Archive for 08/01/2011 - 09/01/2011

5. Paris and Helena

Recounted in Homer's Iliad, the story of Helen of Troy and the Trojan War is a Greek heroic legend, combining fact and fiction. Helen of Troy is considered one the most beautiful women in all literature. She was married to Menelaus, king of Sparta. Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, fell in love with Helen and abducted her, taking her back to Troy. The Greeks assembled a great army, led by Menelaus's brother, Agamemnon, to retrieve Helen. Troy was destroyed. Helen returned safely to Sparta, where she lived happily with Menelaus for the rest of her life.

4. Tristan and Isolde

The tragic love story of Tristan and Isolde has been told and retold through various stories and manuscripts. It takes place during medieval times during the reign of King Arthur. Isolde of Ireland was the daughter of the King of Ireland. She was betrothed to King Mark of Cornwall. King Mark sent his nephew, Tristan, to Ireland to escort Isolde back to Cornwall. During the voyage, Isolde and Tristan fell forever in love. Isolde did marry Mark of Cornwall, but could not help but love Tristan. The love affair continued after the marriage. When King Mark finally learned of the affair, he forgave Isolde, but Tristan was banned from Cornwall. Tristan went to Brittany. There he met Iseult of Brittany. He was attracted to her because of the similarity of her name to his true love. He married her, but did not consummate the marriage because of his love for the "true" Isolde. After falling ill, he sent for Isolde in hopes that she would be able to cure him. If she agreed to come, the returning ship's sails would be white, or the sails would be black if she did not agree. Iseult, seeing the white sails, lied to Tristan and told him that the sails were black. He died of grief before Isolde could reach him. Isolde died soon after of a broken heart.

Beers

























Some Myths about BEER!

Beer Myth 1: Beat the Beer Belly with Light Beer

OK, light beers have maybe 90-100 calories, regular beers generally have less than 200 calories. A beer lover would say the difference is comparable to the difference between McDonalds and a 5 star restaurant. A dietician would tell you the difference is negligible. So unless you are drinking 300 beers a week, I would drink the good stuff.
Beer Myth 2: The darker the beer, the more alcohol it contains
Not even close. Guinness is black, and has 4.2% alcohol. The color of a beer comes from the toasted malts, which has no effect on alcohol content. Ingredients like rice syrup, honey, and corn syrup add alcohol to beer, but do not influence the color.
Beer Myth 3: Beer is ruined if warmed and then refrigerated
This can be true, if you do it many, many times, and it will happen gradually. People think re-chilling beer will cause it to be “skunked”. Beer can be ruined by air, light and time. Temperature won’t ruin a beer unless it’s extreme. Get fresh beer and store it in dark place, and it will be fine.
Beer Myth 4: Imported beers have more alcohol than domestic beers
This comes from the way US beers reported their beers’ alcohol content. The rest of the world uses “Alcohol by Volume”, here is the US they used “Alcohol By Weight”. Since beer weighs less than water, US beers had smaller numbers, but not less alcohol.
Beer Myth 5: The Guinness they serve in Ireland is better
It seems widely accepted that beer in “the old country” is better than what they export to the rest of the world. The brewing process is cheap, so why would a brewery risk their reputation by brewing a different beer for export? It doesn’t make sense, and it’s not true. With few exceptions, the beer that is exported is the exact same beer that they serve in the bar across the street from the brewery. The difference is purely freshness. It takes two weeks for a keg of Guinness to get from Dublin to your favorite bar in the states. Some beers, like Fosters, is brewed in Canada under a license for sale in the US. But it is clearly stated on the bottle when this is the case.
Beer Myth 6: Beer shouldn’t be Bitter
The bitterness of a beer comes from the hops. Hops are in all beers to balance the sweet malts and to act as a preservative. Some beers have a lot of hops, like India Pale Ales (IPAs) and some beers have less hops, like Wheat Beers. Hops can give a beer complexity and add all sorts of flavors and aromas, like pine, citrus, and earthiness. Hops are why people say beer is an acquired taste, but they also make beer delicious.
Beer Myth 7: The best beers are in green bottles.
As it turns out, brown bottles protect the beer from the light much better than green bottles or clear bottles. This myth comes from when there was a shortage of brown glass in Europe after WWII. The European beers were bottled in green instead, so green bottles came to represent imports. This certainly isn’t the case anymore.
Beer Myth 8: The Thai beer Singha has formaldehyde in it
It seems widely believed that Singha is brewed with formaldehyde, as is Chang beer, San Miguel, Vietnamese 33, and Singapore’s Tiger Beer. The most believable explanation for this one is that Singha is much more bitter and contains more alcohol than most lagers. When American or British expatriots and soldiers were drinking beer in Thailand, they got drunk much more quickly then they were used to, and it was much more bitter flavor then they were used to. To explain this it was suggested that it contained formaldehyde. Crazy.
Beer Myth 9: Corona is Mexican Piss
In the 1980s there was a rumor that Mexican workers were peeing in the Corona tanks that were destined for the US. Certainly alarmingly disgusting… if true. As it turns out this myth was started as a result of Corona’s rising popularity in the US market, and who was jealous? Heineken. This was nothing more than a rumor started by a Heineken wholesaler in Reno. It all worked out, the guy from Heineken admitted his wrongdoing, and Corona continued it’s rise to popularity. But the rumor can still be heard today in bars across the country.
Beer Myth 10: Women don’t like beer
Thats crazy! Women have brewed more beer than men in the history of beer. Sister Doris in Bavaria brews Mallersdorf lager. Fortunately, this myth is far from true

