Sunday, September 23, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Czech crash victim wakes up speaking English
18-year-old Matej Kus was out cold for 45 minutes
after the crash, but when he woke up he conversed fluidly in English
with paramedics, even speaking in an English accent.
The teenager had just begun to study the language and his skills were described by friends and team-mates as “basic at best”.
Peter Waite, the promoter for Kus's team, the Berwick Bandits, told the Daily Mail: "I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"It was in a really clear English accent, no dialect or anything.
Whatever happened in the crash must have rearranged things in his head.
"Before his crash Matej's use of the English language was broken, to put it mildly.
"He was only just making a start on improving it and struggled to be understood, but was keen to learn.
"Yet here we were at the ambulance door listening to Matej talking to the medical staff in perfect English.
"Matej didn't have a clue who or where he was when he came round. He didn't even know he was Czech.
"It was unbelievable to hear him talk in unbroken English."
Unfortunately, the speedway driver's new found skills didn’t last
and he remembers nothing of the accident or the following two days. He
is now keen pursue studies in English.
He told the Daily Mail, through an interpreter: "It's unbelievable that I was speaking English like that, especially without an accent.
"Hopefully I can pick English up over the winter for the start of
next season so I'll be able to speak it without someone having to hit
me over the head first.
"There must be plenty of the English language in my subconscious so hopefully I'll be able to pick it up quickly next time."
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Monday, September 03, 2007
25 of the world's most interesting animals
Leafy seadragon
Named after the dragons of Chinese mythology, Leafy seadragons
(Phycodurus eques) resemble a piece of drifting seaweed as they float
in the seaweed-filled water. The Leafy seadragon, with green, orange
and gold hues along its body, is covered with leaf-like appendages,
making it remarkably camouflaged. Only the fluttering of tiny fins or
the moving of an independently swiveling eye, reveals its presence.
Like the seahorse, the male seadragon carries as many as 150-200
eggs. After being deposited by the female, the eggs are carried in the
honeycomb-shaped area (known as the brood patch) under the male’s tail
for approximately eight weeks. Seadragons have no teeth or stomach and
feed exclusively on mysidopsis shrimp. Known as “Australian seahorses”
in Australia, they are found in calm, cold water that is approximately
50-54° F (10-12° C). Leafy seadragons have been protected by the South
Australian government since 1982.
Sun Bear
The Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) is a bear found primarily in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia.
The Sun Bear stands approximately 4 ft (1.2 m) in length, making it
the smallest member in the bear family. It is often called the dog bear
because of its small stature. It has a 2 in (5 cm) tail and on average
weighs less than 145 lb (65 kg). Males tend to be slightly larger than
females.
Unlike other bears, the Sun Bear’s fur is short and sleek. This
adaptation is probably due to the lowland climates it inhabits. Dark
black or brown-black fur covers its body, except on the chest where
there is a pale orange-yellow marking in the shape of a horseshoe.
Similar colored fur can be found around the muzzle and the eyes. This
distinct marking gives the sun bear its name.
Komondor Dog
Females are 27 inches (69cm) at the withers. Male Komondorok are a
minimum of 28 inches at the withers, but many are over 30 inches tall,
making this one of the larger common breeds of dog. The body is not
overly coarse or heavy, however, and people unfamiliar with the breed
are often surprised by how quick and agile the dogs are.
Its long, thick, strikingly corded white coat (the heaviest amount
of fur in the canine world) resembles dreadlocks or a mop. The puppy
coat is soft and fluffy. However, the coat is wavy and tends to curl as
the puppy matures. A fully mature coat is formed naturally from the
soft undercoat and the coarser outer coat combining to form tassels, or
cords. Some help is needed in separating the cords so the dog does not
turn into one large matted mess. The length of the cords increases with
time as the coat grows. Shedding is very minimal with this breed,
contrary to what one might think (once cords are fully formed). The
only substantial shedding occurs as a puppy before the dreadlocks fully
form. The Komondor is born with only a white coat, unlike the
similar-looking Puli, which is usually white, black or sometimes
grayish. However, a working Komondor’s coat may be discolored by the
elements, and may appear off-white if not washed regularly.
Angora Rabbit
The Angora rabbit is a variety of domestic rabbit bred for its long,
soft hair. The Angora is one of the oldest types of domestic rabbit,
originating in Ankara, Turkey, along with the Angora cat and Angora
goat. The rabbits were popular pets with French royalty in the mid
1700s, and spread to other parts of Europe by the end of the century.
They first appeared in the United States in the early 1900s. They are
bred largely for their long wool, which may be removed by shearing or
plucking (gently pulling loose wool).
