer mental distractions that prevent clear thinking. Doing a mindfulness exercise before important mental tasks will give you greater mind power, specifically more focus and concentration.

An Even Easier Mindfulness Trick

Try this one today: When you feel stressed, stop, and carefully watch yourself to identify what's bothering you. Maybe you're expecting something bad to happen, or an argument is going on just below the surface of your consciousness, or you're worried about something, or in pain in some way. Make a note of everything you find.

Then deal with these mind-irritants. Make a phone call that's on your mind, take an aspirin, apologise to whomever you were fighting with. Write things on tomorrow's list, to get them off your mind. If there's nothing you can do right now, tell yourself that. Do this exercise, and you'll feel less stressed, and more able to concentrate on the tasks at hand. You'll have more mind power today.

Caring For Your Colon

2011-05-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

The instance of colon cancer is on the rise. Colon cancer, like heart disease, is considered a twentieth century disease, as it was basically unheard of before the early 1900s. Most professionals consider colon cancer to be directly related to diet.

Taking better care of your colon and thus lessen the risk of colon problems or cancer can be accomplished by changes in your diet, exercise routine and lifestyle. Of the three, diet is the most important.

Lack of fiber in the diet is the number one cause of colon difficulties. Fiber helps the colon to function properly. By simply adding more breads and legumes to your diet can help keep your colon doing its job and allow your bowels to empty regularly. Soy products and increased calcium intakes have also been linked to positive colon health.

Water is essential to all parts of the body, but especially important in forming proper stools and colon elimination. The old adage of eight glasses per day is still true today. Soy products and other calcium rich foods can also be beneficial to colon health and well being.

Exercise is vital to colon health. Regular exercise, even simple walking, helps the colon by allowing the toxins to continue to move through the body. Sedentary lifestyles contribute to colon difficulties by forcing the GI tract into cramped and stifled space.

One of the worst things you can do to your colon is waiting to pass the stools when you feel the urge 'to go'. By not allowing your body to function, as it needs to, the stool backs up in the colon and begins to decay. Holding back can also lead to either constipation or diarrhea, depending on the toxins in the stool. By promptly discharging the stools as needed, the body rids itself of the toxins and thus keeps the colon and the entire GI tract healthy.

Minimizing the risks of colon problems can reduce the risks of other debilitating illnesses such as appendicitis. Good colon health can also prevent nutritional deficiencies. Any signs of constipation or diarrhea should be taken seriously and if they persist, should be discussed with your physician immediately.

Dragon Tales - Review

2011-05-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

Dragon Tales by Mary C. Fairbanks is truly and entertaining book, chock full of twenty-four dragon stories. Perfect for youth from the age of five to fifteen, even adults would be charmed by its pages. The images are unique and interesting, with a style that left me with the impression they were created on a computer.

Caregivers are likely to find the morals to each story helpful to deal with youth problems with social interaction, self-image, overcoming self-absorption, understanding others and more. The author tackles many issues through her lovable, yet egotistical dragons or even through sad and lonely dragons. She shows the importance of freedom and dictates communities working together to solve problems peacefully. The confusion between the way that dragons and humans view each other in this book will aid against racism. Her characters learn to not passively accept what everyone else believes and live by another's prejudices. Instead, Mary has the characters find out for themselves what is the truth. Often, the young characters have to 'think' their way out of a situation or learn to ask the right questions - rather than fighting it or running away from problems.

I would recommend this fictional, children's book of short stories to anyone, anytime, anywhere.

ISBN#: 1554102545

Author: Marie C. Fairbanks

Publisher: Zumaya Otherworlds

Silicon Bracelets

2011-05-24T05:52:00.000-07:00

Silicon bands or bracelets are not just mere silicon loops. They represent the human spirit that can fight all odds. These bands create awareness towards worthy causes. They have been popularized by cancer survivor and cycling champion, Lance Armstrong. He helped generate 15 million dollars for charity through selling these bands.

Silicon Bands for a Cause

With the help of these bands you can promote business, show your support to special causes and also make a fashion statement. You can distribute these bands in trade shows, conventions, team sports and fund raisers to bring about awareness and support for any cause or disease. They are made of silicon and are stretchable and come in an array of colors like pink, blue, purple, yellow, green and black. Some glow in the dark too.

Silicon Bands for Business Purposes

You can use silicon bands to promote your business too as an advertising medium. Wrist bands distributed at corporate functions would life the image of your business. You may distribute the bands during trade shows also.

Multipurpose Silicon Bands

Through these silicon bands, you can convey more than one message. You can stamp messages and designs crafted on them, whether it is for religious purposes, business purposes or social causes. You can order these silicon bands from various websites which are available at $1 -$5. You will get discounts from the vendors if you order in bulk quantities.

Silicon Band: Identifying Device

Silicon band is also used as an identifying device in crowded places. For example, silicon bands are used in music concerts and other such events as a crowd control device. In hospitals silicon bands are used as identification devices. Medical information is stamped on these patients for identification purposes.

Silicon Bands Are Hot

Customized silicon bands are hot now. The demand for these bands is increasing rapidly. From sports team to awareness groups, everyone is sporting a silicon band. By wearing them a sense of unity and spirit is fortified.

Buy a silicon band or gift it to your loved ones and spread the message of the fighting human spirit.

Write A Novel Out Of Your Dream

2011-05-24T05:50:00.001-07:00

Everyone might have a dream, but what would you do when you get up in the morning? I'm sure almost everyone forgot about as soon as they washed their face in a bathroom. What's so important about your dream? The answer is easily made, because I'm sure that you sure had an great experience in your dream something like adventured in the deep jungle, chased by terrific monsters and anything else. And I know that not all of you could remembered all of your dreams. Yes, me too, but I have got some techniques to dig your dream out of your unconscious mind and it will give you a new nice idea for your new novel.

Writing a novel is really hard. It hard to find a new idea to write it in your book. So, I recommend to use your dreams. Why your dream is gonna work, because I believe that what inspired (or terrified) you can also inspired the others. But the difficult things is to remember your dream. Almost everyone forgot their dream right after they wake up. Someone can still remember what they had dream but not very exactly.

Let's me tell you something about the "dream" that some of you may don't know. When we sleep, our eyes will move very rapidly, this is called REM (Rapid Eyes Moving) period and when our eyes will not move, this is called no-REM period. Our body will change from REM to no-REM from time to time. I'm not sure about exact periods time but it's about one hour and a half. When we are in REM mode, we will begin to dream. This theory can explain why our dream is not continuous and change very differently in one night. The other things about the dream is beyond the scope of this article and you can find more detail on the net.

Now, how can i write out my dream? you may ask. The answer is simple, grab a pen (or pencil) and write. It may be sound ridiculous but to write something at the moment you wake up is difficult. You have to practice to write after you wake up. Here are some tips:

1. Find some pen (or pencil) and some paper or notebook and put it right after your body before you go to sleep.

2. When you wake up, try to write down anything you can remember as much as possible. For example, when you dream of a monster that had chased you in the forest. Try to write down the very detail of that monster, does it has a horn?, does it has a crawl?, what color is it?, what detail of the forest you were running? Try to write down the detail of anything you can remember as the detail will help you recognize the other part of your dream.

3. After you finished you daily cleansing (or anything) sit down and revision what you wrote.

4. Repeat the process.It will take a bit time to practice until you can remember all of your dreams. Don't give up !

Lastly, I want to say that don't underestimate your dream. Dream can be a warn from the future, can be a new innovative creation, can be a new technology. And I'm sure it can be a new bestseller novel, too!.

Enjoy writing
Poom

http://readbud.com/Articles/Writing/Write-A-Novel-Out-Of-Your-Dream

Succeed In the Music Business with Crazy Keywords

2011-05-24T05:47:00.000-07:00

What is more important in today's music business?

A.) Having a great sound?

B.) Executing a great marketing strategy?

If you chose "B", you may be on your way to stardom. In today's music business, having an effective web marketing strategy can make the difference between you being a local, national or international music star.

A key element in your web marketing strategy should be the selection of your bands name. Why? Because your bands name will also become your bands keyword on the Internet.

I'm sure you've heard of references to AOL Keywords, but AOL isn't the only place where people use keywords for search. Google, Yahoo, MSN, ASK and many other search engines use keywords to help millions of people find what they are looking for on-line.

If someone is looking for information about your band on the Internet, they are most likely, going to type your bands name into a search engine. When the search engine returns the results, you'll want your website, or your myspace page to be in the top of the listings.

My suggestion is to choose a crazy (or very creative) keyword. A crazy band name, when used as a keyword, will help your listings in search engines beyond your wildest imagination.

For example, let's examine two keywords for two music acts - "Panic At the Disco", a rock band and "Algebra" a soul and r&b group.

When I Googled Panic at the Disico, Google returned 10,300,000 results. On the first page of Googles search results, every listing led me to information about the rock band, Panic At the Disco.

The very first Google listing, for Panic at the Disco, was for the bands video "It's Better If You Do".

The second listing for Panic at the Disco was their bands website, panicatthedisco.com.

The third result was Panic At the Disco at purevolume.com.

The fourth result was Panic at the Discos' myspace page.

Fith was Panic at the Disco lyrics.

Get the picture? The first page in Googles' search results was all Panic at the Disco. Panic at the Disco is on an Indie Label.

Now let's briefly look a Algebra, a R&B Group on a Major Label.

I Googled Algebra, and you can guess my results. The term "Algebra" returned 86,000,000 results in Google. Algebra, the R&B Group wasn't listed anywhere in the first 10 pages of results. Most people doing searches will not dig past page two - in any search engine. The likelihood of the R&B Group Algebra, having any success on the Internet (from a marketing stand-point) is very slim.

So the lesson to be learned here is: choose a crazy or creative keyword and band name. With a crazy keyword people can find you easily on the Internet and that can improve your on-line marketing efforts by over 100%

http://readbud.com/Articles/Music/Succeed-In-the-Music-Business-with-Crazy-Keywords

The ride of your life: who's driving?

