The Hen And The Rooster

Calvin Coolidge, was the 30th President of the united states of America. He and his wife, the first lady, paid an official visit to Kentucky farm. Miss Coolidge was passing in the chicken pen when she asked to the farmer how often did the rooster perform his duties, the farmer replied " a dozens of time a day ". She was impressed by the fact and asked the farmer to tell this to the President , her husband. The farmer told this to the President, the president wisely asked if the rooster performed it with the same hen each time. The farmer said no a different one each time. The President asked the farmer to tell that to Mrs Coolidge.

you figure out what this story means ...

Getting It On...

A 76year old , had married so many times in his life that he had so many bride dress sizes that would cover any future ones. His name is Reverend Glynne de Moss Wolfe, a baptist minister from California.
In the search for his twenty seventh wife he said the following phrases " im fit and ready , and desperately searching for a lasting marriage. I ve made a few mistakes but each time I thought it would work something went wrong.. A good wife for me would be , someone with mystery , magic, daredevil, and between 100 and 120 pounds and also under twenty. Women get crafty in their twenties. If I can get them young and dumb enough, I can teach them how to have fun. Im good looking , a gentleman in the lounge , a cook in the kitchen and a romeo in bed.
Of course , i have whisky in the house.

With all the marriages the rev has had , he has around twenty two sons and eighteen daughters, aged between 3 and 63. * he had his first child at 13. Marriage is really god's gift for this guy.

A 68 year old man, a fellow like the reverand , Marquess of Huntly engaged a 20yrs old nurse.
When asked if he is ashamed or not he elusively said " I'm a very fit man. I don't wear spectacles. I still have my own teeth. Why should i marry some dried up old bag."

Weird courtship and marriage stories.

The countess of Newburgh rejected more 15 proposals by Charles Redclyffe an earl.
She was so frustrated if him she ordered her entire staff to lock all the doors so no one could get in. Earl, madly in love found out another way , he went through the chimney and proposed to her for the 16th time and this time she felt obliged to accept.

That was the before part of a marriage story , check this one out.
In Nepal, Narikot women must wash their mother in laws feet as a sign of respect before each meal. And then their is the love of their life, their husband who they have to also wash their feet but drink the dirty water from it afterwards. In prize for all that Narikot woman are allowed to carry their husband's burden.

Love, Hate

An 85 year old Sicilian, Evaristo Bertone stabbed his wife Adriana in the shoulder when he saw a love letter for her. The old lad had forgotten he had wrote it back when he was young and in love. Though Adriana forgave him, she said he has very poor eyesight. There is an old proverb , love hurts, i guess it's true.

Another love related story..

In the capital city of Sri Lanka, Colombo, the city was suffering from water shortage but the idiotic chief of the fire departement sprayed 5000 gallons of cold water on couples having a good time in the city park. He said the couples were having ' nefarious activities'.

Kalology : The Art of Beauty

Francis Galton, a 19th centuary polymath, traveled all around Britain in order to understand beauty and how to rate it. How he actually did this was by carrying a paper and a needle. He would walk the streets or whatever and when he saw an attractive lady he would make a hole on the top , if he saw an average one he would make a hole in the middle and if he did see a really hideous one he would make a hole at the botton. He made a paper for each town he visited and in the end if it had more holes on top it meant the town was one with beauty and vice-verca. He found London to be the highest ranked for beauty and Aberdeen the lowest.

"A letter in the National Review from Charles C. Littell Jr. suggested that beauty should be measured in 'Helens'. "

- One Helen would be defined as enough beauty to launch a thousand ships.
- A Milihelen would be enough beauty to launch one ship.
- A Microhelen is sufficient beauty to inspire the launch of a plank.
- An Antimilihelen measures ugliness, one unit is enough to sink a battleship.


A little story ...Giulia Gonzaga, Duchess of Fondi measured one Helen for her amazing looks and 1,000 ships were launched by the Turk Sultan to capture her. The turks made it till there but were lost in their surroundings, a little boy saw them and went to warn the Duchess of the attack. The Duchess fled from her town to safety. The turks gave up and left empty handed.
The Duchess showed her thankfulness to the boy by getting his head chopped off.

Ya i know, sad story.

The Unkindest Cut of All

Back in the old days of the powerful church, a good way for a boy to live a happy life was for him to castrate himself. And sing for the church , it was/is thought that castrated men sing better then the not castrated ones. You could somehow attain the perfect pitch of voice, this would also make them indefatigable lovers. Although the church forbade the act of castration to keep a healthy public image they would make excuses such as the boy was attacked by vicious dogs who bit of his --- or his peers beaten him badly and brutalized him. Even though what they said was sometimes not very veridical the people wouldn't question them. Some of the opera's pieces were strictly written for castrati singer. Spectators, after a great performance would shout ' Viva il coltello', which is Italian for ' Long live the knife'. But the actual castration wasn't done with a knife but a sharp string. What might sound painfully , was never documentated. Giovanni Francesco Grossi, an italian castrato was in love with a countess from Modena. Her enraged & mad family sent her into a community of nuns, but Giovanni still went to visit her . The modest family was so enraged they hired someone to assassain him in the end. Some castrato's even tried to marry but being affiliated with the church it became impossible, too bad for the supposed best lovers. Some castrato's became priest, one is that known , Loreto Vittori. Other castrato's that went big, Farinelli. He worked in the court of the king of Spain. Philip V of Spain loved songs and so did his wife who even paid Farinelli to sing for her husband each night.
The barberous practice did not end till the 20th centuary. The last soprano castrato was Alessandro Moreschi, he died in 1922 late enough for his voice to be recorded. And with him this tradition in the catholic church ended,

The younger they start, the better.

The Hillsborough County sheriff's office in Florida received an official complaint against one Robbie Roumonas for going naked infront of a 4 year old girl at a family picnic. Sergeant Bruce Hoffman asked questions to the mother of the girl , she had been told by her daughter that the boy had no clothes on. Sgt Hoffman called the mother of the boy Robbie and told her the penalty was 15 years but they wanted talk to her son. Too bad Robbie was only 13 months old and couldn't talk , the departement decided to drop the case.

Weird ways to approach someone.

Stephen Burton, a 26 year-old miner from somewhere a little town, had an unusual ways to come upto a woman. He would bring up his gerbil as a point of the conversation. He saw a girl that caught his eye, he saw the girl caught in a car jam. He jumped at the opportunity to bring the gerbil conversation at her. When she saw the gerbil she screamed and pressed the pedal and hit a few cars in front of her causing a damge of 800 dollars. Stephen's father had some wise words of counsel ," Next time , son, say it with flowers."


And a nice little fact , when now days people look for a life mate the first two things they will look for is .

1. Religion compatiblility
2. Similarity of drinking habits

Penalty for Unfaithfulness...

I talked about weird celebrations and traditions but this time i will speak of those who don't remain loyal to their mates and their fates.

The beautiful , Mrs Hamilton was the Russian Tsar's favorite mistress but she cheated on him and he decided to behead her . And to make sure no one would ever do that on him again he kept her head in a closed jar in his room. I think that women who would think to cheat on him would think twice, surely.

In 1984, a woman in Barcelona, Francisca Vega, decided to unleash her fury on her not-so-trustful husband by poisoning him. She inserted his body in a huge jar with up to five gallon of water in it . As the days went by he kept shrinking and after awhile he was at the size of a doll.
She had learned the process from a chemist . Francisca said something along the lines of this " i wanted his corpse to be my trophy , what a gladiator of a woman . Francisca spent one year in a mental hospital before being released , i wonder if she still has her trophy ?

Dealing with Enraged Women

The scissor-happy,enraged wife is the nightmare to many men. For some it wasn't a nightmare but reality like our friend Antonio Lama of Naples . In 1975, he got his nose cut off by his jealous wife, Amalia. A wife in Thailand went even further, she cut her husband's penis of and threw it out the window. The poor lad had to go through the dishonor of picking it up, and wandering off to somewhere.

