Friday, December 30, 2011

Appreciate me while I'm here


Appreciate me while I'm here or watch me as I leave. Nothing hurts more than being taken for granted.

Making a difference


Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.

William James

The tragedy begins


In human intercourse the tragedy begins, not when there is misunderstanding about words, but when silence is not understood.

Henry David Thoreau

The Truth


It takes two to speak the truth: one to speak, and another to hear.

Henry David Thoreau

Opportunities


Life opens up opportunities to you, and you either take them or you stay afraid of taking them.

Jim Carrey

Reading a love letter


There is only one situation I can think of in which men and women make an effort to read better than they usually do. It is when they are in love and reading a love letter.

Mortimer Adler

The three pillars of learning


Seeing much, suffering much, and studying much, are the three pillars of learning.

Benjamin Disraeli

Photo shows how sun will look like when it dies


It’s a beautiful picture & I guess we certainly don’t have to worry as to when this would happen. We won’t be around for sure :P

It has been reported that in an estimated 5 billion years time, our own sun will turn into a nebula similar to the Dumbbell nebula or M27.

This photograph is taken by Bill Snyder and it has been featured on Nasa’s Astronomy Picture of the Day website.

Source:

Photo shows what our sun will look like when it dies

Happy New Year everyone! :)


Dear readers: It sounds like a broken record but we wish you all a very happy, exciting, thrilling, adventurous, & sexy year! Hope you touch your dreams & achieve all your goals.

Although at the end of it, there’s nothing different about any year. Only the number changes but nevertheless we love celebrating :P I certainly look forward to new ventures & new thrills.

Anyway, have loads of fun & make the most of 2012. Above all this, stay happy! And enjoy your New Year Eve! :D

And yes be kind to animals. It won’t cost a dime. Who knows you might earn someone’s respect. And that should make it one amazing New Year!

Lots of love,
Z & Nadz

First Gray Wolf in 80 years


In 1924, the last Gray wolf in California was killed by a trapper, marking a sad end for a species long embroiled in conflict with humans in the western United States. However, a solitary wolf has been tracked by the authorities in California. He has become the 1st Gray wolf in the state in 80 years.

He’s 2 and a half year old. He’s a wearing a radio collar & is identified as OR7. Some are saying that OR7 isn’t a very catchy name for the Gray wolf. In just a matter of weeks, the juvenile male walked some 730 miles to the state's border with California. And his mother hails from a wolf pack in Wallowa County, Oregon. The entry of this lone wolf is regarded historic for obvious reason.

Wolves were known to Native American tribes in California. In fact, wolves were documented in historical records to be present in the state from 1750 to 1850, according to the California Wolf Center. Explorers and settlers found them in the Coastal Range from San Diego to Sacramento. Moreover, wolves were seen in Shasta County and in the central Sierra Nevada from 1850 to 1900.

Gray wolves which establish residency in California will be under federal protection. But state regulators said they have no wolf management plan and no intention to actively reintroduce the animals to the state.

Source:

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Bradley Cooper & Zoe Saldana are ‘totally dating’



It hasn’t been confirmed by the rep of Zoe but the source claims that People’s Sexiest Man Alive & Zoe are planning to spend the holidays together on a skiing break in the Rockies.

The source told E! News: 'They are totally dating.'

Zoe broke off her engagement and 11-year relationship with Keith Britton just a month ago. Moreover, Bradley himself had been linked to Jennifer Lopez and dated Renee Zellweger for a few years. But Cooper denied that his costar was anything more than a friend a month ago, after their appearance together at a Manhattan nightclub prompted romantic speculation.

However, all those who get even more excited about other peoples’ affairs, it’s your chance to get excited now. After all, Bradley Cooper is one sexy guy. Can’t say anything about Zoe though.

99 year old divorces his wife after he discovered an old affair


This has been some news. They have been married for the past 77 years but an old affair had triggered Mr. Antonio C to ask for divorce. In fact this Italian couple will become the world oldest divorcees as the man is 99 & his wife Rosa C is 96. I hope it’s not about breaking the record. The previous oldest couple to divorce were Bertie and Jessie Wood, both aged 98, from the UK.

Mr. Antonio was going through an old chest drawers when he made this discovery. His wife had an affair in 1940. No kidding! She wrote letters to her lover in 1940 & when the husband confronted her, she confessed everything but she couldn’t convince her husband to reconsider his demand.

