COMMUNICATION

Communication (from Latin commūnicāre, meaning "to share") is the act of conveying meanings from one entity or group to another through the use of mutually understood signs and semiotic rules.

The main steps inherent to all communication are:

1. The formation of communicative motivation or reason.
2. Message composition (further internal or technical elaboration on what exactly to express).
3. Message encoding (for example, into digital data, written text, speech, pictures, gestures and so on).
4. Transmission of the encoded message as a sequence of signals using a specific channel or medium.
5. Noise sources such as natural forces and in some cases human activity (both intentional and accidental) begin influencing the quality of signals propagating from the sender to one or more receivers.
6. Reception of signals and reassembling of the encoded message from a sequence of received signals.
7. Decoding of the reassembled encoded message.
8. Interpretation and making sense of the presumed original message.

The scientific study of communication can be divided into:

• Information theory which studies the quantification, storage, and communication of information in general;
• Communication studies which concerns human communication;
• Biosemiotics which examines communication in and between living organisms in general.

The channel of communication can be visual, auditory, tactile (such as in Braille) and haptic, olfactory, electromagnetic, or biochemical.

Human communication is unique for its extensive use of abstract language. Development of civilization has been closely linked with progress in telecommunication.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey is a science-fiction narrative, produced in 1968 as both a novel, written by Arthur C. Clarke (16 December 1917 – 19 March 2008), and a film, directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is a part of Clarke's Space Odyssey series. Both the novel and the film are partially based on Clarke's short story "The Sentinel", written in 1948 as an entry in a BBC short story competition, and "Encounter in the Dawn", published in 1953 in the magazine Amazing Stories.

Clarke was originally going to write the screenplay for the film, but this proved to be more tedious than he had anticipated. Instead, Kubrick and Clarke decided it would be best to write a prose treatment first and then adapt it for the film and novel upon its completion.

Clarke and Kubrick jointly developed the screenplay and treatment, which were loosely based on The Sentinel and incorporated elements from various other Clarke stories. Clarke wrote the novel adaptation independently. Although the film has become famous due to its groundbreaking visual effects and ambiguous, abstract nature, the film and book were intended to complement each other.

Film

The film was written by Clarke and Kubrick and featured specialist artwork by Roy Carnon. The film is notable for its scientific realism, pioneering special effects, and provocatively ambiguous imagery and sound in place of traditional narrative techniques.

Despite receiving mixed reviews upon release, 2001: A Space Odyssey is today thought by some critics to be one of the greatest films ever made and is widely regarded as one of the best science fiction films of all time. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, and received one for visual effects. It also won the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Best Director and Best Film awards of 1968. In 1991, 2001: A Space Odyssey was deemed culturally significant by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

BIONIC

On August 26, 1994 the BBC had the news that “a man gets 'bionic' heart.”

"A man has been given the world's first battery-operated heart in a pioneering operation in Britain. The patient, an unnamed 62-year-old from the south of England, is now in a stable condition at the world-famous Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire."

 

Arthur Cornhill, 62, became the world's first patient to go home with a mechanical heart - a plastic and metal device in his abdomen. It was fitted at Papworth Hospital, Cambridgeshire, in August 1994. The recipient of the heart pump was later named as Arthur Cornhill.

He died from kidney failure nine months after the operation.

At the time of Mr Cornhill's death, the LVAD (left ventricular assist device) had been implanted into two other British men, one of whom died shortly afterwards.

In 2000 progress in LVAD (left ventricular assist device) technology allowed doctors in Oxford, England, to fit the first pump designed to be a permanent fixture inside a patient's failing heart. The patient, Peter Houghton, was on the brink of death before the operation that allowed to him to lead a fit and active life.

Bionics

Bionics is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology.

The word bionic was coined by Jack E. Steele in 1958, possibly originating from the technical term bion (pronounced BEE-on; from Ancient Greek: βίος), meaning 'unit of life' and the suffix -ic, meaning 'like' or 'in the manner of', hence 'like life'. Some dictionaries, however, explain the word as being formed as a portmanteau from biology and electronics. It was popularized by the 1970s U.S. television series The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman, both based upon the novel Cyborg by Martin Caidin, which was itself influenced by Steele's work. All feature humans given superhuman powers by electromagnetically implants.

The transfer of technology between lifeforms and manufactures is, according to proponents of bionic technology, desirable because evolutionary pressure typically forces living organisms, including fauna and flora, to become highly optimized and efficient. A classic example is the development of dirt- and water-repellent paint (coating) from the observation that the surface of the lotus flower plant is practically unstick for anything (the lotus effect).