In renaissance France castration was advised as an advance guard against a range of ailments. It was so famous some towns had women specializing in the operation. One such paramedic had so many customers that she feed her dog with the leftovers.

The Queen of ancient Syria, Semiramis, was so jealous of her best lovers that she ordered the removal of their testicles so that no woman after her would be able have that experience. she is said by Marcellinus, a Roman historian, to have created multitudes of eunuchs.

An a unsual way to celebrate victory.

The Egyptian Pharaoh, Menephta, recorded his great victory over the troublemaking libyans in battle on a monument at Karnak. In celebration, he decided to cut of his opponents penises and when all the cutting had ended he had returned with an astonishing 13,240 penises. Ouch. As once a great historian , Leonard Cottrell said, " The Ancient Egyptians were probably the monst humane people of the ancient east.

8 hot ideas for decorating your kitchen

The kitchen is the core room in a person's home and therefore it's a great place to undertake a remodeling project. We will fill you in on the latest trends in kitchen design so your kitchen can sizzle like the food you cook in it! The first design trend addresses one of the most common complaints people have about their kitchens – storage space. Creative storage solutions such as overhead pot racks are becoming more popular. People are also increasingly using drawer and cabinet organizers in their kitchens to keep everything in its place.

People are installing flooring in kitchens that years ago not many people would have even considered. This brings us to our third trend which is to look beyond the standard kitchen tiles and explore new kitchen flooring options. Due to improved sealants, wood floors can now be installed in kitchens and withstand the rigors of frequent and heavy daily use. As an alternative, people are also installing laminate flooring in their kitchens. Bamboo and cork are also great, eco-friendly flooring choices that will make your kitchen look hot.

Another great kitchen design trend has to do with your countertops. When you think of concrete, you probably think of sidewalks but concrete actually can be used to make beautiful countertops. Concrete is almost infinitely customizable and can mimic the appearance of other materials and this flexibility is part of its draw. Concrete is as sturdy as marble or granite.

The fifth trend is a novel and exciting advancement in kitchen ranges and ovens. While gas burners are often preferred for stovetop cooking, electricity is the best energy source for heating ovens. Rather than having to pick between the two fuel options, there are now ovens available that allow you to have the best of both worlds. Of course, if you don't have access to both gas and electricity in your kitchen, this probably isn't a practical choice for you. An alternative that is also trendy is a range with induction burners. Induction burners are lighter on their energy use and heat up more quickly than either electric or gas ranges.

One of the hottest kitchen trends, and the sixth that we will mention, is to hide your appliances. More and more people are customizing their kitchens so that appliances such as microwaves and refrigerators are concealed behind doors that match your kitchen cabinets. This is a great solution for you if you have put a lot of time and thought into your kitchen décor and don't want it spoiled by a large and potentially ugly appliance.

Finally, don't be afraid to introduce color into your kitchen. As more people try to make a statement by purchasing unique items, appliances are available in numerous bold colors and people are buying them in droves. And don't forget your cabinets – these are also available in bright colors and will be sure to make your kitchen look hot. While cabinets are becoming more decorative it's important to remember to keep them casual. By following these fabulous design trends, your kitchen will be the trendiest one on the block.

No, Not the Flying Variety

We think we know about reindeer (also known as caribou,) but what is myth and what is fact? Do reindeer really fly?

Well, the answer to the second question is no. Some believe that this rumor was started because of their penchant for running quickly through the thick grass of the tundra when threatened. If the watcher was far enough away when the ‘took off’ it could look like they were flying away caused by an optical illusion caused by the flat expanse of the tundra.

Here are some facts:

Reindeer have extremely dense hair, not fur, that extends to their lips. This protects them from the snow when they graze.

All reindeer grow antlers. This includes the calves and females. They all shed them annually.

Although they are classified as herbivores because of their dental structure, they will eat small rodents, birds and eggs if they are available. They do this due to a need to add nutrients to their diet.

Reindeer are the domesticated variety of the caribou. They generally have shorter legs and are heavier. They are bred as a food source by people from the Arctic circle.

The caribou changes it’s hooves with the seasons. The hooves become soft and spongy in the warmer months to help maintain traction in a soft environment and then the spongy footpads shrink in the winter and allow the outer hoof rim to grow over it to give them additional traction in the colder months.

Caribou are excellent swimmers because of the need for them to cross large bodies of water in their Arctic home (especially during the summer.)

One other interesting fact is that their large nasal passages warm chilled air before it enter their lungs and then condenses the warm air returning and allows any moisture to remain in the nostril.

So, no they cannot fly, but they are another interesting example of mother nature’s creatures.

Proven Effective Ways Of Keeping Your Present Job

The Rising Unemployment Problem

In the past, the U.S. has experienced a low unemployment rate in the year 1990. Records showed that in that year, 45% of its population were working and 24% of them only were employed on full time basis. Today, unemployment rate has increased tremendously at the start of 2009 with mass layoffs in the fields of automotive and manufacturing industries.

In other countries, unemployment is even more a serious problem. Joblessness can ruin families and even societies. People working now tend to hold on to their jobs as finding a new one becomes more tedious by the day. A stark reality is that finding a job is saddled by stiff competition from an even growing population.

Tips to Keep Your Present Job

Since finding a new job entails more difficulties with growing and stiffer competition every year, having a current job gets an added importance. If you have already a job and you want to keep it for long because you know that it is hard to land in new jobs these days, here are some tips for you to consider:

• 1.Find ways to improve your work performance.

You will always be an asset to the company if you contribute to its growth. By trying your best to give your utmost performance, others will see this example, and they may follow suit. This will be to the best interest of the company.

When the company’s productivity is improved, it will consequently grow and it will be in a better position to give into the employees’ needs and welfare. This will redound to the employees’ overall advantage.

• 2.Do your job with utmost diligence.

If you hesitate to do your job, you may end up nothing to accomplish at all and this is not good for your company. Employers or bosses will always look up to people who can act decisively and deliver well for the company’s good.

• 3.Look for a job you truly like.

It would be very difficult for you to work in a certain field that you are not capable of handling with maximum efficiency. You have to truly love and like the work that you do in order for you to give your best. People who like and love their job enjoy the fruit of their work and give them utmost satisfaction.

• 4.Impress Your Superiors by Doing Other Jobs.

Avoid being a hard-line employee who is only willing to do jobs within his scope based on the job description. If necessary, take the initiative of fulfilling other jobs especially when your officemate is indisposed. This way, your full potential will be discovered and recognized. When there is a vacancy for a higher position, this can be your passport to a higher rank and salary.

In the long run, having a job is still an advantage over the others who have none at all. Nonetheless, one must not always be contented at having a job. He has to nurture it and keep it well for the job to be fulfilling to him and to the company as well for mutual benefit.

Fun facts about Salt

According to some of the medical websites consuming upto an equivalent of 1 teaspoon of salt per day is safe! It is because of such websites, one of my close friend was misguided into considering that salt was not bad for him. He began salting everyday and his blood pressure went up a notch or two every month. I knew this information was incorrect, but I did not have anything to support my gut instinct-until I read came across some interesting facts about salt which I am going to share with you below with the hope that it might help you.

• It is worth knowing that refined salts even in salt water concentration mayl kill salt water fish. So you can take a guess, what is the fate of our inner organs when fed commercialized salt?

• According to nutritionists fruits and vegetables are almost salt-free. This signifies that a vegetarian diet may create an weak condition and other salt-starvation diseases. This is the fact behind why many vegetarians lust for salty snacks.

• Statistics say that humans only consume 7% of the total salt production, the rest (93%) is exploited by the chemical and manufacturing industries for producing explosives, chlorine gas, agro-fertilizers and plastic materials.

• 92 essential minerals of the human body is found in the ocean.

