22 PERFECT PIE TIPS

22 PERFECT PIE TIPS

There are tricks to making perfect pie crusts. The first is maintaining the correct balance of ingredients and the second is temperature.Pie crusts are a mixture of flour, fat, and water. The best recipes seem to have a common ratio of these ingredients: 1/4 cup water to 1/2 cup fat to 2 1/2 cups flour. (The flour should be
measured by spooning the flour into the measure, not scooping it. Scooping packs the flour and overloads the formula.) Add a teaspoon of salt and you have a recipe for a double crust.

1. Use milk or egg wash for a golden brown hue.
Brush the top crust with milk or egg white before placing it in the oven. To avoid burning, be careful not to
wash the crimped edge of the crust.

2. Line crust edge with aluminum foil to avoid burning.
Place aluminum foil strips around the edges of the pie prior to baking. Remove the foil the last 15 minutes of
baking.

3. Always preheat the oven.
A standard oven takes approximately 15 minutes to preheat to 350 degrees.

4. Always place your pie on a baking sheet.
A baking sheet helps brown the bottom crust evenly, provides support for the pie when removing it from
the oven, and catches any filling that may spill out during baking.

5. Lower oven temperature when baking more than one pie.
When baking two different pies, use the lower of the two oven temperatures. Place each pie on a separate baking sheet and check for doneness according to individual package directions.

6. Mend a broken piecrust.
Mend a broken crust by moistening the broken pieces with water and molding it back together.

7. Cut slits in the top of fruit pies.
This prevents fruit filling from bursting out of the side and ruining the appearance of the pie.

8. Keep a close eye on your pumpkin pie.
When baked properly, the outer edges of pumpkin filing will develop a firm set with some slight browning. The center circle (4-6 inches) should have a soft set and shake like gelatin.

9. Give your pie a glowing finish.
Brush apricot preserves on the top of the pie just after baking to create a high gloss finish.

10. Avoid baking your holiday pie with your turkey.
To bake a perfect golden-brown pie, you must use a higher temperature than you would to cook a turkey or ham for your holiday meal. Try baking your pie the night before.

11. Apple pie has better flavor if a little salt is sprinkled on the apples before the top crust is put in place.

12. Fruit pies can be frozen unbaked or baked, but the former is preferred as the crust will be more tender and the fruit flavour will be true.

13. When freezing an unbaked pie, add an additional tablespoon of thickener to absorb the extra juices. If it is a closed double crust pie, do not put the vents in the top crust. Use freezer wrap.

14. When baking a frozen pie, do not thaw. Cut the vents in the top crust and bake at 350 F for approximately 20 minutes more than required in the recipe.

15. When freezing a baked fruit pie, cool and use freezer wrap. When it comes time to bake, thaw for an hour and then bake at 350 F for 30 minutes, then reduce heat if over browning and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.

16. For a flaky pie crust, add cream or milk instead of water.

17. Store your rolling pin in the freezer. A frozen rolling pin makes rolling out pastry dough much easier.

18. Avoid soggy crusts by:
rubbing the bottom of the pie plate with butter before adding the dough. 
sprinkling a small amount of sugar over the crust before adding the filling. 
sprinkling breadcrumbs on the crust before adding the filling. 
brushing the pie crust with egg white, followed by a light sprinkling of flour. 

19. Sprinkle buttermilk pancake mix on the counter top before rolling out pastry dough. It will make a tastier pie crust.

20. Pie crust is flakier if the dough is made and stored in the refrigerator for 1 day prior to use.

21. If you preheat your oven to 475 F, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 F for baking, you'll prevent the shell from shrinking.

22. Meringue will not shrink during baking if it is touching the edges of the piecrust.

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30 Household Hints

30 Household Hints

1. Spray plastic food containers with non-stick cooking spray to prevent tomato based products like paste or sauce from staining.

2. If your oven racks no longer slide in and out easily, rub the outer edge of the rack with petroleum jelly.

3. To brighten copper pots that have become blackened over open flames, use a mixture of salt and lemon juice and then rinse with tepid water.

4. Turn the lid from a shoe box upside down and set your toaster in it to prevent crumbs from scattering over your kitchen counter. You can cover the lid with a decorative adhesive or wall paper to match your kitchen decor.

5. Remove burned on food from baking dishes by applying a liberal amount of baking soda to the burnt food, then cover with water. Let sit for a few hours, and wipe clean.

6. For an inexpensive copper cleaner, mix 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of vinegar.

7. Use a paste made from baking soda and water to remove coffee and tea stains from china or porcelain.

8. A box of baking soda in the refrigerator or freezer takes away odors and keeps them fresh. Replace box about every two months.

9. Don't throw out "old " baking soda. Use it to refresh sink drains and old garbage cans. Pour in the baking soda, then rinse with hot water.

10.Make silver polish with 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Rub into silver with a clean cloth. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a soft clean cloth.

11.Place a piece of chalk in your silver chest to prevent tarnishing.

12.Rust marks on linoleum can be removed with lemon juice.

13.A paste made of salt and olive oil will remove heat rings from furniture. Apply this to the ring and allow to stand for at least one hour.

14.Use a drop of baby oil to add shine to a stainless steel sink or chrome appliances.

15.Use ketchup to clean copper. Rub it on, then rinse off the residue with warm soapy water.

16.To remove crayon marks from walls and painted furniture, sprinkle baking soda on a damp cloth and rub gently. Wipe dry.

17.Attach a stick-on air freshener to one of the blades on your ceiling fan. Turn the fan on to a low setting, to circulate the fragrance.

18.Try rubbing furniture polish on the top of your ceiling fan blades to minimize dust from settling on these hard to reach places.

19.To remove the smell of cigarette smoke or cigar smoke from a room within minutes, dip a small towel in equal amounts of vinegar and water. Ring out the towel and wave it around the room.

20.Pour a small amount of clean fine sand-like cat litter into ashtrays to extinguish cigars and cigarettes quickly. Clean-up will be easier and odors will be reduced.

21. Ripen green tomatoes quickly by placing them, along with an already ripe apple, in a paper bag for 2 days. For best results, maintain a ratio of about 5 or 6 tomatoes per apple. 

22. Keep your wooden or plastic cutting board clean by occasionally scrubbing it with a paste made from 1 tbsp each of soda bicarbonate , salt and water. Rinse thoroughly with hot water. 

23. To get rid of smells and dried - up spills inside the refrigerator, remove the contents, and then sprinkle some soda bicarb on a damp sponge and scrub the sides, shelves and compartments. Rinse with a clean and wet sponge. 

24. To clean your microwave, put a solution of 2 tbsp of soda bicarbonate in a cup of water in a microwave - safe container and cook on high for 2-3 mins. Remove the container, and then wipe down the microwave’s damp interior with a damp paper towel. 

25. Freshly cut flowers will stay longer if you add ¼ tsp. bleach per litre of vase water. 3 drops bleach and 1 tsp. sugar in 1 litre of water will also prevent the water from getting cloudy and inhibit the growth of bacteria. 

26. Rose and other cut flowers keep fresh longer if crushed aspirin is putin the water. Other household items that can be added to extend the life of your flower arrangements include: a multivitamin, a tsp of sugar, a pinch of salt and soda bicarb. 

27. Clean artificial flowers by placing them in a paper bag with ¼ cup of salt. Give the bag a few gentle shakes and your flowers will emerge as clean as the day you bought them. 

