Monday, August 15, 2011

AIN'T NO SUNSHINE

Some parts of the body are more ticklish than the others, the reason for which is still unknown. When used in sexual fetishism, the act of tickling is called as "tickle torture". Research by Dr Sarah-Jayne Blakemore of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience in London found that robotic arms used to tickle people are just as effective as human arms. Men and women are just as "ticklish". But a few studies suggest that, men may be slightly more ticklish than women. Research headed by Dr M Blagrove from the University of Wales in Swansea shows that the normal tickling response may be absent in those with schizophrenia. Tickling was used as a torture by the ancient Romans. The most surprising feature that can be experimented personally is that if one tickles oneself, there is no such stimulation or laughter

Most humans spend six years or more of our lifetime dreaming.  Research proves that all of us dream at least twice or more in our sleep though we may not remember when we get up. In 5 minutes of waking, half of our dream is forgotten and within 10 minutes, almost all dreams are forgotten

Jeanne Louise Calment of Arles, France was the world's longest living person on record. Jeanne was born on February 21, 1875 and died on August 4, 1997. Her height was 4'11" (1.50m). Jeanne died at the age of 122 in a nursing home in Arles. She lived 122 years and 164 days (44,724 days total). Jeanne's name appears in the Guinness Book of World Records. At age 121, she released her two CDs, one in French and another in English titled, Maitresse du Temps (Time's Mistress). During the end stage, she became blind, she could not hear properly and was confined to a wheelchair but was in high spirits and mentally alert. At age 117, Jeanne decided to quit smoking after over 6 decades of the habit  (Pictured below Jeanne enjoys a smoke and a sip of scotch - she never gave up having an occasional sip of scotch in the late afternoon)

 It is possible to be naturally immune to Pasteurella pestis and HIV, the viruses that cause 2 well-known wide spread killers, The Black Plague and AIDS. This is thanks to a genetic mutation in ones DNA called CCR5-delta 32, or Delta 32 for short. This mutation cuts off the means for a virus, to attach to our white blood cells and enter the immune system. It must come from both parents to cause immunity, but if in possession of only one chromosome for delta-32 it is likely to delay the virus from spreading for long periods of time. This mutation isn't known to ever have a negative effect on any individual, only positive

Foreign bodies in the rectum are a common occurrence and most of the cases are treated with anesthesia before removing objects. Patients have usually made multiple attempts to remove the object themselves before consulting the professional. Common objects inserted are fruits, balls, bottles, vibrators, vegetables, and balls. However, interesting fact is that professors D. Busch and J. Starling; Madison, Wisconsin in 1986 did research and study report on strange rectal foreign bodies. Some of the unusual objects found in the anus and rectum include: magazine, beer glass, seven light bulbs, two flashlights, knife sharpener, frozen pigs tail, wire spring and tobacco pouch

 The picture of Albert Einstein sticking his tongue was taken on his 72nd birthday by annoying press photographer Arthur Sasse. Albert loved the photo so much that he cut his image out and send it to all his friends

Top Ten Richest People in 2010:
1 Warren Buffett Investments $(bn) 62.0
2 Carlos Slim Helu Telecoms 60.0
3 Bill Gates Software 58.0
4 Lakshmi Mittal Steel 45.0
5 Mukesh Ambani Petrochemicals 43.0

6 Anil Ambani Diverse sources 42.0
7 Ingvar Kamprad Ikea stores 31.0
8 KP Singh Property 30.0
9 Oleg Deripaska Aluminium 28.0
10 Karl Albrecht Aldi stores 27.0
*The richest young person is Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, currently worth $1.3billion (USD)
*According to the Forbes list, Bill Gates has been the richest person for the last 13 years

The poorest 40% of the world’s population accounts for 5% of global income. The richest 20% accounts for three-quarters of world income

Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names

Number of children in the world:  2.2 billion
Number of children in poverty:  1 billion

The wealthiest nation on Earth has the widest gap between rich and poor of any industrialized nation:  United States of America

Our Lifetime in Numbers:
Life expectancy – 78.5 years or 2,475,576,000 seconds
Words Spoken in Lifetime - 123,205,750
Friendships – 1,700 
Baths – 7,163
Dreams – 104,390
Beef and Veal consumed – 4.5 cows per person
Chickens consumed – 1,201 per person
Potatoes consumed – 5130 pounds
Chocolate – 10,354 bars
Baked Beans – 845 cans
Farts – 35,815 liters of wind
Soap – 656 bars
Toothpaste – 276 tubes
Deodorant – 272 cans
Shampoo – 198 bottles
Beer – 10,351 pints
Wine – 1,694 bottles
Vomit produced – 149 liters
Sex – 4,239 times
Holidays - 59 trips

Air pollution may contribute to two percent of all deaths in the US, some 50,000 cases per year. A nine-year study of US cities showed a strong correlation between death rates and periods of significant pollution

Fourteen percent of the one million citizens of Nairobi, Kenya carry the AIDS virus. Some 20% of the Kenyan military is infected

Humans are the one of the rare animals which copulate face to face. Orangutans also copulate in this manner, the only other species to do so with the same regularity as humans. In addition, Bonobos have been documented doing the same, though only occasionally

Men commit suicide three times more frequently than women do. But women attempt suicide two to three times more often than men

Three chemicals are used to execute criminals by lethal injection. First, Sodium Thiopental is injected, causing the inmate to fall into a deep sleep. The second chemical agent, Pancuronium Bromide, a muscle relaxer, follows. This causes the inmate to stop breathing due to paralyses of the diaphragm and lungs. Finally, Potassium Chloride is injected, stopping the heart

Women shoplift more often than men; the statistics are 4 to 1

You share your birthday with at least nine million other people around the world

NEWS FEED: 
Karen Remsing, a 42 year old registered nurse, was arrested in November 2011 following her stealing an unspecified pain medicine delivered by IV at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children's Hospital. The IV line being shorted was that of her own, terminally-ill, 15-year-old son 

Principal Angela Jennings of Rock Chapel Elementary School in Lithonia, Georgia resigned after an investigation revealed that she had temporarily un-enrolled 13 students last year for the sole purpose of keeping them from annual statewide tests because she feared their scores would drag down her school's performance. (When the test was over, Jennings re-enrolled them) 

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