There are many individual breeds of Angora rabbits, four of which
are ARBA recognized. Such breeds include, French, German, Giant,
English, Satin, Chinese, Swiss, Finnish, to name a few.
Red Panda
The Red Panda, Ailurus fulgens (”shining cat,” from a Latinized form
of the Greek, ailouros, “cat,” and the participial form of the Latin
fulgere, “to shine”) is a mostly herbivorous mammal, slightly larger
than a domestic cat (55 cm long). The Red Panda has semi-retractile
claws and, like the Giant Panda, has a “false thumb” which is really an
extension of the wrist bone. Thick fur on the soles of the feet offers
protection from cold and hides scent glands. The Red Panda is native to
the Himalayas in Nepal and southern China. The word panda is derived
from Nepalese word “ponya” which means bamboo and plants eating animals
in Nepal.
Sloth
Sloths are medium-sized mammals that live in Central and South
America belonging to the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae, part
of the order Pilosa. Most scientists call these two families the
Folivora suborder, while some call it Phyllophaga.
Sloths are omnivores. They may eat insects, small lizards and
carrion, but their diet consists mostly of buds, tender shoots, and
leaves.
Sloths have made extraordinary adaptations to an arboreal browsing
lifestyle. Leaves, their main food source, provide very little energy
or nutrition and do not digest easily: sloths have very large,
specialized, slow-acting stomachs with multiple compartments in which
symbiotic bacteria break down the tough leaves.
As much as two-thirds of a well-fed sloth’s body-weight consists of
the contents of its stomach, and the digestive process can take as long
as a month or more to complete. Even so, leaves provide little energy,
and sloths deal with this by a range of economy measures: they have
very low metabolic rates (less than half of that expected for a
creature of their size), and maintain low body temperatures when active
(30 to 34 degrees Celsius or 86 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit), and still
lower temperatures when resting. Sloths mainly live in Cecropia trees.
Emperor Tamarin
The Emperor Tamarin (Saguinus imperator) is a tamarin allegedly
named for its similarity with the German emperor Wilhelm II. The name
was first intended as a joke, but has become the official scientific
name.
This tamarin lives in the southwest Amazon Basin, in east Peru, north
Bolivia and in the west Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas.
The fur of the Emperor Tamarin is predominantly grey colored, with
yellowish speckles on its chest. The hands and feet are black and the
tail is brown. Outstanding is its long, white mustache, which extends
to both sides beyond the shoulders. The animal reaches a length of 24
to 26 cm, plus a 35 cm long tail. It weighs approximately 300 to 400 g.
This primate inhabits tropical rain forests, living deep in the forest
and also in open tree-covered areas. It is a diurnal animal, spending
the majority of its days in the trees with quick, safe movements and
broad jumps among the limbs.
White-faced Saki Monkey
The White-faced Saki (Pithecia pithecia), also known as the Guianan
Saki and the Golden-faced Saki, is a species of saki monkey, a type of
New World monkey, found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and
Venezuela. This monkey mostly feed on fruits, but also nuts, seeds, and
insects.
Tapir
Tapirs are large browsing mammals, roughly pig-like in shape, with
short, prehensile snouts. They inhabit jungle and forest regions of
South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. All four species of
tapir are classified as endangered or vulnerable. Their closest
relatives are the other odd-toed ungulates, horses and rhinoceroses.
Hagfish
Hagfish are marine craniates of the class Myxini, also known as
Hyperotreti. Despite their name, there is some debate about whether
they are strictly fish (as there is for lampreys), since they belong to
a much more primitive lineage than any other group that is commonly
defined fish (Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes). Their unusual feeding
habits and slime-producing capabilities have led members of the
scientific and popular media to dub the hagfish as the most
“disgusting” of all sea creatures.
Hagfish are long, vermiform and can exude copious quantities of a
sticky slime or mucus (from which the typical species Myxine glutinosa
was named). When captured and held by the tail, they escape by
secreting the fibrous slime, which turns into a thick and sticky gel
when combined with water, and then cleaning off by tying themselves in
an overhand knot which works its way from the head to the tail of the
animal, scraping off the slime as it goes. Some authorities conjecture
that this singular behavior may assist them in extricating themselves
from the jaws of predatory fish. However, the “sliming” also seems to
act as a distraction to predators, and free-swimming hagfish are seen
to “slime” when agitated and will later clear the mucus off by way of
the same travelling-knot behavior.
Star-nosed Mole
The Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata) is a small North American
mole found in eastern Canada and the north-eastern United States. It is
the only member of the tribe Condylurini and the genus Condylura.