28. The easiest way to pick up glass fragments is to press a slice of bread over the area. 

29. Tie a dozen pieces of chalk together and hang them in your damp cupboard. The chalk will absorb the moisture help prevent mildew. Replace the bunch with a fresh bunch every few months. 

30. To clean stuffed toys, rub a little corn flour onto the toy, wait about 5 minutes and then brush it clean.

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Lion, Tiger, Bear - Unlikely Trio

Lion, Tiger, Bear - Unlikely Trio

They make an unlikely trio, but Baloo the bear, Leo the lion and Shere Khan the tiger have forged an unusually strong bond.Considering that they would be mortal enemies if they ever were to meet in the wild, it is stunning to see their unique and genuine friendship in these intimate pictures.Rescued eight years ago during a police drugs raid in Atlanta, Georgia, the three friends were only cubs at the time at barely two months old.

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10 things to keep your voice beautiful!

10 things to keep your voice beautiful!

1. Limit intake of dehydrating fluids – coffee, tea, alcohol; up water intake.
2. Avoid whispering if you “lose” your voice. Speak quietly instead with support.
3. If you must shout,use support muscles!...
4. Match your phonation to your breath length.
5. Excessive throat clearing is too harsh for the vocal folds. Try to avoid this.
6. Improve your posture, so muscles can work effectively.
7. See if you can have voice naps during the day.
8. Use giggle technique to help blowaway any constriction in larynx.
9. Articulate well at front of mouth .
10. When you have a cold, avoid decongestants; steam instead.

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Top 10 camera phone tips

Top 10 camera phone tips

Image Source: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

#1. Use the rule of thirds
When composing a picture, imagine two horizontal lines and two vertical lines crossing like a tic-tac-toe grid on top of it. Place strong lines and divisions like the horizon in your image on the gridlines and let elements of interest fall on the intersections. A few camera phones let you activate a grid display on the image-preview screen. You can also make your own grid display on a transparent LCD skin with a felt-tip pen. Another option is software that creates a composition overlay in an image-editing program so you can crop your image to conform to various compositional principles.

#2. Stabilize your camera phone
Image-stabilizing functions are now common in compact digital cameras. If your camera phone has a stabilizing feature for video or photos, use it. Camera phones are so lightweight it's nearly impossible to keep them steady and avoid blurred images.This problem gets worse in low light, since the camera phone slows the shutter speed to let in more light and has a longer opportunity to capture movement. To ameliorate this problem, hold the camera phone with both hands and brace your upper arms against your body when you shoot. Bracing your hand against an immobile object such as a telephone pole or a tree can also help, as can a tripod or other support. For posed shots, the self-timer will help keep you from tilting the phone when you push the shutter-release button.

#3. Use the highest resolution setting
Unless you're sure the only thing you want to do with your images is send them to another mobile device or post them online, use the highest resolution setting available. If later you want to print a shot, you'll be glad you did. When shooting video, a higher resolution shows more detail and allows a larger image display when
playing the video on a computer screen. If your camera phone has a memory-card slot, use a high-capacity card so you won't have to drop the resolution to save space. If the phone is compatible with software that lets you upload your images to a gallery or blog at full resolution, use that to make room on your memory card instead of sacrificing image quality.

#4. Use the highest quality setting
Most camera phones allow you to select a quality level for your images. This determines the level of compression used when the images are saved. The higher the quality setting, the lower the compression level. Choose the highest quality setting available so you lose less detail and don't get a muddy photo. If you have to choose between resolution and a quality setting to save space-and it's unlikely you'll make prints reduce the resolution. Even VGA or QVGA resolution will look fine on a screen, but using heavy compression will make the image look worse in any form of display.

#5. Shoot videos at the right frame rate
If your camera phone gives you a choice, use the highest frame rate available for videos, unless you want a slower rate for effect. The most advanced devices can shoot at 30 frames per second-the same rate used by most digital camcorders. Some shoot at a rate closer to 24 frames per second, the rate used to shoot most movies on film. Dropping down to about 15 frames per second gives choppier footage with a look similar to that of an old, silent movie. Higher frame rates produce a smoother look but take up more memory; so if your camera phone has a memory card slot and you're going to shoot a lot of video, get a high-capacity card.

#6. Use a low ISO setting if you can
Many camera phones don't let you control the ISO setting, but if you have one that does, make use of it. In good light, set the ISO to a low number, like 100. The lower the number, the less visual noise will appear in your images. As the light level drops, increase the light sensitivity of the sensor by using a higher ISO setting or switch to auto ISO. You'll get noisier photos at higher ISO levels, but sometimes that's better than no photos at all.

#7. Get the right color tone
Most camera phones provide a handful of white-balance settings, along with some color effects like black-and-white and sepia. In general, it's a good idea to notice what kind of light you're shooting in and select color settings accordingly. Using a white-balance setting designated for the type of light in your scene often produces more natural-looking results than automatic white balance, especially with fluorescent lighting. If the lighting is mixed-maybe incandescent bulbs and natural light from a window-you're better off using automatic white balance. Take a few test shots to see what works. If the light is very dim and there's a lot of visual noise in your shots, try a monochrome shooting mode or convert your shots to black-and-white or sepia with an editing tool. The speckles that look ugly in color can give an image an atmospheric, grainy look in shades of gray or sepia. Shooting in black-and-white in any light can help develop your photographer's eye by letting you concentrate on the relationship between light and shadow without the distraction of color.

#8. Use digital zoom judiciously
A limited number of camera phones offer optical zoom, giving you more flexibility in composing your shot. There's no reason not to use it. Almost all camera phones are equipped with digital zoom, which it's usually not a good idea to use. A digital zoom is basically a cropping function that cuts out and saves a portion of the image that is optically available to the sensor-and ultimately degrades its quality. Whenever possible, opt for sneaker zoom: Take a few steps back or forward to change the framing instead of using a digital zoom or having subjects move.

There may be times when composition is more important than quality-maybe if you're shooting video of a speaker and want the speaker's head and upper body to fill most of the frame. In any case, you won't see the person's face very clearly, but if you use the digital zoom, the image will be composed well. Just remember that digital zoom will negatively affect the quality of both photos and videos, and use it only when the alternative is worse.

#9. Anticipate shutter lag
If you've ever used a compact digital camera, you're familiar with shutter lag. It's the delay between the moment you press the shutter-release button and the moment the image is captured. In very simple camera phones, there's a negligible delay. More sophisticated devices, however, are prone to noticeable shutter lags, especially with auto focus. Get used to your camera phone's timing so when something interesting happens, you'll have a good feel for the point when you need to press the shutter release to capture the most interesting moment.

#10. Decide what your photograph is before you take it
If you're taking a picture or shooting a video, think about the story your photo or video will tell before you take it.
What is the main subject of the photo? 
What are you trying to convey about it? 
Which elements of the scene help you tell the story, and which are footnotes and tangents better left out?
Ask yourself what it is about what you see that makes you want to take a picture of it, and think about the best way to show that to someone who sees the picture.

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10 Sex Tips For Women

10 Sex Tips For Women

1. “Why does he want sex so much more often than I do?”

Basically, because he's awash with the hormone testosterone and you're not. Women have it, but not nearly as much as men. Testosterone is largely responsible for lust, anger and increased physical strength. Ceren Altin, of online science magazine Kingdom Robertea, explains: “As you get older, the level of testosterone decreases in both sexes and causes a decrease in libido.”