• Researchers have found that Celtic sea salt is the lowest in sodium of all the salts available and the richest in valuable beneficial ingredients available in any salt. Once it is re-dissolved in water or in the moisture of food, Celtic Sea Salt carries an amazing likeness to human blood and body fluids. Celtic sea salt has numerous healing properties as well. For instance it can correct excess acidity, restore good digestion, relieve allergies and skin disorders, prevent a few types of cancer, increase cellular energy and give enhanced immunity to infections and bacterial disease.

• It is interesting to know that late French scientist Dr. Alexis Carrel succeeded in keeping a chicken heart alive for over thirty-seven years just by having the throbbing heart in a solution of sea salt. Finally Dr. Carrel voluntarily concluded the experimentation after 37 years, having established the fact that it is possible to have physical immortality for living cells.

Fun Facts about India

India can be compared with a “big paradise”. It has exotic cultures, invaluable artworks, progressive cities, national parks, and last but not the least friendly folks make this place of the globe an excellent destination for tourists all over the world. There are a lot of religious festivals in India. The Festival of Laxmi is one of the most famous religious festival in the Hindu religion.According to the religion Laxmi is said to be the Goddess of peace and prosperity. This Festivals plays an important and significant role in the lives of several Indians.

India is acknowledged to have given birth to many bright sons and one of the most brightest of them is Mohandas K. Gandhi, whose legacy was democracy. From history books we find many worthwhile quotes of Gandhi. Once he said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”.

From its birth in 1947, India, previously ruled by the british, is a democratic nation in the Third World. Its political situation is quite stable and is quite different from its neighboring countries like Pakistan(dictatorship), Bhutan ( absolutist monarchy), Nepal ( absolutist monarchy) and Myanmar ( military dictatorship).

Some of the items which India export to other countries in the world and earn a lot of foreign currency includes sugar, corn, and cotton. In recent past India´s economy witnessed one of the most fast paced growth in history.

India is also famous for the charming beauty of its women. It has won five Miss World titles and two Miss Universe titles.

India maintains a good relation with certain countries like the United Kingdom, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Canada's, Maldives, Mexico, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Germany and the United States.

India is also quite popular for its film industry which makes more films every year than the United States, France, Italy, and the People`s Republic of China. These films are available and watched in from every corner of the world. “Gandhi” a motion picture by British director Richard Atenborough was filmed on the life of Mohandas K. Gandhi ( 1869-1948). This film won 8 Academy Awards in the eighties.

Fun Facts about Coal

Fun Facts about Coal

Coal formed about 300 million years ago and is one of the earth's fossil fuels. Coal is considered non-renewable because it takes about a million years to create. Coal is a type of sedimentary rock, made primarily of carbon and hydrocarbons. It is combustible. There are four primary types of coal, determined by the amount of carbon that they contain. These four types are: lignite, subbituminous, bituminous and anthracite. Coal has been used for energy and has been traded internationally since the Roman Empire. It also fueled the Industrial Revolution and was crucial in the development of electrical power. Coal deposits in the United States alone contain more energy than all of the world's oil reserves. Almost a hundred countries have accessible coal deposits and it's likely that all countries have at least some coal resources, even if they haven't been discovered or are not accessible. If we continue to use coal at the rate we use it today, we will have exhausted the world's supply in less than two hundred years. China is the main supplier of coal to the world and the United States is second.

Coal is mined either on the surface or underground, the former being the less expensive method. Coal is considered a “dirty” energy source because of its deleterious effects on the environment both from the mining and burning of coal as an energy source. Coal mining can contaminate ground and surface water. The burning of coal releases carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, into the air and contributes to global warming and the depletion of our ozone layer. In fact, it is believed that coal is responsible for twenty percent of all the greenhouse gases that are released into our atmosphere. Coal plants also emit mercury and are the largest source of this dangerous chemical, emitting about twenty-five pounds of it yearly. About six hundred coal plants produce in excess of one hundred million tons of sludge waste annually, which can end up polluting rivers and other bodies of water. Coal miners may also suffer ill effects from their jobs. The Center for Disease Control estimated that in a ten year study period, twelve thousand coal miners died from black lung disease.

Nevertheless, we are dependent on coal. The primary use for coal is to generate electricity. Coal is currently the cheapest source of electrical power. Therefore, if prices of other fuel sources such as oil and gas rise, coal is used more. Due to its low price, coal use in developing countries is growing at a rate of nearly two percent annually. Ninety percent of the coal in the United States is used for generating electricity and more than half of the United States' supply of electricity comes from coal. An estimated forty-one percent of the world's total electricity comes from coal and coal fulfills twenty-six percent of the world's energy needs. Coal does have other uses though. The ash that is a byproduct of coal combustion is used as filler for things such as tennis rackets, golf balls and linoleum. The steel and iron industry depend on coal. Coal can also be be used in the production of fertilizers and chemicals.

Fun Facts about Cleopatra

Fun Facts about Cleopatra

Cleopatra is often portrayed as a beautiful, exotic Egyptian ruler. However, pictures of her depicted on coins from her time show that by modern standards, she may not have been a beauty at all. What she may have lacked in good looks, she made up for with intelligence, charm and conviction and she has certainly left a legacy. Cleopatra was born in 69 BC, the daughter of Ptolemy XII and Cleopatra V of Egypt. She was not actually Egyptian in heritage. She was Macedonian Greek and a descendant of Ptolemy I who became king of Egypt after Alexander the Great's death Cleopatra succeeded her father to become the Pharaoh of the Ptolemic Dynasty in 51 BC. She was a co-ruler of Egypt for twenty-one years, until her death. Because we know so little about her, she has fascinated us for ages. Artists, art historians and archaeologists all have been drawn into her legacy. She is portrayed in many different mediums, from song to writing to paintings, stone and metal.

Before her death, Cleopatra had four children from two different fathers. Her personal life was quite complex. Her son, Ptolemy Caesar was fathered by Julius Caesar and her other children, Alexander Helios, Cleopatra Selene II and Ptolemy Philadelphus were fathered by Mark Antony. In 51 BC Cleopatra married her brother. Three years later she became Julius Caesar's lover and the next year her brother died in the Alexandrian War. Cleopatra then married another one of her brothers and eventually had him killed. This made her four year old son her co-ruler. Finally in 41 BC she became Mark Antony's lover. Her family life, a bit of a modern day soap opera definitely plays a role in our continuing fascination with her. Her life was marred by death, betrayal, incest and war and some of the most powerful men in history loved her.

It is easy to get bogged down in the sordid details of Cleopatra's personal life but she had a great impact on history and politics. After all, she was the last pharaoh of Egypt. During the first twenty years of Cleopatra's rule, the Roman Empire continuously threatened to conquer Egypt. Because of her connections to Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, she was able to keep the Romans at bay and Egypt remained independent for those twenty years. Octavian, who would later become Augustus, controlled Rome with Mark Antony. Antony was married to Octavian's wife but soon after Antony became involved with Cleopatra, he no longer had feelings for his wife. This was a cause of jealousy and anger between the two men which played a part in the conflict that ensued between Egypt and Rome. Finally, Octavian defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra in the Battle of Actium and took over Egypt. Part Cleopatra was so distraught over this failure that she committed suicide. We can never be sure exactly how she managed to take her own life but what we do know is that it involved a poisonous snake, the asp. We also do not know where she was buried.

Social Media Fuel

The new buzz word on the internet is social marketing. Social marketing continues to open fresh realms of possibilities for sincere business owners on and off the web. Beyond any doubt, the internet has created a worldwide market. The question remains how you can bring this global market into your world.

There is such a great deal of noise, traffic and honking on the web that if you follow half of everything that's happening you will get confused, lost and possible broke. Again if you just sit and watch and do nothing, you lose out on hundreds of opportunities. Thumb rule--"don't chase after traffic. Find out where the traffic is going and just go stand in front of it" [a quotation from the article marketing guy, Jeff Herring]. According to me the top 3 spots for where traffic is going:

1. Facebook -Facebook.com is a popular, free social networking website that is controlled and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. Mark Zuckerberg was the founder of Facebook while he was studying at Harvard University.