It lives in wet lowland areas and eats small invertebrates, aquatic
insects, worms and molluscs. It is a good swimmer and can forage along
the bottoms of streams and ponds. Like other moles, this animal digs
shallow surface tunnels for foraging; often, these tunnels exit
underwater. It is active day and night and remains active in winter,
when it has been observed tunnelling through the snow and swimming in
ice-covered streams. Little is known about the social behavior of the
species, but it is suspected that it is colonial.
The Star-nosed Mole is covered in thick blackish brown
water-repellent fur and has large scaled feet and a long thick tail,
which appears to function as a fat storage reserve for the spring
breeding season. Adults are 15 to 20 cm in length, weigh about 55 g,
and have 44 teeth. The mole’s most distinctive feature is a circle of
22 mobile, pink, fleshy tentacles at the end of the snout. These are
used to identify food by touch, such as worms, insects and crustaceans.
Proboscis Monkey
Nasalis larvatus also known as Long-nosed Monkey is a reddish-brown
arboreal Old World monkey. It is the only species in monotypic genus
Nasalis.
The most distinctive trait of this monkey is the male’s large
protruding nose. The purpose of the large nose is unclear, but it has
been suggested that it is a result of sexual selection. The female
Proboscis Monkey prefers big-nosed male, thus propagating the trait.
Males are much larger than females, reaching 72 cm (28 inches) in
length, with an up to 75 cm tail, and weighing up to 24 kg (53 pounds).
Females are up to 60 cm long, weighing up to 12 kg (26 lb).
The Proboscis Monkey also has a large belly, as a result of its
diet. Its digestive system is divided into several parts, with
distinctive gut flora, which help in digesting leaves. This digestive
process releases a lot of gas, resulting in the monkey’s “bloated”
bellies. A side-effect of this unique digestive system is that it is
unable to digest ripe fruit, unlike most other simians. The diet
consists mainly of fruits, seeds and leaves.
Pink Fairy Armadillo
The Pink Fairy Armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus) or Pichiciego is
the smallest species of armadillo (mammals of the family Dasypodidae,
mostly known for having a bony armor shell). It is approximately 90-115
mm (3?-4?”) long excluding the tail, and is pale rose or pink in color.
It is found in central Argentina where it inhabits dry grasslands and
sandy plains with thorn bushes and cacti. It has the ability to bury
itself completely in a matter of seconds if frightened.
The Pink Fairy Armadillo burrows small holes near ant colonies in
dry dirt. It feeds mainly on ants and ant larvae near its burrow.
Occasionally it feeds on worms, snails, insects and larvae, or various
plant and root material.
Axolotl
The Axolotl (or ajolote) (Ambystoma mexicanum) is the best-known of
the Mexican neotenic mole salamanders belonging to the Tiger Salamander
complex. Larvae of this species fail to undergo metamorphosis, so the
adults remain aquatic and gilled. The species originates from the lake
underlying Mexico City. Axolotls are used extensively in scientific
research due to their ability to regenerate most body parts, ease of
breeding, and large embryos. They are commonly kept as pets in the
United States, Great Britain, Australia, Japan (where they are sold
under the name Wooper Rooper, and other countries.
Axolotls should not be confused with waterdogs, the larval stage of
the closely related Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum and Ambystoma
mavortium), which is widespread in much of North America which also
occasionally become neotenic, nor with mudpuppies (Necturus spp.),
fully aquatic salamanders which are unrelated to the axolotl but which
bear a superficial resemblance.
Aye-aye
The Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a strepsirrhine native
to Madagascar that combines rodent-like teeth with a long, thin middle
finger to fill the same ecological niche as a woodpecker. It is the
world’s largest nocturnal primate, and is characterized by its unique
method of finding food; it taps on trees to find grubs, then gnaws
holes in the wood and inserts its elongated middle finger to pull the
grubs out.
Daubentonia is the only genus in the family Daubentoniidae and
infraorder Chiromyiformes. The Aye-aye is the only extant member of the
genus (although it is currently an endangered species); a second
species (Daubentonia robusta) was exterminated over the last few
centuries.
Alpaca
The Alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is a domesticated species of South
American camelid developed from the wild alpacas. It resembles a sheep
in appearance, but is larger and has a long erect neck as well as
coming in many colors, whereas sheep are generally bred to be white and
black.
Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the
Andes of Ecuador, southern Peru, northern Bolivia, and northern Chile
at an altitude of 3500 to 5000 meters above sea-level, throughout the
year.
Alpacas are considerably smaller than llamas, and unlike them are
not used as beasts of burden but are valued only for their fiber.
