Why the kiwi has a very long beak?

The kiwi's beak is long and thin because it is used for searching in the ground and under dead leaves for the caterpillars, worms and insects on which it feeds. The kiwi hunts only at night and remains hidden during the daytime in thick bushes or in holes in the ground. Alone among birds the kiwi has a fine sense of smell. It is perhaps, the last descendant of the large wingless bipeds, which lived on the Earth in very remote times. The only living examples of these birds are to be found in the forest of New Zealand.

Why do migrating birds bother to fly back north?

The primary reason that our feathered friends migrate South in the Fall, or North in the Spring, does not solely lie in the cold of winter, as most are well-equipped to survive in extreme temperatures, but instead lies with the upcoming shortage of food. Mother Nature endowed birds with an internal clock that warns them to get out-of-town, or to face possible starvation. Because birds can detect seasonal changes.

How the earthworm digs its tunnel?

The Earthworms spend most of their lives digging tunnels in to soil. They can burrow their way in to even hard ground simply by using strength of the muscles. They contract and expand in a rhythmic manner to force an aperture in the ground and then they push on with their head. The earthworm swallows some of the soil he moves through. The earthworm then expels the digested soil and leaves it as a worm cast. It has been estimated that the yearly deposition above the ground of soil by earthworm is between 7 and 16 tons per acre in England.

How the ant-eater feeds?

The body of the ant eater is covered in long hair that prevents ants from reaching its skin. For this reasons it has no cause to fear insect bites when it tears the home of ants apart with its strong claws. The ant eater makes its meal by shooting out its long, sticky wormlike tongue and scooping up the ants that swarm all over the ground after their home has been destroyed. It has highly developed salivary glands, which secrete the sticky substance that coats its tongue and traps the insects.

What is acid rain?

Vehicles exhausts produce fumes that contain nitrogen oxides. The coal we burn in power stations produced nitrogen oxides. The coal we burn in power stations produced sulphur di oxide. When these two substances mix with water in the air, they turn into acids, then fall as acid rain. Acid rain damages trees and kills wild life in rivers.

Why is the sky blue?

When the rays of sunlight travel through atmosphere. The atmosphere scatters mainly blue light; this is why the sky looks blue. The other colors of light are less scattered much less than blue so that they come to earth directly.

How the rainbow is formed?

If the sunshines on a shower of rain, you may see a rainbow if you are looking towards the rain and the Sun is behind you. The raindrops in the shower reflect the Sun's light back to you. As the sunlight passes through the raindrop, it slips into circular band of colors. You see the top part of this circle as a rainbow.

How is a cloud formed?

The moisture in the air is the result of the evaporation of water by the heat of the Sun. The amount of evaporation depends on the quantity of water and the intensity of sun's heat. When these water vapors rises from the surface of sea and land, they are condensed in the atmosphere and form the cloud of different types.

Can dogs only see in black and white?

No, but there is a limit to the colors they can see. To see colors, dogs — and people — rely on special cells (the most basic units of structure and function in an organism) in their eyes. These cells are called cones. Humans have three types of cones, which allow them to see a rainbow of colors. But dogs only have two types of cones. These allow them to see shades of blue and yellow the best. But they are unable to tell the difference between certain greens and reds.

Source: Scholastic SuperScience, 2006

How do astronomers determine the ages of stars?

As stars age, a variety of observational characteristics naturally change. Some are dramatically obvious, while others are subtle. The calculated age's accuracy depends on the star's mass, its state of evolution, and whether or not it has a companion.

Astronomers obtain the most precise age estimate when the star is in a cluster. Main sequence stars are supported by nuclear fusion in their cores. The higher the mass, the faster a star uses its fuel and the shorter its lifetime on the stable main sequence is. By combining theory and observation, we can derive the age of a cluster -- and hence the ages of its stars, because they were all born at almost the same time -- from the lowest-mass star that is still fusing hydrogen. Higher-mass stars would have already become dying giants and supergiants.

Some cluster stars may even be further along on the evolutionary track, setting into a long, slow decline as compact white dwarfs. The ages of the dimmest, hence oldest, white dwarfs give good results as well (although these objects are more difficult to observe).

When we plot a duster's stars on a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (luminosity versus temperature), we then "age" the cluster by computer analysis to try to replicate the observations. To computationally age a cluster, we must know the cluster's distance and metal content (which partially controls luminosity and temperature).

While single stars are more difficult to deal with, we can still derive ages (and masses) by locating each star on temperature and luminosity plots (HR diagrams). Because stable main sequence stars change slowly, the results are more approximate than those for stars still forming, or those in the later stages. Once the giant (or supergiant) stages commence, during which time a star changes quickly, ages are more precise.

We can identify newborn stars by observing their surrounding birthplaces. Infant stars emit powerful winds in opposing jets.

Astronomers also look at stellar rotation speeds. Stars rotate fastest when they're first born. Lower-mass stars, those with outer convection layers (in which the stellar gases rise, radiate and cool, and then fall), generate magnetic fields that are pulled outward by stellar winds. Because the field lines are still anchored at the star, they consequently brake the rotation. The older the star, the slower is its spin, with the rate of decline depending on stellar mass. Because stellar activity (starspots and related effects) depends on rotation speed, it too can give some idea of stellar age.

Convection also has a subtle effect on a star's chemical composition. Nuclear reactions at relatively low temperatures easily destroy lithium. As convection cycles the outer stellar gases up and down, the amount of lithium declines. Young stars have lots of it; older ones have very little.

While the various methods often give different results, combining them gives astronomers a reasonably good age. The most accurate result is reserved for our star. Radioactive dating (in which we compare the amounts of radioactive isotopes with their final daughter products) of the oldest rocks -- meteorites -- gives the solar system's age as 4.6 billion years. Because we have every reason to believe the Sun and planets formed together, the Sun must also be 4.6 billion years old. -- JIM KALER, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

What is meant by the term "flat universe"? How is this flatness supported by measurements of the cosmic microwave background?