On the upside, what women lack in testosterone they make up for in sensitivity. Women respond better to touch than men, whose testosterone levels mean their skin is thicker and thus less responsive.

Researchers are currently investigating the possibility of producing a testosterone-based pill for women, because women with greater levels of testosterone have a higher sex drive. Currently there are no female equivalents of Viagra that have been medically approved, although various sensitising creams that draw blood to the genitals do exist. Alternatively, some herbal pharmacists suggest small doses of damiana, which stimulates the urinary tract and thus feelings of sexual excitement,  or herbal supplements such as ArginMax, which helps the body develop nitric oxide and leads to arousal.

2. “Why do women orgasm?”

This is a hot topic in sex circles because, unlike men, women don't need to orgasm to ensure conception. US anthropologist Donald Symons suggest women share men's basic neurological mechanisms, which is nature's way of simplifying the genetic human blueprint, In this way, the clitoris is simply an undeveloped version of the penis, serving no biological purpose - just as men have nipples but can't breastfeed.

Undeveloped it may be, but the clitoris is extremely sensitive. And although many women don't orgasm through intercourse, clitoral orgasms are much simpler to achieve (and many hours of fretting could be avoided if most women - and men - realised that). If he can rub your clitoris while inside you - the best position for this is you on top - you, too can come during intercourse, without worrying about where your
G-spot is.

According to Dr Glen wilson, co-author of The Science of Love, “Impressive confirmation of Symons theory of female orgasm comes from the discovery that male hormones increase a woman's sexual responsiveness.”

If you are still pursuing the big O, Wilson's advice is not to give up. “Fingers haven't yet evolved for playing the piano,” he explains. “However, many of us have learned to do so, thereby giving ourselves - and other people - a great deal of pleasure. Likewise, many women who have not experienced an orgasm can learn the skill and their partners can be taught to assist.”

3. “What actually happens during an orgasm?”

Sex research pioneers Masters and Johnson tabulated 10,000 episodes of sexual activity in more than 600 women (and men). They found that the human sexual response cycle consists of four stages: excitement, plateau, orgasm and resolution. During orgasm men and women report very similar feelings. For men, direct genital stimulation usually causes an erection in seconds. Also, the testicles are pulled closer to the body, the scrotum tenses, muscles clench and blood pressure increases. For women, the excitement stage is characterised by the onset of vaginal lubrication, clitoral erection, changes in the size and shape of the labia, nipple erection and swelling of the breasts. At this stage, symptoms increase in intensity. Orgasm, for men, involves emission (when semen gathers in the upper part of the urethra, leading to a three-second sensation of “ejaculatory inevitability”, according to Masters and Johnson) and expulsion (four to five rhythmic contractions at the base of the penis, forcing semen out).

Orgasm in women involves rhythmic contractions of the uterus and the muscles round the vagina. Women normally experience three to 10 very strong contractions, also at 0.8 second intervals. In both sexes, oxytocin is released, which strengthens contractions.

Best of all, while he only gets one orgasm per session, you are ready to go again  from standing start.

4. “Yes, OK, but how do I get one?”

If you've never experienced an orgasm you're not alone: it's a sad fact that three quarters of women don't orgasm through intercourse - but you can change your fortunes.

Firstly, you have to prepare your body for sex. The vaginal lubrication, clitoral erection, changes in the size and shape of the labia, nipple erection and swelling of the breasts are all the basic ingredients to get you to the finishing line. Unless all these changes happen, you're unlikely to come - so if he's bashing away and you're getting nowhere, he needs to pay more attention to your clitoris and breasts until you reach the plateau stage. Then, he needs to take a bit more time out from his side of things to make sure he's reaching all the right places.

Dr Barbara Keesling, author of The Good Girls Guide To Bad Girl Sex, says “Some intercourse positions are more likely to offer the stimulation a woman needs to have an orgasm.

“The one I recommend is the position in which the woman lies on her back with her legs in the air and knees bent and her partner kneels between her legs. This stimulates the pubococcygus (PC) muscle (also known as the pelvic floor muscle, which you use to hold back urine), the cervix and the G-spot and allows her partner to easily withdraw his penis to stimulate the clitoris.

“Some orgasms may include only PC muscle spasms and a mild, good feeling - others maybe strong they cause your body to arch of the bed,” Now you know the theory behind it, it's a case of practice.

5. “Can he tell if I fake an orgasm?”

Not necessarily, but some signs can be harder to emulate than others. As well as the flushing and screaming, real orgasm cause your toes to clench, so it you are faking it, don't forget to get your tootsies involved. Internally, the only certain physical changes are the contractions of your vagina - and they can easily be faked, as women have strong muscles in that area. In fact, doing so may be very worth while as it can
encourage a real orgasm.

But instead of faking it, why not try to get into it. Make sure you allow yourself to relax; stress lowers your libido by inducing the hormone prolactin, which reduces sexual arousal. Pour yourself a glass of wine, have a massage and let your mind wander into the play zone.

6. “What's the most pleasurable time of the month to have the best sex?

Women become more sexually promiscuous during the middle of their cycle, which is your body's way of encouraging you to get pregnant. The female fertility hormone, oestrogen, is released in greater quantities mid-cycle to prepare you for pregnancy. Also women who have regular sex have higher levels of oestrogen, making them more fertile (and more keen!).

As well as this oestrogen surge, there's another factor contributing to your increased sex drive mid-cycle - your sense of smell.

Scientists of the Research Group for Sexology at the University of Cantania, Italy, studied 60 women, aged 18 to 40, none of whom were taking the pill. Each was exposed to a range of common smells - aniseed, musk, clove, citrus and ammonia - at various times during a single reproductive cycle. The researchers found that a woman's sense of smell is strongly linked to sex drive and may give women the ability to detect
pheromones in a man (sex chemicals that send subliminal messages to those around you), thus helping them find a sexual partner.

Backing this up, a University of Northumbria study conducted this year asked women to rate men's attractiveness from photos. When the experiment was repeated with the volunteers secretly exposed to male pheromones, all rated the men as more attractive.

7. “Why are some areas of my body more erogenous than others?”

Erogenous zones tend to be areas with the thinnest skin and the greatest concentration of nerve endings. They include the sides of the neck, breasts, inner arms and thighs and obviously genitals. The thinnest skin on the body, however, is on the eyelids.

Women may be more interested in having their erogenous zones explored than men are, as guys are already blessed with the ultimate in thin-skinned erogeny in the form of a penis. As for where's best, well, if it feels good, do it.The ancient Greeks believed that the most erogenous part of the body was the philtrum - the indentation above the lip. Whatever area flips your switch, it's worth paying attention to it - stroking and licking erotic zones sends signals straight to the penis or clitoris.

Focusing on the erogenous zones is the essence of foreplay, but sex counsellor and author Susan Quilliam issues a word of caution. “Penetrative acts are the way men most easily get aroused and climax.” she states. So whereas 34 per cent of women think foreplay is more important than intercourse, only 14 per cent of men agree. Men value foreplay simply because it gives pleasure to women.” Make sure he knows how vital it is for your pleasure.

8. “Is 'not tonight, I've got a headache' a valid excuse for not having sex?”

No. In fact, sex can cure a headache faster than Nurofen. This is because of the dopamine produced by the body during sex. Christophe Maquestiaux, a neuroscience expert based at the California Institute of Technology, explains, “Scientists have determined that, at its maximum, the pain relief offered by dopamine release is as potent as a high dose of morphine, making you feel better and letting you forget your worries as long as the stimulus is present.” Dopamine is the chemical that floods the brain when cocaine is taken, deadening pain. So if you've got a headache, you know what to do...