Differences Between Google and Yahoo

I stumbled upon a very interesting question at Yahoo Answers and, surprisingly, the answers were quite thought-provoking. The question was: "What is the difference between Yahoo and Google?" and here are some of my favorite answers (slightly edited):

ThisNickIsTaken: "Google has a philosophy of keeping things simple so that people who are technically challenged can use it without getting confused, Also that simple things are fast.. Yahoo believes in feature rich application.. their products are more customizable and complex."

Gags: "It's a difficult one to answer since both companies are positioned very very differently; on face value, Yahoo looks hip and colorful, whereas Google looks simple and elegant; (...) Google is more thoughtful and strategic, Yahoo is flamboyant and more reactive; Google concentrates on value added solutions rather than presentation and Yahoo concentrates on superb presentation followed by value creation."

Ravelin101: "Yahoo has tons of media and ADS (loads slower). Google search is better (faster) only text ads. I started with Yahoo since I've known it first: Mail, Photos (now Flickr), Geocities but since Google's introduction, I've been moving things to Google Mail, Photos (Picasa), Googlepages."

So
Google is strongly associated with simplicity, usefulness, pages that load fast (in one word: text), while Yahoo is connected with rich interfaces, complex designs, pages that load slowly (in one word: multimedia). Gags even called Yahoo flamboyant, which means "elaborately and heavily ornamented". It will be interesting to see if the acquisitions of YouTube and DoubleClick will change people's perception about Google.

Spermless mosquitoes may be the key to controlling malaria, scientists discover

Spermless male mosquitoes could be the answer to controlling the spread of malaria.

Female Anopheles mosquitoes cannot tell if males they have mated with are fertile or infertile a study has shown.

And the female insect only mates once in her life before laying a batch of eggs.

A female who mates with a spermless male subsequently produces eggs that are unfertilised 'blanks'.

These eggs never hatch into future generations of malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

Lead researcher Dr Flaminia Catteruccia, from Imperial College London, said: 'In the fight against malaria, many hope that the ability to genetically control the mosquito vector will one day be a key part of our armoury.

'In order for these currently theoretical control strategies to work, we need to make sure that the insects continue to mate as normal, unaware that we have interfered with their sexual mechanisms.

'This study strongly suggests that they cannot tell the difference between a fertile and a spermless mate.'

It had been thought that female mosquitoes may be able to recognise infertile males and avoid them.

The study showed they did not.

Scientists were also surprised to find that after mating with a spermless male, the female made no attempt to find a fertile replacement.

The research was published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Scientists.

A hundred spermless males were produced for the study by injecting mosquito eggs with a protein that disrupted male sexual development.

Importantly, although the adult males were unable to produce sperm, they retained their ability to mate.


Scientists at Imperial College London were surprised to find that after mating with a spermless male, the female made no attempt to find a fertile replacement

Laboratory observation showed the males produced seminal fluid devoid of sperm that triggered normal physiological changes in females.

The female laid the usual number of eggs, and abstained from sex after their first mating encounter.

Malaria is a huge worldwide problem that affects more than 300 million people each year and causes almost 800,000 deaths.

The study focused on the mosquito species Anopheles gambiae which is chiefly responsible for spreading malaria in Africa.

40 days awake: Man claims he set world record by not sleeping for 968 hours

A photographer is claiming he set a world record by staying awake for more than 40 days.

Tyler Shields, 28, from Los Angeles says he didn’t get a wink of sleep for 968 consecutive hours.

He believes he more than doubled any previous sleepless bids, but the Guinness Book of Records won’t recognise his stunt, saying it's too hard to prove and too dangerous to attempt.


Forty winks: Photographer Tyler Shields, 28, claims he stayed awake for 968 consecutive hours but Guinness Book of Records won't recognise his stunt saying it's too hard to prove

During the wide-eyed marathon, Shields said he overcame fevers, headaches, eye pain and the loss of feeling in his legs.

Ironically, one of the toughest parts of the experiment was dropping off to sleep when he achieved his goal.

‘I slept six hours and when I woke up it took me 15 minutes to put my pants on,’ he told AOL News.

‘I was stumbling around my room. Never have I experienced anything like that. One of my assistants said it was like the equivalent to being hung over. I don’t drink, so I
wouldn’t know,’ he added.

‘It was terrible. I kind of wish I had stayed awake.’

But he said that at least none of his friends can moan to him about being tired.

‘Nobody will be like, ‘I’m exhausted. They just can’t say that to me anymore.’

