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

2. Coca-Cola would be green if colouring weren’t added to it.

3. “Rhythm” is the longest English word without a vowel.

4. A cockroach can live several weeks with its head cut off!

5. You can’t kill yourself by holding your breath.

6. Your heart beats over 100,000 times a day!

7. You’re born with 300 bones, but by the time you become an adult, you only have 206.

8. The word “queue” is the only word in the English language that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed.

9. The elephant is the only mammal that can’t jump!

10. Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

All of us make little health mistakes that cause damage to our bodies in the long run – simply because we are unaware we are doing something wrong. Here are some of the most common mistakes made by many of us.

Crossing our legs
We often cross our legs at our knees when sitting. Although we may believe that this is the lady-like elegant way to sit, sitting this way cuts down circulation to your legs. The best way to sit is to simply place both legs together on the floor, balancing your weight equally. If you feel like changing position, instead of crossing your legs, simply move both legs together to one side. As an alternative, you could also consider crossing your legs loosely at the ankles. This is a classically elegant way to sit, and is far better for your legs and your health than sitting with your legs crossed at your knees.

Eating out often
There are oils that are high in cholesterol, and oils that cause little harm and are better for your heart. However, no matter how light the oil is, it is never a good idea to eat too much of it. Avoid fried foods. Limit outdoor eating unless you know that you’re getting served light and healthy food.

Skipping breakfast
Never, ever skip breakfast. Remember, when you wake up in the morning its been around 10-12 hours since your last meal. Your body needs food now, Eat a heavy breakfast. If you are trying to diet, eat a light dinner. Here are some more common health mistakes we make.

High heels
High heels sure looks great, but they’re murder for your back. This however doesn’t mean you should steer clear of stilettos. Wear them, but not when you know you will be walking around a lot. Wear them when going out for lunch or dinner – when the only walking you will be doing is to your car, to the table, and back. Avoid high heels when you are going somewhere on foot.

Sleeping on a soft bed
You don’t have to sleep on the floor be kind to your back, but do make sure you have a firm mattress. Your neck and your back will thank you. The same rule applies to sofas. If you will be spending hours on a sofa, get a firm yet comfortable one. Sofas you completely sink into are not the best idea.

Pillows
No matter how comfortable sleeping with ten cushions is, have pity on your neck and resist. Sleep with one pillow, and make sure it is not too thick. If your pillow gets lumpy, discard it and go for a new one. Get a thin pillow if you sleep on your stomach, and something a little thicker if you sleep on your back, to give your neck adequate support.

Lastly, do exercise
If you haven’t exercised for a week, you’re making a mistake. Don’t wait for a heart attack to strike before you decide to opt for a lifestyle change. Make the change now. You don’t need to train for the marathon to be in top shape. Half an hour of brisk walking three to four times a week will make a world of difference to your health.

Being informed and making a few changes can help make us feel a whole lot better.

Exercise of the brain is as important as exercise of the muscles. As we grow older, it’s important that we keep mentally alert. The saying; “If you don’t use it, you will lose it” also applies to the brain, so…

Below is a very private way to gauge your loss or non-loss of intelligence. So, take the following test presented here and determine if you are losing it or are still “with it.” The spaces below are so you don’t see the answers until you have made your answer.

OK, relax, clear your mind and… begin.

1. What do you put in a toaster?

Answer: “bread.” If you said “toast,” then give up now and go do something else. Try not to hurt yourself. If you said, “bread,” go to Question 2.

2. Say “silk” five time! s. Now spell “silk.” What do cows drink?

Answer: Cows drink water. If you said “milk,” please do not attempt the next question. Your brain is obviously over stressed and may even overheat. It may be that you need to content yourself with reading something more appropriate such as Children’s World. If you said “water” then proceed to question 3.

3. If a red house is made from red bricks and a blue house is made from blue bricks and a pink house is made from pink bricks and a black house is made from black bricks, what is a green house made from?

Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass. If you said “green bricks,” what are you still doing here reading these questions??? ?? If you said “glass,” then! go on to question 4.

4. It’s twenty years ago, and a plane is flying at 20,000 feet over Germany. If you will recall, Germany at the time was politically divided into West Germany and East Germany.) Anyway, during the flight, TWO of the engines fail. The pilot, realizing that the last remaining engine is also failing, decides on a crash landing procedure. Unfortunately the engine fails before he has time and the plane fatally crashes smack in the middle of “no man’s land” between East Germany and West Germany. Where would you bury the survivors? East Germany or West Germany or in “no man’s land”?

Answer: You don’t, of course, bury survivors. If you said ANYTHING else, you are a real dunce and you must NEVER try to rescue anyone from a plane crash. Your efforts would not be appreciated. If you said, “Don’t bury & the survivors”, then proceed to the next question.

5. Without using a calculator – You are driving a bus from London to Milford Haven in Wales. In London, 17 people get on the bus. In Reading, six people get off the bus and nine people get on. In Swindon, two people get off and four get on. In Cardiff, 11 people get off and 16 people get in. In Swansea, three people get off and five people get on. In Carmathen, six people get off and three get on. You then arrive at Milford Haven. What was the age of the bus driver?