2. Twitter- Twitter.com is a also a free-access social networking and micro-blogging service that permits its users to send and read other users' updates (differently recognized as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to one hundred forty characters in length.

3. Ezine Articles-Ezinearticles.com is the number 1 article merchandising directory on the internet. Here you can write your articles, submit them and kick back and relish the traffic.

The reason behind choosing these 3 out of numerous others is because of the following amazing facts and numbers:

1. Facebook. Althoguh Facebook was originally made for college graduates fool you but today it has great profits and implications for business owners, marketers, and entrepreneurs.This extremely booming online social networking platform is the home of one hundred million registered members, and is increasing at a high rate of 225,000 per day. According to prediction from analysts Facebook membership will be at 500 million by 2011.

2. Twitter. Initially Twitter may look like a good deal of nothing but just hang about for a few months. Twitter have by one measure over 3 million accounts and, by another, well over 5 million visitors in September 2008, a fivefold growth in just a month.

3. EzineArticles.com. This user friendly article directory on an average captures fifteen million visitors a calendar month. This popular directory permits writers in hundreds of niche areas to acquire heavy levels of exposure in exchange for the submission of their quality articles.

Fun facts about Tidewater

Interesting Facts about Tidewater

The Tidewater area of Virginia extends from the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay on the Eastern side to Williamsburg, VA on the West. This is a distance of approximately 80 miles which houses some 1.7 million people. The population of the region, though working at an abundance of different jobs, mainly support the massive amount of military inhabitants. All of the services are represented, but the largest contingent is the Navy at the Norfolk Naval Base. As one moves away from the waters of ocean and bay toward the mountains of Eastern Virginia on I-64, you will come to the western most edge of the tidewater, the city of Williamsburg.

When people think of colonial areas Williamsburg is generally one of the first to come to mind. It hosted the second organized college, William and Mary, in the US, which remains in operation. The first organized governmental seat was at Jamestown, and Williamsburg also opened the first insane asylum in the United States. The Williamsburg-Jamestown-Yorktown area of Virginia offers the vacationer a variety of site-seeing opportunities, and possible interactions. People who visit the old town of Williamsburg can see the governor’s mansion, period shops and houses, and an impressive botanical garden. Jamestown is a town that was recreated upon the site of the original city. It is the first English settlement in the US, and is most famous for its complete destruction and the mysterious, complete disappearance of it original inhabitants. Yorktown holds a special place in American history as the site where the Revolutionary War ended. The site is commemorated and the battlegrounds around Yorktown are preserved. Connecting the three cities is a scenic road, the Colonial Parkway, which is perfect for motorized vehicle and bicycle traffic.

The tidewater also has a rich sea history. The intracoastal waterway passes through the region and has long been an area where shipping can avoid the violence of the ocean. Although large ships are not allowed passage, pleasure boaters can travel from New Jersey to Texas without leaving the waterway. Tall ships can be seen periodically, and festivals for the ships have been held in the region. Whaling and other forms of fishing have also contributed to the area’s rich history. However, the main focus of the sea traditions has been the US Navy. The Harbor, which is comprised of the mouths of the James and Elizabeth rivers, is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. The largest US Naval base in the world and the largest contingent of US warships resides therein. Almost all of the surface ships and fast attack submarines on the east coast dock in Norfolk.

The beach at Virginia Beach is a popular venue for many summer vacations and spring breaks. Virginia beach sprawls along the Atlantic Ocean just off the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and has many resorts and hotels. An aquarium, which houses many of the creatures indigenous to the region, was built in the 1990’s in Virginia Beach.

Finity

So when you look at the above word does it mess with your idea of proper English? Lets discuss that for a minute. The prefix (a word affixed to the front of a word which alters its meaning) in- means basically the same thing as un-. It is anti something. Therefore, since we are using this Latinized version of the Queen’s English when we pit in- in front of the word finity it means something that is never-ending, immeasurable, or boundless. Therefore if we remove the, in this case, objectionable prefix we have finity (which my word processor says is misspelled.)

So what is finite (the word processor likes that one better.) Life, the Earth, our Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy, The Universe. The Universe? Is the universe really finite? Well, some people seem to think that it is. There is evidence, most notably drawn from the supposed echo of cosmic background radiation, that we live in a finite, soccer ball shaped universe. If this is true then the next question is, “What exists beyond our universe? Is that where Spock lives?” Okay so you may not ask the second question, but it does seem that he was just too ordered for our crazy universe. Anyway, what if it is actually infinite.

I have to admit a bias in favor of infinity. A finite universe contains too many questions about the outside of the bounds. But, how can I state that the universe is, in fact, finite while all around me people are decrying it’s finity.

Think about the supposed age of the universe and the speed of light. If we suppose some random numbers and say that the universe is 5 billion years old and that light can travel at 186,000 mile per second then we can give bounds to what we can see. We can say that the universe is only so large because that is as far as light has traveled since the inception of the universe. However, that is just our perception. Someone on the outer bounds of what we know thinks that we are the outer boundary of the universe, and he can see just as far in the opposite direction. Therefore if we station a post on the outer bounds of what we can see, and then another post on the outer bounds of what that post can see, couldn’t we then stretch the seeable universe on forever? And as far as waves of cosmic radiation bouncing back to us, any large body would cause that reaction.

So, all one can say is that we really have no idea, and we can fit any theory to match our presuppositions.

Fun Facts about Einstein

Facts on Albert Einstein you’ve always wanted to know.

Amongst the greatest individuals that emerged during the past centuries and made a huge impact on the way we live now is the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics awardee, Dr. Albert Einstein. The most “earth-moving” thing that he did was the “Theory of Relativity”. His works triggered not just mere hush but a loud yell that made a huge difference in the world of Physics and the other branches of Science as well. What really made Einstein different from other scientists of his time? What were the things in his mind that made the difference? If we are to look at the subject at hand, a technical, scientific and serious discussion might be in the works. But there are of course, a bit of the lighter side to this seemingly academic icon. And that’s what we are going to find out next!

1. Biography.

Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Württemberg, Germany in March 14, 1879. Approximately six weeks after Baby Albert was born, his father (Hermann Einstein) and mother (Pauline Einstein), decided to move to Munich. Albert began schooling at Luitpold Gymnasium. His short and early scholarly stint there was cut short as his family moved to Switzerland. It was there that he was able to continue his studies. In Zurich, he entered the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School to train as a teacher in physics and mathematics. It was in 1901 that he finished his training and gained a diploma. He likewise acquired Swiss citizenship on that same year. But did you know that his first job was not a teacher? His first job was actually a technical assistant in the Swiss Patent Office. He was able to continue his academic prowess as he was able to receive his doctor’s degree in 1905.

It was during his spare time and coffee breaks in the Patent Office that he was able to muster his brilliant works. He was later given the “Privantdozentship” (a title given to people with academic excellence and has proven it by formulating a series of likewise academic works. This is much similar to that of a doctorate degree to some extent. After this prestigious feat of our genius came his rather busy schedule. He later (1909) became a Professor Extraordinary at Zurich, a Theoretical Physics professor in Prague (1911), Kaiser Wilhelm Physical Institute’s Director and a Professor in the University of Berlin (1914) and still had his free time to check his e-mails (that last one’s not included…)

Berlin was his home until 1933 as he became a German citizen in 1914. He later renounced his citizenship and went to the US to accept a teaching stint. He took the position as a Theoretical Physics professor at Princeton, New Jersey. He later became US citizen in 1940 and was able to give up and retire from his job in 1945.