He said he felt groggy for a whole day and slept through the next night and then gradually felt himself returning to normal as his balance and memory came slowly back.

‘It’s important for people to do things and believe in things that may seem impossible. Just because someone tells you something is impossible, doesn’t mean it’s impossible,’ he said.

A team of monitors watched over him 24 hours a day to make sure he didn’t nod off.

‘Would I advise anyone to do it?’ said the celebrity photographer. ‘No, I wouldn’t. But I think it’s pretty awesome,’ he added.

Dreams and the Brain

On the topic of dreams and the brain is a quote from William Dement a pioneering sleep researcher:

“We experience a dream as real because it is real…the miracle is how, without any help from the sense organs, the brain replicates in the dream all the sensory information that creates the world we live in when we are awake.”

The brain is an amazing organ, and it is fascinating to discover the relationship between dreams and the brain and what is going on while we sleep.
Read on to find out…..

Replacing the mystical view of dreams with a real understanding of modern dream science, provides a more complete picture of the relationship between dreams and the brain. And not only does this help us to understand how our brain creates dreams, but it is also important for the science of consciousness and health.

With new technological advancements in neural imaging, with the advent of PET, CAT scans and MRI’s, recent research has delved further into understanding dreams and the brain than ever before. Which is exciting news!

For the first time a “science of Dreaming” has been developed. If you are interested in reading in more detail about the science of dreaming I have recommended some vital books on the topic at the end of this article.

For the first time we now know that the brain becomes re-activated when we enter dream sleep or REM.

As the brain goes to sleep it becomes less activated and then like clockwork several times a night becomes re-activated as it is in waking but with a major difference.

It is selectively re-activated.

That is, it has been re-activated in a way that allows it to deal with internal sensations as opposed to external sensations.
So only part of the brain wakes up and it seems to be even more active than it is during waking. As some areas are becoming re-activated some are becoming de-activated.

More specifically:

The dorsal lateral pre-frontal cortex becomes de-activated when we are dreaming. This is the part of the brain responsible for decisions or volition. This is also the rational part of the brain, however there are other areas of the brain that deal with rationality so we don’t loose all rational thinking when we dream.

New research into dreams and the brain from a computerized imaging technique called PET (positron emission tomography) in the mid-1990s showed that Rapid Eye Movement dreaming begins in the limbic region of the brain...the most ancient part, which controls emotions.

So if the emotional region of the brain is highly active during dreaming this goes a long way in explaining why our dreams have such high emotional content.
Researchers do know that emotions are very important in dreams. Emotions find their way into our dreams by bringing up similar memories of that emotion from the past and kind of work them in together.

Why are dreams so difficult to remember?


This has everything to do with brain chemistry, and changes that go on when we fall asleep and start dreaming.

The chemistry in the brain radically changes when some parts of the brain are reactivated during sleep and others are not.
When we are awake certain neurotransmitters allow us to be able to have short-term memory.

During the dream state the chemistry changes in such a way that we lose very quickly what we have just dreamt, unless we record it in some way.
In essence the brain chemistry of our dreaming brain is not designed to remember dreams.

Why do dream images not really make sense or seem so bizarre?


This is due to the lack of the main rational centre, which is deactivated during our dream sleep, and the chemical changes that go on while we are dreaming.

Because we are only relying on internal perceptions and memories, we only have certain information to work with to convey the images we are seeing.

For example, when we are awake we can look around and know where we are and what is in front of us, we can reality check. When we are dreaming we cannot do this. The reality check is the dream itself.

So because of the changes in the brain our dreams just unfold for us without us controlling them, unless you know how to lucid dream we cannot decide how the dream unfolds.

Because of the areas that are active in the brain while we dream anything can happen in our dreams and the brain becomes hyper-associative. This means we are more able to think outside the box than in waking life.

We can break the pattern.

Our dreams are allowing us to go in different ways and directions than we allow ourselves in waking life.

Why?

Why does water not calm the tongue after eating hot spicy food?
The spices in most of the hot foods that we eat are oily, and, like your elementary school science teacher taught you, oil and water don’t mix. In this case, the water just rolls over the oily spices.
What can you do to calm your aching tongue? Eat bread. The bread will absorb the oily spices. A second solution is to drink milk. Milk contains a substance called “casein” which will bind to the spices and carry them away. Alcohol also dissolves oily spices.

Why does wet fabric appear darker?
When fabric gets wet, light coming towards it refracts within the water, dispersing the light. In addition, the surface of the water causes incoherent light scattering. The combination of these two effects causes less light to reflect to your eyes and makes the wet fabric appear darker.

Why is blue for boys and pink for girls?
In ancient times, it was believed that certain colors could combat the evil spirits that lingered over nurseries. Because blue was associated with the heavenly spirits, boys were clothed in that color, boys then being considered the most valuable resource to parents. Although baby girls did not have a color associated with them, they were mostly clothed in black. It was only in the Middle Ages when pink became associated with baby girls.