Alpacas only have fleece fibers, not woolen fibers, used for making
knitted and woven items much as sheeps wool is. These items include
blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, a wide variety of textiles
and ponchos in South America, and sweaters, socks and coats in other
parts of the world. The fiber comes in more than 52 natural colors as
classified in Peru, 12 as classified in Australia and 22 as classified
in America.
Tarsier
Tarsiers are prosimian primates of the genus Tarsius, a monotypic
genus in the family Tarsiidae, which is itself the lone extant family
within the infraorder Tarsiiformes. The phylogenetic position of extant
tarsiers within the order Primates has been debated for much of the
past century, and tarsiers have alternately been classified with
strepsirrhine primates in the suborder Prosimii, or as the sister group
to the simians (=Anthropoidea) in the infraorder Haplorrhini. Analysis
of SINE insertions, a type of macromutation to the DNA, is argued to
offer very persuasive evidence for the monophyly of Haplorrhini, where
other lines of evidence, such as DNA sequence data, had remained
ambiguous. Thus, some systematists argue that the debate is
conclusively settled in favor of a monophyletic Haplorrhini.
Tarsiers have enormous eyes and long feet. Their feet have extremely
elongated tarsus bones, which is how they got their name. They are
primarily insectivorous, and catch insects by jumping at them. They are
also known to prey on birds and snakes. As they jump from tree to tree,
tarsiers can catch even birds in motion. Gestation takes about six
months, and tarsiers give birth to single offspring. All tarsier
species are nocturnal in their habits, but like many nocturnal
organisms some individuals may show more or less activity during the
daytime. Unlike many nocturnal animals, however, tarsiers lack a
light-reflecting area (tapetum lucidum) of the eye. They also have a
fovea, atypical for nocturnal animals.
Dumbo Octopus
The octopuses of the genus Grimpoteuthis are sometimes nicknamed
“Dumbo octopuses” from the ear-like fins protruding from the top of
their “heads” (actually bodies), resembling the ears of Walt Disney’s
flying elephant. They are benthic creatures, living at extreme depths,
and are some of the rarest of the Octopoda species.
Frill-necked Lizard
The Frill-necked Lizard, or Frilled Lizard also known as the Frilled
Dragon, (Chlamydosaurus kingii) is so called because of the large ruff
of skin which usually lies folded back against its head and neck. The
neck frill is supported by long spines of cartilage, and when the
lizard is frightened, it gapes its mouth showing a bright pink or
yellow lining, and the frill flares out, displaying bright orange and
red scales. The frill may also aid in thermoregulation.
They may grow up to one metre in total length. They often walk
quadrupedally when on the ground. When frightened they begin to run on
all-fours and then accelerate onto the hind-legs. In Australia, the
frill-necked lizard is also known as the “bicycle lizard” because of
this behaviour. Males are significantly larger than females both as
juveniles and when mature. The frill of the Australian frilled dragon
is used to frighten off potential predators — as well as hissing and
lunging. If this fails to ward off the threat, the lizard flees
bipedally to a nearby tree where it climbs to the top and relies on
camouflage to keep it hidden.
Narwhal
The Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is an Arctic species of cetacean. It
is a creature rarely found south of latitude 70°N. It is one of two
species of white whale in the Monodontidae family (the other is the
beluga whale). It is possibly also related to the Irrawaddy dolphin.
The English name narwhal is derived from the Dutch name narwal which
in turn comes from the Danish narhval which is based on the Old Norse
word nar, meaning “corpse.” This is a reference to the animal’s colour.
The narwhal is also commonly known as the Moon Whale.
In some parts of the world, the Narwhal is colloquially referred to as a “reamfish.”
Sucker-footed Bat
The Madagascar Sucker-footed Bat, Old World Sucker-footed Bat, or
Sucker-footed Bat (Myzopoda aurita and Myzopoda schliemanni) is a
species of bat in the Myzopodidae family. It is monotypic within the
genus Myzopoda. It is endemic to Madagascar. It is threatened by
habitat loss.
Pygmy Marmoset
The Pygmy Marmoset (Callithrix (Cebuella) pygmaea) is a monkey
native to the rainforest canopies of western Brazil, southeastern
Colombia, eastern Ecuador, and eastern Peru. It is one of the smallest
primates, with its body length ranging from 14-16 cm (excluding the
15-20 cm tail) and the smallest monkey. Males weigh around 140 g (5
ounces), and females only 120 g (4.2 ounces).
TDespite its name, the Pygmy Marmoset is somewhat different from the
typical marmosets classified in genus Callithrix. As such, it is
accorded its own subgenus, which was formerly recognized as its own
genus, Cebuella.