Moreover, they have five children, a dozen grandchildren and one great-grand child but they are all set for the divorce. However, this was never a great marriage, to begin with. At one point, Antonio left the house & moved in with his son for a few days.

The couple met during the 1930s when Antonio was posted as a young Carabinieri officer to Naples. And after so many decades together, they have decided to go separately. I don’t know if it’s saddening or funny. I’m sure both of them did put up with a lot of shit in all those 77 years. Why couldn’t they put up with a little more shit now? I wonder how long they are going to live. It’s not fun to be alone & certainly not when you’re so old. Or may be Mr. Antonio is only thinking about breaking the record.

Sometimes I have a feeling that most people who marry are those who don’t actually believe in marriage but they tie the knot just for the heck of it. Or maybe they don’t want to live alone at that point. I guess Mr. Antonio could have ignored his wife, if he’s so pissed off. There’s no need to end the marriage…at least not now. It’s already too late. Or maybe after all these years Antonio wants peace of mind. It’s too late for that as well. I guess when you live with someone for 77 long years, he/she becomes a habit or most probably a part of your nature. How can you get rid of that person?

Yet another sickening story of abuse


Sahar Gul who is just 15 year old was locked up in a toilet for 5 months. Some newspapers are saying she was found from the basement of her in-laws’ house; it was a dark, windowless room. Whatever it is, this poor girl was kept starved & abused all this while. The reason for the abuse is that she refused to be forced into prostitution by her husband & in-laws. She was married off to a30 year old man 7 months ago. All this while, her parents couldn’t contact her as she was married in the neighbouring province of Badakhshan, but she was brought to Baghlan.

Sahar was 14 year old at the time of her marriage. Under Afghan law, the earliest age for marriage for girls is 16. However, almost half of Afghan women are married when they are younger.

When the police rescued her, she was in a severe shock. She was suffering from some skin disease & she didn’t have proper clothes on.

The district police chief Fazel Rahman said "She was beaten, her fingernails were removed and her arm was broken."

Anyway, three women including Sahar's mother in-law had been arrested in connection with the case but as usual her husband had fled the area.

"The 15-year-old girl was brought to hospital with severe shock," said Pul-i-Khurmeri hospital chief Dr Gul Mohammad Wardak.

"She had injuries to her legs and face and the nails on her left had been removed."

In the video, as Sahar is taken to hospital in a wheelchair, she is asked who beat her. She names her father-in-law, her husband, her sister-in-law, her brother-in-law and her mother-in-law. The 15-year-old says her hair and her nails were pulled out by her mother-in-law.

She will take a hell of a long time to recover. Any abuse leaves a person scarred forever & here the victim has been both mentally & physically tortured for months.

According to Prostitution Procon, Afghan "prisons are full of women who have been convicted of 'fornication,' a charge that carries a penalty of from five to 15 years in jail." Had she said yes to the demands of her in-laws, this could have been Sahar’s future.

The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission logged 1,026 cases of violence against women in the second quarter of 2011 compared with 2,700 cases for the whole of 2010. And according to figures in an Oxfam report in October, 87 percent of Afghan women report having experienced physical, sexual or psychological violence or forced marriage.

Ever since Taliban had been ousted, the situation of women has become a little better but Afghan women still face high levels of domestic violence, abuse, and discrimination. I guess there is no doubt about that. The case of Sahar Gul clearly tells us that they don’t have any respect for women. They are being forced to go for prostitution & later on, they are the ones who reside in jail.

However, in a recent survey conducted by the U.K.-based organization Action Aid, 86 percent of Afghan women surveyed expressed concern that Taliban-style rule would return to Afghanistan.

Source:

Afghan girl's horrifying abuse exposed by video

Afghan girl locked in toilet for five months




Andrej Pejic’s spread for Fashion Magazine turns out really ab fab!






I really don't have words to express myself. It's much, much better than what we expected. Andrej Pejic rocks!

The Paperboy poster


Well I really like the poster of the upcoming film The Paperboy. Somehow, it’s a bit old fashioned but neat. The movie will hit the theatre next year. Lee Daniels is directing it & besides, Zac Efron & Nicole Kidman, it’s also starring Matthew McConaughey & John Cusack. One hell of a cast!

Coming back to the poster, the image shows Zac Efron & Nicole Kidman in a vintage car with Matthew McConaughey in the background standing just outside the passenger seat window. Although Nicole Kidman is 20 years Zac’s senior, but the chemistry between the two is not doubt awesome.