Why do people kiss under the mistletoe at Christmas?
In ancient myth, when the son of the Norse goddess Frigga, Baldr, was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe and then brought back to life, she blessed the mistletoe and bestowed a kiss on all who passed beneath it. In the 18th century, the legend was adopted as a promise to marry. At Christmas a lady standing under a mistletoe may not refuse a kiss. If she does, she cannot expect to marry the following year. So it is told.

Why are there bunnies and eggs at Easter?
The ancient Anglo-Saxons celebrated the return of spring with a carnival commemorating their goddess of offspring and of springtime, Eostre. The word carnival possibly originated from the Latin ‘carne vale’ meaning “flesh, farewell” or “meat, farewell.” The offerings were rabbits and colored eggs, bidding an end to winter.
As it happened, the pagan festival of Eostre occurred at the same time of year as the Christian observance of the Resurrection of Christ and it didn’t take the Christian missionaries long to convert the Anglo-Saxons when they encountered them in the second century. The offering of rabbits and eggs eventually became the Easter bunny and Easter eggs.

If blood is red, why are veins blue?
Blood is bright red in its oxygenated form and a dark red in deoxygenated form. In simpler terms, it is bright red when it leaves the lungs full of oxygen and dark red when it returns to the lungs for a refill. Veins appear blue because light penetrating the skin is absorbed and reflected in high energy wavelengths back to the eye. Higher energy wavelengths are blue.

Why did Columbus and others try to sail around the world?
You probably know that people native to the Americas are called “Indians” because early explorers like Christopher Columbus thought they had come across the Indian spice islands. Traders were forced to sail westward after the spice route to the East by land was blocked for Europeans by Muslim uprisings.

Why is it called a “loo?”
The British word for toilet, “loo”, derives from the French “garde a l’eau!” In medieval Europe people had little conception of hygiene and threw the contents of their chamber pots out the window into the street below. In France the practice was preceded by “garde a l’eau!” (“watch out for the water!”). In England, this phrase was Anglicized, first to “gardy-loo!”, then just “loo”, and eventually came to mean the toilet/lavatory itself. The American word for toilet, “john”, is called after the John Harington who in 1596 invented an indoor water closet for Queen Elizabeth I.

Why is the sky blue?
When sunlight travels through the atmosphere, it collides with gas molecules. These molecules scatter the light. The shorter the wavelength of light, the more it is scattered by the atmosphere. Because it has a shorter wavelength than the other colors, blue light is scattered more, ten times more than red light, for instance. That is why the sky is blue.
Why does the setting sun look reddish orange? When the sun is on the horizon, its light takes a longer path through the atmosphere to reach your eyes than when the sun is directly overhead. By the time the light of the setting sun reaches your eyes, most of the blue light has been scattered out. The light you finally see is reddish orange, the color of white light minus blue.

Why do onions make you cry?
Onions, like other plants, are made of cells. The cells are divided into two sections separated by a membrane. One side of the membrane contains an enzyme which helps chemical processes occur in your body. The other side of the membrane contains molecules that contain sulfur. When you cut an onion, the contents on each side of the membrane mix and cause a chemical reaction. This reaction produces molecules such as ethylsufine which make your eyes water.
To prevent crying when you cut an onion, cut it under a running tap of cold water. The sulfur compounds dissolve in water and are rinsed down the sink before they reach your eyes. You can also put the onion in the freezer for ten minutes before you cut it. Cold temperatures slow down the reaction between the enzyme and the sulfur compounds so fewer of the burning molecules will reach your eyes.

Why do you get hiccups?
Hiccups happen when the diaphragm, the muscle that controls our breathing, becomes irritated and start to spasm and contract uncontrollably. With each contraction, air is pulled into the lungs very quickly, passes through the voice box, and then the epiglottis closes behind the rush of air, shaking the vocal chords, causing the “hic” sound. The irritation can be caused by rapid eating, emotional stress and even some diseases. The best cure? Breathing into a paper bag. This calms the diaphragm by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in your bloodstream.

Why are camels called “ships of the desert?”
Camels are called “ships of the desert” because of the way they move, not because of their transport capabilities. Camels sway from side to side because they move both legs on one side at the same time, elevating that side. This is called pacing, a ship-like motion which can make the rider feel sick.

3. Lancelot and Guinevere

The tragic love story of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere is probably one of the best-known stories of Arthurian Legend. Lancelot fall in love with Queen Guinevere, King Arthur's wife. Their love grew slowly, as Guinevere kept Lancelot away from her. Eventually, however, her love and passion overpowered her and the pair became lovers. One night, Sir Agravain and Sir Modred, King Arthur's nephew, led a band of 12 knights to Guinevere's chamber where they burst in upon the lovers. Discovered, Sir Lancelot made a fighting escape, but poor Guinevere was not so lucky. She was seized and condemned to burn to death for her adultery. Fear not. Sir Lancelot returned several days later to rescue his beloved Guinevere from the fire. This whole sad affair divided the Knights of the Round Table and weakened Arthur's kingdom. Poor Lancelot ended his days as a lowly hermit and Guinevere became a nun at Amesbury where she died.

