EVEN SHARKS MAKE FRIENDS


EVEN SHARKS MAKE FRIENDS


They have a reputation for being ruthless, solitary predators, but the opposite may be closer to the truth.


THE GIST
  • Some sharks organize themselves into communities and subcommunities, forming long-term relationships with other sharks.
  • Location, sex and the length of a particular shark appear to be the most common uniting factors among blacktip reef sharks.
  • Sharks may bond with each other for group hunting, to reduce aggression, to avoid predation, and for other reasons.

Sharks have a reputation for being ruthless, solitary predators, but evidence is mounting that certain species enjoy complex social lives that include longstanding relationships and teamwork.
A new study, published in the latest Animal Behaviour,documents how one population of blacktip reef sharks is actually organized into four communities and two subcommunities. The research shows for the first time that adults of a reef-associated shark species form stable, long-term social bonds.
The image contrasts with usual reports on this species, which mistakenly sinks its sharp teeth into surfers and swimmers from time to time.

Enjoy Life

Enjoy Life


Past, Present & Future


Past, Present & Future



नन्हीं परी

नन्हीं परी




LES ÉTOILES DU CIRQUE DE PÉKIN


LES ÉTOILES DU CIRQUE DE PÉKIN





WATERPARK PRANK !


WATERPARK PRANK !



Top 10 Underrecognized Music Locations


Top 10 Underrecognized Music Locations 


Music is a factor in almost everybody’s daily life, some more than others though. There are many places that come to mind, perhaps New York City, Los Angeles, London, etc., but unfortunately many great music scenes exist that are completely under-recognized. I’ve complied a list here.
10
Akron
Ohio, USA
Black-Keys
Akron’s most famous band is undoubtedly the blues rock band The Black Keys, but the city also features a large indie music scene. The largest and most powerful genre in Akron though, is the Garage Rock scene. It has two annual festivals, Akron Summer Music Festival and Lock (which just wrapped up).
Popular Akronite Artists: The Black Keys, James Ingram, Devo, Len Chandler
9
Cape Town
Western Cape, South Africa
Screen Shot 2012-02-20 At 08.45.23
Cape Town, South Africa’s second most populous city, has a jaw-droppingly huge electronic scene in which almost all electronic sub-genres are represented. You can hear New Age to Dubstep to Trance. The electronic scene flourishes along a traditional African music scene. It features one Jazz Festival held every summer.
Popular Cape Town Artists: Tidal Waves, Kinetic, Rattex, Yunique

Top 10 Strange, Interesting, and Unique Biographies


Top 10 Strange, Interesting, and Unique Biographies


It’s always interesting to read about people that have made an impact on history.  A large collection of strange, inspirational and unique life stories exist.  For this article I have selected ten biographies that examine a wide range of topics and experiences.  Some of the cases are mysterious, while others are humorous and shocking.  These people were selected without any strict guidelines, and from a wide range of areas.  Please feel free to contribute your own interesting life stories.

10. Edward Mordrake

edwardmondrake
Edward Mordrake was reportedly a young man that lived during the 19th century.  At birth, Edward was stricken with a bizarre medical condition.  He was born with an extra face on the back of his head.  The face could laugh and cry, but not eat or speak.  Edward begged his doctors to have the “demon head” removed, because it whispered Satanist language to him at night.  However, no doctor would attempt it.  The description of Edward Mordrake’s condition is somewhat similar to those of Chang Tzu Ping and Pasqual Pinon.  Both Mordrake and Pinon are featured in The Book of Lists (1976).
Sadly, Edward Mordrake committed suicide at the age of 23.  It is hard to establish the true facts behind his condition because of the lack of reliable medical records.  His birth was not recorded and conflicting accounts exist regarding his suicide, as well as the placement and position of his extra face.  Much of what is known about Mordrake is based on oral retelling.  A viral image does exist that supposedly shows Edward, but the picture can’t be authenticated.  In 2002, Tom Waits wrote a song about Edward Mordrake titled “Poor Edward” for his opera Alice.
Interesting Fact
Craniopagus parasiticus is a medical condition in which a parasitic twin head with an undeveloped body is attached to the head of a developed twin, giving the impression of two heads.  There have been ten documented cases of this phenomenon.  However, at least eighty different accounts have been written about in history.