Examples of bionics in engineering include the hulls of boats imitating the thick skin of dolphins; sonar, radar, and medical ultrasound imaging imitating animal echolocation.

In the field of computer science, the study of bionics has produced artificial neurons, artificial neural networks, and swarm intelligence. Evolutionary computation was also motivated by bionics ideas but it took the idea further by simulating evolution in silicon and producing well-optimized solutions that had never appeared in nature.

Neon lighting

Neon lighting consists of brightly glowing, electrified glass tubes or bulbs that contain rarefied neon or other gases. Neon lights are a type of cold cathode gas-discharge light. A neon tube light is a sealed glass tube with a metal electrode at each end, filled with one of a number of gases at low pressure. A high potential of several thousand volts applied to the electrodes ionizes the gas in the tube, causing it to emit colored light. The color of the light depends on the gas in the tube. Neon lights were named for neon, a noble gas which gives off a popular orange light, but other gases and chemicals are used to produce other colors, such as hydrogen (red), helium (yellow), carbon dioxide (white), and mercury (blue). Neon tubes can be fabricated in curving artistic shapes, to form letters or pictures. They are mainly used to make dramatic, multicolored glowing signage for advertising, called neon signs, which were popular from the 1920s to the 1950s.

The term can also refer to the miniature neon glow lamp, developed in 1917, about seven years after neon tube lighting. While neon tube lights are typically meters long, the neon lamps can be less than one centimeter in length and glow much more dimly than the tube lights. They are still in use as small indicator lights. Through the 1970s, neon glow lamps were widely used for numerical displays in electronics, for small decorative lamps, and as signal processing devices in circuity. While these lamps are now antiques, the technology of the neon glow lamp developed into contemporary plasma displays and televisions.

Georges Claude, a French engineer and inventor, presented neon tube lighting in essentially its modern form at the Paris Motor Show from December 3–18, 1910. Claude, sometimes called "the Edison of France", had a near monopoly on the new technology, which became very popular for signage and displays in the period 1920-1940. Neon lighting was an important cultural phenomenon in the United States in that era; by 1940, the downtowns of nearly every city in the US were bright with neon signage, and Times Square in New York City was known worldwide for its neon extravagances. There were 2000 shops nationwide designing and fabricating neon signs. The popularity, intricacy, and scale of neon signage for advertising declined in the U.S. following the Second World War (1939–1945), but development continued vigorously in Japan, Iran, and some other countries. In recent decades’ architects and artists, in addition to sign designers, have again adopted neon tube lighting as a component in their works.

Neon lighting is closely related to fluorescent lighting, which developed about 25 years after neon tube lighting. In fluorescent lights, the light emitted by rarefied gases within a tube is used exclusively to excite fluorescent materials that coat the tube, which then shine with their own colors that become the tube's visible, usually white, glow. Fluorescent coatings and glasses are also an option for neon tube lighting, but are usually selected to obtain bright colors.

Red Hair

This post is about people with red hair, who are sometimes called "redheads".

Red hair occurs naturally on approximately 1–2% of the human population. It occurs more frequently (2–6%) in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations. Red hair appears in people with two copies of a recessive gene on chromosome 16 which causes a mutation in the MC1R protein.

Red hair varies from a deep burgundy through burnt orange to bright copper. It is characterized by high levels of the reddish pigment pheomelanin and relatively low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. The term redhead (originally redd hede) has been in use since at least 1510. It is associated with fair skin color, lighter eye colors (gray, blue, green, and hazel), freckles, and sensitivity to ultraviolet light.

Cultural reactions have varied from ridicule to admiration; many common stereotypes exist regarding redheads and they are often portrayed as fiery-tempered.

Geographic distribution

Historical

Several accounts by Greek writers mention redheaded people. A fragment by the poet Xenophanes describes the Thracians as blue-eyed and red haired. Herodotus described the Budini people as being predominantly red haired. Dio Cassius described Boudica, Queen of the Iceni, of the ancient Britons, to be "tall and terrifying in appearance... a great mass of red hair... over her shoulders."

The Roman historian Tacitus commented on the "red hair and large limbs of the inhabitants of Caledonia", which he connected with some red haired Gaulish tribes of Germanic and Belgic relation.

In Asia, red hair has been found among the ancient Tocharians, who occupied the Tarim Basin in what is now the northwesternmost province of China. Caucasian Tarim mummies have been found with red hair dating to the 2nd millennium BC.

Red hair is also found amongst Polynesians, and is especially common in some tribes and family groups. In Polynesian culture red hair has traditionally been seen as a sign of descent from high ranking ancestors and a mark of rulership.