2011-05-23T18:19:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest challenges that most people face in the exiting times we live in, is the feeling that their lives are just spiraling out of control. They feel like the events and circumstances of their lives have lead them along a torturous route and that they have no control over all the misfortunes and wrong doings that brought them to this moment in time.

The truth is that your life will not change until and unless you assume full responsibility for it. Responsibility, or your ability to respond, is not a way of accepting some form of blame as most people think, but rather a way of accepting your ability to respond to any situation. It is absolutely critical to realize and accept that it is never the actual events of your life but only your responses to these events that will shape and create your life. You are never the creature of circumstances and you have the ultimate ability to consciously decide what things mean and how to respond to it. You are the only one that can and the only one that will take you where you want to go in your life.

Responsibility is not some skill you need to go and find outside of yourself but it is something you already possess. All you need to do is to assume this power that calls on you to stop blaming any and everything other than yourself. Most of us have been conditioned to blame someone else for the parts of our lives that don't work. When you take full responsibility for your life you put yourself back in charge; you get back in behind the wheel of your life and now you have the ability to control and direct your life the way you choose to. Ultimately it is not the conditions of your life but rather the decisions about what things mean and what you are going to do about it that will create the real conditions of your life.

When you are fully responsible you recognize that you are the creator of your life. At some level you were responsible. If not by your conscious actions, then by the meanings and emotions you attached to the events and experiences. Only when you accept responsibility for creating everything in your life can you start to un-create and re-create it the way you truly want. If you keep blaming someone or something else you will remain bound because you will always rely on something or someone else to be responsible for the way you feel and ultimately someone else will be responsible for the state of your life. You have to consciously unfold your arms, get out of the back seat and get back behind the wheel and start directing your life towards where you want it to go, instead of just going with the flow.

See, there are only two real choices in life, the one conscious and the other unconscious: you can either choose to be directed by the events and circumstances of life and let the river of life take you wherever it's going or you can have both your hands on the steering wheel and decide that you are in full control. You get to decide where you go. Although you can't control all the events of your life, you can always decide what the events mean to you and how you are going to respond. Whenever anything happens to you, you have to respond to it in order to create the outcome. Most people have fallen into the cultural hypnosis that just passes the responsibility on to someone else. This is why their lives feel out of control, because it is. They have not taken responsibility.

You create your world. When you assume your responsibility you are in charge and this is an internal shift in your thinking and behaviour. Your psychology is not just a big part of your life but it is "everything." Winning and loosing in life is an internal game. By learning to control and direct your mind you get to choose what things mean and therefore you get to choose your response, also known as your responsibility. No one can ever give you responsibility. It is an internal process and a switch that only you can turn on or off.

Being fully responsible doesn't mean you live in blame and self pity. It means that you live life from a place of power where you know that on some level you are fully responsible for what happened and you will be responsible for everything that is to come. Be careful how you utilize your past experiences. With responsibility comes a new emotional territory that reinvents your past. You want to use your past as a place to learn from and a place to pull pleasure from. Right, wrong or indifferent, there is a gift in there somewhere. You just need to find it. It's never too late to have a happy childhood – you have the ability (and response-ability) to find an empowering meaning in whatever life gives you.

Responsibility means that you are in charge. You call the shots. Nobody and nothing is in control and to blame other than you. This is how you turn problems into opportunities and how an ordinary life becomes extraordinary. Helen Keller, who was both blind and deaf, said that life is either a daring adventure or nothing. What is it going to be for you? You can either let the environment steer your life or you can get behind the wheel and take responsibility for every aspect of your life. Life is one amazing adventure, but only if you perceive it as that. By being responsible you can take yourself anywhere you want to go because you are the only one who gets to steer your ship and direct the course. You can't control the wind but you can most certainly direct your sails.

39 Ways to Live, and Not Merely Exist

2011-05-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

Love. Perhaps the most important. Fall in love, if you aren't already. If you have, fall in love with your partner all over again. Abandon caution and let your heart be broken. Or love family members, friends, anyone -- it doesn't have to be romantic love. Love all of humanity, one person at a time.

Get outside. Don't let yourself be shut indoors. Go out when it's raining. Walk on the beach. Hike through the woods. Swim in a freezing lake. Bask in the sun. Play sports, or walk barefoot through grass. Pay close attention to nature.

Savor food. Don't just eat your food, but really enjoy it. Feel the texture, the bursts of flavors. Savor every bite. If you limit your intake of sweets, it will make the small treats you give yourself (berries or dark chocolate are my favorites) even more enjoyable. And when you do have them, really, really savor them. Slowly.

Create a morning ritual. Wake early and greet the day. Watch the sun rise. Out loud, tell yourself that you will not waste this day, which is a gift. You will be compassionate to your fellow human beings, and live every moment to its fullest. Stretch or meditate or exercise as part of your ritual. Enjoy some coffee.

Take chances. We often live our lives too cautiously, worried about what might go wrong. Be bold, risk it all. Quit your job and go to business for yourself (plan it out first!), or go up to that girl you've liked for a long time and ask her out. What do you have to lose?

Follow excitement. Try to find the things in life that excite you, and then go after them. Make life one exciting adventure after another (with perhaps some quiet times in between).

Find your passion. Similar to the above tip, this one asks you to find your calling. Make your living by doing the thing you love to do. First, think about what you really love to do. There may be many things. Find out how you can make a living doing it. It may be difficult, but you only live once.

Get out of your cubicle. Do you sit all day in front of computer, shuffling papers and taking phone calls and chatting on the Internet? Don't waste your days like this. Break free from the cubicle environment, and do your work on a laptop, in a coffee shop, or on a boat, or in a log cabin. This may require a change of jobs, or becoming a freelancer. It's worth it.

Turn off the TV. How many hours will we waste away in front of the boob tube? How many hours do we have to live? Do the math, then unplug the TV. Only plug it back in when you have a DVD of a movie you love. Otherwise, keep it off and find other stuff to do. Don't know what to do? Read further.

Pull away from Internet. You're reading something on the Internet right now. And, with the exception of this article, it is just more wasting away of your precious time. You cannot get these minutes back. Unplug the Internet, then get out of your office or house. Right now! And go and do something.

Travel. Sure, you want to travel some day. When you have vacation time, or when you're older. Well, what are you waiting for? Find a way to take a trip, if not this month, then sometime soon. You may need to sell your car or stop your cable bill and stop eating out to do it, but make it happen. You are too young to not see the world. If need be, find a way to make a living by freelancing, then work while you travel. Only work an hour or two a day. Don't check email but once a week. Then use the rest of the time to see the world.

Rediscover what's important. Take an hour and make a list of everything that's important to you. Add to it everything that you want to do in life. Now cut that list down to 4-5 things. Just the most important things in your life. This is your core list. This is what matters. Focus your life on these things. Make time for them.

Eliminate everything else. What's going on in your life that's not on that short list? All that stuff is wasting your time, pulling your attention from what's important. As much as possible, simplify your life by eliminating the stuff that's not on your short list, or minimizing it.

Exercise. Get off the couch and go for a walk. Eventually try running. Or do some push ups and crunches. Or swim or bike or row. Or go for a hike. Whatever you do, get active, and you'll love it. And life will be more alive.

Be positive. Learn to recognize the negative thoughts you have. These are the self-doubts, the criticisms of others, the complaints, the reasons you can't do something. Then stop yourself when you have these thoughts, and replace them with positive thoughts. Solutions. You can do this!

Open your heart. Is your heart a closed bundle of scar tissue? Learn to open it, have it ready to receive love, to give love unconditionally. If you have a problem with this, talk to someone about it. And practice makes perfect.

Kiss in the rain. Seize the moment and be romantic. Raining outside? Grab your lover and give her a passionate kiss. Driving home? Stop the car and pick some wildflowers. Send her a love note. Dress sexy for him.

Face your fears. What are you most afraid of? What is holding you back? Whatever it is, recognize it, and face it. Do what you are most afraid of. Afraid of heights? Go to the tallest building, and look down over the edge. Only by facing our fears can we be free of them.

When you suffer, suffer. Life isn't all about fun and games. Suffering is an inevitable part of life. We lose our jobs. We lose our lovers. We lose our pets. We get physically injured or sick. A loved one becomes sick. A parent dies. Learn to feel the pain intensely, and really grieve. This is a part of life -- really feel the pain. And when you're done, move on, and find joy.

Slow down. Life moves along at such a rapid pace these days. It's not healthy, and it's not conducive to living. Practice doing everything slowly -- everything, from eating to walking to driving to working to reading. Enjoy what you do. Learn to move at a snail's pace.

Touch humanity. Get out of your house and manicured neighborhoods, and find those who live in worse conditions. Meet them, talk to them, understand them. Live among them. Be one of them. Give up your materialistic lifestyle.

Volunteer. Help at homeless soup kitchens. Learn compassion, and learn to help ease the suffering of others. Help the sick, those with disabilities, those who are dying.

Play with children. Children, more than anyone else, know how to live. They experience everything in the moment, fully. When they get hurt, they really cry. When they play, they really have fun. Learn from them, instead of thinking you know so much more than them. Play with them, and learn to be joyful like them.

Talk to old people. There is no one wiser, more experienced, more learned, than those who have lived through life. They can tell you amazing stories. Give you advice on making a marriage last or staying out of debt. Tell you about their regrets, so you can learn from them and avoid the same mistakes. They are the wisdom of our society -- take advantage of their existence while they're still around.

Learn new skills. Constantly improve yourself instead of standing still -- not because you're so imperfect now, but because it is gratifying and satisfying. You should accept yourself as you are, and learn to love who you are, but still try to improve -- if only because the process of improvement is life itself.

Find spirituality. For some, this means finding God or Jesus or Allah or Buddha. For others, this means becoming in tune with the spirits of our ancestors, or with nature. For still others, this just means an inner energy. Whatever spirituality means for you, rediscover it, and its power.

Take mini-retirements. Don't leave the joy of retirement until you are too old to enjoy it. Do it now, while you're young. It makes working that much more worth it. Find ways to take a year off every few years. Save up, sell your home, your possessions, and travel. Live simply, but live, without having to work. Enjoy life, then go back to work and save up enough money to do it again in a couple of years.

