Youll never look at a banana the same

Subject: Health FYI

After Reading THIS, you'll NEVER look at a banana in the same way again! Bananas containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide

enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier. PMS: Forget the pills -- eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood. Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia. Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect way to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration have just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke. Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation:

in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives. Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system. Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief. Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness. Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation. Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach. Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan. Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal. Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes:

Hope this information is useful

Have a Magnificent Day,

According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine," eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%! So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

Mfundishi Tayari Casel

Tips for auto insurance

In good times, it's natural that we pay less attention to our individual expenses. But today, regardless of our current situation, we all need to save as much money as possible.
And when it comes to saving money, the experts agree one of the best places to start is with your auto insurance.
While it’s natural that companies want to generate as much profit as they can, auto insurance is one area that many people end up paying way more than they should. That’s because they are unaware of some key information which insurance companies aren’t in a particular hurry to share.
What you need to know to make sure your Insurance Company is not getting rich off you

1. Rates are constantly changing. In fact, in certain states and for certain policies rates have actually dropped significantly in the past 12 months. And if your record has improved you may even be eligible for additional reductions. You can be sure, however, that your insurance company isn’t going to call you up and let you know their rates have dropped.
2. You're not locked in to your policy. Even if you have pre-paid your current insurance company for an entire year, you have the right to cancel the policy at any time and receive a pro-rated refund. In fact their is no cost to switch policies from one company to another.
3. Comparing quotes from multiple insurance companies delivers the most savings. Today there are online services that let consumers quickly shop for the best rates from a nationwide selection of auto insurance companies, all competing for your business. You simply enter your requirements, and instantly receive quotes from a wide range of reputable companies so you can immediately see how much you could save by switching.

One of the most comprehensive of these comparison services is offered by a website called AutoInsuranceTips.com They operate a free service that will quickly get you auto insurance quotes from a wide network of premium insurers. It makes it quick and simple to learn which company is willing to ensure you for less.  The site also contains a wealth of reference information that helps you understand how different policies work and how to save the most money possible.
The fact is that with a minimal amount of time and the help of a service such as AutoInsuranceTips.com you may be able to quickly save hundreds of dollars.
So, if you're into saving money, start by finding out how much less you could be paying every month for your auto insurance coverage

Dreams and Sleep

Dreams and Improving Sleep Habits

Why do we have such crazy, kooky dreams? Why do we dream at all for that matter? According to Joel Achenbach in his book Why Things Are:

­The brain creates dreams through random electrical activity. Random is the key word here. About every 90 minutes the brain stem sends electrical impulses throughout the brain, in no particular order or fashion. The analytic portion of the brain -- the forebrain -- then desperately tries to make sense of these signals. It is like looking at a Rorschach test, a random splash of ink on paper. The only way of comprehending it is by viewing the dream (or the inkblot) metaphorically, symbolically, since there's no literal message. This doesn't mean that dreams are meaningless or should be ignored. How our forebrains choose to "analyze" the random and discontinuous images may tell us something about ourselves, just as what we see in an inkblot can be revelatory. And perhaps there is a purpose to the craziness: Our minds may be working on deep-seated problems through these circuitous and less threatening metaphorical dreams.

Here are some other things you may have noticed about your dreams:

• Dreams tell a story. They are like a TV show, with scenes, characters and props.
• Dreams are egocentric. They almost always involve you.
• Dreams incorporate things that have happened to you recently. They can also incorporate deep wishes and fears.
• A noise in the environment is often worked in to a dream in some way, giving some credibility to the idea that dreams are simply the brain's response to random impulses.
• You usually cannot control a dream -- in fact, many dreams emphasize your lack of control by making it impossible to run or yell. (However, proponents of lucid dreaming try to help you gain control.)

Dreaming is important. In sleep experiments where a person is woken up every time he/she enters REM sleep, the person becomes increasingly impatient and uncomfortable over time.
To learn more, check out How Dreams Work.
How Much Sleep Do I Need?
Most adult people seem to need seven to nine hours of sleep a night. This is an average, and it is also subjective. You, for example, probably know how much sleep you need in an average night to feel your best.
The amount of sleep you need decreases with age. A newborn baby might sleep 20 hours a day. By age four, the average is 12 hours a day. By age 10, the average falls to 10 hours a day. Senior citizens can often get by with six or seven hours a day.
Tips to Improve Your Sleep

• Exercise regularly. Exercise helps tire and relax your body.
• Don't consume caffeine after 4:00 p.m. or so. Avoid other stimulants like cigarettes as well.
• Avoid alcohol before bedtime. Alcohol disrupts the brain's normal patterns during sleep.
• Try to stay in a pattern with a regular bedtime and wakeup time, even on weekends

SpaceShip Two

SpaceShipTwo flies free for first time

Mark Greenberg / Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo plane, also known as VSS Enterprise, glides earthward after its release from the White Knight Two mothership. The unpowered flight was piloted by Pete Siebold, an engineer and test pilot at Scaled Composites.