NASA Finds Evidence of Flowing Water on Mars

The space shuttle program might be over, but NASA's still hard at work. The agency recently released data and photos that suggest that Mars might have flowing water during its warmer months.

Using 3D imaging, NASA studied Mars's terrain over the planet's four seasons, and found that water appeared to be flowing down slopes during spring and summer, and that these streams disappear completely in winter. NASA discovered these possible water flows in the middle latitudes of the planet's southern hemisphere, and the water is believed to be briny (i.e. slightly salty).

NASA's data show that there are at least 1,000 long and separate flows of water off these slopes. It's also worth noting that in the northern hemisphere, scientists previously discovered evidence of frozen pools of water and geological changes, such as new slopes and gullies.

Of course, if what NASA has found is indeed water, it does raise a few questions. For instance, at its coldest, temperatures on Mars can get down to -125°F--well below the freezing point of water. However, NASA states that salt water is able to withstand colder temperatures than normal water, and Mars can get up to around 23°F in its summer season, so it might be possible for there to be liquid water on the planet's surface. NASA is not yet sure why some of the slopes appear to look so dark around the water, though.

The discovery was made by the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, using the HiRISE Mars camera.

Of course, NASA hasn't proven anything just yet, but if this is really evidence of flowing water, it could be another indicator that plant or microbial life is possible on Mars.


10 surprising good uses for salt

1. Deter ants
Sprinkle salt in doorways, on window sills and anywhere else ants use to sneak into your house. It’s a sure way to keep them out!

2. Kill grass and weeds growing in cracks in your driveway
Tired of weeding your driveway? Sprinkle salt on the grass and pour very hot water over it. Not only is this a highly effective way to kill unwanted plants, it’s also eco-friendly and cheap.

3. Say goodbye to fleas
If your dogs have fleas, simply wash their doghouse and blankets in salt water. If you’re worried your dogs may have brought fleas into your house, simply sprinkle your carpets lightly with salt and then brush it in. Leave it for 12 hours and vacuum thoroughly.

4. Pick up a dropped egg
If you drop an egg on the kitchen floor, sprinkle salt on the mess and leave it there for 20 minutes. You’ll be able to wipe it right up.

5. Clean up oven spills quickly
If a pie or casserole bubbles over in the oven, pour a handful of salt on top of the spill. It won’t smoke, smell and, most importantly, will bake into a crust that makes the mess easier to clean once it’s cooled.

6. Clean brown spots off your iron
Simply sprinkle salt on a sheet of waxed paper, slide the iron across it and rub lightly with silver polish. Your iron will look like brand-new in no time.

7. Remove stains from your coffee pot
Fill it with 1/4 cup of table salt and a dozen ice cubes. Swish the mixture around, let it sit for half an hour, fill it with cold water and rinse. Your coffee pot will look brand new.

8. Keep your windshield frost-free
Dip a sponge into salt water and rub it on windows, and they won’t frost up even when the mercury drops below zero.

9. Shell nuts more easily
Soak pecans and walnuts in salt water for a few hours before shelling them. Doing so will make it easier to remove the meat.

10. Drip-proof candles
If you soak new candles in a strong salt solution for a few hours, then dry them well, they won’t drip when you burn them.

Honey Bee Information for Kids

Honeybees are best known for the buzzing noise they make as they fly and for their production of honey. They play a very important role in the pollination of plants.

Hives


Bees live together in nests called hives. A hive may contain as many as 20,000 bees during the summer months, says the Great Plains Nature Center.


Jobs
Every honeybee has a special job within the hive. Workers, who are sterile females, are responsible for tending the hive and finding food. Male bees are called drones. Their sole responsibility is to mate with a new queen. The hive contains only one queen bee. Her job is to lay eggs for the next generation of bees.

Honey


Honeybees use the nectar they gather from flowers to make honey. The honey they make in the summer helps them to stay alive through the cold winter.

Protection

The bright yellow and black coloring of the honeybee serves to warn off predators. Only female honeybees have a stinger, which is located at the end of her abdomen. If anyone bothers the hive, honeybees can swarm out together and use their stingers to attack.

Pollination

When a honeybee flies to a flower looking for nectar, pollen from the blossom sticks to the fuzzy hairs on her body. When she visits the next flower, the pollen rubs off, pollinating the flower. If it were not for honeybees performing pollination, many fruit trees would not produce fruit.