TThe Pygmy Marmoset has a tawny coat, and a ringed tail that can be
as long as its body. Their claws are specially adapted for climbing
trees, a trait unique to the species. They are omnivorous, feeding on
fruit, leaves, insects, and sometimes even small reptiles. Much of
their diet, however, comes from tapping trees for sap. Up to two-thirds
of their time is spent gouging tree bark to reach the gummy sap. The
Pygmy Marmoset has specialized incisors for gouging holes in bark.
Unfortunately, because of its small size, and its swift movements, it
is very hard to observe in the wild.
TIn captivity, the Pygmy Marmoset can live up to 11 years.
Blobfish
The blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus) is a fish that inhabits the
deep waters off the coasts of Australia and Tasmania. Due to the
inaccessibility of its habitat, it is rarely seen by humans.
Blobfish are found at depths where the pressure is several dozens of
times higher than at sea level, which would likely make gas bladders
inefficient. To remain buoyant, the flesh of the blobfish is primarily
a gelatinous mass with a density slightly less than water; this allows
the fish to float above the sea floor without expending energy on
swimming. The relative lack of muscle is not a disadvantage as it
primarily swallows edible matter that floats by in front it.
Platypus
The Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi-aquatic mammal
endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the
four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of
monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to
live young. It is the sole living representative of its family
(Ornithorhynchidae) and genus (Ornithorhynchus), though a number of
related species have been found in the fossil record.
The bizarre appearance of this egg-laying, duck-billed mammal
baffled naturalists when it was first discovered, with some considering
it an elaborate fraud. It is one of the few venomous mammals; the male
Platypus has a spur on the hind foot which delivers a poison capable of
causing severe pain to humans. The unique features of the Platypus make
it an important subject in the study of evolutionary biology and a
recognizable and iconic symbol of Australia; it has appeared as a
mascot at national events and is featured on the reverse of the
Australian 20 cent coin.
Until the early 20th century it was hunted for its fur, but it is
now protected throughout its range. Although captive breeding programs
have had only limited success and the Platypus is vulnerable to the
effects of pollution, it is not under any immediate threat.
Shoebill
The Shoebill, Balaeniceps rex also known as Whalehead is a very
large bird related to the storks. It derives its name from its massive
shoe-shaped bill.
The Shoebill is a very large bird, averaging 1.2 m (4 ft) tall, 5.6
kg (12.3 lbs) and 2.33 m (7.7 ft) across the wings. The adult is mainly
grey, the juveniles are browner. It lives in tropical east Africa, in
large swamps from Sudan to Zambia.
The Shoebill was added rather recently to the ornithological lists;
the species was only discovered in the 19th century when some skins
were brought to Europe. It was not until years later that live
specimens reached the scientific community. The bird was known to both
ancient Egyptians and Arabs however. There exist Egyptian images
depicting the Shoebill while the Arabs referred to the bird as abu
markub, which means one with a shoe. Clearly, this refers to the
striking bill.
Yeti Crab
Kiwa hirsuta is a crustacean discovered in 2005 in the South Pacific
Ocean. This decapod, which is approximately 15 cm (6 inches) long, is
notable for the quantity of silky blond setae (resembling fur) covering
its pereiopods (thoracic legs, including claws). Its discoverers dubbed
it the “yeti lobster” or “yeti crab”[2].
K. hirsuta was discovered in March 2005 by a group organised by
Robert Vrijenhoek of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in
Monterey, California, using the submarine DSV Alvin, operating from RV
Atlantis[3]. The discovery was announced on the 7th of March, 2006. It
was found 1,500 km (900 miles) south of Easter Island in the South
Pacific, at a depth of 2,200 m (7,200 feet), living on hydrothermal
vents along the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge[4]. Based on both morphology
and molecular data, the species was deemed to form a new genus and
family (Kiwaidae). The animal has strongly reduced eyes that lack
pigment, and is thought to be blind.
The ‘hairy’ pincers contain filamentous bacteria, which the creature
may use to detoxify poisonous minerals from the water emitted by the
hydrothermal vents where it lives. Alternatively, it may feed on the
bacteria, although it is thought to be a general carnivore. Its diet
also consists of green algae and small shrimp.
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Thursday, August 23, 2007
14 Foods that lower Cholesterol
- 1. Whole grains and oats
- a five-year Insulin Resistance Athersclerosis Study showed that
people whose diets contain the most whole grains “had the thinnest
carotid artery walls and showed the slowest progression in artery wall
thickness.” - 2. Blueberries
- a compound in blueberries (pterostilbene) may help lower cholesterol
as effectively as commercial drugs with fewer side effects. - 3. Pistachios, 4. Walnuts, and 5. Almonds
- a Penn State study showed that eating pistachios significantly lowers
LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology
showed eating walnuts after a high-fat meal might protect your heart.