2. Works

Albert Einstein was always rewarded for his excellent academic contributions in the field of theoretical physics. It was his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect that gained him the Nobel Prize. The photoelectric effect is a phenomenon which states that certain amount of electrons are emitted from a matter when light shines upon it. Einstein further explained these events by stating that light itself consists of small particles called photons that has energy that is equivalent to light’s frequency.

Although it may then sound absurd, the practicality of the photoelectric effect that Einstein did is now can be seen in our daily lives. A classic example of this is the Photosynthesis which acts as fertilizers where sunlight is absorbed by plants to make them grow. Said effect is also used in photodiodes that are in the same manner used in telecommunications, fibre optics, solar cells and other various applications.

Aside from having to theorize the photoelectric effect, Albert Einstein is also well known for other physics stuffs such as the Brownian motion, the special theory of relativity and the ever so-famous, (E=mc2) – equivalence of matter and energy. To complement his 1905 special theory of relativity, he further made his general theory of relativity that was published in 1915.

3. Other fun facts.

Young Albert.

• He was born with a large head that his mother thought that it was deformed

• Kid Albert had one younger sister, Maja, which he considered as his only friend during childhood.

• Kid Albert thought of Maja as a toy and even asked his parents upon seeing her: “Yes, but where does it have its small wheels?”

• He was always thought to have speech problems when he was a kid. He seldom speaks and when he does, his words are uttered in a slow manner

• He was not able to speak normally until he was nine years old and was before feared to be a retard.

• Because of this, the brilliant people who developed their speech late in childhood were then coined the “Einstein Syndrome”

• It was a compass that his father showed him that grabbed his interest in science

• He was able to pass the science and mathematics portions of his university entrance exams in 1895, but failed in the rest and had to go to a trade school in order for him to retake the exam that he failed on.

Family Man

• He had a secret child before he settled down. It was a girl from his fellow former student Mileva Marić whom he later married.

• Despite his “relaxed” schedule, Albert Einstein managed to raise his own family. He married Mileva Marić and had three (3) children - Lieserl, Hans Albert and Eduard

• Little is known from his first child whom experts only knew as Lieserl from Einstein’s letters to his wife. Some historians say that Lieserl was born during the time that Einstein was in Berne. The baby girl was believed to have been Christianized but her official name remains unknown. Accounts of the daughter of Albert are still unclear up to this date. Some say that she was born with mental problems and lived with her mother’s family, some say that she died because of a disease in 1903 and some accounts say that she was put up for adoption after birth.

• With the way Albert Einstein focus on his extraordinary works in science and physics, his family suffered in a way or another. Since he was always away from home, he later became estranged to his wife. Albert had his way of patching up things such as the odd contract that he gave to his wife. Some of these conditions that his wife would have to abide by in living together were: “… make sure that my clothes and laundry are kept in order.” There is also a condition to stop talking to him if he requests it. This contract according to Einstein was purely business and that their personal relationship and attachment to one another should be reduced and minimized. (That’s rude, isn’t it gals?)

• It was not only his wife who suffered Einstein’s rather rude domestic actuations. His eldest son Hans was also a victim. Because of their divorce, Hans greatly blamed his father for what had happened. One of his reasons was on what Albert did when he got the Nobel Prize and the money. Albert gave access to the money to his wife but only on the interest and not to the amount itself. Albert also amplified the feud by strongly objecting to Hans marrying an “unattractive woman” (to Albert’s eyes, obviously). He further asked Hans not to have children as divorce will be harder. Hans strongly suffered till the end as Albert left him with very little inheritance.

• One of Mileva’s (Einstein’s wife) reasons for calling it quits with Albert was of the latter’s infidelity. Do you know that Albert Einstein married his own cousin after his break-up with Mileva? He married Elsa Lowenthal and even considered also marrying Elsa’s daughter. It’s just that the daughter (Ilse) only treated Albert as a father, enough reason for not pursuing his Valentino acts on the young lad.

• Albert’s being a “lover boy” was clearly seen from his various letters that were later released by some historians and autobiographers. Some of the victims of his “moonlighting escapades” were his secretary and six other women during his marriage with Elsa. Albert himself identified them as Estella, Ethel (he seems to like the letter “E” a lot), Toni, Margarita, and the mysterious “L” and “M”.

• It was always a great day when Albert was with his second wife Elsa as they were always seen to predict a picture of a happy couple. They were both seen touring together well-dressed. It was after Elsa died that Albert almost forgot about himself to the point of forming the truth among followers that he doesn’t anymore change his clothing. This sad part in his life made him wear a number, and not the same, of shirt with almost the same in color. He then disliked the wearing of suits and was often seen wearing sandals, a way too short to expect on a well-celebrated physics professor like him.

Et. Al.

• Einstein did not receive a Nobel Prize for his theory of relativity.

• One of the reasons why Einstein left for the US is because of Hitler’s popularity

• He was unsuccessful all his career in trying to find a unified field theory

• Discovered in 1952, the element Einsteinuim was name in honor of him

• Wrote a letter to President Roosevelt stating the possibility of the Germans working on a powerful bomb using the chain reactions from the element uranium

And lastly, he was then offered the Presidency of Israel. He declined and later established the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Will there be anymore of his kind? The same may take a long time according to some experts as the field now is largely different.

Fun facts about body

Do you think you know about your body well? If not you will relish learning these fun facts about your body for sure..

Just when you went through the first line of this article, 50,000 cells in your body had died and were replaced too.

The amount of work done by your heart in the last hour is sufficient to produce energy that may lift 1 ton weight, off the ground.

Your liver executes five hundred jobs that are known to man. There are still numerous which medical scientists don't even know about yet.

The same hands structure of whale, dog, men and birds are same as we may have a common ancestor.

You blink your eyes just about twenty-five times in sixty seconds.

Your stomach keeps on producing mucus every fortnight or else your stomach will digest itself.

Your rightsided lung is always larger than leftsided lung. It is because your leftsided lung provides space to your heart.

You require seventeen muscles in order to demonstrate a sweet smile on your face.

Your tongue print is second to none. So the way your ears are too. They are second to none, just like your finger prints.

Just for one minute kissing, you will need 26 calories.

It is interesting to know that sneeze comes out of your mouth at 100 miles per hour.

Regardless of your age, your ears and nose all of the time keep growing.

Each part of your body except your tooth can fix itself.

Our body has nearly all the chemical within us. You are able to produce even any drug inside your body.

Our body is great and amazing as it keeps renovating itself in a constant manner, every second, every hour. For instance, we continue changing our skip.

These were a few astonishing infos regarding our body.

Kids Fun Facts

Triple F-K (Fun Facts For Kids)

Just like in TVs and movies, due to insistent public demand, I’m bringing you another fraction of our fun stuff. This is as based on my initial article where we played paper, scissors and stones on facts of our everyday lives. Again, seriousness and a high level of severe intensity are strictly prohibited for our main quest here is to inform and have fun at the same time.

As a student, I was privileged, as part of our Journalism subject, to cover various kinds of real human emotions. I was also made to research on some of them. Those that depict angst, romance and drama are some of the human feelings that I worked on. But like everyone else who has this “kid” in me, I never let life’s seriousness take over by shooting and adding some of the “kid” spice once in a while in every serious thing I do.

To start our Fun Facts for Kids, let me take you our nearest Courthouses and Courtrooms where seriousness can be sometimes painted out with a smile or a chuckle perhaps. And by the way, these courtroom drama (or funny acts?) excerpts happened in real life. The letter “Q” means the question. It originates from a lawyer, a judge or from somebody in authority. The “A” is the response given by the person being asked. (the witness, the suspect or the one under oath)

Q. What is your name?

A. Ernestine McDowell.

Q. And what is your marital status?

A. Fair.

(how about Friendster’s “Its complicted”?)

***

Q. Mrs. Jones, is your appearance this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?

A. No. This is how I dress when I go to work.

***

Q. And lastly, Gary, all your responses must be oral. O.K.?

What school do you go to?