9. “When I fell in love with my partner, I wanted sex all the time. Four years on, I can't be bothered more than once a fortnight - why is this?”

When you're first attracted to someone, the hormone phenyulethylamine (PEA, which is also found in tiny quantities of chocolate) increases feelings of infatuation. And it's joined by a cocktail of equally strong chemicals, including norephinephrine, which makes you energetic and attentive, and dopamine, which floods you with happiness and desire.

The bad news is that after four years of neurotransmitter bombardment, your responses dull. You lose your sensitivity to chemicals responsible for that furious sex drive that you had when you first fell in love. Instead, other endorphins - including the “mothering” oxytocin - prevail, keeping you together but not necessarily desperate to spend all your time in bed.

So, what can you do about it? Research shows that dangerous situations increase production of adrenalin and in turn boost sex drive, because the body, having just averted death, wants to procreate. In an experiment in 1974, US psychologists found that when volunteers crossed a rickety rope-bridge, they were far more likely than volunteers who'd done nothing dangerous to rate pictures of the opposite sex as “very
attractive”. So, to rejuvenate your flagging sex life, take up dangerous sports together. Or failing that, just watch a scary movie.

10. “Is monogamy a realistic hope - or are we genetically hard-wired to sleep around?” 

There may be little scientific truth in the old ditty, “Hogamous higamous, man is polygamous, women is monogamous.” In fact, it's a far more equal world.

Sexual attraction is activated in the brain by a variety of endorphins, including phenyulethylamine (Pea). This in turn releases a chemical called vasopressin, also known as the monogamy hormone, as it urges a man to make sure his mate doesn't go off with anyone else. One plus is that it means he has to stick around, too.

Women also have a monogamy drug. During physical intimacy - touching, stroking and sex - women produe the hormone oxytocin. As well as engaging the mothering instinct, it also helps you bond with your partner. (Men respond less hormonally to touch, which is why cuddling is often less important to them).

However, this doesn't mean it's monogamy all the way. While men may have a biological urge to “spread their seed”, women are just as likely to keep their options open. Dr Robin Baker, author of Sperm Wars, claims that during ovulation women are programmed to seek out the best sperm to impregnate them, even if that means having sex with two men in the same day during their monthly window of fertility. But, girls, if you do take advantage of your naturally sexy times of the month, remember: that handsome stranger might not seem quite so appealing in a few days time.

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Interesting Cat Facts

Interesting  Cat Facts

1. FELIS CATUS - that’s the scientific name for a cat that lives in our houses.

2. Most pet cats weigh between 2.5 - 7 kilograms (if your cat is too heavy it might need to go on a diet) .

3. A cat uses its whiskers to measure how wide an opening is - that way they can work out if they can fit into spaces .

4. Chocolate can make your cat very sick .

5. Cats use their tail to keep their balance .

6. A cat’s body temperature is normally around 37.9º Celsius when they are healthy .

7. Cats use body language to tell you how they are feeling ..

8. Cats have 32 muscles in each ear so they can listen in all directions .

9. Cats have protractible claws - this means their claws can come in and out of their toe pads .

10. SNIFF SNIFF - Cats have a very strong sense of smell (about 14 times stronger than a human) .

11. YAWN! Cats sleep for around 14 hours each day .

12. A cat’s tongue has special hooks on it (that’s why they feel very rough if you ever touch your cat’s tongue). The hooks help them to clean their fur.

13. Black cats don’t really bring bad luck and they are kind of cool.

14. Cats sweat through their nose and their paws.

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Elephant Facts

Elephant Facts

Image Source:  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

1. Once common throughout Africa and Asia, elephant numbers were severely depleted in the 19th century, largely due to the massive ivory trade. While some populations are now stable, poaching and habitat destruction continue to threaten the species.

2. The elephant has the longest gestation period of any mammal at 22 months.

3. Healthy adult elephants have no natural predators.

4. The African elephant is the largest animal walking the Earth. Their herds wander through 37 countries in Africa.

5. In addition to being smaller, forest elephants are darker and their tusks are straighter and point downward.

6. Elephants need to eat an average of 150 kg per day to survive.

7. Elephant herds follow ancient seasonal migration routes. It is the task of the eldest elephant to lead the herd along these routes.

8. Tusks, which are large modified incisors that grow throughout an elephant’s lifetime, occur in both males and females and are used in fights and for marking, feeding, and digging.

9. Elephants do indeed have excellent memories and can recognize faces and locations that they have not seen in years.

10. An African bull elephant’s ear weighs about 100 lbs (45kg)!

11. Elephants are unique animals in that they identify and care for elephant bones.

12. Elephants have an extraordinary sense of smell, which is said to be many times more discriminating than that of a bloodhound.

13. Elephants have very large and complex brains. At an average of 4.8 kg the elephant brain is the largest among living and extinct terrestrial mammals.

14. The behavior of elephants both in the wild and in captivity suggests that elephants are able to use their long-term memories to “keep score” and to extract “revenge” for wrongs done.

15. Elephants are the largest living species of land animal - and they get so large by eating a diet largely made up of leafy greens!

16. Elephants can reach speeds of over 40km/h but but they cannot jump. A ditch too wide to step across or an incline too steep to climb is a reliable barrier for elephants. Using their trunks as snorkels and by swallowing air to regulate buoyancy, elephants are great swimmers!

17. A lady’s high heel has greater pressure per square centimetre than an elephant’s foot!

18. The closest living relatives to the elephant are manatees and hippopotami - imagine those family picnics!

19. Elephants are members of the pachyderm family. The word comes from the Greek words for “thick skinned”.The skin of an elephant is about 4 centimeters thick.

20. In 1982 an attendant at the zoo in Prague reported that he had gotten some bad stains on his shirt. He sent the shirt to the laundry, but the stains were still there. On a very hot day at work the attendant took off his shirt and laid it aside. An elephant grabbed the shirt and gulped it down before he could get it back. A day or two later, when the shirt reappeared at the other end, it was still intact; and the stains were gone!

21. An elephants drinks by filling its trunk with water and then pouring the water into its mouth. An elephant can hold about 4 litres of water.

22. Despite their great size, elephants walk almost silently. They have tough, shock-absorbing pads on the bottoms of their feet, and the bones inside are configured so that only the tips reach the soles of the feet. So essentially, elephants do walk on tiptoe!

23. The elephant is the world’s biggest land animal and spends about 16 to 18 hours a day eating to make sure it stays that way!

24. Elephants live in groups called herds. The herd is typically composed of up to 10 females and their young. Once a male reaches adulthood, it leaves the herd and only returns during mating. Elephants within a herd greet each other by touching each other’s mouths with the tips of their trunks and greet their trainers with trunk hugs and vocalizations.

25. There are two kinds of elephants: the Indian elephant and the African elephant.

26. An elephant has about 150,000 muscles in its trunk.

27. An adult male elephant produces up to 200 kilograms of dung per day! Birds and animals feed on the seeds in the dung.

28. An elephant’s tusk is sharp enough to pierce the metal of a car.

29. An elephant’s ear is up to one metre wide.

30. An elephant’s feet carry a weight of up to 6000 kilograms.

31. Elephants push down trees to eat the leaves on the highest branches. An elephant can knock down a tree that is nine metres tall.