Space is flat if the three angles of o any triangle add up to 180 degrees. For example, Earth's surface is a positively curved two-dimensional space. When you go from the North Pole to Ecuador to Congo and back to the North Pole, you make a triangle whose angles add up to about 270 degrees. All other triangles on this spherical surface also give more than 180 degrees. A saddle-shape surface is negatively curved. Draw a triangle on it, and the angles will sum to less than 180 degrees.

Cosmic microwave background (CMB) researchers using data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) have measured the angles of the longest triangle you can imagine. One corner is on Earth, and the other two are so far away that light has traveled about 13.3 billion years to reach us. Scientists found the angles of this triangle add up to 180°, to within small measurement uncertainties.

The far edge of this distant triangle corresponds to the size of a typical spot on the CMB map -- each splotch has an angular size similar to the Moon's. The spots are hot and cold areas in the hydrogen plasma that filled the infant universe, and have been imaged with sensitive microwave cameras aboard WMAP. -- MAX TEGMARK, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, CAMBRIDGE

Is it a Coincidence that most Of the planets fall within the Titius-Bode law's boundaries?

In 1766, Johann Daniel Titius of Wittenberg discovered a numerical progression that roughly matched the orbital distances of the known planets -- Mercury through Saturn. In 1772, Johann Elert Bode of Berlin published the progression. When William Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781, the planet fit in the number series. This addition provided further evidence for the Titius-Bode law, which was widely accepted in the astronomical community until Neptune's discovery in 1846. Neptune broke the "law" So, yes, it's just a coincidence that most of the planets fall within the Titius-Bode law distances.

Titius discovered the relation after playing with number sequences and finding one that worked. Yet, scientists have long sought deeper explanations for the Titius-Bode progression. In fact, so many ideas have been advanced that Icarus, a leading journal of planetary science, no longer accepts papers that allege to explain the series.

In our solar system, the major planets' spacing is likely an outcome of the chaotic processes involved in forming planets through the collisional accumulation of progressively larger orbiting bodies. Also, our planets seem to have stayed close to the orbits in which they formed. The gas and dust disk that produced our solar system had a relatively short life span, which didn't allow enough time for planets to migrate elsewhere. This is different from many of the extrasolar planetary systems known.

The progression also doesn't apply to extrasolar planetary systems, discovered in the past decade. Scientists suspect gravitational interactions between forming planets and the dusty disk explain how some gas- giant planets become "hot Jupiters" orbiting a star well inside the distance of Mercury's orbit. This observed planetary migration limits the applicability of simple numerical progressions to extrasolar systems. -- ALAN BOSS, CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON

The sequence Titius and Bode came up with is based on the following equation:

a = (n + 4) over 10

where n = 0,3,6,12,24,48,96,192,384 (each number, except for 3, is double the preceding number)

a is the average distance measured in astronomical units (1 AU is the Earth-Sun distance)

Everest Puzzlers

1. Why is there more oxygen at low altitudes?

Earth is surrounded by an atmosphere, or blanket of air. Gravity--the force that pulls everything toward the center of the Earth--holds the atmosphere in place. At low altitudes, the atmosphere is pulled down strongly by gravity, and pushed down by the air above it. This packs down the oxygen, so you get more oxygen per breath than you would at high altitudes.

2. Why is Everest's air so dangerous?

The higher you climb, the less oxygen you get in each breath. Too little oxygen to the brain makes climbers weak and dizzy. Climbers may also get sick. Why?

Blood carries oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body. Climbers hearts pump fast to spread the limited oxygen around

Extra blood flowing to the brain can lead to swelling. Brain swelling causes headaches, and sometimes blindness and death. Blood can also leak into the lungs, making it hard to breathe.

3. Why does it get colder the higher you climb?

The air and the ground absorb (soak up) rays from the sun. The air and ground warm up, then send out heat that warms you up.

On Everest, there's less air to trap the sun's heat. Also, light, shiny surfaces like ice reflect (bounce back) sunlight before it can soak in. The result: Less warmth for mountain climbers!

Source: Scholastic SuperScience

Why Employees Leave Organizations

Every company faces the problem of people leaving the company for better pay or profile.

Early this year, Mark, a senior software designer, got an offer from a prestigious international firm to work in its India operations developing specialized software. He was thrilled by the offer.
He had heard a lot about the CEO. The salary was great. The company had all the right systems in place employee-friendly human resources (HR) policies, a spanking new office, and the very best technology, even a canteen that served superb food.

Twice Mark was sent abroad for training. "My learning curve is the sharpest it's ever been," he said soon after he joined. Last week, less than eight months after he joined, Mark walked out of the job.

Why did this talented employee leave? Arun quit for the same reason that drives many good people away.

The answer lies in one of the largest studies undertaken by the Gallup Organization. The study surveyed over a million employees and 80,000 managers and was published in a book called "First Break All The Rules".

It came up with this surprising finding:

If you're losing good people, look to their immediate boss. Immediate boss is the reason people stay and thrive in an organization. And he's the reason why people leave. When people leave they take knowledge, experience and contacts with them, straight to the competition.

"People leave managers not companies," write the authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman.

Mostly manager drive people away...

HR experts say that of all the abuses, employees find humiliation the most intolerable. The first time, an employee may not leave, but a thought has been planted. The second time thought gets strengthened.

The third time, he looks for another job.

When people cannot retort openly in anger, they do so by passive aggression. By digging their heels in and slowing down. By doing only what they are told to do and no more. You don't have your heart and soul in the job."

Different managers can stress out employees in different ways – by being too controlling, too suspicious, too pushy, too critical, but they forget that workers are not fixed assets, they are free agents. Think of employees as their assets not liabilities. When this goes on too long, an employee will quit - often over a trivial issue.

Talented men leave. Dead wood doesn't.

What car will get you laid?

Public relations representative for Scan Connery: We have received your letter requesting an answer from Scan Connery to the question, "What kind of car will get you laid?" Mr. Connery has declined to respond, although frankly, I don't believe that he needs a car to accomplish the act.

How can you make your car last 500,000 miles? Irv Gordon, owner of the world's highest-mileage car, a 1966 Volvo with 1,753,000 miles:

1. Change the oil every 3,000 miles.
2. Check the tire pressure weekly.
3. Switch to 15W-40 oil in the winter.
4. Inspect the belts and hoses for cracks every single time you buy gas.
5. Keep it clean. If you take pride in your car, you're going to do a better job of keeping it up mechanically.
6. Powerwash the undercarriage to clean off the road salt in the winter. That stuff will corrode the body if it stays on too long.
7. Degrease the engine once a year.