The Paperboy is about Miami Times reporter who returns to his Florida hometown to investigate & save a man on death row. The thriller is actually based on the 1995 Pete Dexter novel.

Pet cats double the risks of developing allergies


I read about this study last night but I couldn’t scribble anything on it as I was too sleepy. Anyhow, this particular study suggests that adults who get a cat are almost twice as likely to become allergic to it even if they've never had allergies before.

The study was conducted at the University Hospital of Verona & it has been published in the December 12 issue of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Italian researchers gave allergy tests to nearly 6,300 Europeans aged 20 to 44 who weren't allergic to cats. And that’s fairly a high number; there can’t be any doubt about the credibility of this study as allergies are not different in different parts of the world. Anyway, they found that acquiring a feline in adulthood nearly doubles the risk of developing allergies. While having a feline as a child may protect against future ailments, but getting one in adulthood is surely the first step towards wheezing, sneezing and itchy eyes.

Dr. Mario Olivieri wrote: "Our data support that acquiring a cat in adulthood nearly doubles the risk of developing cat sensitisation. Hence, cat avoidance should be considered in adults, especially in those sensitised to other allergens and reporting a history of allergic diseases."

It also turned out that only people who let their pet into the bedroom became sensitised. However, those who had a cat in childhood had a much smaller risk against becoming sensitised to it than those who were new cat owners.

The question arises: Is there a way cat lovers can protect themselves from this effect? Not unless they start early. The study has confirmed people who owned cats during childhood were more protected from becoming sensitized to cats.

"If you are an adult with asthma and/or allergies, you should think twice about getting a cat and particularly, if you do so, letting it into your bedroom," Dr. Andy Nish of the Allergy and Asthma Care Center in Gainesville, Georgia, who wasn't involved in the study, told Reuters. "If the cat needs to be indoors... consider a HEPA filter for your bedroom and consider washing the cat at least once a week."

They have asked a very good question: Would you get a cat even if it meant risking an allergy?

So far as this study is concerned, it’s not at all bogus. Only an idiot can doubt its credibility. I’m also an animal lover but somehow I got my 1st cat when I was 22. Since I allow my cats & dog to stay with me in the room, my skin problem has aggravated. I’m suffering from atopic dermatitis & my doctor has warned me not to even pet cats & dogs anymore. I’m just supposed to look at them from a distance & I should throw them out of the room. In fact I’m not even allowed to pet stray cats & dogs but I pet them no matter what & there’s no way I’m throwing away my pets. Naturally my answer to the question is of course yes. I do have an allergy & I don’t care how bad it gets. I had all sorts of animals in my childhood but fortunately or unfortunately I didn’t have a cat. Even though my mom used to give food to stray cats but we never adopted one. My elder brothers had a cat before I was born. I think it’s a profound tragedy that I met one when I was in my early 20s.

Just for those who don’t know - Atopic dermatitis is a very common, often chronic (long-lasting) skin disease that affects a large percentage of the world's population. It is also called eczema, dermatitis, or atopy. Most commonly, it may be thought of as a type of skin allergy or sensitivity. It’s painful but not that scary as it may be painted in this study. Itching, sneezing & rashes are irritating but believe me it’s not a curse & you can never totally get rid of any allergy whatsoever. The meds only make sure that it gets better. Allergies of any kind never leave you. It comes back again & again. Moreover, it’s hereditary in many cases. I got it from my father. Since you can’t ever get rid of it, it’s better to know cats in this lifetime, cause they are worth all the trouble.

However, if you’re health conscious, shit scared of allergies & all that, it’s better that you stay away from cats in your adulthood. It’s a wonderful animal but you’ve got to pay the price. I didn’t know it when I adopted my 1st cat but I guess I would do the same thing again. I suppose when you care about someone, you don’t think about your allergies & problems. I have sinus besides having severe skin problem, but it has never been an issue with me. And these pets & strays are so god damn loyal that you can never change your opinion about them.


The bottom line is… if you’re too old, finicky & fussy about developing allergies, please don’t try to adopt a cat. They deserve better people.


Source:

http://lifestyle.aol.co.uk/2011/12/28/pet-cats-double-allergy-risk-in-adults/

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57349270-10391704/pet-cats-double-adults-risk-for-allergies-study-says/