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Amazing Crocodile facts

Amazing Crocodile facts

Nile Crocodile

Source: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

KINGDOM: Animalia 
PHYLUM: Chordata 
CLASS: Reptilia 
ORDER: Crocodilia 
FAMILY: Crocodylidae 
GENERA: Mecistops, Crocodylus, Osteolaemus  

Crocodiles are large, carnivorous reptiles of the order Crocodilia, found in tropical and subtropical regions. Crocodiles live in swamps or on river banks and catch their prey in the water. They have flattened bodies and tails, short legs, and powerful jaws. The eyes, ears, and nostrils are located near the top of the head and are exposed when the crocodile floats on the surface of the water. The ears and nostrils have valves that close when the animal is submerged.

1. Most crocodiles are more aggressive than the related alligators. The two forms are distinguished by the long lower fourth tooth: in crocodiles, but not in alligators, this tooth protrudes on the side of the head when the mouth is closed. Also, the snouts of most crocodiles are narrower than those of alligators.

2. Crocodiles are modern day dinosaurs having existed for over 200 million years.

3. Crocodile have the strongest bite force (5,0000 pounds per square inch) of any animal on Earth today.

4. The saltwater crocodile is the largest living reptile species. It can grow up to six metres and is a serious threat to humans. Saltwater crocodiles have evolved special characteristics that make them excellent predators.

5. Large saltwater crocodiles can stay underwater for at least one hour because they can reduce their heart rate to 2-3 beats per minute. This means that crocodiles can wait underwater until they see prey, or if people are using the same spot regularly, the crocodile can wait underwater until someone approaches the water’s edge.  A crocodile can float with only eyes and nostrils exposed, enabling it to approach prey without being detected. When under water, a special transparent eyelid protects the crocodile’s eye. This means that crocodiles can still see when they are completely submerged.

6. The tail of a crocodile is solid muscle and a major source of power, making it a strong swimmer and able to make sudden lunges out of the water to capture prey. These strong muscles also mean that for shorts bursts of time crocodiles can move faster than humans can on land.

7. Crocodiles have a thin layer of guanine crystals behind their retina. This intensifies images, allowing crocodiles to see better at low light levels.

8. Crocodiles have a ‘minimum exposure’ posture in the water, which means that only their sensory organs of eyes, cranial platform, ears and nostrils remain out of the water. This means that they often go unseen by prey, but if they are observed, the prey is often not able to tell how big the crocodile is.

9. Crocodile eyes are located very closely together and they are oriented forward. This enables them to judge distance very accurately so they can determine the exact location of their prey prior to attack.

10. Crocodiles have excellent hearing, which helps them to locate prey particularly in poor light or low visibility conditions.

11. While crocodiles may regularly lose teeth, they have a second tooth sitting in reserve underneath the external tooth, which can replace the lost tooth.

12. The jaws of crocodiles are designed to generate enormous power when the jaws are closing. This enables them to quickly crush prey.

13. Crocodiles grow large very fast and soon become a dangerous size, so large that they can kill and eat their owners.

14. Crocodiles are the smartest of all reptiles. They have a developed cerebral cortex, which means they can retain memory and use that memory to plan ahead.

15. Since crocodiles are cold blooded, they use the environment to regulate their body temperature instead of their brains.  In fact, they are the only know species in the whole world that can move their own heart valves when they want to in order to change the amount of blood flow to different parts of their bodies.

16. Crocodiles can see as good as an eagle. They also see in color. Crocodiles have three eyelids on each eye. They have one just like our eyelids which comes from the top down; then they have one that closes from the bottom up; and the third one is a clear one that comes from the inside corner of their eye.

17. When they are out of the water they also have a keen sense of smell and can hear well.

18. When they go under water, flaps shut their ears and nostrils.  Crocodiles also have special pores called ISO’s that detect pressure changes and vibrations in the water.

19. American crocodiles are considered the most vocal of all Crocodilians. Crocodiles can jaw smack, tail smack, bellow, and moan; but most crocodile communication occurs under the water and in frequencies so low (subsonic) that we cannot hear them. Much like bats ‘talk’ so high we cannot usually hear them.

20. Humans are apex predators. An animal that has no predators other than it’s own species or humans.

21. Never feed crocodiles - it is illegal and very dangerous.

22. Never swim in a lagoon at sunrise and sunset. That is the time of day when crocodiles feed.

23. When fishing be sure to stand back several feet from the shore.

24. Never clean fish or discard fish scraps near the water’s edge or at boat ramps/docks. Take your scraps back out to sea.

25. Stay away from crocodile slide marks. Crocs may still be close-by.

26. Do not dangle you arms or legs over the side of a boat, including kayaks.

27. Never poke or harass a crocodile, even small ones or babies. The mother crocodile may be nearby.

28. Never through food scraps at the water’s edge. It attracts fish and raccoons, which in turn attracts crocodiles.

29. Be more aware of crocodiles at night.

30. The Egyptian Plover which is said to enjoy a symbiotic relationship with the crocodile. According to unauthenticated reports, the plover feeds on parasites that infest the crocodile's mouth and the reptile will open its jaws and allow the bird to enter to clean out the mouth. 

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Anonymity on the web

Anonymity on the web

I can see you hiding in the shadows over there and so can the logs of all the web sites, FTP servers and other nooks and crannies you visit on the web. The sort of information gathered by these logs and which is available to the webmasters of the sites you visit include the address of the previous site you visited, your IP address, your computer's ID name, your physical location and the name of your ISP along with less personal details such as the operating system you're using and your screen resolution. If someone was snooping through your dustbin to gather information on consumer trends or tracking your every move to see where it is you go everyday you wouldn't be too chuffed would you. Well the web is no different, it's still an invasion of privacy and a threat to security and you don't have to put up with it.

Proxy servers:

Every time you visit a web site, detailed information about your system is automatically provided to the webmaster. This information can be used by hackers to exploit your computer or can be forwarded to the market research departments of consumer corporations who by tracking your activities on the internet are better equipped to direct more relevant spam at you. Your best defence against this is to use what is known as a proxy server, which will hide revealing information from the web sites you visit, allowing you to surf the web anonymously. These work by altering the way in which your browser retrieves web pages or connects to remote servers. With a proxy server set up, whenever you 'ask' IE or Netscape to look at a web page, the request is first sent through an external server which is completely independent of your ISP's servers. This third party server then does the requesting on your behalf so that it appears that the request came from them rather than you and your real IP address is never disclosed to the sites you visit. There is nothing to download and the whole process takes less than a minute.

There are two different ways to use proxy servers and both have their advantages and disadvantages. The first method is to use a web based service. What this involves is visiting the proxy's home page each time you want to browse a web site anonymously. The core component of such a system is the dialog box where you enter the address of the web site you want to visit. Each time you enter the URL of the site you want to browse via the proxy into this box, your personal information, IP address and so on is first encrypted before being sent to the site allowing you to maintain your anonymity. Two of the best examples of this type of web based proxy service are Code:

hxxp://www.rewebber.com/
and hxxp://www.anonymizer.com/. Replace xx with tt.

Obviously one disadvantage of using a web based service like Rewebber or Anonymizer, however, is that you have to visit the proxies home page each time you want to surf anonymously. You could choose to select this page as your default home page, but it's still quite awkward if you're forever site hopping at the speed of light. The second main 'con' is that you often have to put up with extra adverts on the pages you visit. These are automatically inserted into the pages by the proxy - they have to pay for service somehow. More sophisticated and convenient solutions are also on offer yet they come with a price tag.