What is the future of cars?

John DeLorean: There are some exciting things going on with hybrid technology (an internal-combustion engine combined with a second energy source). But don't count out gasoline as the main fuel--because of the multi-jillion dollars that have been invested in its production. The resources for the foreseeable future are out to 60 years. So, I don't think cars are really going to change all that drastically; after all, they've hardly changed at all over the last 60 years. The major innovations have been very few--air-conditioning, power steering, power brakes, and the microchip.

What puts the muscle in a muscle car?

Carroll Shelby: Unrefined power. Sheer brute force without the frills and trimmings. They're manly cars, not for the ladies. I'm talking about 427 Fords, 427 Chews, Pontiac GTOs, Dodge Super Bees.

What's the most overrated?

The Rolls Royce. I own one that's 8 years old, and it keeps breaking down on me. It has only about 40,000 miles on it, and I spend more money having it towed than most people spend on repairs. It's gotten to the point that I'll only take it to movie premieres.

What's the coolest-looking production car on the market today?

George Barris: The Dodge Viper, no question. It's powerful, it has a real classy aerodynamic design, fenders flaring off into the doors, big V-10 engine. Wide and high 19-inch tires. It's a macho car.

How can you apply NASCAR driving strategies to your morning commute?

Pick your lanes well. When you're pulling up to a red light, don't get stuck behind something slow, such as a delivery truck or an older-model sedan. Also, when you want to move into another driver's space, glance at his car, but never make direct eye contact with him. Just move into that space like you own it.

What are four ways to make your stock sedan even faster? Kyle Petty:

1. Change your spark plugs to a higher grade. They'll burn hotter and faster, and will prevent residue from building up.
2. If it's not snowing outside, use thin oil. I like 10W-20.
3. Buy the highest-octane fuel you can find. Try buying a tankful of the really premium juice at a local racetrack.
4. Rip out the backseats.

What Kind of Milk - your Child Should Drink

When we were growing up, the case for milk was clear: It was good for you, your parents told you to drink it (which you did or, defiantly, didn't), end of story. Since then, researchers have been taking a closer look at the benefits of dairy products, and this has confused the issue of how much kids need, when they need it, and what kind they should get. The facts:

When do infants need milk? Cow's milk isn't digested well by babies under 12 months, and it lacks essential nutrients supplied by breast milk and formula. So hold off on introducing it until your baby's at least a year old. (The cow's milk in cow's milk-based formula is safe for babies.)

Then what? Whole or low-fat?
Until your child is 2, whole milk. "He needs the fat for nerve and brain development," says Frank Greer, M.D., chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics's Committee on Nutrition. A possible exception: If your child's gaining weight too quickly for his height, your pediatrician may recommend switching to low-fat milk before age 2.

Otherwise, switch to 1-or 2-percent milk at age 2 to move your child closer to a diet with moderate amounts of fat and cholesterol. As long as he doesn't have a weight problem, he can drink 1 or 2 percent indefinitely, rather than switching to skim. Kids need the fat for nerve development for many years.

Milk is good for my child's bones, right?
Despite common wisdom, recent research looking at the long-term bone-building effects of dairy products has produced mixed results. "But we do know that three factors determine strong bones: genetics, physical activity, and calcium," says Dr. Greer. "And milk is the number one source of calcium." Milk is also fortified with vitamin D, another important player in bone health, and it has other vital nutrients, including protein, phosphorous, vitamin A, and some B vitamins. Bottom line: Milk is good for bones, but other factors matter, too.

How much is enough?
Recent U.S. dietary guidelines have raised the number of recommended servings of dairy products from two to three a day for kids between 4 and 8. It's still two servings a day for kids under 4. (For kids 9 to 18, it's four servings.) One cup of milk or yogurt or 1.5 ounces of cheese (equivalent to six dice-size cubes) counts as a serving.

But keep in mind that all dairy products are not created equal. Yogurt, for instance, has more protein and sometimes has more calcium than milk, but it's rarely fortified with vitamin D.

Can milk keep my child thin?
The jury is still out on this, particularly for kids. Some studies have shown that the more dairy foods they consume, the less body fat they put on over time. Yet a recent Harvard study found that young children who drank more than three servings of milk a day gained more weight over a period of one year-whether they drank whole or low-fat milk. Helaine Rockett, one of the study authors, thinks it's wise to keep milk drinking in perspective. "Milk is healthy, but it does have calories. If your child is overweight, switch him to water once he meets his servings of dairy for the day."

So you can have too much of a good thing?
Yup. In addition to the extra calories, too much milk can fill kids up, increasing the likelihood that they forgo other nutrient-rich foods. So limit your child to the recommended servings per day and make sure he gets a wide variety of nutritious foods.

What if my child just doesn't like it?
There aren't many foods that offer the same package of nutrients, but there are other sources of calcium. Besides other dairy foods, fortified OJ, fortified tofu, white beans, and broccoli, some cereals and cereal bars are fortified with it. Before you give up on milk, though, try offering the flavored kind. The extra sugar is a worthy trade-off for milk's nutrients.

