Genius Dog Knows Over 340 Words

January 7th, 2010 4 Comments

i always said i wanted a border collie! it seems that every time an incredible dog story appears on the news, it involves a border collie – a race known for its’ superior intelligence. and this time, it’s no different. dudu 150x150 Genius Dog Knows Over 340 Words7 year old betsy from austria has amazed scientists by being able to recognize over 340 words – whereas most dogs are capable of recognizing no more than 15 commands. watch this incredible video made by bbc’s science program horizon, as part of a study to show how canines are giving scientists a greater understanding of human behavior.

click here to see the video directly on the bbc website.

[image credit: www.web-dvm.net]

Read More »

Crazy Woman on Plane

January 6th, 2010 No Comments

in general, i love to fly. actually, scratch that. i love travelling! however, there’s always the downside to travelling – if you’re unlucky, that is. if you are, then 2 out of 3 times you will end up with something or someone annoying the hell out of you on a flight. as for me, i have 5 plane pet peeves:

  1. smelly person sitting next to me – for God’s sake- take a shower, use deodorant, spray some perfume – i don’t know, but do something about that stench!
  2. sick person sitting next to me – if you were sick when you got on – then no excuse! if you got sick on the plane, then – really sorry – but i would highly appreciate you refraining from throwing up next to me – the smell alone will make me reciprocate your lovely gesture.
  3. chatty person sitting next to me – there’s no excuse for you to keep talking when you see me trying to sleep.
  4. crying baby anywhere around me – it just makes me want to cry too – since there’s absolutely nothing i can do. but i admit, i do feel bad for the poor mother who knows everyone is eyeballing her.
  5. stewardess who wakes you up to eat – do i look hungry to you? was it my state of deep sleep that gave away my roaring tummy? or is it that yummy plane food that is too good to miss?

this next one is not so much a pet peeve as it is ridiculously funny the first time you witness it.

  • people who clap when the plane lands – you know exactly what i mean if you’ve flown mea! i mean common’ folks, the plane is suppose to land – the pilot did not accomplish some miracle by landing it – it’s his freakin’ job! do people clap when you do your work on time?

i thought i only had these 5 pet peeves –  until i came across this video on youtube. therefore, you can now add a big fat number 6 to my list.

6. this crazy ass lady!

what are your airplane pet peeves? post your comments.

0 Crazy Woman on Plane

Read More »

The Human Body – Fun Facts to Know

January 6th, 2010 8 Comments

Do you remember playing Operation as a kid? I do! And I was pretty bad at it too. My hand always shook and therefore I was privy to that aweful buzz sound!

I think I knew then that medicine wasn’t my calling.

Here’s a fun infographic by onlineeducation.net of the ever so famous ‘Operation Patient’ identifying 15 parts of the body that we thought we knew. Well, we do know them, we just didn’t know these little facts about them – at least I didn’t – did you?

Click on image to enlarge.

operation 300x253 The Human Body Fun Facts to Know

 

 

Read More »

Women on Top

January 5th, 2010 2 Comments

yesterday i published a post called ‘women in the workforce’, which looks at the different gender issues and how the roles of women have evolved over the last few decades. the post was based on a time article by nancy gibbs which ran in the october 14 issue. today, i would like to follow up by adding a complementary infographic entitled, ‘women on top’  – a light visualization portraying the roles of men and women in the workplace. i found the image on www.limelife.com – one of the most visited women’s lifestyle mobile sites in america.

click on image to enlarge.

women on top 163x300 Women on Top

Read More »

Avatar Smashes Box Office Record

January 4th, 2010 4 Comments

james cameron has done it again! he’s just sunk his last huge blockbuster, ‘titanic‘, with his new ground breaking, futuristic/sc-fi flick, ‘avatar‘. i’m almost embarrassed to say that i haven’t seen it yet – therefore, i couldn’t possibly pretend to write a review. and although i admit to being a teeny bit curious – seeing all the hype – unfortunately, i don’t do fantasy/sci-fi – regardless of how spectacular the special effects must be. but, that’s just me. however, if you haven’t seen it yet, i would highly encourage you to do so, for i hear it’s fantastic.

avatar zoe saldana 1 300x230 Avatar Smashes Box Office Record

Zoe Saldana in Avatar (20th Century Fox)

according to box office mojo, ‘avatar’ has so far grossed $352 million in the usa and over $670 million internationally, which brings the movie’s box office total to over $1 billion in a mere 17 days since its debut – making it the 3rd biggest grossing movie ever after ‘titanic’ and ‘lord of the rings: the return of the king’. however, haters of this movie may take small pleasure in knowing that although the numbers are record breaking so far, ticket price inflation over the last decade would mean that it may have been seen by only half as many people as ‘titanic’.

but, let’s be fair folks – one must give credit where it’s due. rock on james cameron…you’re still the king of the world big screen!