Alan Boyle writes:Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane was set loose for its first gliding flight today, about 45,000 feet above California's Mojave Desert — and landed to a chorus of cheers minutes later. That's one small step for gliders, but one giant leap for SpaceShipTwo and the future of suborbital space tourism.
The free-flying test was chronicled as it happened by Popular Mechanics' Joe Bargmann from the Mojave Air and Space Port, where the spaceship's builder, Scaled Composites, has its headquarters. Scaled has been working on the craft for years as a commercial follow-up to the history-making, prize-winning spaceflights of SpaceShipOne in 2004. The $100 million-plus development effort is being bankrolled by Virgin's billionaire founder, Richard Branson, who was among the crowd watching today's flight.
More than 300 would-be passengers have already put down more than $45 million in deposits for $200,000-a-seat rides on the plane. The experience will include a roller-coaster rocket ride to a spaceworthy altitude of more than 65 miles, several minutes of weightlessness, a picture-window view of the curving Earth beneath the black sky of space ... and spaceflight bragging rights for years afterward.
Eventually, the price is expected to work its way down to mere tens of thousands of dollars, particularly as competitors such as Armadillo Aerospace, Blue Origin and XCOR Aerospace join the market.

Clay Observatory via Virgin Galactic

SpaceShipTwo separates from its White Knight Two mothership to begin its first free-flying glide test.

Today's test flight began with SpaceShipTwo hooked to its White Knight Two mothership for takeoff. Once the two linked-up planes reached 45,000 feet, the crews prepared to unhook the smaller craft for its glide. "We are armed," the cockpit crew radioed, according to Popular Mechanics' account. "Four, three, two, one, release release release!"
SpaceShipTwo glided through the air for 11 minutes and landed back at the Mojave airstrip, with White Knight Two touching down soon afterward. In a Twitter update, Virgin Galactic reported that SpaceShipTwo, also known as the VSS Enterprise, completed "her first solo glide flight successfully."
The glide test, piloted by Scaled Composites engineer Pete Siebold with Mike Alsbury as co-pilot, marked another milestone for SpaceShipTwo's test program. It came less than a year after the plane was rolled out for its first public viewing, and less than seven months after its first "captive-carry" flight.
"This was one of the most exciting days in the whole history of Virgin," Branson said in a statement released after the test. "For the first time since we seriously began the project in 2004, I watched the world's first manned commercial spaceship landing on the runway at Mojave Air and Space Port, and it was a great moment. Now, the sky is no longer the limit and we will begin the process of pushing beyond to the final frontier of space itself over the next year."
The Mojave Air and Space Port's general manager, Stuart Witt, hailed today's test in a statement released by the Commercial Spaceflight Federation: "First flight days are always extraordinary," Witt said. "This team effort by so many has been punctuated by a successful first test flight, and now everyone seeking a ride to space is a giant step closer."
More glides will follow in the months ahead to fine-tune the plane's aerodynamics. SpaceShipTwo's first powered tests, which will involve actually lighting up the plane's hybrid rocket engine, are expected to begin next year. The rocket ship's designer, Burt Rutan, has said he'd like to fly 50 to 100 tests before SpaceShipTwo begins commercial service — which would likely mean the first paying passengers could step aboard in 2012 or 2013.

Riddle for your Mind

6 clans gathered in eastern china for a historical showdown of Kung Fu. 6 clans with 6 styles, 6 colors, 6 weapons and 6 elements have fought to determine the master clan of Kung Fu. You must find the master clan and their style.


1. The Marimotto clan use Mantis Style
2. The clan who uses Monkey style also uses the sword
3. The Shaolin clan placed two spots below the XaXi
4. The Clan whose color is red placed directly above the clan whose style is Crane
5. The Blue clan placed last
6. The Clan whose element is stone placed below the clan whose weapon is star.
7. The Clan who uses a star, worships the element of fire.
8. The Clan whose style is snake placed below the clan whose weapon is sci, and above the Wakidoshi Clan
9. The Clan Whose color is purple, placed below the clan who uses the staff
10. The Clan who worships water placed second
11. The Clan who worships Air ranked above the clan who uses nunchucks
12. The Yovi Yai Clan Uses Tiger Style
13. The Clan whose color is red is above the clan whose color is black, but below the clan whose color is white.
14. The clan who uses Hand/ Foot way placed first.
15. The Clan whose color is green placed below the clan who worships Ice.
16. The Secret Clan placed two above the Clan who worships Earth.