Percentage of kids who get the daily recommended amount of calcium:
under age 1 97%
ages 1 to 2 79%
ages 3 to 5 54%
boys ages 6 to 11 37%
girls ages 6 to 11 28%

What's that milk? A carton-by-carton rundown of all the varieties
Legend for Chart:

B - Pro:
C - Con:
D - Try it if:
E - Check label for:

A

B

C

D

Organic

No antibiotics, growth hormones, or pesticides; potentially safer for kids; kinder to the environment

Antibiotics, growth hormones, and pesticides in milk haven't been proven unsafe; more expensive

You want to err on the side of caution

USDA/organic certification (the green seal)

Lactose-free

Has the same nutrients as regular cow's Milk

Slightly more expensive

Your child has an upset stomach or diarrhea after drinking cow's milk--she may be lactose intolerant

"Lactose-free"

Soy(*)

Good source of protein (but not as good as dairy); contains no cholesterol and little saturated fat

The plain kind may not appeal to kids, but flavored varieties are available

Your child's lactose intolerant, allergic to cow's milk, or has high cholesterol

At least 20 percent of the daily value for calcium and 10 percent for vitamin D per eight-ounce serving

Rice(*)

No cholesterol or saturated fat; has fiber (cow's milk and most other types of milk don't)

Has very little protein (a child who drinks rice milk should get protein from other sources)

Your child's lactose intolerant, allergic to cow's milk, or has high cholesterol

At least 20 percent of the daily value for calcium and 10 percent for vitamin D per eight-ounce serving

Almond(*)

No cholesterol or saturated fat

Less protein than cow's milk (a child who drinks almond milk needs protein from other sources)

Your child's lactose intolerant, allergic to cow's milk, or has high cholesterol

At least 20 percent of the daily value for calcium and 10 percent for vitamin D per eight-ounce serving

Goat

May be easier to digest and is higher in calcium, potassium, and vitamin A and B6 than cow's milk

Lower in vitamin B12 and folic acid; hard to find

Your child doesn't tolerate cow's milk Well

Fortification with B12 and folic acid (or make sure your child gets them from other sources)

(*) Soy, rice, and almond milk have less fat than whole cow's milk, so kids under 2 should get fat
in other areas of their diet.

By: Eller, Daryn, Parenting, Sep2006

What’s a Sedimentation Rate?

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate, also called the “sed rate,” is a blood test that can detect or monitor infl ammation from any source. It measures the distance (in millimeters) that red blood cells called erythrocytes fall in a slender column of blood. Results are determined by the amount of clear plasma left at the top of the column after one hour. Normally, red cells drop slowly, leaving little clear plasma. Infl ammation increases blood levels of certain proteins that cause the red cells to fall faster, resulting in a higher sed rate. A normal sed rate is 1–25 millimeters per hour (mm/hr). Menstruation, pregnancy, and aging can all raise sed rates moderately.
Anemia can also elevate sed rates. Anything over 50 mm/hr raises questions and should be investigated. The test by itself doesn’t indicate the cause or location of infl ammation.

Harvard Women's Health Watch, Sep2006

What is PMR?

PMR is an infl ammatory disorder that causes aching and stiff ness starting in the neck, shoulders, and hips. It aff ects mainly adults in their 60s and 70s and is rarely diagnosed before age 50. Th e disorder is twice as likely to occur in women and is more common in whites than in blacks.
Among Caucasians, PMR is about as common as rheumatoid arthritis, aff ecting nearly 1% of people over age 50. Th e infl ammation that causes PMR generally occurs in the muscles and soft tissues of the shoulders and hips and in the bursa (small fl uid-fi lled sacs that cushion tendons where they attach to bone) in those areas. We don’t know exactly what triggers the condition.
Scientists suspect it’s a combination of factors, including immune system abnormalities, genes, and aging. Th e aching and stiff ness usually last 30 minutes or more and are at their worst fi rst
thing in the morning (or aft er a period of inactivity). Th e discomfort oft en causes nighttime awakenings, and turning over in bed may be diffi cult. Some people with PMR also have fl ulike symptoms, including low-grade fever, fatigue, and weight loss.
There is no defi nitive way to diagnose PMR. To make the diagnosis, a clinician will review a woman’s health history and perform a physical exam. Th e symptoms of PMR are common, so it’s a challenge to exclude other causes, such as rheumatoid arthritis, fi bromyalgia, muscle conditions, tendonitis, bursitis, infection, thyroid problems, or cancer. Doing so may require several lab tests and x-rays.
A person with PMR usually feels stiff and achy in at least two of three areas: the neck, the shoulders or upper arms, and the hips or upper thighs. Joints generally aren’t swollen or red, as they are in rheumatoid arthritis, but occasionally, a joint in the hand, ankle, or foot will be swollen. X-rays are usually normal.
Th e most characteristic laboratory fi nding in PMR is an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), sometimes called a “sed rate” (see “What’s a sedimentation rate?”). This blood test measures the level of infl ammation in the body. When other conditions that cause infl ammation are ruled out, a high ESR number (50 or greater) in a person over age 50 with PMR symptoms is strong evidence for the disease.
PMR oft en disappears on its own within a few years, but not without taking a heavy toll on a woman’s quality of life. Non-steroidal anti-infl ammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen can help with mild symptoms. But PMR generally responds best to very low doses of corticosteroid medications (“steroids,” for short), such as prednisone. In fact, symptoms improve almost overnight. Th is rapid response helps confi rm a PMR diagnosis: If low doses of steroids don’t help, PMR is probably not the cause. Doses can be further reduced as symptoms improve, but relapse is likely if they’re stopped too soon. Most people need to continue taking a very low dose for six months to two years.
PMR is not dangerous in itself, but it oft en occurs in people who have a more serious infl ammatory condition called giant cell arteritis (GCA). In this condition, the lining of arteries in the head, neck, and arms becomes infl amed, narrowing the arteries and causing symptoms such as headache (especially around the temples, which may be tender to the touch), scalp tenderness, and pain or weakness in the jaw. Th e most common dangerous complication of GCA is blindness, which almost never occurs if the condition is recognized and treated promptly. Untreated, GCA can also lead to stroke or an aortic aneurysm—a bulge in the large artery that runs between the chest and abdomen. The only way to defi nitively diagnose GCA is to take a biopsy of an artery in the temple and examine it under a microscope for evidence of the condition.
PMR occurs in about 50% of people who have GCA, and 15% of people with PMR will also develop GCA. It’s not clear how or why this relationship exists. To reduce the small but defi nite risk of permanent blindness from GCA, patients with PMR should take a high dose of prednisone once early in the course of symptoms.
Although long-term, high-dose steroid treatment has many side eff ects, the low doses used in treating PMR— and the high doses used for a relatively short time in people with GCA—rarely cause problems. However, women should be aware that taking even low doses of steroids for several years slightly increases their risk for steroid-related conditions, including osteoporosis, glaucoma, cataracts, high blood pressure, weight gain, jumpiness, and insomnia.
When you take steroids, it’s important for your clinician to properly monitor the eff ects and taper the dose.