  

Modern

Today, red hair is most commonly found at the northern and western fringes of Europe; it is associated particularly with the people located in the British Isles (although Victorian era ethnographers claimed that the Udmurt people of the Volga were "the most red-headed men in the world"). Redheads are common among Germanic and Celtic peoples.

Redheads constitute approximately 4% of the European population. Scotland has the highest proportion of redheads; 13% of the population has red hair and approximately 40% carries the recessive redhead gene. Ireland has the second highest percentage; as many as 10% of the Irish population has red, auburn, or strawberry blond hair. It is thought that up to 46% of the Irish population carries the recessive redhead gene. A 1956 study of hair color amongst British army recruits also found high levels of red hair in Wales and the English Border counties.

Red hair is also fairly common amongst the Ashkenazi Jewish populations, possibly because of the influx of European DNA over a period of centuries. In European culture, prior to the 20th century, red hair was often seen as a stereotypically Jewish trait: during the Spanish Inquisition, all those with red hair were identified as Jewish. In Italy, red hair was associated with Italian Jews, and Judas was traditionally depicted as red-haired in Italian and Spanish art. Writers from Shakespeare to Dickens would identify Jewish characters by giving them red hair. The stereotype that red hair is Jewish remains in parts of Eastern Europe and Russia.

Lalla Salma

In the United States, it is estimated that 2–6% of the population has red hair. This would give the U.S. the largest population of redheads in the world, at 6 to 18 million, compared to approximately 650,000 in Scotland and 420,000 in Ireland.[citation needed]

The Berber populations of Morocco and northern Algeria have occasional redheads. Red hair frequency is especially significant among the Riffians from Morocco and Kabyles from Algeria, whose frequence reaches 10% and 4%, respectively. The Queen of Morocco, Lalla Salma wife of king Mohammed VI, has red hair. Abd ar-Rahman I also had red hair, his mother being a Christian Berber slave.

In Asia, genetic red hair is rare, but can be found in the Levant (Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Palestine), in Turkey, in Caucasia, in Northern Kazakhstan, and among Indo-Iranians. The use of henna on hair and skin for various reasons is common in Asia. When henna is used on hair it dyes the hair to different shades of red.

Emigration from Eurasia and North Africa added to the population of red haired humans in the Americas, Australia, New Zealand and Southern Africa.

  

Culture

In various times and cultures, red hair has been prized, feared, and ridiculed.

Beliefs about temperament

 A common belief about redheads is that they have fiery tempers and sharp tongues. In Anne of Green Gables, a character says of Anne Shirley, the redheaded heroine, that "her temper matches her hair", while in The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield remarks that "People with red hair are supposed to get mad very easily, but Allie [his dead brother] never did, and he had very red hair."

During the early stages of modern medicine, red hair was thought to be a sign of a sanguine temperament. In the Indian medicinal practice of Ayurveda, redheads are seen as most likely to have a Pitta temperament.

Another belief is that redheads are highly sexed; for example, Jonathan Swift satirizes redhead stereotypes in part four of Gulliver's Travels, "A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms," when he writes that: "It is observed that the red-haired of both sexes are more libidinous and mischievous than the rest, whom yet they much exceed in strength and activity." Swift goes on to write that: "...neither was the hair of this brute [a Yahoo] of a red colour (which might have been some excuse for an appetite a little irregular) but black as a sloe..." Such beliefs were given a veneer of scientific credibility in the 19th century by Cesare Lombroso and Guglielmo Ferrero. They concluded that red hair was associated with crimes of lust, and claimed that 48% of "criminal women" were redheads.

Fashion and art

Queen Elizabeth I of England was a redhead, and during the Elizabethan era in England, red hair was fashionable for women. In modern times, red hair is subject to fashion trends; celebrities such as Nicole Kidman, Alyson Hannigan, Marcia Cross, Christina Hendricks, Emma Stone and Geri Halliwell can boost sales of red hair dye.

Lucille Ball

Sometimes, red hair darkens as people get older, becoming a more brownish color or losing some of its vividness. This leads some to associate red hair with youthfulness, a quality that is generally considered desirable. In several countries such as India, Iran, Bangladesh and Pakistan, henna and saffron are used on hair to give it a bright red appearance.

Many painters have exhibited a fascination with red hair. The hair color "Titian" takes its name from the artist Titian, who often painted women with red hair. Early Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli's famous painting The Birth of Venus depicts the mythological goddess Venus as a redhead. Other painters notable for their redheads include the Pre-Raphaelites, Edmund Leighton, Modigliani, and Gustav Klimt.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story The Red-Headed League involves a man who is asked to become a member of a mysterious group of red-headed people. The 1943 film DuBarry Was a Lady featured red-heads Lucille Ball and Red Skelton in Technicolor.