Omega-3 fats and antioxidants in nuts work to reverse the arterial
damage caused by saturated fats. - 6. Avocados, 7. Olives, and 8. Olive oil
- 26 of the 30 grams of fat in an avocado are heart-healthy,
unsaturated fats that can increase your levels of HDL cholesterol. The
good fats in avocados, olives, and olive oil protect against heart
disease and diabetes. Check out the Mediterranean Diet. - 9. Flaxseed oil
- flaxseed oil can lower blood pressure in men with high cholesterol.
In a three-month study of 59 middle-aged men, those who took daily
flaxseed oil supplements (with eight grams of the omega-3 fats,
alpha-linoleic acid) experienced significantly lower systolic and
diastolic blood pressure. - 10. 100% cranberry-grape juice - antioxidants in grape juice slow down LDL cholesterol oxidation, and cranberry juice raises HDL or “good” cholesterol.
- 11. Fish and Fish oil
- a study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found
that people with type 2 diabetes who consumed high doses of fish oil
over nine weeks lowered the size and concentration of several
lipoprotein subclasses (cholesterol) in their bodies. - 12. Black soybeans
- a study from the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture shows
that black soybeans may help prevent obesity, lower LDL cholesterol,
and reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes. - 13. Pomegranate juice
- a National Academy of Sciences study showed that pomegranate juice
reduces cholesterol plaque buildup and increases nitric oxide
production (nitric oxide helps reduce arterial plaque). - 14. Yogurt with live active cultures (probiotics)
- Vicki Koenig, MS, RD, CDN said “several studies have shown that the
probiotics Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Lactobacillus Reuteri actually
help lower cholesterol. They work by preventing the reabsorption of
cholesterol back in to the blood stream.”
You might be a person who is predisposed to high cholesterol, or
maybe your diet could use a shape-up. Here are a few key points on
cholesterol that I try to focus on:
- LDL or “bad” cholesterol deposits itself on the walls of your
arteries, forming plaques that make them hard and narrow. HDL or “good”
cholesterol removes excess LDL in your blood and brings it to your
liver for disposal. The more HDL you consume, the less LDL you’ll have
in your blood. - You may need medication to help reduce your cholesterol, but eating
a heart-healthy diet and getting exercise are very important. - Everyone should have their cholesterol checked-it doesn’t matter if you are young/old, female/male, or thin/overweight.
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Sunday, August 12, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
And they say we evolved!!!!!!
Brainless civil servant amazes doctors
Frenchman's skull a 'huge fluid-filled chamber'
A French man whose skull was mostly occupied by a
"huge fluid-filled chamber" was able to operate perfectly well as a
civil servant - despite having "little more than a thin sheet of actual
brain tissue", Reuters reports.
The 44-year-old's condition was revealed when he went to hospital
suffering from mild weakness in his left leg. A probe of his medical
history revealed he'd had a shunt inserted into his skull as an infant
to relieve hydrocephalus, which was removed when he was 14.
Doctors were "amazed" when computed tomography and magnetic
resonance imaging scans showed "massive enlargement" of his lateral
ventricles, "usually tiny chambers that hold the cerebrospinal fluid
that cushions the brain".
Dr Lionel Feuillet and colleagues at the Universite de la Mediterranee in Marseille explained in a letter to The Lancet:
"He was a married father of two children, and worked as a civil
servant." Tests revealed the chap's IQ as 75, below average but
evidently no impediment to leading a normal life.
Dr Max Muenke, a paediatric brain defect specialist at the National
Human Genome Research Institute, said: "What I find amazing to this day
is how the brain can deal with something which you think should not be
compatible with life. If something happens very slowly over quite some
time, maybe over decades, the different parts of the brain take up
functions that would normally be done by the part that is pushed to the
side." ®
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Sunday, July 22, 2007
Global Warming: How the World is Changing [Pics]
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Friday, July 13, 2007
Friday, June 08, 2007
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Bush To Be Dictator If Catastrophic Emergency
Bush To Be Dictator If Catastrophic Emergency
05-19-2007
www.roguegovernment.com
Lee Rogers
The Bush administration has released a directive called the National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive.