Do nothing. Despite the tip above that we should find excitement, there is value in doing nothing as well. Not doing nothing as in reading, or taking a nap, or watching TV, or meditating. Doing nothing as in sitting there, doing nothing. Just learning to be still, in silence, to hear our inner voice, to be in tune with life. Do this daily if possible.

Stop playing video games. They might be fun, but they can take up way too much time. If you spend a lot of time playing online games, or computer solitaire, or Wii or Gameboy or whatever, consider going a week without it. Then find something else to do, outside.

Watch sunsets, daily. One of the most beautiful times of day. Make it a daily ritual to find a good spot to watch the sunset, perhaps having a light dinner while you do so.

Stop reading magazines. They're basically crap. And they waste your time and money. Cancel your subscriptions and walk past them at the news stands. If you have to read something, read a trashy novel or even better, read Dumb Little Man once a day and be done.

Break out from ruts. Do you do things the same way every day? Change it up. Try something new. Take a different route to work. Start your day out differently. Approach work from a new angle. Look at things from new perspectives.

Stop watching the news. It's depressing and useless. If you're a news junky, this may be difficult. I haven't watch TV news or read a newspaper regularly in about two years. It hasn't hurt me a bit. Anything important, my mom tells me about.

Laugh till you cry. Laughing is one of the best ways to live. Tell jokes and laugh your head off. Watch an awesome comedy. Learn to laugh at anything. Roll on the ground laughing. You'll love it.

Lose control. Not only control over yourself, but control over others. It's a bad habit to try to control others -- it will only lead to stress and unhappiness for yourself and those you try to control. Let others live, and live for yourself. And lose control of yourself now and then too.

Cry. Men, especially, tend to hold in our tears, but crying is an amazing release. Cry at sad movies. Cry at a funeral. Cry when you are hurt, or when somebody you love is hurt. It releases these emotions and allows us to cleanse ourselves.

Make an awesome dessert. I like to make warm, soft chocolate cake. But even berries dipped in chocolate, or crepes with ice cream and fruit, or fresh apple pie, or homemade chocolate chip cookies or brownies, are great. This isn't an every day thing, but an occasional treat thing. But it's wonderful.

Try something new, every week. Ask yourself: "What new thing shall I try this week?" Then be sure to do it. You don't have to learn a new language in one week, but seek new experiences. Give it a try. You might decide you want to keep it in your life.

Be in the moment. Instead of thinking about things you need to do, or things that have happened to you, or worrying or planning or regretting, think about what you are doing, right now. What is around you? What smells and sounds and sights and feelings are you experiencing? Learn to do this as much as possible through meditation, but also through bringing your focus back to the present as much as you can in everything you do.

http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/06/39-ways-to-live-and-not-merely-exist.html

Mirror Neuron

2011-05-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

A mirror neuron is a neuron that fires both when an animal acts and when the animal observes the same action performed by another.Thus, the neuron "mirrors" the behaviour of the other, as though the observer were itself acting. Such neurons have been directly observed in primate and other species including birds. In humans, brain activity consistent with that of mirror neurons has been found in the premotor cortex, the supplementary motor area, the primary somatosensory cortex and the inferior parietal cortex.

Mirror neurons were first described in 1992. Some scientists consider this to be one of the most important recent discoveries in neuroscience. Among them is V.S. Ramachandran, who believes they might be very important in imitation and language acquisition.However, despite the excitement generated by these findings, to date no widely accepted neural or computational models have been put forward to describe how mirror neuron activity supports cognitive functions such as imitation.

The function of the mirror system is a subject of much speculation. Many researchers in cognitive neuroscience and cognitive psychology consider that this system provides the physiological mechanism for the perception action coupling (see the common coding theory). These mirror neurons may be important for understanding the actions of other people, and for learning new skills by imitation. Some researchers also speculate that mirror systems may simulate observed actions, and thus contribute to theory of mind skills, while others relate mirror neurons to language abilities. It has also been proposed that problems with the mirror system may underlie cognitive disorders, particularly autism. However the connection between mirror neuron dysfunction and autism is tentative and it remains to be seen how mirror neurons may be related to many of the important characteristics of autism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_neuron

Official kanji list increased to 2136

2011-05-23T06:06:00.000-07:00

Jōyō kanji, the official list maintained by the Japanese ministry of education which contains all the characters who every Japanese student should know, has been increased to 2136. This means an addition of 196 new characters and the suppression of 5.

This decision was made because nowadays, thanks to new technologies, it’s much easier to write some kanji considered so difficult before. Most people use computers or the mobile phone to write Japanese characters, so they don’t need to remember the exact way to draw it. They just need to remember the pronunciation and how they look.

This list has not been stable over the years. For instance, during the second world war, when the Japanese nationalistic fervor was so high, the number of kanji was increased to 2528!

However this is a big change for Japanese students and educators, as this makes even more difficult to study what it was one of the most difficult and time consuming things from the Japanese language.

This is the full list of the new included kanji:

媛怨鬱唄淫咽茨彙椅萎畏嵐宛顎曖挨韓鎌葛骸蓋崖諧潰瓦牙苛俺臆岡旺艶稽憬詣熊窟串惧錦僅巾嗅臼畿亀伎玩挫沙痕頃駒傲乞喉梗虎股舷鍵拳桁隙呪腫嫉叱鹿餌摯恣斬拶刹柵埼塞采戚脊醒凄裾須腎芯尻拭憧蹴羞袖汰遜捉踪 ## 曾爽遡狙膳箋詮腺煎羨鶴爪椎捗嘲貼酎緻綻旦誰戴堆唾鍋謎梨奈那丼貪頓栃瞳藤賭妬填溺諦阜訃肘膝眉斑阪汎氾箸剥罵捻虹匂喩闇弥冶麺冥蜜枕 ## 勃頬貌蜂蔑璧餅蔽脇麓籠弄呂瑠瞭侶慄璃藍辣拉沃瘍妖湧柿哺楷睦釜錮賂毀勾

References: Examiner, Kirai, Tofugu, Wikipedia

Solve Problems With A Word List

2011-05-23T05:55:00.001-07:00

To creatively solve problems you need to get your mind looking in new directions. You can systematically do this by using a list of words, primarily adjectives, to create "what if?" scenarios. You start with the question, "what if it was..." and then insert a word from the list. The "it" in the question is the problem you're trying to solve, or the solution or situation that exists now.

Using "What If" To Solve Problems

An example will help explain the process. Assume your house is too crowded because you're running your business from it. You ask, "What if it was..." and insert from the word list, "smaller." The house is already too small, but could the business be smaller? The word "divided" might give you the idea to keep the business in just one part of the house.

Most words on the list won't help, so you can go through the irrelevant ones quickly. Don't automatically dismiss them, though, without a few seconds consideration. "What if it was hopeless?" may seem like a useless question, or it may make you realize that you just can't keep the business in the house any longer.

As with most problem-solving techniques, it's important to allow ideas to flow without judging them initially. Don't stifle the creative process. Evaluate your ideas later, when you're done with this part.

The Problem Solving Word List

You can create your own list of words. Use adjectives, descriptive phrases, and words that can change your perspective. These could include the following:

What if it was... larger, smaller, farther away, closer, sooner, later, easier, more difficult, higher, fat, rich, short, black, certain, hopeless, newer, boring, casual, subtracted from, cheaper, common, divided, more interesting, extravagant, subtle, or fun?

Evening Primrose Oil And Health Benefits

2011-05-23T05:54:00.000-07:00

Evening primrose is an indigenous plant to North America. The flowers have a strong, sweet scent, and only bloom at night during the months of June through October. Evening primrose has been used for hundreds of years to treat various ailments of the skin and muscular system. Several Native American tribes discovered that the entire plant is edible, and could be used as a painkiller in addition to everyday consumption. In Europe it is a proven treatment for PMS. The bark and leaves of evening primrose are said to have astringent and sedative properties. It has been proven to be effective treatment in regards to gastro-intestinal disorders, asthma and chronic or whooping coughs.

Evening primrose is rich in amino acids and essential amino acids such as omega 6. Essential fatty acids magnetize oxygen as well as produce electrical currents. Once in the body amino acids and essential amino acids are transformed into hormone-like substances called prostaglandins, which condense allergic response and inflammation.

Existence without essential fatty acids is impossible because they are vital to the electrical reactions of cells. Essential fatty acids carry vitamins, enhance metabolism and transport oxygen to the tissues. They are indispensable to the adrenal glands, brain cells, retinas, sensory organs, synapses and testes. Essential fatty acids act as solvents to eliminate hardened fat inside the human body. They are also involved in generating the electric currents that maintain regular heartbeats, regulating chromosome stability and will even help with weight loss.

Here is a list of major constituents found in evening primrose: Alanine (0.5%), arginine (1.5%), aspartic acid (1.2%), beta-sitosterol (1.2-2.5%), calcium (1.3-1.8%), cellulose (27%), gamma-linolenic acid (0.5-10%), glutamic acid (2.7%), glycine (1%), fat (15-32%), fiber (43%), histidine (0.4%), isoleucine (0.5%), leucine (1%), lignin (16%), linoleic acid (12-22%), lysine (0.3%), methionine (0.6%), phenylalanine (0.7%), proline (0.6%), protein (15-17%), serine (0.9%) threonine (0.4%), tryptophan (up to 1.6%), tyrosine (0.4%), valine (up to 0.8%) and other lesser constituents.

Gamma linolenic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid. Gamma linolenic acid (or GLA) aids the body to manufacture energy, and it also helps to form parts of the structural fats that encompass bone marrow, the brain, cell membranes and muscles. Gamma linolenic acid is transformed by the body into prostaglandins. Prostaglandins help the body because of their anti-inflammatory properties. Prostaglandins can also act like a blood thinner and blood vessel dilator. They are hormone-like substances produced in the body's tissues.

Prostaglandin deficiency can result in disruption of the nerve impulse transmission, increase blood clotting time, inflammation and weaken immune response. Evening primrose oil with a high concentration of gamma linolenic acid is favorable for ailments related to essential fatty acid deficiency and the inability to metabolize essential fatty acids.

