Fact of the matter…
Did you know that playing cards were issued to British pilots in WWII? If captured, they could be soaked in water and unfolded to reveal a map for escape…
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Tongue very much in cheek…
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door…
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To err is human – and to blame it on a computer is even more so!
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From the world of medical science…
Kidney disorders linked to stomach fat.
Carrying excess weight around the abdomen is linked toan increased risk of kidney disease, a study suggests. It is already known that being "apple-shaped", as opposed to "pear-shaped", added to the risk of developing a heart problem. Having a higher waist-to-hip ratio was associated with lower kidney function, reduced kidney blood flow and higher blood pressure in the kidneys.
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Bras may do more harm than good!
Wearing a bra does nothing to reduce back pain and weakens the muscles that hold up the breasts, resulting in greater breast sagging, Jean-Denis Rouillon, a sports science expert from University of Besaneon, France, reported after a 15-year study. Women who never wore bras had nipples on average seven millimeters higher in relation to their shoulders each year than regular bra users, showed the study of women aged between 18 and 35 years. It also found that when young women stopped wearing a bra, there was no deterioration in the orientation of their breasts. Simply put, it did not make their breasts sag.
(Me: hmmm. The multi-billion-dollar biz bra makers wouldn't take kindly to the findings..)
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Health tips…
Weight training is helpful for diabetics since it helps the muscles utilize more sugar.
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How Indian American kids win the spelling bee contest, so boringly routinely…
Aseem Chhabra, a PIO journalist in US, writes in Mumbai Mirror 14/4/13,,,
Spellers bee-ware!
Competitors in the Scripps National Spelling Bee will now also be tested on their vocabulary.
In the riveting Oscar winning documentary Spellbound (2002), a young Indian American kid Neil Kadakia goes through intense spelling bee training fueled by his highly competitive father. At times, it seems all the learning is of little consequence to him – he is doing it for his father. His win would be more feather in the cap of the already successful Indian American businessman…
The organizing body behind the contest has changed its plans. Starting this year, in addition to spelling words correctly, the young competitors will also be tested on what the words mean… No word on how the Indian American parents – many who have pinned all their ambitions on their kids' successes this year and in the future, have reacted to the change.
The frequent wins also show the big flaw in how some Indian American parents raise their children, throwing them into an unreal competition at an early aage, and robbing them of their children, the simple pleasure that kids get from hanging out with friends after school in sports fields, malls, playing video games, having crushes on their classmates, going out on dates and so much more.
There has been much analysis about why Indian American kids have been doing so well in the completion. The most obvious answer is that the rote memorization method is very familiar to the first generation Indian Americans – the parents who convince their children to participate in the competition.
(Me: Hitting the nail on the head. And rote-learning is how EVERY Indian kid passes his exam! He author of this piece has breached this topic for the second time…)
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Weird world… Only in America…
US man starts luxury hotel for chicken..
New York: Bill Bezuk, owner of Eugene Backyard Farmer in Eugene, Oregon, used to offer a chicken sitting service, but when it became too tiring, he thought of a luxury chicken hotel.
Bezuk named it The Nest, and for now there are two suits. The Blue Andalusian and the Gold Compine. The basic service – fresh food, water and a place to sleep – costs $2 (about Rs.110) per chicken per night. For a dollar more, he offers deluxe accommodation, organic food and fresh vegetable scraps.
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Man immolates self in bus over fare tiff…
Amravati (Maharashtra): A passenger in a state transport bus set himself on fire, even as the bus continued to ply, over an argument with the conductor on the ticket fare. Reportedly, the passenger was drunk…
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A tongue in cheek quotable quote from the redoubtable and fiesty Late Margaret Thatcher. To a scribe's poser: "Tell me, PM, when do you agree and when do you refuse to give an interview?"
She: "That's a fascinating question. When I'm in trouble, when things are going wrong and people are questioning whether we've got the answers, I give all the interviews I can because I need to convince people that my government is in control and on target"
"Oh" replied the journo, assuming that was it and unaware there was more to come.
"Wait" Mrs. Thatcher continued. "I'm not finished. When things are swimming along, when the government's policies are working and people are re-assured I shut up. Because, then, if I speak there's a good chance I'll put my foot in my mouth and create my own problems!"
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Banta starts shouting in a store…
"Where is my free gift with this butter?"
Shopkeeper: "There is nothing free with this."
Banta: "But it says here 'Cholesterol free'."
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