The directive released on May 9th, 2007 has gone almost unnoticed by
the mainstream and alternative media. This is understandable
considering the huge Ron Paul and immigration news but this story is
equally as huge. In this directive, Bush declares that in the event of
a “Catastrophic Emergency” the President will be entrusted with leading
the activities to ensure constitutional government. The language in
this document would in effect make the President a dictator in the case
of such an emergency.
The directive defines a “Catastrophic Emergency” as the following.
"Catastrophic Emergency"
means any incident, regardless of location, that results in
extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely
affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or
government functions;
So what does this mean? This
is entirely subjective and doesn’t provide any real concrete definition
of what such an emergency would entail. Assuming that it means a
disaster on the scale of the 9/11 attacks or Katrina, there is no
question that the United States at some point in time will experience
an emergency on par with either of those events. When one of those
events takes place, the President will be a dictator in charge of
ensuring a working constitutional government.
The language written in the
directive is disturbing because it doesn’t say that the President will
work with the other branches of government equally to ensure a
constitutional government is protected. It says clearly that there will
be a cooperative effort among the three branches that will be
coordinated by the President. If the President is coordinating these
efforts it effectively puts him in charge of every branch. The language
in the directive is entirely Orwellian in nature making it seem that it
is a cooperative effort between all three branches but than it says
that the President is in charge of the cooperative effort.
The directive defines Enduring Constitutional Government as the following.
"Enduring Constitutional
Government," or "ECG," means a cooperative effort among the executive,
legislative, and judicial branches of the Federal Government,
coordinated by the President, as a matter of comity with respect to the
legislative and judicial branches and with proper respect for the
constitutional separation of powers among the branches, to preserve the
constitutional framework under which the Nation is governed and the
capability of all three branches of government to execute
constitutional responsibilities and provide for orderly succession,
appropriate transition of leadership, and interoperability and support
of the National Essential Functions during a catastrophic emergency;
Further on in the document it states the following.
The President shall lead the activities of the Federal Government for ensuring constitutional government.
This directive on its face is
unconstitutional because each branch of government the executive,
legislative and judicial are supposed to be equal in power. By putting
the President in charge of coordinating such an effort to ensure
constitutional government over all three branches is effectively making
the President a dictator allowing him to tell all branches of
government what to do.
Even worse is the fact that
the directive states that the Secretary of Homeland Security will serve
as the lead for coordinating overall continuity operations. We already
know that the Homeland Security department is not really working to
secure the homeland. Instead the Homeland Security department is really
working to enslave the homeland just like the Home Office over in the
United Kingdom has made that country an Orwellian hell of
closed-circuit TV spy cameras. If such an emergency is declared, we can
only guess what sort of surprises the Homeland Enslavement department
will have for us.
The directive itself
recognizes that each branch is already responsible for directing there
own continuity of government procedures. If that’s the case than why
does the President need to coordinate these procedures for all of the
branches? This is nothing more than a power grab that centralizes power
and will make the President a dictator in the case of a so called
“Catastrophic Emergency”.
It is insane that this
directive claims that its purpose is to define procedures to protect a
working constitutional government when the very language in the
document destroys what a working constitutional government is supposed
to be. A working constitutional government contains a separation of
powers between three equally powerful branches and this directive
states that the executive branch has the power to coordinate the
activities of the other branches. This directive is a clear violation
of constitutional separation of powers and there should be angry
protests from our legislators about this anti-American garbage that has
come from the President.
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Thursday, May 10, 2007
Sanctuary Quest
http://quest.thepresence.com/
Go on, give it a try
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Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Nokia's 1100 handset: over 200 million served
Sales records typically don't stand
for too long without being overtaken by the next best thing, but
somehow, Nokia's el cheapo 1100 handset has reportedly racked up "over
200 million sales" since it launched in 2003. You heard right, this
low-end candybar has put the 100 million iPods, 50 million RAZRs, 10 million Chocolates, and 115 million PlayStation 2
consoles to shame in terms of sheer units moved. Interestingly enough,
the design team that conjured up this cash cow originally dubbed it
"Penny," and the stripped down, dust-proof mobile purportedly entered
the market at precisely the right time to catch the booming overseas
growth as folks worldwide began snapping up their own cellphone. Of
course, such a basic, uninspiring phone isn't for everyone, but
considering the 200 million strong that owned one sometime during their
life, we'd say Nokia found a winner.
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Sunday, April 22, 2007
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Consumption made beautiful
A picture paints a thousand words, so I won't waste mine - suffice to
say that Chris Jordan has taken the ugly truth of our planet-destroying
over-consumption and produced beautiful, simple images. Take a look.