A. Oral.

Q. How old are you?

A. Oral.

***

Q. You say that the stairs went down to the basement?

A. Yes.

Q. And these stairs, did they go up also?

***

Q: Did you see the defendant bite off the victim's nose?

A: No

Q: Then how do you know he bit off the victim's nose?

A: I saw him spit it out.

***

Q: What is your date of birth?

A: July fifteenth.

Q: What year?

A: Every year.

***

And here’s one of my favorites….

Q: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in the voodoo or occult?

A: We both do.

Q: Voodoo?

A: We do.

Q: You do?

A: Yes, voodoo.

And you think lawyers and Court Judges are way too smart? Well, I guess this is a better time to re-assesses your conceptions. They too have their share of “smart lapses”.

Q: The youngest son, the twenty-year old, how old is he?

***

Q: Were you present when your picture was taken?

***

Q: Was it you or your younger brother who was killed in the war?

***

Q: Did he kill you?

***

Q: How far apart were the vehicles at the time of the collision?

***

Q: You were there until the time you left, is that true?

***

Q: How many times have you committed suicide?

***

Q: She had three children, right?

A: Yes.

Q: How many were boys?

A: None.

Q: Were there any girls?

***

Q: Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?

A: All my autopsies are performed on dead people.

***

Q: What is your relationship with the plaintiff?

A: She is my daughter.

Q: Was she your daughter on February 13, 1979?

***

Q: Was that the same nose you broke as a child?

(lect.law.com, skrause.org and tnsf.ca)

Convinced enough? There are actually piles of court transcripts evidencing these fun facts and it’s really nice and entertaining to oftentimes, “kid” around on it. We’ll deal with those on our next episode.

I also happen to find some fun facts about kids in the much serious world of religion. Christianteens.about.com tells that the Roman Catholic Bible has its own version of fun facts:

• Number of Bibles being daily distributed in the U.S. alone: 170,000;

• (You’ll love this one kids….) Number of promises in the Bible: 1,260;

• Number of commands in the Bible: 6,468;

• Number of questions in the Bible: 3,294;

• Words in the Bible: 773,692;

• Words in the Old Testament: 592,439;

• Words in the New Testament: 181,253;

• Number of times the word "God" is mentioned: 3,358;

• Number of times "Lord" is mentioned: 7,736; and,

• Longest Word in the Bible: "Mahershalalhashbaz" in Isaiah 8:1.

Here are some fun facts about the Islam / Muslim religion, according to azharazian.blogspot.com:

• Majority of the Muslims are not based in the Middle East but a great number of them (approximately 184 million) can be found in Indonesia; and,
  

• The Koran (Catholic’s version of the Bible) and some of its verses speaks that man is equal to woman. How equal? The word “man” appears in the Koran 24 times, and the word “woman” on the other hand, has the same share on the number of appearances-24 also.

Our Buddhist believers also have their own rendition of funny facts about Buddhism. Religionfacts.com lists some of them:

• They believe in reincarnation or the “after-life” (DOTA and Mario Bros.’ makers might be practitioners of Buddhism); and,
  

• They don’t believe in the existence of the soul. (Have not been to any of the Ghostbusters movies, absolutely!)

More interestingly are the funny facts for kids that I gathered from all over the world. Although some may be that trivial in nature, finding the funny ones are quite easy and of course, fun. Below are some:

• US figures says that an average American uses and consumes about eight batteries a year. (Does that include cars’?)

• Fashion gurus as they are, did you know that there are about 80% of women in the world who wear bra in the wrong size?

• Talk about “backstabbing”. Statistics tells that over 50% of all attacks begin from the rear side.

• With the wave of technology, there are now radars specifically designed to detect motorcycles.

• Popeye’s spinach has more iron content per calorie compared to meat. (That’s why he loved it so much!)

• There’s more iron in Camel's milk than cows (Camel milk please…).

• Swiss people munch more chocolate than any one in the world. (Swiss’ sweets?)

• Iraq’s international airport now has Burger King, it’s first.

• Science says that a lightning has an unnatural way of traveling sideways.

• Engineers argued that the diesel engine was originally designed to run on peanut oil. Then, it should be called “Peanut Engine”.

• Apart from Google’s Maps, Earth, there is also a Moon?

• The Italian airforces uniform were originally done by the famous designer, Armani. (Now, that’s really a fashion statement!)

• Wine contains 0% cholesterol and has no fat. (Cheers!)

• That there are more than 20000 brands of beer in the world. (Another ‘round please!) At any given time frame, there are about 0.7% of the world's population that is believed to be already boozed. (Again…cheers!)

• Aviation experts say that the ever-reliable parachute was initially invented before the plane. (Chicken or Egg?)

• Originally, DC Comics’ Superman doesn’t fly. (Maybe Batman does.)

• Analysts state that more amount of money is spent on mom’s garden compared to any form of hobby (You can ask your mom if you want).

• In faraway places like the South Pole, the sun does not shine for 182 days in a year.

• An island in Thailand is actually named after James Bond. (Wish there was Johnny English…)

• The actor and heartthrob, John Wayne actually made more than 200 movies all his career.

• Food connoisseurs say that there are about 8,500 Indian food chains and restaurants in the UK. (What? Where?)

• (This one’s for my friend…) Chess’ longest recorded game consisted of 192 moves and there are, according to chess experts, actually 318,979,564,000 doable ways of commencing your first four moves.

• There are approximately 1.3 million vehicles in Metro Manila. (I should know…..)

• MS Word has accepts the word “Wal-Mart” (Now, that’s a marketing strategy!)

• As the weather is always fine in Hawaii, there is no Hawaiian word equivalent or synonymous to the word “weather”.

• Sleep experts say that people can't sneeze while sleeping.

• Our favorite means of transportation, the taxi. The word “Taxi” is spelled the same manner in the English, German, French, Swedish, Dutch and Portuguese languages.

• Islanders have their own myths and beliefs about Santa Clauses parents (how ‘bout friends in the block?).

• When you press “F” in your phone, don’t be surprised if you’ll hear a tone similar to the dial tone of a normal telephone. (Try it!)

• Historians tell us cheerleaders were originally all men. (Were they made to carry pom-pons?)

• “Abstemious” is a word that actually contains all the vowels in the correct order (self-explanatory).

• The Chinese people at funeral wake burn paper-money so that the dead person will be rich in the after-life.

• Another “chess piece” of information…The word Checkmate is actually Persian phrase which literally means "the King is dead".

• Music lovers, take a load of this…Paul McCartney's Birth Certificate was auctioned in March 1997. The Beatle certificate was sold for US $84146.

• Party-goers, you’ll love the next info…Every day is a holiday somewhere in the world.

• French Fries did not come from France. They are originally from Belgium.

• The country Cyprus has a map on its flag. (So, you won’t get lost, I guess.)

• Donald Duck's middle name is Fauntleroy (I never knew ‘till I knew).

• And here’s one that I liked: there is a place in Norway called Hell. Their postcards for tourist reads: "Welcome to Hell". The Norwegians also calls the road that leads to Hell as "highway to hell". I’d rather go back….

So, no matter how old you are or how complicated your life is, there’s always a funny fact or two that brings out the child in you.

5 Surefire Ways to Get an A+

1.Listen to the Lectures.
2.Don’t be distracted.
3.Summarize the Lessons.
4.Eat a Filling Breakfast.
5.Read the Questions Carefully.

Class is starting. Your palms are sweating. This test is the difference between an A and a B. You need the grade, but you are not overconfident in your amount of preparation. So how did you study? Did you take a measured view of how you could achieve the grade you wanted and then execute the plan. Well if the test is still several days off, and you have time to prepare, here are some reasoned ways to assure yourself that you WILL ace that test.