APES & MONKEYS

Is there a difference between monkeys and apes?

Can you tell the difference between an ape and a monkey? Many people call all primates monkeys, when in fact apes and monkeys are two kinds of animals under the classification of primate. They may look similar, but when you start to learn more about them, it becomes apparent there are many differences between monkeys and apes. Which animals are monkeys, and which are apes?

Though ape and monkey are often used interchangeably in the English language, they are not the same from a scientific point of view.

Apes and monkeys are primates that have evolved different physical and mental characteristics throughout time to respond to different needs and environments. For example, most monkeys have an easily visible tail, but no apes do, and while monkeys are physically built for a life in the trees, apes tend to be built for a life lived in the trees and on the ground.

While apes and monkeys are both primates, and are part of the same primate suborder, there are lots of differences between them. There are also lots of other sorts of primates. The distinction between different primate groups is­ based on physical characteristics and evolutionary ancestry.

The order of primates is characterized by animals with forward-facing eyes and highly flexible arms, legs and fingers. This body structure evolved as an adaptation for life in the trees: Primates have flexible limbs and grasping hands so they can move from branch to branch. The forward-facing eyes are also an adaptation for life in this environment: They give primates excellent depth perception, allowing them to accurately judge the distance between trees.

The 235 modern primate species are divided up into two suborders -- the prosimians and the anthropoids. The prosimians, made up of lemurs and similar animals, are the more primitive group. They exhibit lower intelligence and they more closely resemble other mammal groups (they typically have whiskers and extended snouts, for example). The prosimians split off from the evolutionary line leading to humans relatively early. Anthropoids, commonly called the "higher primates," comprise the rest of the species in the primate order. Anthropoids vary considerably in size, geographical range and behavior, but they all have flat faces, small ears and relatively large, complex brains.

­W­ithin the suborder of anthropoids, primates are grouped into monkeys, apes and hominids. The easiest way to distinguish monkeys from the other anthropoids is to look for a tail. Most monkey species have tails, but no apes or hominids do. Monkeys are much more like other mammals than apes and humans are. For example, most monkeys cannot swing from branch to branch, as apes and humans can, because their shoulder bones have a different structure. Instead, monkeys run along the tops of branches. Their skeletal structure is similar to a cat, dog or other four-footed animal, and they move in the same sort of way. On the evolutionary line leading to humans, monkeys split off long before apes did.

Differences and Similarities 

Prosimian

Not a monkey OR an ape: There is one other kind of primate that people may not be aware of. Prosimians are the most primitive of the primates - sometimes they are referred to as "pre-monkeys". There name means "before monkeys".

Prosimians include animals like lemurs, lorises, and tarsiers. They are the ancestors to monkeys, and apes and live a very different lifestyle.

Nocturnal and sensitive: In contrast to diurnal (daytime) monkeys and apes, prosimians are mostly nocturnal... they have large eyes with sensitive nocturnal vision, complex tactile hairs, large and independently movable ears and a strong sense of smell.

Specialized and tropical; They are usually very specialized to their environment and have a variety of social systems. Like monkeys and apes though, they do have a developed hand with good control. They are restricted to living only in tropical woodlands...

Prosimians are restricted to tropical woodlands. Many surviving species have become nocturnal, probably because of competition from diurnal monkeys and rodents. Most prosimians are endangered, some critically so.

Prosimians have:

A well developed sense of smell, and a more prominent snout.

Partial binocular vision (using two eyes together, as apes and monkeys do). Often nocturnal vision.

Some claws and developed manual dexterity.

Immobilized upper lips.

A different dental formula - 2:1:3:3

Prosimians only live in the 'Old World'. (area that don't include North and South America): Lemurs live only on the island of Madagascar, Tarsiers live on the islands of the Philippines, Borneo, Celebes Islands, and Sumatra, and Lorises live in areas of Africa and South/Southeast Asia .

1. Lar gibbon
2. White-headed capuchin
3. Orangutan
4. Ring-tailed lemur
5. Common chimpanzee
6. Patas monkey
7. Marmoset
8. Vervet monkey
9. Gorilla

TEARS

Lacrimation, or lachrymation, (from Latin lacrima, meaning "tear") is the secretion of tears, which serve to clean and lubricate the eyes. Strong emotions such as sorrow, elation, awe and pleasure, as well as irritation of the eyes, laughing, and yawning may lead to an excess production of tears, or weeping.