Harvard Women's Health Watch, Sep2006

Frequently Asked Questions about Hair Care

Is shampooing daily harmful for the hair?

Everyday washing shouldn't be a concern as long as you are using a mild shampoo, which can suit your normal hair. Something that nourishes while it cleanses. If your hair doesn't feel unclean, just sweaty it is okay to simply rinse out the sweat too if you choose to.

Also, after wash, keep your damp hair in a turbaned towel for about 15 minutes. Finger comb it in a gentle massage like movements and only brush gently.

The right way of washing Hair

Oiling my hair every time does not help it in any way. On the contrary, you end up using more shampoo every time, damaging the hairs natural oil balance, making it dry. Once a fortnight oiling is just fine.

To wash your hair, always wet it first before applying shampoo. Then, lather it by massaging with your fingertips. Rinse thoroughly until squeaky clean. Pat dry and finger comb out the tangles or use a wide tooth comb.

How to treat split ends?

Split ends, which are mainly caused when your hairs cell fail to hold together are result of exposure to harsh elements, chemicals or even excessive brushing.

The right kind of shampoo will minimize hair damage. Meanwhile it is also important to replenish ceramides, which are hairs natural cement, and is responsible for holding the hair cells together. A ceramides enriched shampoo will help repair hair fibre and reduce split ends.

To maintain Oily Hair

Oily hair always goes with any oily skin. The scalp has a tendency to secrete excess oil, which makes it lank and greasy. It is therefore important to keep the scalp will only activate the oil glands causing further oiliness. So will combing more than required more so ever, do not succumb to the temptations of a harsh shampoo, which temporarily restores your hair but in the long run harms it.

Using a special shampoo for oily hair is the best, which is gentle enough to be used often. Also essential is to rinse at the shampoo thoroughly finishing with cold water. Read more tips from http://online-articles.org/beauty/site-map.php

For thin and limp Hair

Thin, limp, hair does not have a tendency to fall flat and dead. What you need is a volume booster. For starters choose your shampoo carefully. Ordinary shampoos donut do much for your kind of hair. Look up a shampoo especially for limp hair

Secondly, donut comb your hair when wet, Let it dry naturally and finger comb it. A hair dryer can boost your hair for a while but on a regular basis can prove harmful for your hair. Then, brush your brush straight from your scalp and shake it free.

For Dry Brittle Hair

First check your shampoo! If you are using a harsh, unsuitable shampoo, it will not only dry your hair, it will cause breakage and dry scalp may turn flaky and cause a lot of other problems.

Use an especially mild shampoo made for dry hair. One fortified with essential oils to replace the last nourishment is ideal. A good conditioner also helps soften dry hair. After wash keep your damp hair in a turbaned towel for about 15 minutes. Finger comb it in a gentle massage like movements-this- will activate the oil glands in your scalp. Then brush it gently. Oil massages followed by a steamy, hot towel on your head every 15 days will also help get rid of dryness

Hair Highlighting

With highlighting your hair can look brighter and glossier. However, salt and pepper combinations (contrasting mix of dark and light shades) should be avoided as they are unnatural and old-fashioned, and can be misread as dark hair turning Grey.

Although perfect highlighting requires to be handled by professionals, some wonderful effects can also be created with home-made treatments. Like finger painting and streaking can be used quite easily. Read more tips from http://online-articles.org/beauty/site-map.php

http://funlok.com/

Are you a Joker?

A teaser? A clown? How you deploy your sense of humor says a lot about how you relate to others and to yourself.

In today's personality stakes, nothing is more highly valued than a sense of humor. We seek it out in others and are proud to claim it in ourselves, perhaps even more than good looks or intelligence. If someone has a great sense of humor, we reason, it means that they are happy, socially confident and have a healthy perspective on life.

This attitude would have surprised the ancient Greeks, who believed humor to be essentially aggressive. And in fact, our admiration for the comedically gifted is relatively new, and not very well-founded, says Rod Martin, a psychologist at the University of Western Ontario who studies the way people use humor. Being funny isn't necessarily an indicator of good social skills and well-being, his research has shown--it may just as likely be a sign of personality flaws.

He has found that humor is a double-edged sword. It can forge better relationships and help you cope with life, or it can be corrosive, eating away at self-esteem and antagonizing others. "It's a form of communication, like speech, and we all use it differently," says Martin. We use bonding humor to enhance our social connections--but we also may wield it as a way of excluding or rejecting an outsider. Likewise, put-down humor can at times be an adaptive, healthy response: Employees suffering under a vindictive boss will often make the office more bearable by secretly ridiculing their tyrant.

Though humor is essentially social, how you use it says a lot about your sense of self. Those who use self-defeating humor, making fun of themselves for the enjoyment of others, tend to maintain that hostility toward themselves even when alone. Similarly, those who are able to view the world with amused tolerance are often equally forgiving of their own shortcomings.

Put-down humor
This aggressive type of humor is used to criticize and manipulate others through teasing, sarcasm and ridicule. When it's aimed against politicians by the likes of Ann Coulter, it's hilarious and mostly harmless. But in the real world, it has a sharper impact. Put-down humor, such as telling friends an embarrassing story about another friend, is a socially acceptable way to deploy aggression and make others look bad so you look good.

When challenged on their teasing, the put-down joker often turns to the "just kidding" defense, allowing the aggressor to avoid responsibility even as the barb bites. Martin has found no evidence that those who rely on this type of humor are any less well-adjusted. But it does take a toll on Personal relationships.

Bonding humor
People who use bonding humor are fun to have around; they say amusing things, tell jokes, engage in witty banter and generally lighten the mood. These are the people who give humor a good name. They're perceived as warm, down-to-earth and kind, good at reducing the tension in uncomfortable situations and able to laugh at their own faults.

Talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres embraces her audience by sharing good-natured, relatable humor. Her basic message: We're alike, we find the same things funny and we're all in this together.

Nonetheless, bonding humor can have a dark side. After all, a feeling of inclusion can be made sweeter by knowing that someone else is on the outs. J.F.K. and his brothers would often invite a hated acquaintance to vacation with them; they'd be polite to his face, but behind his back, the brothers would unite in deriding the hapless guest.