9. Barry Bremen

barrybremen
Barry Bremen was a West Bloomfield, Michigan insurance and novelty goods salesman.  He is known in the sports world as The Great Imposter.  From the period of 1979 to 1986, Bremen posed as a Major League Baseball umpire at the World Series, a player in a MLB All-Star Game, a player in a NBA All-Star Game, a referee in the NFL, a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, and a professional golfer.  He also posed as an Emmy Award accepter.  Barry lived by the motto of “no guts, no glory.”  However, his advice to other impostors: “Don’t do it.  It’s against the law.  Stay away.  This is my act.”
On February 4, 1979, Barry Bremen wore a Kansas City Kings uniform and got on the floor during warm-ups for the NBA All-Star Game.  He was eventually called out by All-Star Otis Birdsong, who played for Kansas City and said to Bremen: “How come you’re on my team and I don’t know you?”  On July 17, 1979, with the help of telecaster Dick Schaap and Kansas City Royals third basemen George Brett, Bremen snuck onto the field dressed in a New York Yankees uniform at the MLB All-Star Game.  He shagged fly balls in the outfield for a half hour and attempted to pose for a group picture with future Hall of Famers Brett, Reggie Jackson, Joe Morgan, Mike Schmidt, Gaylord Perry, Dave Winfield, Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan, Carl Yastrzemski, Lou Brock, and Tommy Lasorda.
At the 1980 World Series, Bremen dressed as an umpire and walked out to home plate with the actual umpires before he was discovered.  In 1981, he posed as a line judge referee at Super Bowl XV.  At the 1979 U.S. Open, Bremen (who had a 7 handicap) played a practice round with Wayne Levi and Jerry Pate.  He returned for an encore at the 1980 U.S. Open, where he played so poorly in a practice round that a spectator asked the United States Golf Association how such a lousy golfer had made it through qualifying.  In 1985, Bremen played a practice round with Fred Couples, Jay Haas, and Curtis Strange at the U.S. Open.
Interesting Fact
At the 1985 Emmy Awards in Pasadena, Bremen suddenly arose from a front-row seat and accepted a Best Supporting Actress award from a confused Peter Graves.  The Emmy was meant for Hill Street Blues actress Betty Thomas.  “Betty would like to thank everybody for this award, especially Dick Schaap.”  Bremen was arrested and fined $175 for his stunt.  He later apologized to Thomas, telling her he had thought she wasn’t there to accept the award.

10 magical spices


10 magical spices

Fat-burning, anti-ageing, breath freshening, antiseptic… many spices have surprising and truly magical virtues...


But do be careful not to get too much of a good thing and overdoing it, as some of them are very powerful… they are to be used in medicinal doses.
Take a little tour on our culinary spice route and learn how to spice up your life!

Fat-burning spice: chilli

  • Virtues: Chillies (like pepper and mustard) sting and burn the mouth, but not only. Chillies contain enzymes (capsaicin, notably found in the chilli’s seeds), which work on the metabolism of fats and increase the burning of energy. If eating along with a meal, chillies will help to burn a portion of the food’s calories. Note that often the smaller a chilli is, the hotter it will be.
  • Origins: Principally from the Americas, fat-burning chillies include the Cayenne pepper, the jalapeno from Mexico or the Espelette chilli from Spain.
  • Preparation: The capsaicin enzyme, responsible for the strongest heat is highly concentrated in the seeds, so you need to remove the chill seeds to avoid ending up with a totally burnt mouth. In all cases, chillies should be used with moderation.
  • Cooking: Chillies are obviously a great addition to Indian, Mexican and Creole food. They can equally spice up a lentil curry or a bowl of guacamole, and are great to flavour oil. And if you can get your hands on it, a square of dark chocolate with a spot of red chilli is an absolute delight.  Recipe suggestion:  Tiger prawns with chilli and cheese

Soothing spice: vanilla

  • Virtue: Vanilla is known for both its soothing and stimulating virtues. As paradoxical as this can seem, vanilla relaxes and de-contracts, as well as stimulating the nervous system.
  • Origin: Vanilla is the fruit of a vanilla tree (from the orchid family) originally from Mexico. Today, vanilla is also cultivated in the Indian Ocean islands, such as Tahiti. It’s the spice of evasion and travel, par excellence.
  • Preparation: Split lengthwise, it is steeped in liquid to release all its wonder. Vanilla can also be used in a pure liquid extract form.
  • Cooking: Vanilla is great in cakes, stewed fruits, cream desserts, and equally in homemade mashed potato or beaten into butter then will then be melted onto grilled fish. Recipe suggestion: Vanilla cupcakes