Read More »

Women in the Workforce

January 4th, 2010 No Comments

it seems like moons ago when women were best known for taking care of children, cooking meals, cleaning dishes, doing house chores, vacuuming… and although i’m sure we – and i use the term ‘we’ very loosely here simple smile Women in the Workforce – still do these things quite well, we have made huge progress in the workforce the last few decades.

it came as no surprise to me when the rockefeller foundation’s (in collaboration with time) recent study on gender issues showed that american women have become dominant in society and that they would soon constitute a majority of the workforce. furthermore, the results showed that they earned 57% of college degrees and made 75% of all buying decisions in the home.

womenworkers 228x300 Women in the Workforceother noteworthy statistics:

  • today, 57% of college students are women, compared to 43% in 1972
  • today, 71% of women with children under 18 years of age are in the labor force, compared to 47% in 1975
  • today, 32% of lawyers are women, compared to 3% in 1970
  • today, 28% of medical doctors are women, compared to 8% in 1970

although these numbers are nice to see, there still exist many inequalities between the two genders, namely salaries. regardless of the titles and positions that women hold, their pay – today and most probably for years to come – is still less than that of men’s. in 2008, women earned $0.77 for every $1 men earned. don’t get me wrong, i’m not going on a feminist rant here, for i can assure you that i am not an avid supporter of complete equal rights; on the contrary, i think men should assume certain things that women shouldn’t – but that’s just my personal opinion.

in any case, i will stop here and direct you to the extensive and fascinating piece that inspired this post – “the state of the american woman” – it mainly focuses on the landmark study (conducted by the rockefeller foundation) of gender issues to assess how individual americans are reacting.  the article was published in the october 14, 2009 issue of time.com. you can read the full story here.

Read More »

Fat in America!

January 4th, 2010 No Comments

to piggy back on my previous post on ‘why americans are fat’ from the new yorker, here’s a complementary, eye-opening infographic by onlineeducation.

click on image to enlarge.

fatamerica2 457x1024 Fat in America!

Read More »

Why Americans Are Fat

January 4th, 2010 No Comments

ever wonder why almost 2/3 of americans are overweight?

090720 r18648 p233 204x300 Why Americans Are Fat

Human appetite is elastic: give us more, and we'll eat more.

i came across an interesting article that was published by elizabeth kolbert in the new yorker in july 2009 about the evolution of obesity and why americans are fat – it doesn’t focus on the usual fast food explanations – instead, it takes a rather  darwinian approach. its title, ‘xxxl’, could not ring more true, seeing the increase in bmi (body mass index) in both men and women over the last few decades .

read the excerpt below and click on read more to see the full article on the new yorker website.

“One of the most comprehensive data sets available about Americans—how tall they are, when they last visited a dentist, what sort of cereal they eat for breakfast, whether they have to pee during the night, and, if so, how often—comes from a series of studies conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Participants are chosen at random, interviewed at length, and subjected to a battery of tests in special trailers that the C.D.C. hauls around the country. The studies, known as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, began during the Eisenhower Administration and have been carried out periodically ever since…” read more


Read More »

Stretch Your Shoes With Ice

January 3rd, 2010 1 Comment

Ladies…ever buy a pair of shoes that was one size too small? Why, you ask…because they were the last pair and you absolutely had to have them, of course! Well here’s a quick and simple tutorial that will teach you how to stretch your shoes by a full size in just 4 hours. All you need are two zip lock bags and a fridge.

Ba bye blisters!

Note to men: If you’re as into shoes as women are, then you may want to watch this.

0 Stretch Your Shoes With Ice

Read More »

The Pig Pandemic

January 3rd, 2010 2 Comments

needless to say that the swine flu created quite a stir in 2009 – from its first outbreak in mexico in april of last year to its current journey around the world. here below is an educational infographic by raj showcasing the history of the h1n1 virus, starting from 1976.

click on image to enlarge.

3512001333 f3b52e355e b 300x207 The Pig Pandemic

Read More »

Odds & Outs of Poker

January 3rd, 2010 No Comments

Texas Hold’em is by far the most popular poker – if not card game – today. Everywhere you turn, someone is either playing or talking about it – at least here in Beirut, that is! Young or old,  man or woman – everyone’s all in!

Although it looks relatively easy to play, especially when you watch the champs on tv, there are a few golden rules you should master before you rush to the tables to play with the big boys; after all, there ‘s only so much you can bluff!

Take a look at this quick video which explains the odds and outs of the game.

0 Odds & Outs of Poker
Read More »

China’s Internet Porn Crackdown

January 2nd, 2010 No Comments

china arrested over 5,000 people and shut down about 9,000 illegal porn-related sites in 2009. as part of its latest campaign to weed out internet pornography, the government has vowed to continue its strict censorship this year by banning sites that ‘harm public morality’. authorities went as far as offering rewards of up to $1,400 to internet users that report sites containing pornographic and violent content.

purifying the internet environment and cracking down on internet crimes is related to long-term state security, said the ministry.

internet use has expanded at a dazzling rate with an estimated 360 million internet users (reuters) – the largest online population in the world.   resizetofit1 300x197 Chinas Internet Porn Crackdown

other popular social networking sites such as youtube, twitter, facebook and flickr have also been banned and can only be accessed by using proxy servers.

although the chinese government claims that this internet sweep is to protect the emotional health of children which is currently being threatened, critics say that the crackdown is a ploy to strengthen the censorship of political views that are expressed through the internet and that it is as much about taking control over new media as it is about annihilating internet pornography.

what do you think? is this a good thing or is it a violation of rights? post your comments.

[image credit: wsj]

Read More »
Page 18 of 21« First...1617181920...Last »