Hate-me humor
In this style of humor, you are the butt of the joke for the amusement of others. Often deployed by people eager to ingratiate themselves, it's the familiar clown or "fat guy" playfulness that we loved in John Belushi and Chris Farley--both of whom suffered for their success. A small dose of it is charming, but a little goes a long way: Routinely offering yourself up to be humiliated erodes your self-respect, fostering depression and anxiety. It also can backfire by making other people feel uncomfortable, finds Nicholas Kuiper of the University of Western Ontario. He proposes that it may remind others of their own tendency toward self-criticism.

Farley, who died at age 33 from an overdose, had a streak of self-loathing. "Chris chose the immediate pleasure he got in pleasing others over the long-term cost to himself," his brother wrote after his death. The bottom line: Excelling at this style of humor may lead to party invitations but can ultimately exact a high price.

Laughing at life
When we admire someone who "doesn't take himself too seriously," this is the temperament we're talking about. More than just a way of relating to other people, it's a prism that colors the world in rosier shades. Someone with this outlook deploys humor to cope with challenges, taking a step back and laughing at the absurdities of everyday life. The Onion is a repository of this benign good humor. The columnist Dave Barry has perfected it with quips like this: "Fishing is boring, unless you catch an actual fish, and then it is disgusting."

Studies that link a sense of humor to good health are probably measuring this phenomenon; when you have a wry perspective, it's hard to remain anxious or hostile for long. Martin calls it "self-enhancing humor," because you don't need other people to entertain you--if something peculiar or annoying happens, you're perfectly capable of laughing at it on your own.

All-American Absurdist: Bill Hader
HADER, 28, undercuts his surfer-boy good looks with a dry, slightly surreal Midwestern wit (he grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma). The contrast gave an appealing edge to his impersonations of Al Pacino and Vincent Price on Saturday Night Live last year, and made him one of the show's rising young stars. "The best thing about being funny is that you can be very honest," says Hader, but there's a sweetness to his approach that keeps it light--a family tradition. "My dad and morn are both very funny and dry," he says. "If I had a bad grade, my parents' response would be something like: 'Do you want to sign up to be a janitor now, or in a year or so?' It's not mean, but it can be very acute."

How Do You Use Humor?
Answer the following questions adapted from Rod Martin's Humor Styles Questionnaire. Respond as honestly and objectively as you can.

Totally Disagree 1
Moderately Disagree 2
Slightly Disagree 3
Neither Agree nor Disagree 4
Slightly Agree 5
Moderately Agree 6
Totally Agree 7

If someone makes a mistake, I will often tease them about it. ____
I let people laugh at me or make fun at my expense more than I should. ____
I don't have to work very hard at making other people laugh--I seem to be a naturally humorous person. ____
Even when I'm by myself, I'm amused by the absurdities of life. ____
People are never offended or hurt by my sense of humor. ____
I rarely make other people laugh by telling funny stories about myself. ____
My humorous outlook keeps me from getting overly upset or depressed about things. ____
If I'm by myself and I'm feeling unhappy, I think of something funny to cheer myself up. ____
Sometimes I can't stop myself from saying something funny, even if it isn't appropriate. ____
I enjoy making people laugh. ____
If I am feeling upset, I usually lose my sense of humor. ____
When I am with friends or family, I am often the one whom other people joke about. ____
If I am having problems or feeling unhappy, I often cover it up by joking around so that even my closest friends don't know how I really feel. ____
I usually can't think of witty things to say when I'm with other people. ____
Even if something is really funny, I won't joke about it if someone will be offended. ____
Letting others laugh at me is my way of keeping them in good spirits. ____

HOW TO SCORE:

Put-down humor: Start with the numeral 14 and add your answers for questions 1 and 9, then subtract your responses to questions 5 and 15.

Bonding humor: Start with the numeral 7 and add your answers for questions 3 and 10, then subtract your responses to questions 6 and 14.

Hate-me humor: Add your answers to questions 2, 12, 13 and 16.

Laughing at life: Start with the numeral 3. Add your answers for questions 4, 7 and 8, then subtract your response to question 11.

Consider yourself high in any category if your score is above 17, average if it is between 11 and 17 and low at 11 or under. Note your highest score--it will reveal how you habitually use humor.

By: Dobson, Louise, Psychology Today, Aug2006

Why Being Fat May not be so Bad for you After All

Take an honest look at yourself in the mirror -- are you the wrong side of plump? With all the anxiety about obesity and its health risks, you'd expect to find yourself at serious risk of heart disease and diabetes.

But in fact, you could be healthier than many slimmer people reading this.

Last month, the first new weightloss pill to come on the market for years -- Acomplia -- was launched, with a licence to treat anyone with a body mass index (BMI) of over 30: the definition of obesity.

Conventional weight-watching wisdom says that if you are that bulky, you need to start slimming down fast. But what if being overweight or obese isn't the same thing as being unhealthy?

There's evidence to suggest that by focusing on achieving the 'right' weight, we are missing the real causes of ill-health. For not only are 'overweight' people actually less likely to die early than those of 'normal' weight, but losing weight and putting it back on may well be worse for you than staying at the same point on the scales.

Exactly what the connection is between weight and health has been the focus of a furious debate over the past year.

Critics of the current view believe that when people exercise regularly and have a healthy lifestyle, how much they weigh becomes a minor issue. Walking a total of 20 miles a week and eating sensibly is a better recipe for health than desperate attempts to drop the pounds.

'Concentrating on people's weight is a big mistake,' says Dr Paul Campos, author of The Obesity Myth and a professor at the University of Colorado. 'The culprit for health problems associated with weight is a sedentary lifestyle and poor nutritional practices, not the weight itself, except in extremely obese cases.'

And Dr Campos goes further; not only is weight not the issue, he says, but there is no evidence that trying to lose it does any good either.

At the heart of this debate is the body mass index, the standard way of classifying whether you are the right weight or not.


According to the BMI, more than half of the UK population are overweight and a further 20 per cent are obese, with all the associated health risks.

BMI is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared, or your weight in pounds by your height in inches multiplied by 703; 18 to 25 is normal and healthy, over 25 to 30 is overweight, and over 30 is obese.