Types of tears

There are three very basic types of tears:

Basal tears

In healthy mammalian eyes, the cornea is continually kept wet and nourished by basal tears. They lubricate the eye, and help to keep it clear of dust. Tear fluid contains water, mucin, lipids, lysozyme, lactoferrin, lipocalin, lacritin, immunoglobulins, glucose, urea, sodium, and potassium. Some of the substances in lacrimal fluid (such as lysozyme) fight against bacterial infection as a part of the immune system. Lysozyme does this by dissolving a layer in the outer coating, called peptidoglycan, of certain bacteria. It is a typical body fluid with a salt content similar to blood plasma. Usually, in a 24-hour period, 0.75 to 1.1 grams (0.03–0.04 ounce avoirdupois) of tears is secreted; this rate slows with age.

Reflex tears

The second type of tears results from irritation of the eye by foreign particles, or from the presence of irritant substances such as onion vapors, tear gas, or pepper spray in the eye's environment, including the cornea, conjunctiva, or nasal mucosa, which trigger TRP channels in the ophthalmic nerve. It can also occur with bright light and hot or peppery stimuli to the tongue and mouth. It is also linked with vomiting, coughing and yawning. These reflex tears attempt to wash out irritants that may have come into contact with the eye.

Crying or weeping (psychic tears)

The third category, in general, referred to as crying or weeping, is increased lacrimation due to strong emotional stress, pleasure, anger, suffering, mourning, or physical pain. This practice is not restricted to negative emotions; many people cry when extremely happy such as during times of intense humour and laughter. In humans, emotional tears can be accompanied by reddening of the face and sobbing — cough-like, convulsive breathing, sometimes involving spasms of the whole upper body. Tears brought about by emotions have a different chemical make-up than those for lubrication; emotional tears contain more of the protein-based hormones prolactin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and leucine enkephalin (a natural painkiller) than basal or reflex tears. The limbic system is involved in production of basic emotional drives, such as anger, fear, etc. The limbic system, to be specific, the hypothalamus, also has a degree of control over the autonomic system. The parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system controls the lacrimal glands via the neurotransmitter acetylcholine through both the nicotinic and muscarinic receptors. When these receptors are activated, the lacrimal gland is stimulated to produce tears.

Social aspects

In nearly all cultures, crying is seen as a specific act associated with tears trickling down the cheeks and accompanied by characteristic sobbing sounds. Emotional triggers are most often sadness and grief, but crying can also be triggered by anger, happiness, fear, laughter or humor, frustration, remorse, or other strong, intense emotions. In many cultures, crying is associated with babies and children. Some cultures consider crying to be undignified and infantile, casting aspersions on those who cry publicly, except if it is due to the death of a close friend or relative. In most cultures, it is more socially acceptable for women and children to cry than men. In some Latin regions, crying among men is acceptable.

Some modern therapy movements such as Re-evaluation Counseling teach that crying is beneficial to health and mental well-being, encouraging it positively. An insincere display of grief or dishonest remorse is sometimes called crocodile tears in reference to an Ancient Greek anecdote that crocodiles would pretend to weep while luring or devouring their prey.

In addition, in medical terms, someone is said to have Crocodile tears syndrome as an uncommon consequence of recovery from Bell's palsy, in which faulty regeneration of the facial nerve causes sufferers to shed tears while eating.

source: WikiPedia

FRUIT

Delicious Fruits That Will Increase Your Sex Drive 
                                   and Make You Extremely Horny!

There is nothing like the summer sun and the smell of fruit. Have you ever noticed how sexy fruit can be?
Just talking about ripping into a juicy, succulent mango can be like foreplay.

1. Papaya

The papaya looks like the passionate depths of a woman’s intimacy. Those dark fleshy seeds invite you to dive inside and explore the moist fruit beneath. It makes complete sense; in Guatemala the papaya is used to boost a woman’s sexual desire and encourages fertility because it has compounds that are similar to estrogen. In some cultures it is known to increase milk in nursing mothers, aid in childbirth and promote healthy menstruation.

2. Coconut

Coconut has many (sexy) uses. Coconut oil is great for a massage
and a safe lubricant. Not only is it silky smooth, but anti-fungal,
anti-viral and anti-bacterial. Bonus: it’s edible, too! The sweet and
refreshing scent of coconut enhances your mood and provides stress relief. Beware though, coconut oil can damage latex condoms, please use responsibly! The juice of a young coconut also aids in keeping your body hydrated and promoting lustful energy as a result of the natural sugars and anti-aging hormone called kinetin.

 

3. Banana

The banana is the definition of a tease. But it is not just a banana’s phallic shape that can get you going. The potassium is used in the production of sex hormones. Another great substance found in bananas is bromelain; good for a boost to those sexual feelings. Bromelain is an enzyme that fights impotency in men. Stock up. The banana also stimulates the production of serotonin, which can improve sleep and elevate mood (serotonin is a “feel good” hormone).