The second method you can use to protect your privacy via a proxy server involves adjusting the settings of your web browser so that you can surf anonymously without having to visit the home page of your proxy each time. To do this you will first need to know the name of your proxy server and the port number it uses. This information can be gleaned from either a public proxy server list or the FAQ referring to a private subscription based service. Once you have the name of the proxy server you wish to use, select 'Internet Options' from the 'Tools' menu of your browser. Now select 'Connections' followed by 'Settings' and tick the 'use a proxy server' check box. To finish the job all you have to do now is enter the name of the server in the 'address' box, the port which it uses in the 'port' box and go forth and surf anonymously.

Free, manual proxy servers as advertised on anonymity sites, if you can find one at all, are likely to be highly oversubscribed, and as a result the speed at which they retrieve web pages can deteriorate. In which case you can go in pursuit of a public proxy server list and select an alternative from it, which can then be set up manually. To locate such a list you can investigate sites such as Code:

hxxp://www.proxys4all.com/

however, this method isn't problem free either, so before you get too carried away and go jumping on the anonymity bandwagon there are a few things you should be aware of. It's very easy to use proxies to protect your privacy, but often the disadvantages of using them far out weigh the benefits. You see, the problem is that, like the proxy servers provided Rewebber et al, free, public proxies are nearly all over subscribed and so they can slow down web browsing considerably. Digging out fast reliable proxy servers is an art form in itself and is a skill which takes considerable practice. You could find a list of public proxy servers and then experiment with each one until you find one that runs at a reasonable speed, but this can be very time consuming and frustrating. Instead, your search would be much more efficient if you got a dedicated program to carry out this task for you. There are literally dozens of proxy seeking programs around which can do just that, and many of them are available as freeware. What these do is scan the internet for public proxy servers. These servers are then tested for speed and anonymity (not all of them are truly anonymous, even if they claim to be!) and once you find one which suits your requirements you can select it as your default proxy with the click of a button.

One of the most significant advantages of using an automated tool to locate proxy servers is that you do not have to keep editing your proxy settings manually each time you wish to try out a new one. Instead, what you do is enter 'localhost' or '127.0.0.1' into the 'address' box and '8088' into the 'port' box of your browser's proxy settings menu and then forget about it. All future proxy switching is then orchestrated from within your proxy seeking software, which subsequently relays the information to your browser or whatever type of application you are attempting to make anonymous. For those of you who are curious 'localhost' and the IP address '127.0.0.1' are the names by which every computer on the internet refers to itself.

Here's a good selection of links, which should help you to get started - Code:

hxxp://www.a4proxy.com/ Anonymity 4 Proxy
hxxp://www.helgasoft.com/hiproxy/ Hi Proxy
hxxp://www.proxy-verifier.com/ Proxy Verifier
hxxp://www.photono-software.de/ Stealther.

You may find that even when using these programs you have difficulty finding good proxy servers. It is for this reason that many people choose only to use proxy servers temporarily whilst doing something which may land them in trouble with their ISP, or in a worst case scenario with the law. The most obvious example of a situation in which you would want to cover your tracks is when scanning for public FTP servers and subsequently uploading to them. Most other net activities are unlikely to incur serious consequences so under these circumstances you can safely surf the web without a proxy. If you're really serious about protecting your privacy, however, your best bet is probably to invest in a dedicated, stable proxy such as the ones offered by Code:

hxxp://www.ultimate-anonymity.com/ Ultimate Anonymity

These aren't free, but may be worth the expense if you aren't keen on continuously switching proxy servers.

Before splashing out though it may be worth checking if your current ISP has a proxy server of its own which you can use. These aren't there to help you to commit cyber crimes and get away with it, they actually have a legitimate purpose as well - otherwise they wouldn't exist. You see, proxy servers were originally designed to help speed up web page loading times. Proxy servers contain a cache of all the web pages which have been requested via the browsers of the people using the proxy. When someone surfs the web using a proxy, the proxy first checks to see if it already has a copy of the web page stored in its cache. If this version of the page is bang up to date, it is sent to your computer and appears in your browser. If the page found in the cache of the proxy server is older than the one stored on the server hosting the page, a new request to the web server is made and the page is updated in the cache of the proxy before being sent to you. Because these servers use very fast internet connections they can retrieve web pages at much greater speeds than you can via your modest home setup. If these servers are located physically nearer to your home than the web host servers you wish to retrieve web pages from, the speed at which you browse the web will be accelerated.

Anonymity - Cookies

One last important point you need to be aware of before jumping in with both feet is that different programs have to be setup in different ways before being able to make external connections via a proxy server. For example, you can surf the web anonymously by modifying the settings in Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator as explained earlier in this tutorial, but this will only affect your browser. If you then used Flash FXP to copy a batch of 0-day releases from one FTP server to another, this isn't going to protect you in the slightest. What you have to do is enter the name of the proxy server into each application you wish to make anonymous before making any external connections. This can usually be done by browsing through the preferences of your program to see if there is a 'use proxy server' option available. If there is, make sure you use it!

Cookies:

You have little to fear from the edible variety, but the digital ones can be a major threat to your security and privacy. A cookie is a tiny text file (usually less than 1kb in size), which is created and stored on your hard drive whenever you visit a dynamic (or an interactive if you like) web site. These are used to log your personal details so that you can access members only areas of web sites without having to type in a password every time, or to retain your customised settings so that they are available the next time you visit. If you're using a shared computer, anyone who visits the same site that you have previously logged in to can access your accounts. This is particularly worrying if you have entered your credit card details into a form on an e-commerce site. If your browser is set to automatically fill in these details whenever you return to a previously visited site, this information could be clearly visible - you don't need me to explain the problems this could entail.

The solution to this problem is to delete any cookies which contain sensitive data once you have completed your transactions. Your cookies will be stored in a different place depending on which operating system you are using so you will have to use your detective skills to find them. As an example, in Windows XP they are located in your 'c:\Documents and Settings\Kylie Minogue\Cookies' directory (that is if your name is Kylie Minogue. Mine isn't in case you're wondering!). If you look in this directory, in some cases it is easy to identify which cookie is associated with which web site, but in other cases it's not so obvious. The cookie which was created when you visited Yahoo.com to check your email may be called kylieminogue@yahoo.txt for example. Unfortunately some cookies refer to the IP address of the site you visited and so look more like kylie minogue@145.147.25.21. These cookies can be selectively deleted one at a time if it's obvious which ones are causing a threat to your security, or you can just wipe out the whole lot in one fell swoop and have them recreated as and when they are required. However, if you're really struggling to find your cookie jar, you could delete your cookies via your browser's tool bar instead. In Internet Explorer this can be done through the 'Tools' > 'Internet Options' menu items.

If all this sounds like too much hassle, you can always find a labour saving program which will be happy to take the job off your hands. These 'cookie crunching' programs allow you to be more selective when editing, viewing and deleting cookies from your system, and some of them will even prevent cookies from being created in the first place. Yes, I know you're hungry for links so I won't deprive you. Have a look here - Code:

hxxp://www.rbaworld.com/Programs/CookieCruncher/ Cookie
Cruncher
hxxp://www.thelimitsoft.com/ Cookie Crusher
hxxp://www.angove.com/ Cookie Killer
hxxp://www.kburra.com/ Cookie Pal
and
hxxp://www.cookiecentral.com/ Cookie Web Kit.