SO IF you are 5ft 8in and weigh 158lb, then your BMI is normal at 24. Go up to 171lb and you become overweight -- top 197lb and you are obese. But once you fall outside the officially approved category, is it really necessary to try to bring your weight down instantly with diets and weight-loss pills?

Research suggests it is not. Figures published in a top medical journal last year showed people who were overweight were actually less likely to die early than those classed as being a normal weight.

The figures were based on statistics from the prestigious Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta. The CDC had warned obesity was a new plague, and estimated that 400,000 overweight and obese Americans die every year as a result of their excess weight.

However, when the CDC data was reanalysed by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, it turned out that while obese people were at greater risk of premature death compared to those of normal weight, the overweight people were at lesser risk.


The centre's Dr Katherine Flegal says: 'Although people think there is all this evidence out there showing a high mortality risk associated with being overweight, in fact the literature doesn't show it.'

The results created an academic storm. Researchers who were convinced of a link between increased weight and ill-health suggested that even though overweight people might be living longer, they were only being kept alive by modern medicine and were neither happy nor healthy.

The American research suggested the opposite; maybe they were fitter, and because muscle is heavier than fat, they show up as overweight.

The issue is far from resolved, but it's widely recognised that the BMI can be misleading in predicting who is at risk.

'There are certainly a lot of confounding factors,' admits Dr David Haslam, chair of the UK National Obesity Forum. 'You can get athletes packed with muscles who show up as overweight, and people can be slim but unhealthy.

'But we are stuck with the BMI as a measurement -- GPs are paid for measuring patients' BMI as part of the drive to bring down heart disease.'

Another factor skewing the reliability of the BMI when it comes to deciding if you should do anything about your weight is the matter of location. Where on your body are the extra pounds? Because when it comes to health and weight, location makes a big difference.

It's now clear that additional fat packed around the organs in your abdomen -- known as 'visceral' fat -- is more ' metabolically active'; it releases more of the acids that raise heart disease risk, along with factors that increase blood pressure and blood sugar.

Meanwhile, the fat on the arms and legs might actually have a protective effect. In one study, women with a very high BMI of 48 had half the heart attack risk of women of normal weight, providing their weight was around their hips and buttocks rather than their waists.

'We'd really like to see GPs measuring patients' waists,' says Dr Haslam. 'It's much simpler and more useful; over 40 inches for a man and 35 for a woman are the danger signs.'

WHAT all this suggests is that we may have more wriggle room than current guidelines seem to allow. If your BMI is up towards the mid-30s or over, then bringing it down might well be a good idea; certainly checking your other risk factors -- cholesterol, blood sugar levels and so on -- would make sense. But if they are OK, you are obviously doing something right.

If you do want to shift visceral fat or lower your BMI, what are your options? A diet is the standard recommendation and the new drug Acomplia claims to be effective in reducing visceral fat as well as the risk factors that go with it, such as a raised level of fats in the blood.

But there is evidence that diets themselves can create problems in the long term.

A study involving 3,000 people, reported in New Scientist last winter, found those who were successful at losing weight were at higher risk of dying early.

One possible reason is that yo-yo dieting is not good for the immune system.

Researchers have found that women who had gained and lost 10lb four times or more before the menopause were more likely to have reduced blood flow to the heart, while women whose weight had been stable had a more active immune system.

The most effective way of turning dangerous extra pounds into safe ones is exercise. Steven Blair, director of the Cooper Institute of Aerobics Research in Dallas, Texas, has found that obese men who do regular exercise are at lower risk of cardiovascular disease than lean men who are unfit.

None of this suggests that being 14 stone, slobbing in front of the TV and living on a diet of takeaways is fine.

It does mean that if you are fit and eating well, you can give your scales the heave-ho.

And if you've got a generous behind, you stand a good chance of hanging around long enough to get a telegram from the Queen.

By: Burne, Jerome, Daily Mail, 2006

What is Depression?

Everyone knows what it's like to feel sad, down, or "blue" from time to time. But when these feelings continue for two weeks or more and are accompanied by certain other physical and mental symptoms, doctors call this condition major depressive disorder (also known as depression).

Depression is a real medical condition that affects over 14 million people a year in the United States. Depression is thought to be caused by an imbalance of brain chemicals. It can happen on its own, but can also be triggered by a stressful or traumatic event. The good news is that depression can be successfully treated. If you think you may have depression, you should talk to a qualified healthcare professional about your symptoms.

Two different conditions of DIPRESSION
Major depressive disorder—what people commonly call “depression”—and bipolar disorder do have some symptoms in common. However, they are two different conditions that require different treatments.
In general, major depressive disorder involves overwhelming feelings of sadness, worthlessness and hopelessness. Bipolar disorder involves episodes of depression but also episodes of mania—symptoms of which can include excessive energy, extreme irritability or “out of control” behavior. (People with depression do not experience manic episodes.)

Depressive symptoms vs manic symptoms

About bipolar episodes
Bipolar disorder causes both depressive episodes and manic episodes at different times during the illness. A common misperception is that bipolar mood changes are usually quick and drastic. In reality, the shift from one extreme to the other is often quite gradual. And an episode—either depressive or manic—can last for days, weeks, months or even years.
Moreover, people with bipolar disorder are not always depressed or manic; they can go for long stretches of time in a "normal," balanced mood. The typical person with bipolar disorder has an average of four episodes during the first 10 years of the illness.
When signs are missed
Sadly, some people are diagnosed and treated for major depressive disorder when they really have bipolar disorder. It is easy to understand how misdiagnosis can occur. Some individuals (especially if they are unaware of bipolar disorder) may not recognize their manic symptoms—and therefore don’t report them to their doctor. They may seek a doctor’s help only when they are immersed in a depressive episode.
People may experience depression as their very first episode, and they will not have a manic episode until some time in the future. about the common problem of misdiagnosis.
An incorrect diagnosis can lead to inappropriate treatment. In fact, antidepressant medications can bring about a manic episode in someone who really has bipolar disorder.
Awareness about bipolar disorder is the first step to recognizing possible signs. There are excellent treatments for both depression and bipolar disorder. The key is to get a correct diagnosis.