Answer: Oh, for crying out loud! Don’t you remember your own age? It was YOU!!

Before Marriage….

He: Yes. At last. It was so hard to wait.

She: Do you want me to leave?

He: NO! Don’t even think about it.

She: Do you love me?

He: Of course! Over and over!

She: Have you ever cheated on me?

He: NO! Why are you even asking?

She: Will you kiss me?

He: Every chance I get!

She: Will you hit me?

He: Are you crazy! I’m not that kind of person!

She: Can I trust you?

He: Yes.

*She: Darling!

After marriage…. simply read from bottom to top!*

MySpace members will soon be able to use their login details to get access to some other websites. The social networking giant, which boasts more than 100 million accounts, has signed up for the OpenID initiative. The project aims to ease the mental load of going online by letting people use one set of login details for many different places.
Sites such as AOL, Blogger, Flickr and Yahoo already use OpenID.

However, MySpace is not letting its members use their login profiles and details on any site. It has set restrictions on where the login details can be used based on whether those sites create or accept OpenID profiles.

It will only allow MySpace details to be used to get access to what are known as “relying parties” – organisations that accept rather than create the portable identities. Sites such as Plaxo are relying parties.

Initially, OpenID profiles created from a MySpace account will be blocked from being used on sites regarded as “providers”. In the OpenID scheme sites that let create OpenID profiles for use elsewhere are “providers”.

Similarly, MySpace will not allow people who get an OpenID from a provider, such as Yahoo, to use that to login to the social network site.

It said in the future its policy would change to let members get the most out of OpenID.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup light margarine, softened
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup walnuts or pecans (chopped)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Cream butter, brown sugar and vanilla together in a mixing bowl.
Add eggs to above mixture one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well until blended.
Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts or pecans.
Place level tablespoon size of cookie dough on a greased baking sheet.
Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

And the cookies are ready to eat.

Almost everyone sweats as a normal reaction to stress such as heat, exercise, emotional factors. However, some people sweat excessively at armpits, on the hands or feet, causing severe social and psychological embarrassment. These people suffer from a condition known as primary focal hyperhidrosis. It affects one in twenty people worldwide. Some people are so embarrassed by this condition that they never seek help from their medical doctors.

Hyperhidrosis can either be generalised or localised to specific parts of the body. Hands, feet, axillae and the groin area are among the most active regions of perspiration due to the relatively high concentration of sweat glands; however, any part of the body may be affected. Primary hyperhidrosis is found to start during adolescence or even before.

Excessive sweating impedes the performance of many routine activities. Things like driving, taking tests and simply grasping objects are severely hampered by sweaty hands.

Some hyperhidrosis sufferers feel they have to avoid situations where they will come into physical contact with others. Interviews, a common source of anxiety for many people, are particularly distressing for hyperhidrosis patients. Most often, it is the handshake before and after the interview that they will be stressing most about. Hiding embarrassing sweat spots under the armpits limits the sufferers arm movements and pretense. In severe cases, shirts must be changed several times during the day.

Many careers present challenges for hyperhidrosis sufferers; cooks and chefs, doctors and people working with computers can be affected by the social aspect of their condition. The risk of de-hydration can limit the ability of sufferers to function in extremely hot conditions without reasonable access to a source of hydration as well as cause a risk of mineral and salt imbalance from excessive sweating.

Many cases of excessive sweating can be controlled by applying products such as Drysol (20 percent aluminum chloride in alcohol) on your armpits and wrapping plastic wrap over them before you go to sleep If your armpits itch or burn, remove the plastic and wash the area with soap and water. This process reduces sweating for six to eight days. You can repeat the procedure when you start to sweat heavily again. Most antiperspirants contain aluminum, which is safe for external use.

In 1998, Dr Walter Shelley of the Medical College of Ohio developed a breakthrough treatment for severe hand sweating when he injected botulinum toxin (Botox) into patients’ palms. The patients stopped sweating on their palms for 4 to 12 months.

Another possible treatment for sweaty hands is a device called Drionic, where you place your hands on a special wet pad and have a weak current run through your hands. Scopolamine can also help to prevent sweating, but it can make you dizzy so you must take it in very low doses. Propanthelin 15 mg pills will reduce sweating for a few hours, but it can also make you feel dizzy.

Many people sweat profusely because they are nervous about appearing before an audience. A propanolol pill taken one half hour before public speaking or any other high-pressure event can prevent the sweating, shaking and other effects of stage fright. Propanolol is a beta blocker commonly used to control blood pressure; it is a safe and very effective way to get rid of even the worst stage fright. Check with your doctor.

A Mediterranean diet rich in fruits and vegetables — already known to protect against heart disease — also appears to help ward off diabetes, Spanish researchers said recently.

The study published in the British Medical Journal showed that people who stuck closely to the diet were 83 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who did not.

The World Health Organisation estimates more than 180 million people worldwide have diabetes — a number likely to more than double by 2030 as more nations adopt a Western lifestyle.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 percent of all cases and is closely linked to obesity and heart disease. The condition accounts for an estimated 6 percent of all global deaths.