20 Interesting and Useful Water Facts

  1. Roughly 70 percent of an adult’s body is made up of water.
  2. At birth, water accounts for approximately 80 percent of an infant’s body weight.
  3. A healthy person can drink about three gallons (48 cups) of water per day.
  4. Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to water intoxication. Water intoxication occurs when water dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance of water in the brain.
  5. Water intoxication is most likely to occur during periods of intense athletic performance.
  6. While the daily recommended amount of water is eight cups per day, not all of this water must be consumed in the liquid form. Nearly every food or drink item provides some water to the body.
  7. Soft drinks, coffee, and tea, while made up almost entirely of water, also contain caffeine. Caffeine can act as a mild diuretic, preventing water from traveling to necessary locations in the body.
  8. Pure water (solely hydrogen and oxygen atoms) has a neutral pH of 7, which is neither acidic nor basic.
  9. Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid. Wherever it travels, water carries chemicals, minerals, and nutrients with it.
  10. Somewhere between 70 and 75 percent of the earth’s surface is covered with water.
  11. Much more fresh water is stored under the ground in aquifers than on the earth’s surface.
  12. The earth is a closed system, similar to a terrarium, meaning that it rarely loses or gains extra matter. The same water that existed on the earth millions of years ago is still present today.
  13. The total amount of water on the earth is about 326 million cubic miles of water.
  14. Of all the water on the earth, humans can used only about three tenths of a percent of this water. Such usable water is found in groundwater aquifers, rivers, and freshwater lakes.
  15. The United States uses about 346,000 million gallons of fresh water every day.
  16. The United States uses nearly 80 percent of its water for irrigation and thermoelectric power.
  17. The average person in the United States uses anywhere from 80-100 gallons of water per day. Flushing the toilet actually takes up the largest amount of this water.
  18. Approximately 85 percent of U.S. residents receive their water from public water facilities. The remaining 15 percent supply their own water from private wells or other sources.
  19. By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water amount.
  20. The weight a person loses directly after intense physical activity is weight from water, not fat.

Zuckerberg's sister leaves Facebook to start own co.

NEW YORK: Facebook's director of marketing Randi Zuckerberg, sister of the social network's billionaire founder Mark Zuckerberg, is leaving her brother's company to start her own social media consulting firm.

Randi, who has been with Facebook for the last six years, said she feels it is the "perfect time" to move outside of Facebook to build a company focused on the "exciting trends underway in the media industry."

"I have decided my time at Facebook is coming to a close. When I think about the projects I am most proud of during my six years at the company, they all have one thing in common -- they revolve around the intersection of traditional media and social technology," she said.

Facebook confirmed the departure and in a statement said, "We can confirm Randi has decided to leave Facebook to start her own company. We are all grateful for her important service."

However, there was no direct comment from her brother. Randi plans to start her social media consulting firm 'RtoZ Media'.

"My goal is to launch my own innovative programming and work with media companies to develop their programming in new and more social ways. In attacking this challenge, Facebook will clearly be a central element in all of my projects," she said adding that she hopes to continue advising Facebook on media projects.

According to her resignation letter posted on the website 'AllThingsD', Randi said she has focussed on innovating and pushing the media industry forward by introducing new concepts around live, social, participatory viewing.

"We have made incredible progress, but there is still much to be done and other ways I can affect change."

A prominent name in Silicon Valley, Randi has been on maternity leave for the last three months. She was recently nominated for an Emmy award in the category of live coverage of a current news event for her work on 'Facebook Live', a real-time news show she created and hosted for the company.

100 MOVIES To See Before You Die

The Yahoo! Movies editorial staff has created this handy checklist to track the 100 movies you must see before you die.
0-9
12 Angry Men (1957)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
400 Blows (1959)
8 1/2 (1963)

A
The African Queen (1952)
Alien (1979)
All About Eve (1950)
Annie Hall (1977)
Apocalypse Now (1979)

B
The Battle of Algiers (1967)
The Bicycle Thief (1948)
Blade Runner (1982)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
Blow Up (1966)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Breathless (1960)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid (1969)
C
Casablanca (1942)
Chinatown (1974)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon (2000)
D
Die Hard (1988)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Duck Soup (1933)
E
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Enter the Dragon (1973)
The Exorcist (1973)
F
Fast Times At Ridgemont
High (1982)
The French Connection (1971)
G
The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather, Part II (1974)
Goldfinger (1964)
The Good, the Bad, and the
Ugly (1968)
Goodfellas (1990)
The Graduate (1967)
Grand Illusion (1938)
Groundhog Day (1993)
H
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
I
In the Mood For Love (2001)
It Happened One Night (1934)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
J
Jaws (1975)
K
King Kong (1933)
L
The Lady Eve (1941)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
The Lord of the Rings (2001)
M
M (1931)
M*A*S*H (1970)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Matrix (1999)
Modern Times (1936)
Monty Python and the Holy
Grail (1975)
N
National Lampoon’s Animal
House (1978)
Network (1976)
Nosferatu (1922)
O
On the Waterfront (1954)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest (1975)
P
Paths of Glory (1958)
Princess Mononoke (1999)
Psycho (1960)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
R
Raging Bull (1980)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Raise the Red Lantern (1992)
Rashomon (1951)
Rear Window (1954)
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Rocky (1976)
Roman Holiday (1953)
S
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Schindler’s List (1993)
The Searchers (1956)
Seven Samurai (1954)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs (1937)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
The Sound of Music (1965)
Star Wars (1977)
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
T
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The Third Man (1949)
This is Spinal Tap (1984)
Titanic (1997)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Toy Story (1995)
U
The Usual Suspects (1995)
V
Vertigo (1958)
W
When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
Wild Strawberries (1957)
Wings of Desire (1988)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Women On the Verge of Nervous Breakdown (1988)
The World of Apu (1959)
The Yahoo! Movies editorial staff has created this handy checklist to track the 100 movies you must see before you die

Thomas Beatie Pregnant Man Again

Thomas Beatie Is First and only transgender man in the world who had given a birth to the baby girl, Susan on June 29.
Now he is pregnant again with his second child.