4. Cherries

There’s a reason the cherry is so popular. It is sexy. The cherry has even been referred to as “the fruit of fire.” In no time you have cherry stained lips ready for some serious action. Cherries have that little playful burst of sweetness that gushes into your mouth with a little “Pop!” Women in movies use them to seduce those ruggedly handsome men. There is nothing about a cherry that isn’t sexy. What is really sweet about cherries is that they can regulate the rhythm of your heart. Sounds romantic, doesn’t it? You see the cherry has substances called anthocyanins, which fight against clogged arteries and protect your artery walls.

5. Watermelon

Great for the cardiovascular system thanks to citrulline (another amino acid) which clears up those blood vessels, watermelon will help pump you up. They are also playful and sexy! It is always easier to get hot in the summer, which is what watermelon brings to mind for many. Babes in bikini’s, topless dudes, and watermelon eating contests turned sexy. 
Slurp it up, guys.

6. Raspberries

Raspberries are small and plump, sometimes with a dewdrop of tasty red juice in the center. But there is a little known fun fact about these morsels of fruit. Raspberries are used to treat erectile dysfunction, just like the kiwi fruit. High in vitamin C and a passionate red, raspberries will encourage the production of sex hormones such as estrogen, androgen and progesterone.

7. Mangoes

If you’re eating mangoes, you won’t need the coconut oil. Not only does the mango calm your emotions but it provides moistening fluids to your body, keeping you dewy. The mango is fun to share as it makes a wet, dripping mess. Throw in that energy boost from natural sugars and you have yourself a long lasting, messy, mango sharing time. Full of vitamin E, mangoes are essential for increasing sex hormones.

8. Pomegranate

They’re even better for sharing than the mango. Pomegranates are the fruit of creativity and get your blood pumping by helping your body produce nitric oxide. This substance opens your blood vessels to help your heart pump blood to all of the necessary places. So as you nibble on those lush pomegranate seeds, it is a good time to come up with new and exciting positions.

9. Figs

Probably the most surprising, figs have quite the sexual appeal. The interior is pink and fleshy; their scent is musky and sexual, as is their flavor. Just like the pomegranate, figs aid in the production of nitric oxide. And if it takes a little danger to get you going, take heed of the fig wasp that makes its home deep inside the figs plump inner flowers. Physically, the fig closely resembles the female anatomy and can have a warm, sticky interior from absorbing that hot sun all day.

10. Avocado

The avocado is full of potassium, which improves your stamina and is good for blood flow. Avocados grow in trees which are known as the testicle tree because of the avocado’s shape, and they tend to grow in pairs. This means if you take a banana, two avocados and make a fruit salad, you have all the male genitalia in a bowl.

11. Goji Berries

Commonly used as a sexual tonic, goji berries do more than increase testosterone levels in men. They are also known to increase a woman’s sex drive. These little berries brighten the spirit and encourage cheerfulness as well. Commonly found dried, the goji berries keep the prostate healthy. Your doctor should warn you that because the goji berries can increase your sexual activity, your PSA (prostate-specific antigens) may increase, but it is not harmful. So rev those engines and take some goji berries for a drive!

12. Dates

What is sexier than having a hot date? Full of concentrated, natural sugars, dates are great for an energy and mood boost. If you’re worried about your time, pop some dates in your guzzler. The amino acids that these succulent fruits contain will increase your stamina and improve your sexual desire due to the improved production of hormones. That is one hot, fruity date.

thanks to RooGirl
http://roogirl.com

Astronomy and a Year

A year (Old English gēar, Gothic jēr, Runic Jēran) is the orbital period of the Earth moving around the Sun. For an observer on the Earth, this corresponds to the period it takes the Sun to complete one course throughout the zodiac along the ecliptic.

In astronomy, the Julian year is a unit of time, defined as 365.25 days of 86400 SI seconds each (no leap seconds).

There is no universally accepted symbol for the year as a unit of time. The International System of Units does not propose one. A common abbreviation in international use is a (for Latin annus), in English also y or yr.

Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the passing of the seasons, marked by changes in weather, hours of daylight, and consequently vegetation and fertility. In temperate and subpolar regions, generally four seasons are recognized: spring, summer, autumn and winter, astronomically marked by the Sun reaching the points of equinox and solstice, although the climatic seasons lag behind their astronomical markers. In some tropical and subtropical regions it is more common to speak of the rainy (or wet, or monsoon) season versus the dry season.