Anti-ageing spice: turmeric

  • Virtues: Generally, all spices contain high quantities of anti-oxidants, but turmeric’s power is even higher. Turmeric helps smooth operation of the cardio-vascular system and neutralises free radicals, which are responsible for premature cell ageing (the skin in particular). A teaspoon of turmeric par day will cover the majority of your daily antioxidant needs. In addition, scientists are now seriously looking into its anti-cancer effects.
  • Origin: The tropical zone, regrouping India, China, Japan and Africa.
  • Preparation: Turmeric is used in most Indian cuisine, giving the food its lovely golden hue. It is also used in numerous spice mixes, such as curry and Colombo powder and ras-el-hanout.
  • Cooking: Turmeric, used in very small quantities (otherwise it gives a bitter taste) can be sprinkled on sautéed vegetables, into lamb dishes (it removes the lambs somewhat unpleasant odour while cooking), or even in stewed fruit. It can also be mixed with rice or bulgur. Recipe suggestion: Vegetable biryani

Anti-bloating spice: aniseed

  • Virtues: The star aniseed helps to fight against bloating, and facilitates digestion. How? By reducing the length of the intestinal transit. Aniseed also eases stomach aches.
  • Origin: Far East – China and Tonkin.
  • Preparation: Aniseed can be infused as an herbal tea or ground and used as a powder. It can also be kept whole in its star form, which makes for nice decoration in your plate...
  • Cooking: Used in both sweet and savoury dishes, aniseed can be used in both sweet and savoury rice, with fish and of course in many desserts. Recipe suggestion: Portuguese apple fritters

Anti-cold spice: cinnamon

  • Virtues: Cinnamon has many qualities, in particular anti-viral and antiseptic virtues. For colds, cinnamon helps clear the airways. It is also known to stimulate blood circulation and help to find against thermal shock.
  • Origin: Sri Lanka and China.
  • Preparation: Extremely aromatic, cinnamon should be used carefully. A pinch is usually enough to perfume both sweet and savoury dishes. Cinnamon can also be used in its stick form infused into saucy dishes. For the best result, grind your own cinnamon powder at home, just before using it.
  • Cooking: Cinnamon is principally used in desserts, but you shouldn’t hesitate to get adventurous with it. Cinnamon is wonderful to flavour tagines and other sauce dishes, and of course is an essential ingredient to mulled wine. Recipe suggestion: Baked figs with cinnamon and honey

Anti-inflammatory spice: liquorice

  • Virtues: Certain medications contain liquorice, which is known for its anti-inflammatory virtues, notably for the stomach and digestive tract. Liquorice helps calm a couch, which is why it’s often found in cough drops.
  • Origin: The Eastern side of the Mediterranean basin and Central Asia.
  • Preparation: The roots of the tree are used in cooking. You can even simply chew a liquorice root stick all day long, or they are can be steeped to extract their goodness.
  • Cooking: Liquorice is a star ingredient in candy-making and it can also be used to complement stewed or roasted meat.  

Fresh breath spice: coriander

  • Virtues: With its purifying qualities, coriander is a great friend of fresh breath. It rids the mouth of the toxins responsible for bad breath and purifies the mouth. To refresh the mouth, you need only to chew a couple of coriander seeds, pleasantly flavoured liked citrus fruit and pepper.
  • Origin: Not clear – they can be found in numerous temperate zones across the world.
  • Preparation: Ground, coriander is used in most curry preparations. Coriander leaves garnish many dishes, notably those from Asia and the Mediterranean region.

Flat tummy spice: cumin

  • Virtues: Cumin possesses purifying qualities. It combats gas and intestinal bloating and facilitates digestion. For a flat tummy, don’t hesitate to sprinkle cumin seeds with glee.
  • Origin: Egypt.
  • Preparation: Grains can be dropped into a spoon of very hot oil to release all their flavour, before adding onions, garlic etc. The grains are also roasted and ground to be used in vegetable, rice and meat dishes.
  • Cooking: Used in most Indian recipes, cumin is great in stewed meat dishes and is also used to flavour some varieties of cheese (Edam for instance). Recipe suggestion: Carrot and orange soup

Toothache relief spice: cloves

  • Virtues: Cloves contain eugenol, an aroma with bactericide, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic virtues. For toothache, the clove acts as a local anaesthetic – you can crush it and put it on the painful gum… A sure-fire remedy!
  • Origin: Tropical zones such as Asia, Africa and the Antilles.
  • Preparation: Generally used whole, and if ground, only the head is used.
  • Cooking: Plant cloves in an onion to perfume home-made stock or in an orange to steep in liquor. Cloves are also used in pains d’épices. Recipe suggestion: Vegetable curry

Antiseptic spice: mustard

  • Virtues: Mustard was often used in poultices for its antiseptic qualities, and it is good for treating colds… However, mustard poultices are rarely used these days, as it can irritate the skin.
  • Origin: More than 3,000 years ago, mustard was cultivated by the Chinese.
  • Preparation: Mustard seeds are of course used to produce the famous yellow mustard paste. They need to be crushed to reveal their spicy personalities! For this reason, mustard powder is extremely hot on the tongue.
  • Cooking: Fish simmered in coconut milk and mustard is a delight and a few grains thrown onto steamed fish works too. Mustard seeds can also be used to flavour vinegar. 