In almost every teacher is some measured conceit. They believe that the information that they are going to impart is of great import and will greatly affect the success of your life. It is that teacher’s subject and so of course they want to give you the essence that they think you should understand. Therefore, the first tip. Pay attention to the lectures. Even if you are to cool to take notes (and you should take good notes) just actively listening to what the educator says will be somewhat retained. Of you are sitting there and playing footsies with your best bud, you won’t benefit from the tells that are given to you. Some teachers are obvious when they are telling you something important, but all teachers give away what they think you should know. They all get a little excited about essential information. So watch for the excitement when the lecture is given. Listen for the lift in the voice, watch for the smile. Take good notes on what the teacher shows you is important and you will never fail a test. Another good idea is to star those things that the teacher emphasized.

So, how do you study. You took good notes, but you haven’t read over them since you took them. Your favorite show is on tonight, or a great band is on your ipod. Put away all distractions. Don’t listen to the radio, or watch TV or sit in the front room with everyone else. Any distraction lessens the effect of what you are trying to study. Your retention will decrease proportionally with the amount of distraction you are experiencing.

So the distractions are minimized. How do you study. Your brain learns best through repetition. If you take the time to rewrite the notes, or write note cards from them, it helps to engage the long term memory. Something has to be repeated several times for it to be important enough for your long term memory to record it. If there are a lot of notes and not enough time then you can just reread them several times and write down the salient points, and then reread theses several times. But remember the surest way to commit something to memory is to do it over time. The time to study for a big test is not the day before, but the day you took the notes. Read them over every night.

Two final thoughts. Eat a filling breakfast. You don’t want to be too full as this can make you drowsy – a distraction while taking the test. You also don’t wan the distraction of hunger. And finally, read all of the questions carefully. Don’t rush through the test. If you know the material you will have enough time to finish and probably early. But sometimes the professor will try to trick you with ambiguities to see of you really understand the material. Just read each question through once. Then read again before you answer, and finally read it again after you have answered it. Your chances of getting that ace will be greater if you are well prepared and follow this sage advice.

Fun stuff about Ants

Most people think of ants as a disturbance but in reality they are quite fascinating insects. They're known to be extremely hard workers and they've expanded colonies under ground. Each ant is assigned with a particular job and they execute it pretty well. These fun facts about ants will sure change your view about them.

According to research it is shown that ants build different types of bases. A lot of ants build primary small mounds out of dirt or sand. Like most insects, ants too have their body divided into 3 parts, head, thorax, and abdomen. Ants accumulate nectar and usually can carry more than they require for themselves and this excess amount is shared with other members of the colony once they go back to the nest. This sharing is executed in an interesting way. While one ant passes a drop of liquid from its crop into its mouth and a 2d ant gathers it in its mouth. This is known as 'trophallaxis' and appears to us as though two ants kissing, though it is as significant to the ants as kissing is to humans, if not more so.

More than 12,000 different species of ants are found in different places all across the Earth. Some of them tend not to be harmful at all. Other species of ants including the fire ants are larger and they do sting. This sting may cause the skin to burn and to become reddish and inflamed.

The ants feed upon a sugary aphid elimination called honeydew and, accordingly, protect it from predators. Ants are well-known social insects that live in well-organized colonies. Just about all of the ants in a colony are the wingless sterile females, called workers, generally viewed on or around an ant hill. Ants conduct complicated social structures, constructing projects, and communications. It is a common behaviour of several animals to depend on leaders. In case of ants, they drop pheromones as they hunt for nutritive foods to take back to the colony. Other ants follow these trails and converge on those where pheromones are the strongest.

Ants are best earthmovers--they move more earth than any other creatures including the earthworms (who are no slumps in the dirt-moving business, as a lot of us may know!). Generally ants mature only in a few days and live a very active, but brief life. The ants experience 4 discrete growing stages, the egg, larva, pupa and the adult. Life scientists classify ants as a special group of wasps.

Ants are little-noticed but important part of the tallgrass prairie fauna. There are 100 species of ants that may be detected in prairie tracts over the entire area, of which around 60 are usually found in prairies. Ants also have a bottleneck between the thorax and abdomen that gives them a "pinched-waist" appearance. The constricted portion of the abdomen is called the pedicel, and the fat, main part of the abdomen is called the gaster. Ants maybe of different color from red to black, and they can also range in size. From one-quarter inch for a worker carpenter ant to three-quarters of an inch for a queen carpenter ant.

Fun stuff about Dandruff

Dandruff is a type scalp ailment that can affect any age group but is more common at the early 20s. It is believed that dandruff is a major reason of hair loss although it hasn't been proven so far. The primary reason for the development of dandruff is a fungal infection which makes the scalp shed skin at a very high rate.

It is natural for the dead skin cells to shed the scalp at a normal rate but the fungal infection speeds up the shedding which causes embarrassing flakes of the skin to shed. There are other symptoms also which includes itchy, dryness and scaly growth on the skin.

Dandruff is responsible for lowering self confidence and may also cause embarrassment to folks who suffer from it.

The main cause of dandruff is the fungus, Malassezia FurFur which multiplies extensively on scalp. Dandruff is not a disease but simply unrestrained shedding of dead skin that gathers in no time.

The scaly increment becomes chronic and it takes a long time to get rid of it. Another reason which is also known to cause dandruff is hormonal imbalance as it begins after puberty in both boys and girls.

Occasionally, allergies to haircare products or hair dyestuffs stimulate itchy scaly growth related to dandruff. An intense condition that impacts the scalp is also called Psoriasis.

During the early stage no one notice it as there is no dropping of dead skin cells. Nevertheless, dandruff can be minimized or prevented by right hygiene and attention. It is better to apply herbal and organic cures rather than employing richly chemical content shampoos, cream, soaps and hair products.

Remember if you're suffering from dandruff, avoid bleaching, chemical treatments and apply of hair styling instruments. Rubbing or picking of scalp with hand nails can surely circulate infection and it is certainly ill advised. Avoid hair coloring and gels that irritate the skin on the scalp as that may increase your probabilities of acquiring dandruff.

According to medical science people can use anti dandruff shampoo as it contains salicylic acid.

Changing your food habit can also help to a certain extent with intake of 50% to 60 % fresh veggies and fruits. Increasing your consumption of water also assists to reduce shedding of dead skin cells as higher moisture leads to lower dry skin flakes. Using henna, Indian gooseberry or Amla paste can assist in eliminating Dandruff while oiling your hair prior to washing can also be helpful in reducing dandruff.

Zeno’s Paradoxes reviewed

His (Xeno or Zeno for that matter) name actually came out over a short exchange of ideas between me and my friend over the internet regarding somebody or something that made the world, to some extent, ponder for a while. I was then moved and intrigued, that maybe I can also ponder a while on this not-so-ordinary person including his ideas especially on the things he was known for – his paradoxes.

Who actually is Xeno? The ever-reliable wikipedia.org further tells us that it is “Zeno” and not “Xeno”, although both are interchangeable because some guys would prefer the “X” for the “Z”. For purposes of discussion and to avoid confusion, let’s use what the wiki guys did – Zeno. As history has produced a handful of Zeno’s (from a bishop to a navigator), it is the Greek philosopher Zeno of Elea whom we are talking about. Zeno of Elea was born about 490 B.C. and continued his fruitful life until 430 B.C. As a philosopher, he was then, a bona fide member of the Eleatic School – school founded by another Greek pre-Socratic philosopher, Parmenides. A physical account of Zeno can be found through Plato’s work (Parmenides 127) describing our main man as “tall and fair to look upon.” Although there are details that were quite reliable, Greek biographers such Diogenes Laërtius, in his work (Lives of Eminent Philosophers) tells that Zeno was the adopted son of Parmenides and was likewise “skilled to argue both sides of any query presented.”