Evening primrose oil is beneficial in the treatment of arteriosclerosis, lowering blood cholesterol levels, asthma, allergies, PMS, headaches, rheumatoid arthritis, skin irritation, rashes, anxiety, water retention, breast soreness, depression, coughs, irritability, and the prevention of benign prostatic hypertrophy. It can also act as a stimulant for the digestive system, liver and spleen.

Evening primrose oil has also been indispensable in the treatment of acne, brittle nails, eczema, hyperactivity, multiple sclerosis, peripheral neuropathy and alcohol related liver damage. There are other conditions where evening primrose is currently being tested for effectiveness, including breast cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, stomach ulcers and inflammatory bowel disease.

Scientists have said that the studies on evening primrose have been promising, however there is not enough conclusive data available at this time. People with seizure disorders should only use omega-6 supplements of any kind, under the care and supervision of a licensed medical doctor, because omega-6 including gamma linolenic acid has had reports of inducing seizures in seizure-vulnerable persons.

When purchasing evening primrose oil it is important that the company states the percentages of gamma linolenic acid as well as the percentage of linoleic acid. Most quality oils will have between 7-10% GLA and 40-75% LA (the higher the percentages the better). If the company you are ordering the evening primrose oil does not list the GLA or LA content with their product it is advised to call them and get the percentage information on the 2 major constituent levels in their evening primrose oil.

The best evening primrose contains 10.3% gamma linolenic acid and 75% linoleic acid, available as carrier oil. Evening primrose can be used all over the body. Use it as a base to blend a therapeutic mix of essential oils for your specific ailment or as facial and body treatment to combat acne, dry, scared, mature, discolored and irritated skin. Of course it can also be used alone to produce beneficial therapeutic action. Evening primrose is a beautiful flowering plant, and an invaluable therapeutic emollient for general well being.

Deadly Duplicates - Book Review

2011-05-23T05:53:00.000-07:00

When I first read the basic theme of the book, I thought seemed far-fetched. I couldn't have been more wrong. In fact, the last 30 pages were so spell-binding everything else in my life had to wait until I finished the book. Author Margaret Lenois takes on a difficult task with this serial killer story line. Deadly Duplicates is a fiction novel about super-natural identical Siamese twins that would fit in with the genres of suspense and psychological thriller.

Separated Siamese twins Deborah and Doreen Price were the subjects of gossip for hospital staff from the moment they were born – and it was not being identical or their scars that set them apart. As young children, their mother's mind snapped after several frightening and horrifying events including witnessing her own parents being burning alive in her childhood home. Yet she must rein over her self-imposed comatose state in time to save her girls.

Has their mother been absent so long that she cannot make a difference? Can the love of two detectives – the very men who adore them at home, but investigate the murders by day - save them? Read the book and find out!

ISBN#: 0976773244

Author: Margaret LeNois

Publisher: A Better Be Write Publisher

How to Find a Book Using Online Bookstores

2011-05-23T05:50:00.001-07:00

Looking for improving your gaming skills by reading some of the best books on professional gaming that are around? That is a good idea, but, and as you may have already noticed, it is easier said than done. Once you go online to one of the many online bookstores such as Amazon and Barnes and Ruble and can type in a phrase you get a long list (if you are lucky) of potential books.

What do you do then? How do you know which book suits you? And if you even could figure that out, how do you know the book is worth anything? Many of the authors are pros, but, then, you can also easily land up on amateur writers who are just trying to make a buck. Exactly for this, we have compiled a list of five practical suggestions to help you.

1) Reviews and Opinions Matter.

One of the most interesting methods of screening authors and books is by reading what other readers have to say about those literary objects. Look up one of the many forums online that focus on books and either ask a direct question or read what others have said. Another option is to look up the book at different online bookstores such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon but also others such as The Literary Guild and Pickabook. (Look them at this list compiled by the World Wide Web Virtual Library: http://archive.museophile.org/bookstores) The reasons for doing this is that for every book you can read reviews from different sites. Do this and you are reducing the chances of reading only promotional material. It goes without saying that opt for those books that receive good reviews. Generally, a book will receive some bad reviews, but look at the majority viewpoint. Note that if the book you wish to buy is new, you will not find reviews. In such a case, you will just have to take a risk.

2) Be Specific.

One of the methods of searching for a book that interests you is by narrowing down the search by typing a long search term and not just one name. For instance, type down how to play Texas holdem in an online tournament instead of just Texas holdem. Such a search will result in only a few book options. First, look up reviews and views on it and then look at its size and focus of interest.

3) Check the Experience of the Author.

Buying a book is just like buying a car. Would you be willing to pay more for a Mercedes? Likewise, check the author or editor. If the author is unknown, tread very carefully. The book might be useless. But remember that its not enough that the author is well known or has years of professional expertise, they must be experienced in the exact field of the subject of the book.

4) Check the Printing History of the Author.

After checking the authors personal biography and his scope of knowledge as pertains to the issue in question, you should, then, check his style of writing. You will not want to fall asleep on the second page, do you? If their style of writing pleases you, try reading parts of their work. Read articles or portions of other books they have read. Do this to get an idea of whether they can write and whether they are capable of handling complicated issues and putting them across in easy to understand language.

5) The Price Factor.

When looking at books, the first thing (or the second) we tend to look at is the price. Yes, you should know whether you can afford to buy it or not, but do not make you decision based on whether a book is cheap or expensive. First, check whether the book is what you are looking for. Then, decided whether you can afford it and not vice versa. Likewise, do not just buy a book because its on sale. Remember that if a book is on sale it means that no one is buying it!

A story to live by...

2011-05-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend. He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes.

Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Life Is a Gift

Today before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone

who's crying out to GOD for a companion.

Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who died too early on this earth.

Before you complain about your children - Think of someone who desires children but they're barren.

Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweep - Think of the people who are living in the streets.

Before whining about the distance you drive - Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another - Remember that not one of us is without sin.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.

==========================

I PRAY

THIS MOVES AROUND

THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE...

Saturn Return

2011-05-13T19:13:00.001-07:00

In astrology, the Saturn return is a phenomenon which is described as influencing a person's life development at 27 to 29 or 30-year intervals. These intervals or "returns" coincide with the approximate time it takes the planetSaturn to make one orbit around the sun, i.e. 28½ years. It is believed by astrologers that, as Saturn "returns" to the degree in its orbit occupied at the time of birth, a person crosses over a major threshold and enters the next stage of life. With the first Saturn return, a person leaves youth behind and enters adulthood. With the second return, maturity. And with the third and usually final return, a person enters wise old age. These periods are estimated to occur at roughly the ages of 27-30, 58-60, 86-88 and so on.

Significance

The first Saturn return is most significant because it represents the first test of character and the structures a person has built his life upon. According to traditions, should these structures be unsound, or if a person is living out of touch with his true values, the Saturn return will be a time of upheaval and limitations as Saturn forces him to jettison old concepts and worn out patterns of living. It is not uncommon for relationships and jobs to end during this time of life restructuring and revaluation.

But the Saturn return is not all about painful endings. During this time astrologers note that goals are consolidated and people tend to gain a better vision of where they are going in life. There are added responsibilities and a person may reap the rewards from his hard work. Many major life milestones seem to happen around the ages of 29 and 30. This is why astrologers believe that the 30th birthday is such a major rite of passage because it marks the true beginning of adulthood, self-evaluation, independence, ambition, and self-actualization.

The planet Saturn represents many archetypes, such as Father Time, the Grim Reaper and his scythe, Chronos, and the Lord of Karma and teacher. It is the ruler of limitations, fears, seriousness, responsibilities, burdens, and lessons. While those concepts may come across as negative, Saturn also astrologically rules over civilization, government, structures, harvests, prestige, maturity, discipline and order.

Police in India get paid more if they grow moustaches.

2011-05-02T19:18:00.001-07:00

The police chief in the Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh devised the new moustache-growing initiative under the assumption that moustaches makes the cops command more respect. The bottom line: a 30 rupee per month raise for each moustache. However, the chief also has to inspect the moustaches himself, to make sure they’re not TOO intimidating.

(source)

Foxes can be domesticated, just like dogs.

2011-05-02T19:17:00.002-07:00

Scientists in Siberia have domesticated Silver Foxes. It took 35 Generations, 45,000 foxes, and 50 years to do. The result is a friendly, house pet "As devoted as dogs but as independent as cats, capable of forming deep-rooted bonds with human beings." What’s amazing is that as the foxes get more domesticated through breeding they start to develop traits of domestic dogs, like floppy ears and curly tails.

You can learn more about domesticated foxes on this website

To clarify, this isn’t merely taming a wild animal. This is a concerted effort to breed a wild animal into a domesticated one, just as wolves and wild dogs were bred over thousands of years to create domesticated dogs. To learn more about how domestication works, check out this National Geographic article.

When lightning strikes the ground, it will sometimes fuse the soil into a hollow, glass-lined tube called a ‘Fulgurite’.

2011-05-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

Specifically, fulgurite is the result of the quartz sand in the ground fusing together after being charged by lightning. It takes temperatures of 1800 degrees Celsius to turn the sand into fulgurite. Lightning is hot enough to make this happen, but the creation of fulgurite is still very rare.

Check out more more pictures of fulgurite.

Scientists have made glow-in-the-dark trees!

2011-05-02T19:16:00.000-07:00

These 'bioluminescent' trees that act like fireflies can one day replace street lights! These genetically modified trees use a combination genetic material from fireflies and a luminescent bacteria to produce glowing enzymes. The scientists not only figured out how to make trees glow in the dark, but they also figured out how to make them change color!

(source)

The animated film The Prince of Egypt is banned in Egypt.

2011-05-02T04:57:00.000-07:00

Other films banned in Egypt includeSadat, a biopic about the country’s former president (probably for political reasons), Jesus of Nazareth, and Bruce Almighty (both probably for religious reasons). Also, somewhat randomly, Egypt also banned Family Guy, Pokemon, andThe Matrix Reloaded. There’s no telling yet whether IMDB will need to update its list of movies (and TV shows) banned in Egypt given the current changing political climate. Egypt was also not the only country to ban the Prince of Egypt. Malaysia banned it out of concern that the movie was “insensitive” to people in the country with different religions.