17. Which Clan uses the Dragon Style?

Winter Road safety tips

When winter storms strike, do not drive unless necessary.

1. If you must travel, make sure you car is stocked with survival gear like blankets, a shovel, flashlight and extra batteries, extra warm clothing, set of tire chains, battery booster cables, quick energy foods and brightly-colored cloth to use as a distress flag.
2. Keep your gas tank full to prevent gasoline freeze-up.
3. If you have a cell phone or two-way radio available for your use, keep the battery charged and keep it with you whenever traveling. If you should become stranded, you will be able to call for help, advising rescuers of your location.
4. Make sure someone knows your travel plans.

Winterize Your Vehicle
Preparing your vehicle for the winter season now will help ensure your vehicle is in good working order when you need it most.

1. Have a mechanic check the following items on your vehicle:
   • Battery
   • Wipers and windshield washer fluid
   • Antifreeze
   • Ignition system
   • Thermostat
   • Lights
   • Exhaust system
   • Flashing hazard lights
   • Heater
   • Brakes
   • Defroster
   • Oil level
2. Install good winter tires. Make sure the tires have adequate tread. All-weather radials are usually adequate for most winter conditions. You may also want to carry a set of tire chains in your vehicle for heavy snow conditions.
3. Keep a windshield scraper and small broom for ice and snow removal and maintain at least a half tank of gas throughout the winter season.
4. Finally, plan long trips carefully. Listen to the local media report or call law enforcement agencies for the latest road conditions.

Drive Safely
The leading cause of death and injuries during winter storms is transportation accidents.

1. Before getting behind the wheel this winter season, every driver could learn a lesson from our school bus drivers. It is elementary, but we have to keep our vehicles clear of ice and snow. Good vision is a key to good driving.
2. Plan your stops and keep more distance between cars. Be extra alert. Remember, snowdrifts can hide smaller children. Moreover, always match your speed to the road and weather conditions.

Trapped in a Car
What would you do if a blizzard trapped you on the road?
Here are some tips to follow:

1. Stay in your car and wait for help to find you.
2. Run your engine for short periods of time to stay warm. Keep your down-wind window open and make sure your exhaust pipe is clear of snow.
3. Turn on the dome light at night when you are running the engine to signal rescuers.
4. Hang a brightly colored piece of cloth or piece of clothing from your car.
5. Exercise from time to time by vigorously moving arms, legs, fingers and toes to keep blood circulating and to keep warm.

White House Going Green

President Barack Obama's administration said Tuesday it would install solar panels on the White House in a bid to encourage Americans in lesser known residences to embrace renewable energy.
Former president Jimmy Carter put solar panels on the executive mansion in 1979, but Ronald Reagan took them down. The Obama White House last month politely rebuffed an activist who showed up with a Carter-era panel.
But Energy Secretary Steven Chu, addressing a conference on greening the federal government, said that two new solar panels would go up on the White House to show Americans that the technology is ready and reliable.
"This project reflects President Obama's strong commitment to US leadership in solar energy and the jobs it will create here at home," Chu said.
"Deploying solar energy technologies across the country will help America lead the global economy for years to come," he said.
The Energy Department will open up competitive bidding to choose a company to install the panels, said Chu, who earlier ordered temperature-cooling white paint on the roofs of his own agency's buildings.
It is the latest green project for the Obama White House. First Lady Michelle Obama launched a garden on the lawn in a bid to persuade Americans to eat fresher, healthier food.
The Obama administration tapped into last year's stimulus package to encourage solar and other renewable energies, hoping they will spur a new green economy and reduce carbon emissions which scientists say is causing dangerous climate change.
The US Senate has balked at mandating cuts in carbon emissions, with critics saying the plan would hurt a fragile economy.
Obama, however, pledged in January that the federal government would do its share by cutting carbon emissions by 28 percent by 2020 compared with levels in recent years.
Bill McKibben, the founder of the climate advocacy group 350.org, last month brought to the White House one of the original Carter panels -- now stored at Unity College in Maine -- but did not receive a commitment.
McKibben on Tuesday praised the Obama administration, saying it was listening to some 40,000 people who signed a petition for the solar panels.
"If it has anything like the effect of the White House garden, it could be a trigger for a wave of solar installations across the country and around the world," he said.