For their study the Spanish researchers recruited 13,000 former students at the university with an average age of 38 who had no history of diabetes. They tracked their dietary habits and health over an average four years.

The volunteers also initially completed a food frequency questionnaire to measure the kinds of food they ate. The list included questions on the use of fats and oils, cooking methods and dietary supplements.

People who strictly adhered to a Mediterranean diet full of vegetables, fish and healthy fats such as olive oil, and low in red meat, dairy products and alcohol had lower odds of diabetes.
Only about 40 people in the study developed diabetes but Martinez-Gonzalez added in a telephone interview that further study is needed to confirm the diet’s protective effects.

But the fact that the protection appeared to extend to older people, smokers and volunteers with a family history of diabetes — a group all the more prone to the disease — shows the diet works, Martinez-Gonzalez said.

These higher risk participants with better adherence to the diet, however, had a lower risk of diabetes, suggesting that the diet might have a substantial potential for prevention.

Source: British Medical Journal

Differences with poor nations on curbing emission persist

Leaders of the world’s eight richest top industrial powers vowed yesterday to act to bring down soaring oil and food prices but failed to bridge deep differences with poor nations on how to fight climate change.

The Group of Eight wrapped up three days of talks in a secluded mountain resort in Japan by inviting leaders of growing emerging economies such as China and India for a special session summit on global warming.

US President George W Bush hailed the summit as “very productive” as he left the scenic venue.

But the final hours of the meeting were overshadowed by Iran’s testing
of its Shahab-3 missile that can reach Israel.

The White House denounced the test and warned the Islamic republic to
abandon its ballistic missile programme immediately.

The leaders of the G8 nations, which together account for two-thirds of the world’s gross domestic product, said in a joint statement that while global growth had moderated, they were positive on the future.

They called for efforts to bring down oil prices, which have jumped
five-fold since 2003, as well as the soaring cost of food which has set off riots in parts of the developing world.

Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda told a news conference at the end of the summit with leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States that there’s a need to improve transparency on the oil market.

G8 leaders also called on all countries to end export restrictions on food, Fukuda said.

The summit was dominated by discussions on global warming amid growing concern that rising temperatures caused by carbon emissions are threatening entire species of plants and animals.

The rich nations’ club on Tuesday agreed on the need for a global emissions cut of at least 50 percent by 2050, a step praised by G8 leaders as a step forward after years of hesitation by Bush.

But developing countries slammed the statement as too weak, tussling with rich nations at a special expanded summit yesterday bringing together the G8 with eight other leaders including Chinese President Hu Jintao and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The deadlock between rich and developing nations has held up talks on reaching a new climate treaty by the end of 2009 in Copenhagen — a goal set in December at a UN-backed conference in Bali.

But their statement said only that rich countries would implement their own goals for cutting greenhouse emissions while developing major economies would also take action, without proposing any numbers.

European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso defended the summit outcome. Dan Price, assistant to Bush for international economic affairs, praised the US-initiated meeting Wednesday as useful.

But the so-called Group of Five — Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa — has demanded that rich nations take the lead, saying they were historically responsible for climate change.

Kim Carstensen, head of the WWF environmental group’s Global Climate Initiative, accused rich nations of trying to stall action by putting the onus on developing countries.

The United States is the only major industrial country to reject the Kyoto Protocol, with Bush arguing that it is unfair by making no demands of fast-growing emerging economies.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that Tuesday’s agreement meant the G8 “now has made a commitment” on cutting emissions but that emerging economies have not done the same, the United States is making a commitment, firmly and absolutely, with the condition imposed by their Congress that China and India also take action in a differentiated way.

As with most new parents, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban might have difficulty telling what day it is.

No matter. From here on out, they’ll have a little Sunday every day.

The Oscar-winning actress and her country-singer husband welcomed a baby girl last Monday, then named her after the day before.

“Earlier this morning Nic gave birth to our beautiful baby girl, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban,” read the message posted on Urban’s Web site. “We want to thank everybody that has kept us in their thoughts and prayers. We feel very blessed and grateful that we can share this joy with all of you today.”

Sunday is their first baby. There was no immediate explanation for the name, though one thing is certain: She’ll never be upstaged by the likes of Suri, Apple, Moses, or Shiloh.

Sunday — not the day on which she was born, lest she be associated with the beginning of the work week — joins a long list of offbeat celebrity baby names, from Suri (of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes), to Apple and Moses (of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin) and Shiloh, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s most recent addition.

Kidman and Urban married in June 2006. She has two children, Isabella and Connor, from her marriage to Tom Cruise.

Kidman, 41, won an Oscar for her role in the 2002 film “The Hours.”

During a concert Saturday in Nashville, Urban said, “I’m going to dedicate a song to my very, very, very, very, very pregnant wife” before singing his hit, “Better Half.”

Urban, 40, won a Grammy in 2006 for best male country vocal.

The couple, who were both raised in Australia, have a home in Nashville.