An area between Egypt and Sudan has not been claimed by any country.

2011-05-02T04:56:00.000-07:00

Usually when land is not part of a country, it is a disputed territory. In the case of Bir Tawil, it’s the opposite: no one wants it. Neither Egypt nor Sudan claim it. Since this is the only piece of land outside of Antarctica that no country claims, you could say that Bir Tawil is the most unwanted territory on Earth.

But why do both Egypt and Sudan refuse to claim Bir Tawil? Sure it’s small, but it’s land! (Take a look at the picture. Who wouldn't want that?) What kind of a country refuses to claim land? The answer lies in the nearby territory, the Hala’ib triangle. The Hala’ib triangle is another territory between Egypt and Sudan, but it’s ten times as big as Bir Tawil. Both territories are the result of the difference between two the historical boundaries between the two countries. The boundary established in 1899 leaves the Hala’ib triangle with Egypt and Bir Tawil with Sudan. The boundary established in 1902 does the reverse. Both countries claim the Hala’ib triangle, so each of them obviously prefers the boundary that gives it to them, and simultaneously gives Bir Tawil to the other country. Claiming Bir Tawil would be the same as claiming that you had no authority over the much larger Hala’ib triangle.

Mothers pregnant with male babies eat more than if they had female babies.

2011-05-02T04:54:00.001-07:00

Harvard research from 2003 revealed that mothers pregnant with male babies tend to eat more than those carrying females. The research found that women expecting a baby boy consumed 8% more protein, 9% more carbs, 11% more animal fats, and 15% more vegetable fats. Regardless, the expecting mothers of baby boys did not gain noticeably more weight than the expecting mothers of baby girls.

(source)

At age 29, Kate Middleton is the oldest royal bride to be married for the first time!

2011-05-02T04:52:00.000-07:00

Only two women in British history have been older when marrying a king-in-waiting, and both had previously been divorced! The Duchess of Cornwall was 57 years old when married the Prince of Wales back in 2005, while Eleanor of Aquitaine was about 30 years old upon marrying the man who would be King Henry II in the year 1152. To compare to a couple more notable examples, Princess Diana was only 20 years old when she married Middleton’s new father-in-law, and Queen Elizabeth was just 22 when she wed the future George VI (both these women were even younger than both editors of OMGFacts are....OMG!). Throughout much of history, it was quite common for kings and future kings to take teenage brides - after all, who could argue? Robbing the cradle is a king’s divine right!

(source)

The Royal Wedding took place on the same day that Adolf Hitler married Eva Braun.

2011-05-02T04:48:00.000-07:00

Could there ever even BE a pair of marriage ceremonies more dichotomous?? Prince William and Kate Middleton got hitched amidst a global media frenzy this past April 29th with tens of millions of people tuning in worldwide! Hitler, on the other hand, married Braun in a BUNKER in front of just a handful of people on April 29th, 1945, as the Nazis were losing World War II. Oh, and they committed suicide together the following day - some honeymoon.

(source)

Osama bin Laden was killed EXACTLY 8 years after President Bush gave his infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech!

2011-05-02T04:42:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already heard, 9 years, 7 months, and 20 days after the September 11th attacks, Osama bin Laden is dead. We hope the world will be a safer place for it.

Sources: (1, 2)

How to Grow Cherry Blossoms

2011-05-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

Cherry blossoms can add beauty to any landscape. Spring has not completely sprung without the cherry blossom blooms. There are a wide variety of cherry blossom trees that you can choose from to use in your garden with varying colors of blooms such as white or pink.

Things you'll need:

Cherry blossom seedlings or young plants from nursery

Pot or planting area

Soil

Soil mix

fertilizer

water

basic gardening tools (spade, shovel, pruner)

Instructions

1. Find a location. If you are planting on the ground in your backyard, make sure to locate a spot that gets enough sunlight. Plant in full sun for best results. Cherry blossoms can tolerate part sun and part shade as well. Also ensure that the location is in an area that allows for good drainage.

2. Buy a seedling or young cherry blossom plant from your local nursery. Buying from a local nursery allows you to get plants that can grow in your zone. Cherry blossoms grow well in zones 9 to 11. If these plantings were produced from your zone, that would make them more suitable for transplanting in your area. This doesn't mean that other cherry blossoms sold in other locations would not work for your area. You can find nurseries in zones where cherry blossoms flourish as your best resources. Do your research well when buying out of your area or online.

3. Dig a hole about a size and a half of the plant base using a spade or shovel. Loosen the roots gently then place inside the hole. Do not dig too deep so that the trunk will be exposed. Allow for about 3 inches of the soil base to rise above the soil.

4. Add soil mix. Cherry blossoms can tolerate a variety of pH range, check with the nursery the best pH level for the plant you chose.

5. Water and let it drain well before putting additional water.

How to make Oobleck

2011-04-25T23:06:00.000-07:00

Oobleck is a suspension of cornstarch and water that can behave like a solid or a liquid depending on how much pressure you apply. Try to grab some in your hand and it will form a solid ball in your palm just until you release the pressure, then it will flow out between your fingers. Materials that behave this way are classified as non-Newtonian liquids because their flow properties are not described by a constant viscosity. The name Oobleck comes from the 1949 children’s book, Bartholomew and the Oobleck, by Dr. Seuss. In the story a sticky liquid falls from the sky as a result of the king becoming bored with normal weather.

Recipe for Oobleck

To mix up some Oobleck grab a box of cornstarch, some water and a mixing bowl. In general, a mixture of about 1.5 cups of cornstarch to 1 cup of water is a good starting point. You will have to tweak these amounts to get the perfect mixture. Keep in mind that the mixing process can get messy so be prepared to clean up.

Cornstarch
Pitcher of water
Aluminum pie pans
Measuring cups
Mixing spoon
Newspaper for covering tables
Food coloring or tempera paint (for fun)

Pour the cornstarch into a large mixing bowl and slowly add the water. You are shooting for a mixture that feels kind of like honey and tears a bit when you run your hands across the top. You will have to experiment with more or less cornstarch or water until you get the right mixture. If you want to color your Oobleck add some tempera paint. You can use food coloring if that’s all you have on hand. Food coloring tends to stain more than the paint, especially if you have a spill while preparing your Oobleck.

One thing to keep in mind is that Oobleck is a suspension, not a solution. The cornstarch does not dissolve in the water like salt or sugar would. Instead, the tiny starch particles are suspended in the liquid. If you let it sit long enough in a glass, the cornstarch will settle to the bottom leaving a layer of clear water on the top. This is why it is very important to not pour Oobleck down the drain. Should the suspension separate in your drain pipes, you will be left with a hard clump of cornstarch that will block the drain. The best way to get rid of you Oobleck is to simply put it in your trash can.

What does non-Newtonian mean?

All fluids have a property known as viscosity that describes how the fluid flows – commonly thought of as how thick or thin a fluid is. For instance, honey is much more viscous than water. When a fluid’s viscosity is constant it is referred to as a Newtonian fluid. Oobleck is an example of a fluid whose viscosity is not constant, it changes depending on the stress or forces applied to it. If you poke it with your finger and apply a large force, it becomes very viscous and stays in place. If you gently pour it, applying little force, it will flow like water. This kind of fluid is called a dilatant material or a shear thickening fluid. It becomes more viscous when agitated or compressed.

Another non-Newtonian liquid is ketchup. Ketchup behaves in just the opposite way from oobleck. It becomes less viscous when agitated. Liquids like this are called thixotropic. If you leave a bottle of Ketchup on a shelf, it becomes thicker or more viscous. Nearly everyone has experienced this while trying to pour the liquid from a new bottle – it refuses to move. If you shake the bottle or stir it up it becomes less viscous and pours easily.

Why does Oobleck behave the way it does?

The most generally accepted explanation for the behavior of Oobleck is offered by Cary Sneider in “Oobleck: What do Scientists Say?”. When sitting still the granules of starch are surrounded by water. The surface tension of the water keeps it from completely flowing out of the spaces between the granules. The cushion of water provides quite a bit of lubrication and allows the granules to move freely. But, if the movement is abrupt, the water is squeezed out from between the granules and the friction between them increases rather dramatically.

Experiments to try

The first thing you have to do is simply place your hands into the Oobleck and start squeezing it. Have some fun! Try to make a ball by moving it around quickly in your palms. Once you stop applying pressure to the mixture it will flow out of your hands like a liquid.

Try filling a pie plate with a think layer of Oobleck and then slapping the surface with your open hand. Because of the dilatant properties, becoming more viscous when a force is applied, the liquid will all stay in the plate. Try the same experiment with water and compare the results!

If you have a lot of cornstarch and a small pool (or a large one like in the video) you can supersize this experiment. Since the liquid becomes more viscous when pressure is applied you can actually walk or run on the surface without sinking. Of course, once you stop moving you will begin slowly sinking into the liquid.

Another fun experiment is to fill the cone of a speaker with some Oobleck. Connect the speaker to a low frequency sound source and watch as the Oobleck seems to come alive. Typically low frequencies get the fluid up and moving better than higher pitched sounds. A plastic subwoofer works the best, or you can use a sheet of plastic wrap to protect a paper cone speaker.

How to Make Charcoal Briquettes from Waste Materials

2011-04-19T23:41:00.000-07:00

Charcoal made out of the modified pit method can be used in making charcoal briquettes. Charcoal briquettes are charcoal dust compactly massed by a binder of either cassava flour, corn or sweet potato starch.

As fuel, charcoal briquettes have higher heating value than wood or plain charcoal. They are almost smokeless when burning and give off intense and steady heat. They can be used in the smelting of iron ore since it is compact and dense.

Aside from their used as fuel, charcoal briquettes can be converted to other industrial products. In the chemical industry, they are used in the manufacture of carbon disulfide, carbon electrodes, carbon tetrachloride, carbon carbide, sodium cyanide and activated charcoal for purifying air or water.