Glass less 3D TV

CNET) -- Ceatec didn't officially start until Monday, but Toshiba was already getting the lion's share of the buzz here on the show floor, with its glasses-less 3D TV.
The device was announced Sunday night, and people flocked to the demonstration in a dark makeshift theater Monday, where the wait was nearly an hour. The reason? Because finally, mercifully, a TV maker has come up with a way to watch 3D at home without those ridiculous plastic glasses.
There were three sizes on display: 12 inches, 20 inches, and 56 inches. While the smaller size models are destined for the Japanese market in December, the 56-incher is just a prototype and there are no imminent plans to make it into an actual product, according to a Toshiba representative here.
The 3D Regza TV uses the Cell Broadband Engine that takes a 2D image and then simultaneously creates nine images of it from nine different directions, in real time. It's displayed on a high-definition LED TV.
CNET: Watch an explanation video of how the technology works
After spending some time in the theater, we found the TV works surprisingly well. It's not a 3D cinema-quality experience, and there's clearly room to improve, but again, you don't have to wear any glasses.
Still images fare better than moving images. And you have to sit (though we stood during the demo) very close to the center of the screen to get the effect.
With the 12-inch version, move more than a few inches to the left or right and the 3D effect is lost. However, the viewing angle was better on the 20-inch model, and the best on the 56-inch one.
And there's another matter of practicality: to get the best effect, you have to stand pretty close to the LED TV, closer than any normal person would want to for fear singeing their retinas.
That's why the glasses-less 3D laptop, a Toshiba Dynabook, is a far more realistic application of the glasses-less technology: It's the same size as the 12-inch TV, but since it's natural to sit very close to a laptop and look at it straight on, the aforementioned problems are negated.
The 12-inch 3D TV goes on sale in Japan at the end of this year for 120,000 yen, or $1,500. The 20-inch will have a 240,000 yen price tag, or about $2,900.

Sorry, rest of the world, you'll have to wait, since there's no timetable for bringing either to other markets

Zagat food survey

What’s the best restaurant chain in the United States? While plenty of Web sites and organizations routinely wade into that particular puddle with various surveys, one of the weightier and most respected restaurant guides has just published its own list of the nation’s fast-food best: Zagat.

If you follow restaurant trends and like to keep up with the best and most innovative restaurants in the country, chances are pretty good you’re familiar with the narrow, oblong guides the company has been putting out for about the past 30 years. Stickers bearing the slogan “Zagat Rated” adorn the windows of restaurants – high-brow and low-brow but all serious about their food – in many of the country’s larger cities. But fast food? Chains? I did a double-take when I saw it but it makes sense. More people eat more food from chains; we might as well see which ones are the best at what they do.

So, which chain restaurants are top-rated according to the Zagat survey? Let’s do a little breakdown of the categories, first. Zagat divided fast-food chains into two categories: large, with less than 5,000 outlets in the United States, and mega, with more than 5,000. The survey also looked at quick-refreshment restaurants or “counter-service chains where coffee, ice cream, frozen yogurt or smoothies are the featured offering.” Finally, they rated full-service chains, or restaurants that offered full table service. Here are the results (See the complete survey here):

Most popular large fast-food chains:
1.    Panera Bread
2.    Chipotle
3.    Five Guys
4.    Chick-fil-A
5.    In-N-Out Burger

Most popular mega fast-food chains:
1.    Subway
2.    McDonald's
3.    Wendy's
4.    Burger King
5.    Taco Bell

Most popular quick-refreshment chains:
1.    Starbucks Coffee
2.    Dunkin' Donuts
3.    Culver's
4.    Ben & Jerry's
5.    Dairy Queen

Most popular full-service chains:
1.    P.F. Chang's China Bistro
2.    Bonefish Grill
3.    Cheesecake Factory
4.    California Pizza Kitchen
5.    Maggiano's

The survey included feedback from 6,518 participants who, according to Zagat’s Web site, ate an average of 6.1 meals at fast-food joints each month, and 4.6 meals per month at full-service chains. That totaled 837,000 meals eaten in chain across the country.

None of this is to say that survey participants were always crazy about what or where they were eating. Among the comments Zagat received (published, alas, without stating which restaurants they were describing) are these gems:

• “Loved it when I was in high school, but I was going through my stoner phase,”
• “Amazing how one can pile so many ingredients together and still come up flavor-free,” and my favorite,
• “Ordinary is still the unattainable goal here.”

Of course, I can't help but wonder: will we begin to see "Zagat rated" stickers adorning the take-out window at Dairy Queen?