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Saturday, April 14, 2007
Creationist museum challenges evolution
Creationist museum challenges evolution
By Martin Redfern BBC News, Kentucky, USA |
For some a battle between science and religion is
being fought for the soul of America. The Creationists argue God
created the world in six days and want their beliefs given equal status
to evolutionary science.
Petersburg Kentucky is in the middle of North America. It is supposedly within a day's drive of two thirds of the US population.
For the rest, it is just 10 minutes from Cincinnati
International Airport. That is why it was picked as the site for a new
museum, due to open in a couple of months.
We enter the landscaped grounds through gates flanked by wrought iron Stegosauruses.
The lobby is modelled on a cliff in the Grand Canyon. But this is no ordinary museum of science and geology.
It is the dream of Ken Ham, President of Answers in
Genesis, a Christian ministry that promotes the idea that the Biblical
book of Genesis should be taken literally in describing the creation of
the world, life and humans as carried out by God over a six-day period
a few thousand years ago.
We get as far as the museum bookshop - already well-stocked with creationist titles - but no further.
Officials tell us that state regulations forbid it. It is still under construction and closed to visitors.
In the card game of creationism, the Bible trumps science every time
Is this, I wonder, because I am accompanied by Eugenie Scott, director
of the National Centre for Science Education and a polite but
determined campaigner against attempts to teach creationism alongside
evolution in American school science classes?
Sharp teeth
So it is round the back to the offices, to receive Ken Ham's crushingly sincere handshake.
He came to the US from Australia 20 years ago, founded Answers in Genesis and never left.
He lectures or broadcasts almost daily and clearly has the charisma to raise $27m (£14m) for this ambitious museum.
He is also not afraid to show us what is inside, and turns on the Animatronic dinosaurs.
On a rocky ledge, there is a pair of small theropods -
young T. rexes we're told. And near to them ("hold onto your hat," says
Ken, anticipating our disbelief) there are two human children playing
by a stream.
Most geologists would say humans and dinosaurs were separated by more than 60 million years.
And those dinosaurs have very sharp teeth!
"So do bears", says Ken. "But they eat nuts and berries!
Remember, before the sin of Adam, the world was perfect. All creatures
were vegetarian." One of the dinosaurs lets out a rather contradictory
roar.
Everyone is entitled to their beliefs, but what annoys
Eugenie Scott is the way in which the received wisdom of Genesis is
given equal or higher status to scientific evidence and the way in
which the latter is used selectively.
"In the card game of creationism, the Bible trumps science every time," she says.
But in her game, science is dealt a hand that is purely
materialistic. Ideas of a supernatural being belong in a different
game, be it philosophy or theology.
As we prepare to leave, Eugenie Scott quietly slips a panda glove
puppet from her handbag and photographs it among the dinosaurs.
It is introduced to me as Professor Steve Steve. Creationists are fond of lists of "scientists who doubt Darwin".
Many thousands more support evolution, but rather than
play the same game, Eugenie has parodied the lists by concentrating on
scientists named Steve (Stephanies are also eligible).
So far, more than 700 have signed up. Their mascot is a
panda because of a notorious creationist text entitled "Of Pandas and
People".
Steve was picked in honour of the late evolutionary
biologist Stephen J Gould. Steve Steve because - well, all pandas have
double names.
Noah's Ark
Much of the Creation Museum in Kentucky is still under
construction and we were not able to go on to see the section through
Noah's Ark or the model of the Grand Canyon.
Instead, we visited the real thing - the Canyon not the Ark!
For the creationists, Noah's flood IS science
Grand Canyon park guides will tell you that the canyon took more than a
million years to form and cuts through rocks that span more than a
billion years.
Not so, say "Young Earth" creationists. All those rocks were deposited by flood waters at the time of Noah.
Though the Bible does not mention them directly, Ken Ham
thinks there is no reason to suppose that dinosaurs were not still
around at the time of the flood.
Indeed, he speculates that two of each may have been
taken aboard the Ark (newly hatched dinosaurs are quite small so
fitting them in would not have been a problem).
And what about the animals from other continents? Did Noah sail to Australia to drop off the kangaroos?
No, the flood waters lubricated a process called runaway
subduction in which the continents subsequently drifted apart at a
sprint!
Challenged with this scenario, a uniformed park guide
says that, while everyone is entitled to their belief, he prefers to
stick to accepted science.
For the creationists, Noah's flood IS science.
For them, the Canyon is a gash in the surface of the
Earth left by that flood, representing the wrath of God against the
sins of mankind.
Here at least, sin and anger have turned into something surprisingly beautiful!
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Friday, April 13, 2007
Urban Art Big Illusion
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Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Mr. egg stacker man
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