Materials and Equipment

To make the charcoal briquettes, you need well-charred charcoal made through the modified pit method and cassava corn or camote starch as binder.

Hammer mill or wooden mallets, pail, mild and a tapahan type dryer are also needed.

Procedure

Charcoal briquettes can be produced manually or mechanically. For a small-scale briquettes maker, the manual method will suffice. The method is simple and can easily applied in places where coconuts abound.

First, prepare or have ready smokeless charcoal. This type of charcoal is shiny and gives a metallic sound when tapped. Powder the charcoal into dust particles by hammering with a mallet or wooden hammer or by passing through a hammer mill.

Cook cassava corn or camote starch under moderate heat. The starch should have a syrupy consisting which is neither too thick nor too thin. This will be used as binder.

Mix thoroughly the charcoal dust and the binder in a pail or any available container. When the mixture has reached an even consistency, knead in the same ways making dough for bread.

Molding the resulting mixture into desired shape and size using the hands or an improved wooden molder such as a sungkahan.

The dry briquettes under the sun. Better still, oven cook them in an improvement tapahan type dryer using pieces of wood, coconut shells and dusks and other waste materials for fuel.

Making of charcoal briquettes can be practically costly if undertaken in areas where coconut shells or other suitable materials are discard as waste.

Materials for Briquetting

Only materials which would produce soft and poor quality charcoal should be used for charcoal briquetting. It is not advisable to convert hard charcoal into charcoal briquette. Big charcoal manufacturing establishments, could put up charcoal briquettting units to convert charcoal fine and small broken charcoal particles into briquettes.

Studies show that in charcoal manufacturing establishments, fine waste constitutes 10 to 15 percent of usable charcoal. To ensure a smokeless charcoal briquette, the charcoal fine must be well-charged, that is, it must contain at least 75 percent fixed carbon and not more than 24 percent volatile matter.

For big scale (one ton per hour and up) briquetting, charcoal fines and lump charcoal may be combined as raw materials.

Materials recommended for charcoal briquetting are:

Charcoal fines accumulated during charcoal manufacturing, handling, and transporting;
charcoal from low-density wood and bulky materials like coconut husks, corn cobs, etc.;
charcoal from wood wastes during logging, lumbering and veneering such a log ends, stumps, branches, twigs, barks and trimmings;
charcoal from the fine agro-forestry waste materials such as sawdust, ricehull, and coconut coir dust; and
charcoal from tree plantations.

These materials abound in the country. Their use in charcoal briquetting creates jobs and generates more income and recycles waste in the countryside into a useful commodity.

Binders for Charcoal Briquetting

1. Smokeless binders :

Meal binders such as cassava starch, corn starch, and other starches are smokeless but not moisture resistant. they are normally used in the range of 4 to 6 percent on the oven-dry basis. In some cases, small amounts of moisture resistant binders are used.

2. Smoky binders :

Smoky but moisture resistant binders are tar, pitch, asphalt, sugar cane molasses, and others. Recommended percentage for wood- tar pitch and coal-tar pitch is less than 30 percent. Briquettes with these blinders are smoky when ignited. But this characteristic is not a drawback for briquettes used in smelting and heating. For home use it could be very annoying.

Manufacture of Charcoal Briquettes

a. Mechanical Process

Charcoal is manufactured either mechanically or manually. A lot- size briquetting machine installed at the Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) produces better quality briquettes faster. The steps in manufacturing charcoal briquettes are:

a1. Preparation of Charcoal Fines:

Use charcoal material with low moisture content and high fixed carbon content. If lump charcoal is used, pass these through a primary crusher, then through a disintegrator. This process is skipped if charcoal is fine like those obtained from sawdust, rice hull, and other agro-forestry fine materials such as those accumulated during charcoal manufacturing.

a2. Mixing Charcoal Fines with Binder

Charcoal fines is mixed with binder which could be any of gelatinized starch of pastry consistency, liquid tar, molasses, or heated asphalt. Mixing usually use a kneader type, double- shaft mixer. This process is one of the most critical operations in the manufacture of charcoal briquettes. Efficient mixing is essential to obtain a strong product.

a3. Briquetting of the Mixture

After thorough mixing of charcoal fines and the binders, mixture is fed into the molds where pressure is applied to make the particles compact. The size and shape of the briquettes go with the molds. The most common is the ovoid-type or pillow-shaped briquettes.

a4. Drying of the Briquettes

Briquettes are dried first before packaging, to make them strong. They are dried in a batch-type or continuous dryer.

b. Manual Process

For small-scale briquette manufacturing, the manual method is recommended. Although, this method is time-consuming and produces irregularly shaped briquettes, it is good alternative for small- scale operators who cannot afford an expensive briquetting unit. It is also ideal for housewives and amateur charcoal briquettes makers who are willing to experiment.

The same operations and principle used in the mechanical method are applied in the manual method. The only difference is the use of the hand in the manual technique.

First, the charcoal fines and binder are separately prepared. Charcoal fines are pulverized into soft or low quality charcoal with a hammer or mallet. The binder is made by simply sun-drying sliced cassava or sweet potato for about one week the pulverizing them until they turn into starch. Corn starch may also be used. It is cooked into a syrup consistency, neither too thick nor too thin.

In a pail or any suitable container, mix thoroughly the charcoal fine and the binder by kneading. The mixture is molded into desired shapes and sizes by hand. An improvised wooden molder may also be used.

Dry the molded briquettes under the sun for about three days. Or better still, dry them in an improvised “tapahan” type dryer fueled by wood, coconut shell or husk or other waste material. When the briquette moisture goes down to 10 percent, the briquettes are removed from the dryer.

source: region10.dost.gov.ph, photo from commons.wikimedia.org

Owemgee

2010-12-07T05:44:00.000-08:00

A new type of bacteria has been discovered that uses poisonous arsenic to build its DNA.

All life on Earth was thought to have been composed of six elements: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur…until now. This newly-discovered microorganism, called GFAJ-1, was found in Mono Lake, California. The building blocks used to create its genetic material contain arsenic, which is poisonous to all but a few organisms on Earth!
(source)

The Saudi Arabian weekend is on Thursday and Friday.

Friday is a special day dedicated to prayer for Muslims, so Friday has to be a day off. However, this is a contentious issue for Saudi businesses, because having both Thursday and Friday off, means that there are 4 days in a row where Saudi Arabian businesses can’t stay in touch with Western businesses.

Most Saudi companies do not have 2 day weekends, and the ones that do would prefer to change it to a Friday-Saturday weekend, so as to not lose more business. Many other Muslim countries do this.

Read the full story here.

The Nike clothing brand is named after the Greek goddess of victory.

The winged goddess Nike sat at the side of Zeus. Her presence symbolized victory, and she was said to have presided over some of history’s earliest battles. The company’s distinctive SWOOSH logo represents the goddess’s wing!

From Nike's website.

A two-year-old girl scored a 156 on the IQ test

.

At 2 years and 4 months old, British toddler Elise Tan-Roberts was been accepted as the youngest-ever member of the high IQ fraternity known as Mensa! The club can typically only test children who are older than 10, but an exception was made in Elise’s case because his IQ score was already proven to be in the top 2% of the country.

Tan-Roberts has an IQ of 156, which is just 4 points lower than Albert Einstein’s! She already knows 35 world capitals, including Paris, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. She can even count in Spanish!
(source)

Unlike most cats, tigers love water.

On a hot day, these big cats love taking a dip in a nearby lake or river to cool off! The only stipulation is that they do not like water in their eyes. They will go to any lengths to avoid this, even entering the water backwards! Because they have webbed feet, tigers are also quite the skilled swimmers. They have been known to travel for distances up to 20 miles in one session!
(source)

Many cats are lactose intolerant.

Despite the prevailing notion that cats love milk, most are not able to digest it well. Serving a cat milk can lead to an upset stomach, indigestion, cramps and kitty gas. If your cat insists on having milk, try giving it a small bowl of cream once in a while (a few times a week at most). Strangely enough, milk with less fat tends to have more lactose, so avoid giving your cat skim milk.

Cats also can’t eat onions, garlic, or related vegetables because it gives anemia. Green tomatoes also can give your kitty intestinal problems. And, like dogs, your cat shouldn’t eat chocolate either.

This article has more tips on what your cat can and can't eat.

Worker ants live for only 45-60 days, but queen ants have been known to live as long as 29 years!

If it wasn't obvious already, the worker ants do all the WORK in the ant colony. This means foraging for food, looking after the colony's young, and defending their home for unwanted intruders. One nest in South America has had up to 700,000 members, so as you can plainly see, worker ants are basically expendable.

The queen ant, on the other hand, has a unique job and therefore lives a significantly longer life than her workers. A queen of the species Lasius niger in Europe lived for 29 years in captivity! Queen ants lay all the eggs that grow into the colony's worker ants. A leafcutter ant queen in South America lived for 14 years and bred over 150 million worker ants in her lifetime!
(Sources: 1 2)

REVIEW: StarCraft II still the best RTS even without LAN

2010-11-26T05:05:00.000-08:00

More than 10 years ago, StarCraft and StarCraft: Brood Wars were the all-time best real-time strategy (RTS) games for local area network (LAN) gaming, and are credited for having been among the video games that made Internet cafes “cool". Even as online games took away interest from StarCraft, a few loyal players still held “LAN parties" to play StarCraft.

Fast forward to 2010, Blizzard has launched StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. While it was among the most anticipated games for the year, many old players still wondered if the new game would hold up against other RTS titles that have dominated the market for the past several years. Few sequels actually give the same, if not a greater amount, of fun as the predecessor.

Terran-only campaign

StarCraft II is among these rare sequels that did a lot of justice to the original. However, it does have a few disappointments, including just a Terran-only campaign, but the setbacks could be said to be minor especially since new expansion packs will be released to feature the campaigns of the Protoss and the Zerg races.

First of all, the game has a greatly expanded Terran campaign mode, with long campaigns that really train the player to build an army. All of the campaigns are closely linked together and, just as Blizzard does it with its other games, there are stories to be followed within each campaign.