Q. Is anorexia ever a problem for men?

A. Anorexia nervosa—the name means “nervous lack of appetite”—is a disorder that involves intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image, leading to selfstarvation and emaciation. About 90% of people with anorexia are female, so the disorder is oft en overlooked when it occurs in men and boys.
Researchers are only beginning to understand the imbalance between the sexes. One explanation they consider: Women are more likely to seek psychiatric care for the disorder and receive the diagnosis. But that is certainly not the whole story. In fact, some researchers think that men who develop this largely female disorder are more open to seeking treatment than most men.
Female hormones are certainly one factor. Anorexia nervosa oft en starts in puberty, when levels of the female hormone estrogen increase in girls (and to a lesser extent in boys). In experiments, animals eat less if they are given estradiol, a form of estrogen. Genetic variations in receptors for estrogen are associated with eating disorders. Estrogen also aff ects recep tors for the neurotransmitter serotonin, and people with eating disorders sometimes have abnormal serotonin function. So interactions between estrogen and serotonin may aff ect vulnerability to the illness.
Like most psychiatric disorders, anorexia nervosa has both environmental and genetic causes. In one common pattern, a mother passes on a hereditary vulnerability to her daughter, while also teaching, mostly by example, attitudes toward eating, fi tness, and sexuality that promote anorexia. Th e child of a mother with anorexia therefore bears a doubled burden.
Culture is also important. At least in Western cultures, girls oft en receive praise for watching what they eat and losing weightЧpraise that makes up for feelings of insecurity in other spheres.
But the Y chromosome is not an impervious shield against anorexia. Boys in general may be less concerned about their body shape than girls, but they too can inherit a vulnerability to the disorder, and recent research shows that upbringing and culture can also predispose them to anorexia.
Boys who want to be big and muscular are more susceptible than girls to Уmuscle dysmorphia,Ф a condition that compels them to work out compulsively. Some authorities now regard this as a male equivalent of anorexia nervosa. (See Mental Health Letter, July 2005). But many boys also say they want to be thinner. In one study, three-fi ft hs of girls and twofift hs of boys expressed that wish. So boys too can develop anorexia in the classic sense. As in women, the illness usually begins in adolescence and persists well into adulthood. Th esymptoms are as severe and last as long. Males with anorexia are just as concerned about their body shape as anorexic women, and just as vulnerable to low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, social isolation, and suicidal thinking. Selfstarvation can interfere with the menstrual cycle of adolescent girls, and it can stunt growth in adolescents of both sexes.
Th ere is evidence that boys and men with anorexia are more likely than average to be homo sexually oriented. Some believe the disorder is unusually common in men with an atypical gender identity (for example, biological males who think of themselves as women).
Research in this area is still in its early stages. We have much more to learn about biological and environmental infl uences on appetite, body image, and sexuality. In the meantime, it is good to be aware that men as well as women suff er from anorexia, and the suff ering is similar in both sexes.

By: Miller, Michael Craig. Harvard Mental Health Letter, Sep2006

Connie L. Agnew, M.D., answers your questions about pregnancy

A paint primer
(?) At 22 weeks pregnant, I painted a mural in the nursery using acrylic paint. I wore gloves and had a fan running, but I'm nervous about birth defects. Will my baby be OK?

From the description of the precautions you took-wearing gloves and painting in a well-ventilated room--your baby is likely to be just fine. Although no studies specifically confirm this, experts believe that a pregnant woman's limited exposure to household or hobbyist paint (particularly acrylic paint--which, along with tempera or watercolor, is recommended over oil-based paint) shouldn't be a problem. My greater concern relative to paint is twofold:

* Prior to the 1970s, many paints contained lead, which we now know is unsafe for mother and baby. To avoid this hazard, do not scrape or sand any paint while pregnant (or after the baby is born, for that matter).

* Pregnant women should limit their exposure to industrial paints and chemical solvents. All expectant mothers who work in proximity to such products should wear full-body protective clothing and a mask; they also should avoid eating or drinking in areas where these products are used.

Level-3 ultrasounds
(?) I'm a healthy 28-year-old in my 12th week of pregnancy. My husband and I don't want to know our child's gender; is there any other reason to schedule a diagnostic ultrasound?

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that all pregnant women be offered a diagnostic, or level-3, ultrasound, and I heartily agree. This is the gold standard not only for confirming the age of your fetus, but also for evaluating its health--whether or not you want to know its gender.

The optimum timing for a diagnostic ultrasound is 20 weeks, at which time the size and anatomy of the fetus can be well-visualized. Happily, most babies are perfect, but in the unusual case that a medical condition is discovered, being forewarned allows us to have the necessary specialists in place at the time of delivery.

Lacking in libido
(?) I'm in my second trimester and have almost no sex drive. This didn't happen two years ago during my last pregnancy. Do you have any advice on how I can heat things up?

Many women experience changes in their sex drive during pregnancy--increased and decreased libidos are both common. That said, take a look at any circumstances, past or present, that may be putting a damper on your desire. For instance, have you experienced any vaginal bleeding or been at risk for preterm labor? Did intercourse during your last pregnancy initiate contractions? Or how about the fact that this time around, you are the mother of a young child and are likely exhausted?

Talk with your obstetrician to rule out other possibilities, such as a hormone imbalance or low thyroid function; if you have concerns about whether sex is safe for you, discuss this as well. Then talk with your partner about ways you can adapt your sex life to accommodate your fatigue. Scheduling intercourse on days when you are able to take a nap may not sound romantic, but it may be just what the doctor ordered.

(?) Do you have a question for Dr. Agnew?
Write to Pregnancy Q&A, Fit Pregnancy, 21100 Erwin St., Woodland Hills, CA 91367; send an e-mail to pregnancyqanda@fitpregnancy.com; or fax your questions to 818-992-6895. Keep in mind that her responses are not intended to replace advice from your doctor.

CONNIE L. AGNEW, M.D., is the director of maternal-fetal medicine at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif. The mother of four children, Agnew is a co-author, with Jill Alison Ganon, of TWINS! (HarperCollins, 1997).

By: Agnew, Connie L., Fit Pregnancy, Aug/Sep2006