He and his wife Nancy Beatie is very excited with another pregnancy. It was possible because he had not started to take male sex hormone. He is having regular hormone checking and it is all right on the way. When he was pregnant first time he wrote e-mail with his photograph of pregnant belly and his bearded face to the national gay magazine. Soon the news spreads on internet and he became hot topic for media, photographer. He had also suffered from many e-mail regarding hate and threats.
Thomas beatie was born as beautiful girl in Hawaii. But he never felt girl in him.

He was also finalist of Miss Teen Hawaii USA contest, but it was very uncomfortable with him. In 1998 he went for gender change. Medical science helps him with hormone therapy. His breast was removed and legally allowed to change female from male.

He was pregnant with donor’s sperm, and became father who had given birth to his child.

2. Cleopatra and Mark Antony

The true love story of Antony and Cleopatra is one of the most memorable, intriguing and moving of all times. The story of these two historical characters had later been dramatized by William Shakespeare and is still staged all over the world. The relationship of Antony and Cleopatra is a true test of love. They fell in love at first sight. The relationship between these two powerful people put the country of Egypt in a powerful position. But their love affair outraged the Romans who were wary of the growing powers of the Egyptians. Despite all the threats, Anthony and Cleopatra got married. It is said that while fighting a battle against Romans, Antony got false news of Cleopatra's death. Shattered, he fell on his sword. When Cleopatra learned about Antony 's death, she was shocked. And she took her own life. Great love demands great sacrifices.

World's Largest Liger (Lion+Tiger)

Know what's a Liger? It's a cross breed of a Lion male and Tiger female...
The 10ft Liger who's still growing...

He looks like something from a prehistoric age or a fantastic creation from Hollywood . But Hercules is very much living flesh and blood - as he proves every time he opens his gigantic mouth to roar. Part lion, part tiger, he is not just a big cat but a huge one, standing 10ft tall on his back legs. Called a liger, in reference to his crossbreed parentage, he is the largest of all the cat species.

On a typical day he will devour 20lb of meat, usually beef or chicken, and is capable of eating 100lb at a single setting. At just three years old, Hercules already weighs half a ton.

He is the accidental result of two enormous big cats living close together at the Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species, in Miami, Florida , and already dwarfs both his arents. "Ligers are not something we planned on having," said institute owner Dr Bhagavan Antle. "We have lions and tigers living together in large enclosures and at first we had no idea how well one of the lion boys was getting along with a tiger girl, then loo and behold we had a liger."
50mph runner... Not only that, but he likes to swim, a feat unheard of among water-fearing lions. In the wild it is virtually impossible for lions and tigers to mate. Not only are they enemies likely to kill one another, but most lions are in Africa and most tigers in Asia . But incredible though he is, Hercules is not unique. Ligers have been bred in captivity, deliberately and accidentally, since shortly before World War II.
Today there are believed to be a handful of ligers around the world and a similar number of tigons, the product of a tiger father and lion mother. Tigons are smaller than ligers and take on more physical characteristics of the tiger.
Look at the size of the head on this thing.. :o)

The world's oldest dog dies at the age of 203 (in canine years)


The world's oldest dog has died at the age of 203 (in canine years).

Bella was bought by David Richardson from the RSPCA 26 years ago when she was three years old.

Since then, the Labrador cross enjoyed a comfy life at the Derbyshire home of 76-year-old Mr Richardson and his partner Daisy Cooper, 81.

Although Mr Richardson, from Clay Cross, has no official documentation to prove Bella's age, he insists the aged pooch was 29.

Bella died of a heart attack on Saturday in Lincolnshire where the couple had gone on holiday.

'We had just come up to Mablethorpe - we always go to the same place on holiday because we can take the dogs,' said Mr Richardson.

'We had barely been here for an hour when Bella started panting and yelping and collapsed in front of the sofa.

'We took Bella to the vet but she was so ill she had to be put to sleep.It was very upsetting. We will miss her a lot.

'Lots of people came to see us and to wish Bella goodbye. Our friends and neighbours were very fond of her,' he added.

The Guinness World Records say the most recent record for the oldest dog was held by Butch, a 28-year-old from America who died in 2003. The oldest ever dog was Bluey, a sheepdog from Australia, who also lived to 29.

Mr Richardson's claim could never be proved because the RSPCA don't hold detailed records stretching back to when he bought Bella and the Guinness World Records say Bella could not have been included because their was no documentation.