Ancient historians and philosopher believed that Zeno’s works were made, only to support that of Parmenides’. The Greek Neoplantonist philosopher Proclus described Zeno’s work contained arguments in which everything revealed nothing but contradictions. And since it was his predecessor Parmenides who started this way of reasoning, it was Zeno who developed the logical method called as “reductio ad absurdum”. Sounds absurd? Well, it really is because this logical argument means coming up with an absurd or an outcome which is completely ridiculous, for the sake of argument. It further goes on concluding that the premises on the argument are all wrong because of its absurd outcome. It is like proving something by contradicting it, in simpler terms. Looks and sounds funny, is it? Was Zeno behaving normal? Apparently, Zeno’s works and paradoxes have challenged, inspired, influenced and even enraged physicists, mathematicians and philosophers for over two millennia already.

But what’s in our Zeno that makes him known for his paradoxes? Let us first define what a paradox is. Dictionary.com defines paradox as a proposition or statement which is self-contradictory in nature, but expresses the truth in reality. (It really sounds, absurd eh?) A simple example of a paradox is the sentence “I am lying.” Assuming that my statement is true, and then it must be false. The statement is then false if it is agreed to be true. Got that one? And before we disagree with one another here, let’s sail on to Zeno’s world and explore it as far as our simple and uncontradicted minds can.

As was stated and discussed earlier, Zeno’s work mainly dealt on supporting his lover’s (Parmenides) ideas. (Just a side note – it was believed that it was during their time and age that affections and burst of feelings for the same sex emerged, thus giving birth to homosexuality. Example: the “Platonic Love”. And since there no concrete and profound documentations yet to be found, I’d rather deviate from it) Parmenides’ idea or philosophy states that reality is one and cannot be changed. At a glance, this is quite untrue since we can obviously see that change happen all around us every single time. Zeno further supported these notions by arguing that the concept of space and time cannot be continuous. In simpler terms, he argued that there was no such thing as movement. He furthered this argument by formulating the most famous paradox of his, the Tortoise and Achilles. A we all know, Achilles is that seemingly invulnerable hero of the Greek mythology.

Zeno goes on by stating that if Achilles were to challenge a tortoise to a race and the latter was given a head start, Achilles, with all his hero abilities (I hope you Warcraft fans are listening), cannot in any way overtake or outrun the good old tortoise. This is given on no matter how fast and how long he runs. Sounds absurd? Read on….

Although the above proposition may look and sound nonsense in reality; and that its for sure that our hero Achilles will eventually catch up with and overtake the tortoise, the impossibility or the paradox here lies in Zeno’s mathematical inspection of the race itself. Helium.com, helped us to translate in a more simple and understandable terms on Zeno’s brainchild. It further explained that in order for Achilles to travel to a certain distance (point A to point B), he has to move and cover the amount of distance between A and B. But in doing so, he must first cover at least half of its distance (point C, in this manner). And again, he is faced with the task of covering half of the distance to point C (point D, perhaps). But then again and again, his task gets so multiplied on trying to cover almost infinite number of points simply to get to point B! Without much thinking because you may already be dizzy by this time, it is evident that our poor Achilles can not move. Remember that the tortoise was given head start so the shelled mammal has already covered infinite number of points to which Achilles has to cover first (at least half of it!), but is hampered since his task is of covering half the distance is not over for he must cover at least “half of the half of the half of the half of the half…..” (The same idea is also Zenos’ basis in his second paradox which is the dichotomy paradox- by walking at a distance from a wall).

With the above paradox, the philosophical, scientific, mathematical and even the paranormal world launched an all out war to solve Zeno’s ideas. Many have or up to know, are trying to measure the distance between the two points. Some argue that, with the proper mathematical equations and computations, the tortoise cannot move as far as 2 meters! (ToeQuest.com). Quantum physicists would further tell that it was Zeno’s premise that was incorrect and expounded that it was not always necessary that in order to cover the distance of point A to point B, one first must travel at least half of its length, and so on and so forth. With that manner, Zeno was able to stop time and space for there were no movements or change that was evident.

Modern experts were not in anyway bothered by these ideas and in turn, tried to solve this ancient riddle. They offered the idea that these infinite numbers of points do have length, and are obviously measurable. Modern physicists argued that there are tiny groups of quantum mush and foams. These quantum specks are measurable once the movement of time and space are stopped from moving. So molecularly small as it can be that it somewhat challenged Max Planck to develop the Planck length (about 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 001 6 meters, in figures) in order to measure these small intervals.

The last of the three famous paradoxes of Zeno is the Arrow paradox. It is oftentimes called the Fletcher’s paradox. Zeno contradicts this event by premising that objects must change or must be able to move from its position in order to have motion. Philosophers would simply explain the paradox as that the arrow retains its own size and at rest whether or not it is in flight or at rest. It is like taking pictures of an arrow in flight. From a single frame, it can be gleamed that the arrow is not moving. It also is true on the other frames as well that the arrow is really at a state of rest. Therefore, there is no movement present. Helium.com further explains said paradox by adding that the arrow has, at any point during its flight, an exact location and therefore cannot move or cannot be in motion. This event makes sense when is viewed in the present and not in the past or in the future. And since the former explanation is given; it would be clear that, as Zeno puts it that the idea of Time consists of a series of present frames whereby each frame represents no movement or manifests a state of being stationary, thus the impossibility of movement is emphasized.

The arguments and discussions above about Zeno’s paradoxes influenced the way man perceived space and time. To Zeno, space, time and motion are impossible to exist. But with the modern studies and modern minds plunging into Zeno’s paradoxical pool, clear and factual possibilities emerges which enables the common modern man to have a grasp of his ideas and concepts.

For a simple reader or for a common man, all these may look ridiculous and may sound funny but worth learning and comprehending when closely scrutinized and examined upon. All it takes, as some would put it, is an open mind. It need not be absurd.

Fun Facts about Carbon

Carbon Fun Facts

Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe and the basis for life on earth. Carbon is found in all living organisms. Carbon is not metallic and has the ability to bond with many other chemicals to form almost ten million different compounds. These compounds are as different as diamonds, one of the hardest materials on earth, and graphite, one of the softest. Scientists don’t think that carbon was made in the Big Bang but it is made in the interior of stars. Carbon is one of the oldest elements known to man. Carbon is used in a wide range of products and industries including fossil fuels, smoke detectors and radiocarbon dating. The word “carbon” comes from the Latin word for “coal”. Carbon is essential to life because of its ability to bind strongly to itself as well as to form thousands of compounds. This enables it to form long chains of atoms which can become the basis for various compounds in living cells, including DNA. One of the most interesting facts about carbon is that although it is the basis of life, in some of its forms and compounds it can be extremely deadly and harmful to life.

Carbon has become a very hot topic lately in terms of the environment. There is an essentially fixed amount of carbon in the universe. However, we are releasing more and more carbon in the form of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere which is a huge cause of global warming. Much of the carbon dioxide that is being released into the atmosphere comes from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. People are becoming concerned about their “carbon footprint” or the amount of carbon dioxide their way of life produces. As awareness of climate change and human impact on the environment grows, a new industry has sprung off that allows consumers to purchase carbon offsets to help reduce greenhouse emissions and neutralize their carbon footprint. One of the best and least expensive ways to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air is to plant more trees. Just one tree can absorb as much as forty-eight pounds of carbon dioxide from the air in one year. Aside from the negative effects of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide is present and useful in our everyday lives. Dry ice is carbon dioxide in solid form. Carbon dioxide provides the carbonation for soft drinks and is also found in fire extinguishers.

Carbon monoxide is another form of carbon that can be harmful. Carbon monoxide is extremely toxic and acts on the red blood cells in your body. It prevents them from carrying oxygen, essentially causing asphyxiation. Anytime fuel, be it gas, oil, wood or charcoal, burns it releases both carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. It is critical that there be proper ventilation wherever fuel will be burned to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Methane, another carbon-based compound, is also a greenhouse gas. Its levels are increasing the atmosphere due in large part to the livestock sector and solid waste landfills.