Feeding your bonny baby


Feeding your bonny baby

Feeding baby well is one of the biggest preoccupations for new parents. And with advice from paediatricians, experts, family, friends and marketing pressure... it is not always easy!
There are a few basic guidelines to follow in order to ensure your baby is getting all the nutrition he needs:
  • If possible, breast-feed your baby exclusively for at least 4 months, and keep giving your child either formula or cow’s milk until at least 3 years of age;
  • Start solids from 4-6 months, gradually introducing new foods from all the food groups;
  • Pay attention also to the risk of deficiency, which is more common than overfeeding.
Professor Patrick Tounian lays out these guidelines for new parents and points out the key mistakes to avoid.

Feeding baby: don’t stop giving milk too soon

"Too many parents stop giving their baby milk too early," according to Professor Tounian. "Up until 10 or 12 months, three out of the child's four daily meals should be bottles of baby milk or feeds."
If using formula, from the sixth month, your child should be fed with follow-on milk. “It is essential to swap formula with follow-on milk and then continue feeding your baby this, or regular cow’s milk until he is at least 3 years old,” continues Professor Tounian. This will mean you can be sure of your child getting enough iron and calcium, which wouldn’t otherwise be provided.
If your toddler balks at drinking formula or cow’s milk, replace this with lean white meat, fish or eggs twice a day, so he gets the iron he needs. "A serious mistake with baby’s food is when parents replace milk with 'vegetable' milks (soya, almond...)," the specialist points out. “These ‘milks’ are not really suited to babies and toddlers, and can lead to serious protein, calcium and iron deficiencies, and sometimes mean baby doesn’t get enough calories either,” he warns.

Feeding baby: diversification at the right time

“You should start diversifying food between 4 and 6 months, not before and not after,” Professor Patrick Tounian says. In fact, diversifying food too early leads to a risk of deficiency in calcium, iron and essential fatty acids*. Be careful not to diversify a baby’s food too late either. “Recent studies have shown that diversifying after 6 months can increase the risk of allergic reactions,” explains the paediatrician.” This also applies to foods which are more likely to provoke allergies: egg, fish, exotic fruit and nuts.”
On top of all this: “These potentially allergenic foods should be introduced from 4 to 6 months, in small doses, so as to lead to a natural desensitisation.” Gluten must not be introduced too late either, between 4 and 7 months at the latest. “Unless there’s a declared intolerance, do not use gluten free flour after 4 months,” advises Professor Tounian.

Feeding baby: Beware of deficiencies

We hear a lot about excess, in particular when it comes to salt and sugar, in baby food. But Professor Tounian wants us all to think about the real problem here, which is deficiency. Moreover, apart from keeping an eye on quantities, make sure you do not serve babies completely salt-free food.
“In the same way, sugar, when eaten moderately, has no harmful effect whatsoever”, the paediatrician emphasises. “Putting a bit of sugar in a fruit compote or in a milk-based dessert is justified if it helps with the child’s consumption,” he insists.
On the other hand, “Giving a child too many sugary foods can also lead to indirect deficiencies due to a lack of food from other important foods containing iron and calcium,” he adds. The consumption of meat is important in order to guarantee a supply of iron and protein. “A child should be eating a good source of iron and protein twice a day”.  Are you worried about giving your baby too much protein? “No serious scientific study has produced conclusive evidence that an excess of protein is harmful; consuming less is just a simple precaution,” Professor Tounian responds.

Feeding baby: The 5 basic principles to respect according to Professor Tounian

  1. Ensure your baby has a good iron intake, thanks to breast-milk, formula milk or cow’s milk, then by sufficient consumption of meat.
  2. Ensure your toddler gets enough calcium by including dairy products in 2 or 3 meals a day.
  3. Ensure your baby gets a good supply of essential fatty acids: found in different vegetable oils and fish, in 1 to 2 helpings a week to provide baby with sufficient omega 3 and 6.
  4. Diversify food: the child should eat everything. “If you offer him everything, the child will naturally regulate his consumption himself.”
  5. Don’t forget about enjoyment: “Once you have adopted the first four principles, a child has the right to eat for pleasure”. So don’t deprive your child of sugar or sweet treats – in moderation!

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