1. Romeo and Juliet

This is probably the most famous lovers ever. This couple has become a synonym for love itself. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. Their love storyis very tragic. The tale of two teenagers from two feuding families who fall in love at first sight and then marry, become true lovers and then risk it all for their love. To take your own life for your husband or wife is definitely a sign of true love. Their "untimely deaths" ultimately unite their feuding households.

First Photos: Weird Fish With Transparent Head


Transparent-Headed Fish

Transparent-Headed FishWith a head like a fighter-plane cockpit, a Pacific barreleye fish shows off its highly sensitive, barrel-like eyes--topped by green, orblike lenses--in a picture released today but taken in 2004.

The fish, discovered alive in the deep water off California's central coast by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), is the first specimen of its kind to be found with its soft transparent dome intact.

The 6-inch (15-centimeter) barreleye (Macropinna microstoma) had been known since 1939--but only from mangled specimens dragged to the surface by nets.


Smell Organs

The beady bits on the front of the Pacific barreleye fish in this picture released February 23, 2009, aren't eyes but smell organs.

The grayish, barrel-like eyes are beneath the green domes, which may filter light. In this picture the eyes are pointing upward--the better to see prey above in the darkness of the barreleye's deep-sea home.

Since the eyes are upright tubes, "it just looked like [they only] looked straight up," MBARI marine technician Kim Reisenbichler said. But by watching live fish from a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and by bringing a barreleye to an aquarium for study, the scientists discovered that the eyes can pivot, like a birdwatcher pointing binoculars.


Barreleye Food Source?

The transparent-headed Pacific barreleyes may steal fish from siphonophores (such as this one photographed in 2001)—jellies that can grow to more than 33 feet (10 meters) long, according to researchers who released new barreleye findings and pictures on February 23, 2009.

The barreleye's flat, horizontal fins may allow it to swim very precisely among the siphonophore's stinging tentacles—and if the fish fumbles, the clear, helmet-like shield may protect its eyes, according to MBARI scientists.


Deep Down

The barreleye lives more than 2,000 feet (600 meters) beneath the ocean's surface, where the water is almost inky.

The transparent-headed fish spends much of its time motionless, eyes upward, MBARI scientists discovered while watching the barreleye fish from a remotely operated vehicle.

The green lens atop each of the fish's eyes filters out what little sunlight makes it down from the surface, allowing the fish to focus on the bioluminescence of small jellies or other prey passing overhead.

Then the eyes rotate forward to follow the prey, allowing the fish to home in on its meal.

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Currencies of the World






















No.

Country

Currency

01

Afghanistan

Afgani

02

Argentina

Peso

03

Australia

Australian Dollar

04

Austria

Schiling

05

Bangladesh

Taka

06

Belgium

Belgian Franc

07

Bhutan

Ngultrum

08

Brazil

Cruzeir

09

Bulgaria

Levi

10

Burma

Kyat

11

Canada

Canadian Dollar

12

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Rupee

13

Taiwan

Taiwan Dollar

14

China

Yuan

15

Chile

Peso

16

Czechoslovakia

Koruna

17

Denmark

Krone

18

Egypt

Egyptian Pound

19

Ethiopia

Birr

20

Finland

Markka

21

France

French Franc

22

Germany

Deutsche Mark (DM)

23

Ghana

Cedi

24

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Dollar

25

Hungary

Florint

26

India

Rupee

27

Indonesia

Rupiah

28

Iran

Iranian Rial

29

Iraq

Iraqi Dinar

30

Israel

Shekel

31

Italy

Lira

32

Japan

Yen

33

Kampuchia or Cambodia

Riel

34

Kazakhstan

Tenge

35

North Korea

Won

36

South Korea

Won

37

Kuwait

Kuwait Dinar

38

Kyrghyzstan

Som

39

Laos

Kip

40

Malaysia

Malaysian Dollar

41

Maldives

Rufiyaa

42

Mauritius

Mauritian Rupee

43

Mexico

Mexican Peso

44

Morocco

Dirham

45

Nepal

Nepalese Rupee

46

Netherlands

Dutch Guilder

47

New Zealand

New Zealand Dollar

48

Nigeria

Naira

49

Norway

Norwegian Krone

50

Oman

Omani Rial

51

Pakistan

Pakistani Rupee

52

Panama

Balbia

53

Philippines

Philppine Peso

54

Poland

Zloty

55

Portugal

Escudo

56

Romania

Leu

57

Russia

Rouble

58

Saudi Arabia

Saudi arabian Riyal

59

Singapore

Singapore Dollar

60

South Africa

Rand

61

Spain

Peseta

62

Sweden

Swedish Krone

63

Switzerland

Swiss Franc

64

Thailand

Baht

65

Turkey

Turkish Lira

66

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan Rouble

67

Ukraine

Ukraine Rouble

68

UAE

UAE Dirham

69

United Kingdom

Pound,Sterling

70

United States of america

US Dollar

71

Venezuela

Boliver

72

Vietnam

Dong

73

Zambia

Kwacha

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