StarCraft II features a greatly expanded Terran campaign mode.

Before, when players only had to build an army and destroy the enemy units and bases, there are a few new portions in the game that lets the player choose certain directions instead of just going straight for the enemy base. For instance, the first campaign lets players destroy holographic displays of Terran Dominion leader Arcturus Mengsk, while meeting up with citizens who have been freed from Mengsk's tyrrany. The player gets to feel the story build up while playing each campaign instead of just going through the motions of finishing the enemy base.

Jim Raynor's back

Of course, Jim Raynor, the Terran rebel leader and hero of the first StarCraft game, is the main story. His quest is to bring down Arcturus Mengsk, whom he blames for the apparent death and transformation of Kerrigan into the Zerg queen. Throughout the game, Raynor and his team will try and find ways to outmaneuver Mengsk's army and finally find an end to the Zerg infestation – and perhaps save Kerrigan in the process.

A major change in the game is its role-playing game approach; instead of just using the same units over and over again, Raynor can choose different campaigns that will earn him money, which he uses to buy new units and upgrade existing ones. Only a few old units are back, such as the Marine, Siege Tank and Battlecruiser, though there are numerous new units that have variable attributes. Of course, for the structures, there are still the Armory, Barracks, Bunker, Command Center, and Factory, all of which came from the original StarCraft.

Instead of just using the same units over and over again, you can choose different campaigns to help you buy new units and upgrade existing ones.

Online multiplayer gaming

But the main aspect of StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty is its online multiplayer capabilities. As with other Blizzard titles, StarCraft 2: has been built for Battle.net gaming. There are different regions where players can compete and these are the US, Europe, and Southeast Asia. This approach allows players to compete against others in the same region, and from an infrastructure perspective, reduce the Internet latency that would otherwise ruin the online multiplayer experience.

It is also here where players can finally choose to play the other two races, the Protoss and the Zergs. Each race has different attributes that could fit the varying gameplay style of different players. For instance, the Terran are still the all-around race with balanced defense and offense. The Protoss are still the most expensive to build but are extremely powerful even in small numbers. Zergs can overwhelm their enemies with superior numbers, though they are still week in smaller numbers.

No LAN, no problem

The absence of LAN gaming isn't exactly a problem. In fact, it's the element of playing against a wide community is what makes the game even better. The level of competition may seem higher, but it is this challenge that would surely make players try and improve their skills.

Online multiplayer capability makes up for StarCraft II's lack of LAN connectivity.

With all the proper elements in place, as well as additions, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is a sure hit among old players of StarCraft. Even when it's compared to other RTS games, StarCraft II can still hold up to the others. What's more, new updates will keep people's anticipation going. - by Benjamin Lhora / TJD, GMANews.TV

Japanese Man Kills Himself Live Online

2010-11-20T05:19:00.000-08:00

Reports from Japan last November 10, 2010 say that a 24 year old man took his life live on the Internet.

The suicide occurred after the man - who comes from the city of Sendai - had posted complaints about his job online after being placed on extended sick leave from August.

On Sunday night he broadcast his intentions to kill himself on live streaming service Ustream. He had been discussing his views on life with an audience on the site.

His broadcast received feedback from users with some encouraging him to end his life as he planned.

On Tuesday he resumed his broadcast and he hung himself at around 05h30 in the morning.

The Ustream service stopped the broadcast around half an hour later after receiving reports from viewers. The man's body was found by police later in the morning.

Japan has averaged over 30,000 suicides a year for the past 12 years which is one of the world's highest suicide rates.

Source: News Time

There was a bear enlisted in the Polish Army.

2010-11-20T05:13:00.001-08:00

Wojtek or Voytek, was a European brown bear that was enlisted to fight for the Polish army in the Battle of Monte Cassino in World War II. However, rather than making use of the bear's superior fighting abilities, Voytek's duties consisted of transporting ammunition. Thanks to his size, he could carry mortar rounds much more easily than a human soldier. A quarter of a million soldiers died in that battle, but Voytek survived to eventually die of old age in 1963.

According to Polish veteran Augustyn Karolewski, "he was like a big dog; no-one was scared of him. He liked a cigarette, he liked a bottle of beer – he drank a bottle of beer like any man." There are statues erected in his honor in London and in Ottowa, Canada, and there has been a book written about him as well. You can learn more about this remarkable story in this news article.

Aokigahara Forest in Japan is a popular place to commit suicide with up to 100 suicides per year.

2010-11-20T05:06:00.000-08:00

It’s known as “suicide forest” or the “Sea of Trees”. It’s a popular place for Japanese people to commit suicide. Each year there are 50 to 100 suicides that occur in this forest. The problem has gotten so bad that the government has resorted to installing security cameras at its entrances and people have started posting signs with information for suicide counseling (CNN)

Japan actually has one of the highest suicide rates in the world and from 2008 to 2009 the suicides increased by 15%.

Japan has holographic concerts that feature a computerized singer.

2010-11-20T05:02:00.000-08:00

Hatsune Miku

The hologram’s name is Hatsune Miku, and she is a product of Yamaha’s “Vocaloid Synthesizing Technology.” Somewhere, deep down, there is a real human vocal recording…but Miku herself is not real and her “concerts” are composed of pre-programmed light and sound. Naturally, she has blue hair. You gotta have blue hair!

Her computerized voice is actually based on a cartoon voice actor’s voice. Real singers weren’t interested in having their voices being used for this. We haven’t the slightest idea how this sort of show ever became popular, and we fear for the future of the music industry.

Nearly half a billion people in China never brush their teeth.

2010-11-20T05:01:00.000-08:00

It is estimated that less than half of the rural population and only TEN PERCENT of Chinese city dwellers have proper dental hygiene! It’s so bad that many people resort to using twigs or green tea to clean their teeth, either out of tradition or out of necessity due to poverty. Even former chairman Mao Zedong is said to have had teeth that were stained green!

Now the Chinese national committee for oral health has been encouraging people to brush and go to the dentist. Currently, for every 60,000 people in China, there is only one dentist.

The whole story from CNN.

Dear E-Mail: Die Already. Love, Facebook

2010-11-19T05:45:00.000-08:00

The social network is trying to change the messaging game with its new service

By Brad Stone

The annals of obsolete communication technologies are growing all the time. There's the telegraph, the answering machine, the fax, and the paper-based letter, all artifacts from an analog era where messages had resonance hours, even days, after getting them.

Now Mark Zuckerberg wants to add e-mail to that list. In a rollout on Nov. 15 of its revamped messaging system, Facebook's 26-year-old founder declared the age of e-mail over, dragged down by what he called the "weight and friction" of having to remember people's addresses and sort through unwanted messages from strangers. In its place, the social network introduced an inbox that stresses instant communication, mashing together e-mail with instant messages and cell phone texts into a single stream of chatter, customized for the Age of Urgency. "This is a modern messaging system," Zuckerberg declared.

The new service, which will be introduced slowly over the next few months to Facebook's 550 million members, treats every message like a five-alarm fire, popping up on the Facebook screen to be read and answered immediately. Members will get a Facebook.com address and the ability to send and receive e-mail, texts, and IMs from the social network to people who do not use it. And Facebook will record all of it, preserving every missive (even the trivial "hang on, BRB") for posterity. "Five years from now, you are going to have the full rich history of all the communication you have with each of your friends and the people around you," Zuckerberg said.

In the runup to the announcement, industry blogs such as TechCrunch called the impending service a "Gmail killer"—another salvo in Facebook's battle against Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), and Yahoo! (YHOO) for the hearts, minds, and attention spans of Internet users. While Facebook messaging will no doubt change people's communication habits, it's premature to say the service means instant death for Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or any other e-mail as we know it. If anything, Facebook hopes it'll be more of a long, slow asphyxiation. Facebook will probably have trouble getting an older generation of e-mail addicts to give up their accounts. Messages from the site are sent out with a member's profile picture, which could look silly if the subject is business related. The service also uses its members' lists of contacts to organize their communications. Messages from friends, and friends of friends, appear in a user's primary inbox. That sounds sensible, though it can be inconvenient. If Uncle Sherman isn't on Facebook—or your boss, or the bank trying to flag you about a suspicious ATM withdrawal—too bad; their messages get tossed in with those from various nonfriends in a folder labeled "other."

Zuckerberg and his colleagues concede that it's unlikely people will abandon their other e-mail accounts. They're betting on the next generation—young people already addicted to real-time texts and IMs, who have already largely written off e-mail. "Facebook is making communication between close friends the priority," says Charlene Li, an analyst at the Altimiter Group, a tech consulting firm.

Facebook's rivals are also racing to build simpler, real-time communication systems. Google has long allowed users to see instant messages and texts alongside Gmail, and recently added a feature called Priority Inbox, which tries to gauge a user's most important conversations and bring them to the top of the pile. Former market-share leader AOL (AOL), now the fifth-largest e-mail provider on the Web, according to ComScore, previewed changes earlier this month that also will integrate texts and IMs, and lets users see images, maps, and other attachments contained in a message in a panel on the side of the screen. Those services are more open than Facebook; for example, their users can link them to corporate mail services like Microsoft Exchange. Facebook isn't there yet.

One looming challenge for the social network is spam. Those hundreds of millions of new e-mail addresses, which are based on people's public Facebook IDs, could be easily harvested by spammers. Facebook's system is designed to handle this, since only messages from friends go into the main inbox, and the company has signed a multiyear contract with anti-spam specialist Cloudmark, say two people familiar with the arrangement. Still, users can expect plenty of junk in those "other" folders. It would be ironic, of course, if e-mail's oldest scourge ended up adding Facebook's newest feature to the list of endangered communications.

The bottom line: Facebook's hybrid of e-mail, texting, and instant messages is a bet on younger users addicted to real-time communication.

Stone is a reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek.

A 13-year-old has a condition that makes her look elderly.