A calendar year is an approximation of the Earth's orbital period in a given calendar. A calendar year in the Gregorian calendar (as well as in the Julian calendar) has either 365 (common years) or 366 (leap years) days.

So the year is the time it takes for the Earth to go around the Sun, right? Well, not exactly. It depends on what you mean by “year” and how you measure it. This takes a wee bit of explaining, so here is the link than tells you all about the tale of the year.

Astronomy

Astronomy is a natural science that is the study of celestial objects (such as moons, planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies), the physics, chemistry, mathematics, and evolution of such objects, and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth, including supernovae explosions, gamma ray bursts, and cosmic background radiation. A related but distinct subject, cosmology, is concerned with studying the universe as a whole.

Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences. Prehistoric cultures left behind astronomical artifacts such as the Egyptian monuments and Nubian monuments, and early civilizations such as the Babylonians, Greeks, Chinese, Indians, Iranians and Maya performed methodical observations of the night sky. However, the invention of the telescope was required before astronomy was able to develop into a modern science. Historically, astronomy has included disciplines as diverse as astrometry, celestial navigation, observational astronomy, and the making of calendars, but professional astronomy is nowadays often considered to be synonymous with astrophysics.

During the 20th century, the field of professional astronomy split into observational and theoretical branches. Observational astronomy is focused on acquiring data from observations of astronomical objects, which is then analyzed using basic principles of physics. Theoretical astronomy is oriented toward the development of computer or analytical models to describe astronomical objects and phenomena. The two fields complement each other, with theoretical astronomy seeking to explain the observational results and observations being used to confirm theoretical results.

Amateur astronomers have contributed to many important astronomical discoveries, and astronomy is one of the few sciences where amateurs can still play an active role, especially in the discovery and observation of transient phenomena.

Astronomy is not to be confused with astrology, the belief system which claims that human affairs are correlated with the positions of celestial objects. Although the two fields share a common origin they are now entirely distinct.

Astronomy: Songs and Music

"Astronomy" is a rock song by Blue Öyster Cult that has appeared on several of the band's albums. It was first published on their 1974 album Secret Treaties. Their second live album, Some Enchanted Evening, included a version with an extended guitar solo and a third version was included on the Imaginos album. It was also re-recorded for the band's Cult Classic collection in connection with the TV miniseries of Stephen King's The Stand. Most recently the song was included on the A Long Day's Night album.

Blue Oyster Cult – Astronomy lyrics

Clock strikes twelve and moondrops burst

Out at you from their hiding place

Like acid and oil on a madman's face

His reason tends to fly away

Like lesser birds on the four winds

Like silver scrapes in may

And now the sand's become a crust

Most of you have gone away

Come susie dear, let's take a walk

Just out there upon the beach

I know you'll soon be married

And you'll want to know where winds come from

Well it's never said at all

On the map that carrie reads

Behind the clock back there you know

At the four winds bar

Hey! hey! hey! hey!

Four winds at the four winds bar

Two doors locked and windows barred

One door to let to take you in

The other one just mirrors it

Hey! hey! hey! hey!

Hellish glare and inference

The other one's a duplicate

The queenly flux, eternal light

Or the light that never warms

Yes the light that never, never warms

Or the light that never

Never warms

Never warms

Never warms

The clock strikes twelve and moondrops burst

Out at you from their hiding place

Miss carrie nurse and susie dear

Would find themselves at four winds bar

It's the nexus of the crisis

And the origin of storms

Just the place to hopelessly

Encounter time and then came me

Hey!hey! hey! hey!

Call me desdinova

Eternal light

These gravely digs of mine

Will surely prove a sight

And don't forget my dog

Fixed and consequent

Astronomy...a star

Vangelis - Cosmos

Cosmos is a collection of space music from the early Vangelis CDs of the '70s.

Heaven and Hell, released in 1975, is the fifth solo album by Greek electronic composer Vangelis. It got worldwide recognition through the use of "Movement 3" as the theme for the television documentary series Cosmos. Heaven and Hell was the first album Vangelis composed and recorded in his new Nemo Studios in London, the studio he used between 1975 and 1987.

The album has classical overtones, in contrast with the progressive rock on both the previous and the following albums, Earth (1973) and Albedo 0.39 (1976) respectively. Vangelis would return to classical style work ten years later, on Mask (1985).Vangelis dabbles with choral sections joined with his now typical electronic washes of sound, a concept he would return to in the nineties with his Conquest of Paradise and Mythodea. By now, Vangelis had left behind his electronic-progressive-rock forays. In fact, this album constitutes the first album where Vangelis establishes himself as one of the main figures in the growing musical genre of electronic instrumental and new age, creating a web of sound linking several simultaneous beats and melodic lines of different timbres on his synthesizers.