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Amazing Squirrel Facts

Amazing Squirrel Facts

Image source: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

1. Squirrels are the most active in late winter, when the mating season begins. The males will chase females, as well as chase off other suitors. This ritual of chasing occurs through the trees at top speed, while they perform some of the most breathtaking acrobatics imaginable.

2. Squirrels are usually born in the early spring. The average litter consists of four. This varies with climate and location. A second litter can occur in mid summer, if there is an adequate food supply.

3. During winter storms, or severe cold, the squirrel may not leave the nest for days.But, the tree squirrel does not hibernate!

4. A squirrel's brain is about the size of a walnut.

5. A squirrel's teeth grow continuously. Their incisors will grow six inches per year, but stay short due to the constant wear they receive.

6. There are an astonishing number of squirrels worldwide, and many are strikingly attractive animals.

7. In North America, there are several species that are regarded as "tree" squirrels, contrasting with an even greater variety of "ground" squirrels. Tree squirrels are found throughout most of the United States-except the treeless Great Plains and Great Basin areas -and into southern Canada.

8. The fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) and eastern (S. carolinensis) and western (S. griseus) gray squirrels are usually the species involved in homeowner conflicts. Of course, squirrels also have many engaging and fascinating behavioral traits that endear them to us, and make squirrel watching an educational and enriching experience.

9. The eastern gray squirrel measures 8 to 10 inches and has a bushy tail that's almost as long. This squirrel can be highly varied in coloration, ranging from a rufous tint to almost pure white, or even all dark or black.

10. The western gray squirrel is a little longer and heavier than his eastern cousin, while the fox squirrel is the biggest of all-as long as 15 inches with a tail almost as long, and weighing up to three pounds.

11. The squirrel diet varies with the seasons and the availability of plant material (such as nuts, fruits, flowers, and plant buds) that almost entirely makes up the animal's larder. Squirrels also occasionally eat bird eggs or nestlings, and may even pounce on small birds at feeders-much to the dismay of human witnesses who assume that squirrels are passive vegetarians.

12. Squirrels are fascinating animals to watch, photograph, and study. They make themselves available for observation in ways that few other animals do, and they have a rich and complex repertoire of behaviors. For those willing to patiently watch and learn, squirrels have a lot to offer.

13. Red Squirrels have four fingers and two toes on each paw.

14. It is thought that the Red Squirrel made their way to the British Isles from mainland Europe at the end of the last Ice Age, approximately 10,000 years ago!

15. Squirrels do not hibernate, but bury plentiful supplies of seeds and nuts in the ground to eat in the winter.

1`6. Red and Grey Squirrels cannot breed together.

17. Grey Squirrels transmit the deadly squirrel pox virus to the Reds. Greys are immune and are only carriers.

18. Young squirrels are called kittens or kits. They are blind for the first 3 to 4 weeks of life and are born without hair and teeth!

19. Squirrels live in twiggy nests called dreys, situated mainly in the trees. This prevents attacks from ground predators like foxes.

20. The Latin name is Sciurus Vulgaris.

21. Contrary to what its name suggests, the flying squirrel cannot fly. Instead, it glides with two furry membranes, called patagia, loosely stretched between its wrists and ankles. The membranes act as an parachute to support the squirrel while jumping from tree to tree.

22. Depending on the wind and takeoff height, the flying squirrel can glide for 50 metres or more.

23. Red squirrels are not always red in colour! - They can also be brown, almost black, or even quite grey, and can become blonde due to bleaching by the summer sunlight

24. They can be either right or left handed while they eat a pine cone!

25. Squirrels moult their coat twice a year, once after winter to provide a thin coat for summer, and then in the late summer to provide a thicker and warmer coat before the colder winter weather sets in .

26. They have four fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot .

27. Red squirrels can live to six years of age

28. Squirrels are very athletic and can hang upside down!

29. And they can swim!

30. They lose their distinctive ear tufts once a year, when they moult in late autumn.

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Happy Mother's Day 12-5-2013

Happy Mother's Day 12-5-2013

On Sunday May 12, we will be celebrating Mother’s Day.Happy mothers days to all moms.

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Varanasi: India's City of Death and Enlightenment

Varanasi: India's City of Death and Enlightenment

Located on the banks of India’s River Ganges, Varanasi is considered the holiest place on Earth by Hindus. The city has been a center of enlightenment and civilization for more than 2,000 years, and the Hindu faith continues to define this sacred city. The rituals and beliefs surrounding cremation and the cycle of reincarnation. 

It is on the banks of the Ganges, which Hindus believe flows with holy waters. Varanasi is also the city in which Hindus believe one must die in order to end the cycle of reincarnation and achieve eternal life. It is the last destination on a Hindu’s journey toward enlightenment. Believed to dwell in Varanasi, Shiva is the god who grants spiritual enlightenment, enabling people to end the cycle of reincarnation.

Karma is the Hindu law of cause and effect. Hindus believe that one’s karma determines the path the soul travels from birth through life, to death, and back to life. Hindus believe that bad actions in your life result in bad karma, and good actions result in good karma. Good and bad deeds in a person’s previous or present life determine the quality of the next incarnation.

The dead are cremated on funeral pyres. It is believed that death does not actually occur until the body is in flames. there are more than 70 ghats in Varanasi, which provide a ceremonial approach to the river; at dawn, hundreds of Hindus stand on the ghats facing the rising sun murmuring prayers, bathing, and making offerings; there are also the “burning” ghats where cremations take place. Hindu priests sit along the ghats and assist the people in prayers and rituals. It is believed that a person is not actually dead until flames consume the body, freeing the spirit to continue on to the next incarnation.  I did not upload photographs of burning dead bodies in the ghats. 

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

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Drag Queens in Half Drag

Drag Queens in Half Drag 

In his Half-Drag series, New York based photographer Leland Bobbé captures two sides of the city’s drag queens – the unrestrained, made-up drag divas, and the men that lie beneath. 

Images Sources :http://lelandbobbe.com/blog/category/half-drag/

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100 completely useless facts

100 completely useless facts

Below are 100 completely useless facts.
1. Most American car horns honk in the key of F.

2. The name Wendy was made up for the book "Peter Pan."

3. Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.

4. Every time you lick a stamp, you consume 1/10 of a calorie.

5. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.

6. Studies show that if a cat falls off the seventh floor of a building it has about thirty percent less chance of surviving than a cat that falls off the twentieth floor. It supposedly takes about eight floors for the cat to realize what is occurring, relax and correct itself.

7. Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks otherwise it will digest itself.

8. The citrus soda 7-UP was created in 1929; '7' was selected after the original 7-ounce containers and 'UP' for the direction of the bubbles.

9. 101 Dalmatians, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, and Mulan are the only Disney cartoons where both parents are present and don't die throughout the movie. .

10. A pig's orgasm lasts for 30 minutes.

11. 'Stewardesses' is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.

12. To escape the grip of a crocodile's jaws, push your thumbs into its eyeballs - it will let you go instantly.

13. Reindeer like to eat bananas.

Image source: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

14. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver and purple.

15. The word "samba" means "to rub navels together."

16. Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots.

17. The electric chair was invented by a dentist.

18. The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin during World War II Killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.

19. More people are killed annually by donkeys than airplane crashes.

20. A 'jiffy' is a unit of time for 1/100th of a second.

21. A whale's penis is called a dork.

22. Because of the rotation of the earth, an object can be thrown farther if it is thrown west.

23. The average person spends 6 months of their life sitting at red lights.

24. In 1912 a law passed in Nebraska where drivers in the country at night were required to stop every 150 yards, send up a skyrocket, wait eight minutes for the road to clear before proceeding cautiously, all the while blowing their horn and shooting off flares.