2010-11-19T05:43:00.000-08:00

Zara Hartshorn

British teenager Zara Hartshorn suffers from a rare genetic disorder called lipodystrophy. This disease removes the body’s natural ability to grow fat cells beneath the skin. This is especially noticeable in a patient’s face, where the skin is wrinkly and causes them appears much older than they actually are. Unfortunately, there is still no known cure - Zara also received a sort of “facelift” surgery which did not produce dramatically different results.

(source)

Electric eels are not actually eels.

2010-11-12T23:16:00.000-08:00

They actually are much more closely related to carp and catfish! These fascinating creatures can generate an electrical charge of over 600 volts – five times that of a wall socket! Their bodies contain electric organs with about 6,000 electrocytes. These are cells that store power like tiny batteries.

Some electric eels can get up to 8 feet long and weigh as much as 44 pounds! Despite their size and high voltage shocks, electric eels rarely kill people. The most dangerous thing to worry about is drowning after being stunned by one.

You can learn more about electric eels on the National Geographic website.

British pigeons can receive a medal for their military service!

2010-11-12T20:32:00.000-08:00

Yes, pigeons have been used to deliver messages during modern warfare. During World War II, 32 homing pigeons received what is known as the Dickin Medal - the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an animal in the service. Recipients included an American pigeon named GI Joe and an Irish pigeon by the name of Paddy.

The Dickin Medal was instituted in the UK in 1943 by Maria Dickin. The award is still presented by the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals to this day. This year, a black labrador named Treo received the award for his service as a bomb-sniffer in Afghanistan.

Here's a list of award-winning pigeons.

President James Madison was only 5 feet, 4 inches tall.

2010-11-12T20:31:00.000-08:00

Naturally, Madison is the shortest president in American history. We would say that television cameras could make him look a lot taller, but unfortunately the TV had not been invented yet. (More presidential trivia).

This makes Madison an entire foot shorter than the tallest president, Abraham Lincoln. Still, Madison was in good company, since his presidency coincided with the reign of Napoleon, another famous leader of short stature. More on Madison's Presidency. Still, Iran has both the U.S. and France beat on shortest presidents.

Although a typical neutron star is only 20 km in diameter, its mass is 1.4 times greater than that of the Sun.

2010-11-12T20:29:00.000-08:00

These bodies are so dense that on Earth a teaspoonful of neutron star would weigh a billion tons! As you would expect, this also comes with a gravitational field far stronger than that of our home planet. A neutron star’s surface gravity is about 200,000,000,000 stronger than that of Earth!

A neutron star is what happens when a star that is 4 to 8 times the size of the sun runs out of nuclear fuel and undergoes a supernova explosion. The central region of the star collapses in on its own gravity so and the protons and electrons are forced to turn into neutrons.

More about Neutron Stars can be found on the NASA website.

President William Taft once got stuck in the White House bathtub.

2010-11-05T02:12:00.000-07:00

Weighing in at over 330 pounds, Taft was by far the heaviest president in our country’s history. This embarrassing story claims that six aides were needed to dislodge his massive frame from the tub. They pulled out all the stops when installing a new tub - the replacement was large enough for four men!

He was also the first president to have a car, and was the first and only former president to serve as the Chief Justice on the Supreme Court!

Here's a list of the top ten President Taft facts.

Sharks cannot swim backwards.

2010-11-05T02:10:00.001-07:00

In fact, most sharks can't even stay still. They need to be moving forward in order to force water through their mouths and over their gills. Otherwise they'll suffocate!

Some sharks can reach speeds of 20 mph, and can leap 20 feet above the water! While they can move really fast, they can't stop very quickly, or go in reverse.

There's more shark facts in this article from sharks.org

Black holes are theoretically formed every second.

2010-11-05T02:09:00.000-07:00

There are so many black holes in the universe that counting them would be comparable to attempting to count grains of sand on a beach! One out of every thousand stars is large enough to potentially become a black hole, but humans have identified only about a dozen. The nearest of these is a full 1,600 light-years away from Earth!

(source)

If you live in the Japanese city of Isesaki, you must shave your beard in order to get a public service job.

2010-11-05T02:08:00.000-07:00

This applies to stubble, full beards, goatees, or any other kind of facial hair. Apparently , some citizens find beards unpleasant, so the authorities decided to ban beards for public servants. The ban came along with new rules that lets male employees work without having to wear jackets and ties, so I guess it was kind of a mixed bag.

(source)

A dish in South Korea is made of LIVE baby octopuses that are still moving.

2010-11-04T01:49:00.000-07:00

This bizarre meal, called sannakji, consists of raw pieces of young octopus that are served immediately after chopping it up! This means that the tentacles must be chewed VERY thoroughly, in order to prevent the suction cups from sticking to the diner’s esophagus, or better yet...to keep the still-living octopus from crawling back up!

(source)

Have you ever wondered where "breakfast" got its name?

2010-11-03T04:14:00.000-07:00

Because breakfast is typically the first meal we eat each day, by doing so we are "breaking" our nightly "fast." And you thought this was going to be complicated...

(source)

Wearing sunglasses increases the risk of getting sunburned.

2010-11-03T04:12:00.000-07:00

The reason for this is that your pituitary gland only knows how much melanin (pigment that protects your skin from ultraviolet light) to produce from the signals that it receives from the eyes.

If your eyes indicate that it is sunny outside, the gland produces a lot of pigment. However, sunglasses trick the gland into thinking its less sunny, meaning less melanin and a higher risk of burning!

(source)

Despite lacking a brain, a jellyfish can detect light.

2010-11-03T04:11:00.000-07:00

This is due to sets of specialized sense cells that can be found along the outside ridge of a jellyfish’s bell. The kind that are able to sense light act as a primitive set of eyes that help determine which way is up.

Other versions of these cells include a “nose” that senses chemicals in the water and a kind that helps the jellyfish maintain its orientation in the water.

(source)

OMG FACTS .

2010-10-27T23:29:00.000-07:00

Chocolate can help you live longer.
Teddy bears and other toys kill more people than REAL bears.
If you watch early Fresh Prince of Bel-Air you can see Will Smith’s lips moving to other characters lines.
Ants stretch and yawn when they wake up.
The original pack of Skittles doesn’t contain the color blue. Therefore, you CAN’T actually taste the rainbow.
It is believed that Shakespeare was 46 around the time that the King James Version of the Bible was written. In Psalms 46, the 46th word is shake and the 46th word from the last word is spear.
Q is the only letter that never appears in the name of a US State.
The world doesn’t take 24 hours to turn on its axis, it really takes 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds.
The song “3” by Britney Spears is 3 minutes 33 seconds long.
A 12-year-old’s science project showed that Fast food ice was dirtier than toilet water .
The USA bought Alaska from Russia for 2 cents an acre , adding up to $7.2 million .
“Eleven plus Two” and “Twelve plus One” both equal 13 and both have 13 letters. In fact they both have THE SAME 13 letters.
When a puppy is born, it is blind and toothless.
“Silent” and “listen” are spelled with the same letters.
“W” is the only letter in the English alphabet that is more than one syllable.
Cursing when you’re hurt actually helps reduce pain.
A way you can tell if you’re whispering or not is to put your hand at your throat. If you feel vibrations, you’re talking. If you don’t, you’re whispering.
The voice of Mickey Mouse for 32 years, and the current voice of Minnie Mouse were actually married in real life.
In 1898, 14 years before the Titanic sank, Morgan Robertson wrote a book about a ship called the “Titan” that crashed into an iceberg and sank.
Tomatoes and cucumbers are fruits, not vegetables.
The Olsen twins wore FAKE TEETH on Full House episodes because their teeth began to look different.
There’s roughly 380 sesame seeds on an average McDonald’s Big Mac bun.
A penny is worth 1 cent but it costs 1.7 cents to make it.
Lightning is 5 times hotter than the sun.
At exactly 06 minutes and 07 seconds after 5 o’clock on August 9th of this year it will be 05:06:07 08/09/10. This will not happen again until the year 3010 .
LOL isn’t just laugh out loud. LOL is also “fun” in Dutch.
No matter how hard you squeeze the two ends of an egg, it will NEVER break.
Huge, several hundred pound rocks in Death Valley mysteriously move really far, all on their own. No one knows how, because no one’s ever seen it happen.
If you put two straws in your mouth: one inside a drink and one outside it, you won’t be able to drink through either straw.
Newborn babies cry but they have no tears. Their tear ducts aren’t formed until they are a month old.
A piece of paper can’t be folded in half more than 7 times .
No word in the English language rhymes with purple, orange, month or silver.
Chewing gum can keep you from crying when cutting onions.
Months that begin on a Sunday will always have a “Friday the 13th”.
A mosquito is more likely to bite a blonde than a brunette.
Odds are, any memory you believe you have before the age of 4 isn’t real. They are false memories and have usually either been told to you by someone else, or you made them up without knowing it.
There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
In New York, the penalty for jumping off a building more than 50 ft without a permit is death.
Elephants are the only land mammals that cannot jump.
If you look at the sun RIGHT NOW, you are technically looking back in time. It takes eight minutes for light from the sun to reach Earth.
A strawberry is not an actual berry, but a banana is.
You can’t hum while holding your nose closed.
The sentence “The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog” uses every letter of the alphabet.
The lion costume in the film Wizard of Oz was made from real lions.
Eating celery is technically exercise. When you eat celery, you burn more calories than you consume.
A toothpick is the object most-often choked on by Americans.
Men have nipples because, as an embryo, everyone is a female until the Y chromosome kicks in.
A female platypus sweats milk.
The powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake that rattled Chile likely shifted the Earth’s axis an estimated three inches and shortened the day by 1.26 microseconds.
‘racecar’ is spelled the same forwards and backwards.
‘Uncopyrightable’ is the longest word in the English language that doesn’t repeat a letter once.
Penguins cannot walk backwards.
In 1963, baseball pitcher Gaylord Perry remarked, ‘They’ll put a man on the moon before I hit a home run.’ On July 20, 1969, just minutes after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, Gaylord Perry hit his first home run.
Vending machines kill four times more people each year than sharks do.
Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete.
When you put a seashell next to your ear, it’s the sound of your blood surging in your veins, not the ocean.