This album also marked the first collaboration between Vangelis and Jon Anderson, on "So Long Ago, So Clear", which would continue more fully a few years later.

The Galaxy Song - Learn some astronomy

Monty Python's Galaxy Song, from the film: The Meaning of Life, with lyrics and relevant illustrations.

FOREVER YOUNG chapter III

Eternal Youth

Eternal youth is the concept of human physical immortality free of aging. The youth referred to is usually meant to be in contrast to the depredations of aging, rather than a specific age of the human lifespan. Achieving eternal youth so far remains beyond the capabilities of scientific technology. However, much research is being conducted in the sciences of genetics which may allow manipulation of the aging process in the future. Eternal youth is common in mythology, and is a popular theme in fiction.

Fountain of Youth

The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring that supposedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted across the world for thousands of years, appearing in writings by Herodotus, the Alexander romance, and the stories of Prester John. Stories of similar waters were also evidently prominent among the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean during the Age of Exploration, who spoke of the restorative powers of the water in the mythical land of Bimini.

The legend became particularly prominent in the 16th century, when it became attached to the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, first Governor of Puerto Rico. According to an apocryphal combination of New World and Eurasian elements, Ponce de León was searching for the Fountain of Youth when he traveled to what is now Florida in 1513.

Elixir of Life

The elixir of life, also known as elixir of immortality and sometimes equated with the philosopher's stone, is a legendary/mythical potion, or drink, that when drank from a certain cup, at a certain time, grants the drinker eternal life and/or eternal youth. Many alchemists pursued it. The elixir of life was also said to be able to create life. It is related to the myths of Thoth and Hermes Trismegistus, both of whom in various tales are said to have drunk "the white drops" (liquid gold) and thus achieved immortality. It is mentioned in one of the Nag Hammadi texts.

Immortality

Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Biological forms have inherent limitations which medical interventions or engineering may or may not be able to overcome. Natural selection has developed potential biological immortality in at least one species, the jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula.

Certain scientists, futurists, and philosophers, have theorized about the immortality of the human body, and advocate that human immortality is achievable in the first few decades of the 21st century, while other advocates believe that life extension is a more achievable goal in the short term, with immortality awaiting further research breakthroughs into an indefinite future. Aubrey de Grey, a researcher who has developed a series of biomedical rejuvenation strategies to reverse human aging (called SENS), believes that his proposed plan for ending aging may be implementable in two or three decades. The absence of aging would provide humans with biological immortality, but not invulnerability to death by physical trauma. What form an unending human life would take, or whether an immaterial soul exists and possesses immortality, has been a major point of focus of religion, as well as the subject of speculation, fantasy, and debate.

In religious contexts, immortality is often stated to be among the promises by God (or other deities) to human beings who show goodness or else follow divine law (cf. resurrection).

The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the first literary works, dating back at least to the 22nd century BC, is primarily a quest of a hero seeking to become immortal.

Wittgenstein, in a notably non-theological interpretation of eternal life, writes in the Tractatus that, "If we take eternity to mean not infinite temporal duration but timelessness, then eternal life belongs to those who live in the present."

DNA damage theory of aging

The DNA damage theory of aging proposes that aging is a consequence of unrepaired accumulation of naturally occurring DNA damages. Damage in this context is a DNA alteration that has an abnormal structure. Although both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA damage can contribute to aging, nuclear DNA is the main subject of this analysis. Nuclear DNA damage can contribute to aging either indirectly (by increasing apoptosis or cellular senescence) or directly (by increasing cell dysfunction).

In humans and other mammals, DNA damage occurs frequently and DNA repair processes have evolved to compensate. In estimates made for mice, on average approximately 1,500 to 7,000 DNA lesions occur per hour in each mouse cell, or about 36,000 to 160,000 per cell per day (Vilenchik & Knudson 2000). In any cell some DNA damage may remain despite the action of repair processes. The accumulation of unrepaired DNA damage is more prevalent in certain types of cells, particularly in non-replicating or slowly replicating cells, such as cells in the brain, skeletal and cardiac muscle.

Maximum life span

Maximum life span refers to a measure of the maximum amount of time one or more members of a population has been observed to survive between birth and death. The term can also denote an estimate of the maximum amount of time that a member of a given species could survive between life and death, provided circumstances that are optimal to their longevity.

Most living species have at least one upper limit on the number of times cells can divide. For humans, this is called the Hayflick limit, although number of cell divisions does not strictly control lifespan (non-dividing cells and dividing cells lived over 120 years in the oldest known human).