25. More Monopoly money is printed in a year, than real money throughout the world.

26. Caesar salad has nothing to do with any of the Caesars. It was first concocted in a bar in Tijuana, Mexico, in the 1920's.

27. One quarter of the bones in your body are in your feet.

28. Crocodiles and alligators are surprisingly fast on land. Although they are rapid, they are not agile. So, if being chased by one, run in a zigzag line to lose him or her.

29. Seattle’s Fremont Bridge rises up and down more than any drawbridge in the world.

30. Right-handed people live, on average; nine years longer than left handed people.

31. Ten percent of the Russian government's income comes from the sale of vodka.

32. In the United States, a pound of potato chips costs two hundred times more than a pound of potatoes.

33. A giraffe can go without water longer than a camel.

34. A person cannot taste food unless it is mixed with saliva. For example, if a strong-tasting substance like salt is placed on a dry tongue, the taste buds will not be able to taste it. As soon as a drop of saliva is added and the salt is dissolved, however, a definite taste sensation results. This is true for all foods.

35. Nearly 80% of all animals on earth have six legs.

36. In the marriage ceremony of the ancient Inca Indians of Peru, the couple was considered officially wed when they took off their sandals and handed them to each other.

37. Ninety percent of all species that have become extinct have been birds.

38. There is approximately one chicken for every human being in the world.

39. Most collect calls are made on father's day.

40. The first automobile race ever seen in the United States was held in Chicago in 1895. The track ran from Chicago to Evanston, Illinois. The winner was J. Frank Duryea, whose average speed was 71/2 miles per hour.

41. Each of us generates about 3.5 pounds of rubbish a day, most of it paper.

42. Women manage the money and pay the bills in 75% of all Americans households.

43. A rainbow can be seen only in the morning or late afternoon. It can occur only when the sun is 40 degrees or less above the horizon.

44. It has NEVER rained in Calama, a town in the Atacama Desert of Chile.

45. It costs more to buy a new car today in the United States than it cost Christopher Columbus to equip and undertake three voyages to and from the New World.

46. The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.

47. An eighteenth-century German named Matthew Birchinger, known as "the little man of Nuremberg," played four musical instruments including the bagpipes, was an expert calligrapher, and was the most famous stage magician of his day. He performed tricks with the cup and balls that have never been explained. Yet Birchinger had no hands, legs, or thighs, and was less than 29 inches tall.

48. Daylight Saving Time is not observed in most of the state of Arizona and parts of Indiana.

49. Ants closely resemble human manners: When they wake, they stretch & appear to yawn in a human manner before taking up the tasks of the day.

50. Bees have 5 eyes. There are 3 small eyes on the top of a bee's head and 2 larger ones in front.

51. Count the number of cricket chirps in a 15-second period, add 37 to the total, and your result will be very close to the actual outdoor Fahrenheit temperature.

52. One-fourth of the world's population lives on less than $200 a year. Ninety million people survive on less than $75 a year.

53. Butterflies taste with their hind feet.

54. Only female mosquito’s' bite and most are attracted to the color blue twice as much as to any other color.

55. If one places a tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion, it will instantly go mad and sting itself to death.

56. It is illegal to hunt camels in the state of Arizona.

57. In eighteenth-century English gambling dens, there was an employee whose only job was to swallow the dice if there was a police raid.

58. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.

59. The human tongue tastes bitter things with the taste buds toward the back. Salty and pungent flavors are tasted in the middle of the tongue, sweet flavors at the tip!

60. The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley’s gum.

61. When you sneeze, air and particles travel through the nostrils at speeds over 100 mph. During this time, all bodily functions stop, including your heart, contributing to the impossibility of keeping one's eyes open during a sneeze.

62. Annual growth of WWW traffic is 314,000%

63. 60% of all people using the Internet, use it for pornography.

64. In 1778, fashionable women of Paris never went out in blustery weather without a lightning rod attached to their hats.

65. Sex burns 360 calories per hour.

66. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continually from the bottom of the glass to the top.

67. Celery has negative calories! It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it.

68. The average lead pencil will draw a line 35 miles long or write approximately 50,000 English words. More than 2 billion pencils are manufactured each year in the United States. If these were laid end to end they would circle the world nine times.

69. The pop you hear when you crack your knuckles is actually a bubble of gas burning.

70. A literal translation of a standard traffic sign in China: "Give large space to the festive dog that makes sport in the roadway."

71. You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching TV.

72. Larry Lewis ran the 100-yard dash in 17.8 seconds in 1969, thereby setting a new world's record for runners in the 100-years-or-older class. He was 101.

73. In a lifetime the average human produces enough quarts of spit to fill 2 swimming pools.

74. It's against the law to doze off under a hair dryer in Florida/against the law to slap an old friend on the back in Georgia/against the law to Play hopscotch on a Sunday in Missouri.

75. Barbie's measurements, if she were life-size, would be 39-29-33.

76. The human heart creates enough pressure to squirt blood 30 ft.

77. One third of all cancers are sun related.

78. THE MOST UNUSUAL CANNONBALL: On two occasions, Miss 'Rita Thunderbird' remained inside the cannon despite a lot of gunpowder encouragement to do otherwise. She performed in a gold lamé bikini and on one of the two occasions (1977) Miss Thunderbird remained lodged in the cannon, while her bra was shot across the Thames River.

79. It has been estimated that humans use only 10% of their brain.

80. Valentine Tapley from Pike County, Missouri grew chin whiskers attaining a length of twelve feet six inches from 1860 until his death 1910, protesting Abraham Lincoln's election to the presidency.

81. Most Egyptians died by the time they were 30 about 300 years ago,

82. For some time Frederic Chopin, the composer and pianist, wore a beard on only one side of his face, explaining: "It does not matter, my audience sees only my right side."

83. 1 in every 4 Americans has appeared someway or another on television.

84. 1 in 8 Americans has worked at a McDonalds restaurant.

85. 70% of all boats sold are used for fishing.

86. Studies have shown that children laugh an average of 300 times/day and adults 17 times/day, making the average child more optimistic, curious, and creative than the adult.

87. A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.

88. The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.

89. You were born with 300 bones, but by the time you are an adult you will only have 206.

90. If you go blind in one eye you only lose about one fifth of your vision but all your sense of depth.

91. Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

92. The strongest muscle (Relative to size) in the body is the tongue.

93. A Boeing 747's wingspan is longer than the Wright brother's first flight.

94. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.

95. Average life span of a major league baseball: 7 pitches.

96. A palindrome is a sentence or group of sentences that reads the same backwards as it does forward: Ex: 'Red rum, sir, is murder.' 'Ma is as selfless as I am.' 'Nurse, I spy gypsies. Run!' 'A man, a plan, a canal - Panama.' 'He lived as a devil, eh?'

97. The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen's 'Born in the USA'

98. In 1986 Congress & President Ronald Reagan signed Public Law 99-359, which changed Daylight Saving Time from the last Sunday in April to the first Sunday in April. It was estimated to save the nation about 300,000 barrels of oil each year by adding most of the month April to D.S.T.

99. The thumbnail grows the slowest, the middle nail the fastest, nearly 4 times faster than toenails.

100. Owls are the only birds that can see the colour blue.

100. The Human eyes never grow, but nose and ears never stop growing.

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