He needs a helping hand

The man with the largest hand in the world will be looking forward to a normal life after undergoing radical plastic surgery at Shanghai No. 9 People’s Hospital.

Liu Hua, a 24-year-old Jiangsu Province native, was born with a left thumb, index and middle finger much larger than normal.

Liu was suffering from a rare disease called macrodactyly, a birth defect in which toes or fingers are abnormally large.

Liu’s three fingers and arm grew dramatically as he grew older and this had a serious affect on his life and his ability to work.

“It was the biggest hand in the world,” said Chen Zuliang, a hospital official. “Liu’s fingers stopped growing in recent years so plastic surgery was at last possible to correct the malformation.”

On July 20 surgeons began a seven-hour operation to reduce the size of Liu’s fingers and thumb. Doctors removed 5.1kg of flesh and bone in the procedure.

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Quotable Quotes

"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy,the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the three most powerful men in America are named Bush, Dick, and Colon. --Comedian Chris Rock

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101 secrets of healthy people

What could be the health/longevity secrets of the people who lived to a ripe old age? They are amazing. And did you know that people who ate five or six times a day had a five percent lower total cholesterol level than average and were 45 percent more likely to be able to sustain their target weight than people who ate once or twice a day (from Oxford University researchers).
Backed up by tons of medical research, best-selling author David Niven, PhD, reveals a lot more in his very absorbing book The 100 Simple Secrets of Healthy People (available at Powerbooks) while junking myths and misinformation. Let’s name some:

• Easy does it with vitamins. If vitamins are good, then more vitamins are better, right? Dead wrong! The book quotes Dr. Beverly McCabe-Sellers, professor of dietetics and nutrition at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences School, who gives this robust warning: “Taking too much of an essential vitamin or mineral may be as dangerous as going without the nutrient at all.” Sellers notes how important it is for consumers to heed the warning from the Institute of Medicine against “megadosing” on vitamin supplements (some people take five or even 10 times the recommended dietary allotment for a nutrient).

• Stop the war on bacteria. True, cleanliness is next to godliness, but is it possible that too much cleanliness can be bad for us? That food for thought comes from Tufts University geneticist Stuart Levy. “All that scrubbing and sponging with new antibacterial soaps and detergents may be weakening our immune systems,” warns Levy. “It is killing helpful germs and spurring the growth of mutant strains of super bacteria. Dr. Levy can only long for those days long gone when children built strong immune systems partly by getting dirty. He only wishes we would simply trust the products that our parents used back then: plain soap and water. He asserts, “We are fast becoming a society with an immune system so fragile that even the unpleasantness and misfortunes of daily life send us reeling. We know now, more than ever, that insulating ourselves from pain and fear isn’t possible.”

• You’re never too old to improve your health. You read that right: it’s never too late to improve your health. While you can’t undo your past, you can do something for yourself in the future. The key? Exercise! A Case Western Reserve University research found that increasing the frequency of exercise among those over 72 years old improved their overall health and was associated with a better outlook on life and a 20-percent longer lifespan.

• Couch time affects body and mind. Take a rest — but only in moderation. You wouldn’t want to rust away like a car left in the garage for 20 years, would you?
Mind your health — keep your mind healthy. According to neurologist Robert Friedland of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, “There is a growing number of studies supporting the theory that an active mind keeps the brain and body healthy. The brain is like any other organ in the body. It ages better, with more health and better function, when it is used.”

• Use the stairs. Instead of taking the elevator or the escalator, take a few flights of stairs — it’s a big step to health. Did you know that spending even just 10 minutes on the stairs each day can make you lose 10 pounds over the course of a year? That’s according to research done at the Centers for Disease Control in Washington, DC.

• A tomato a day is even better. Yes, a tomato a day is even better than an apple a day in keeping the doctor at bay. According to scientists at Ohio State University, five servings of tomatoes a week in any form — raw, canned, cooked, in soups, as sauce or ketchup or as juice — provide enough lycopene to cut the risk of cancer and heart disease in half, and to improve the health of the lungs, eyes, and the skin.

• Eat your spinach (or leafy greens). As the popular spinach-gobbling sailor Popeye would say, “I’m strong to the finish ‘cause I eat my spinach.” Eating two servings a day of foods like tomatoes, leafy green vegetables like, yes, spinach and romaine lettuce, pinto, navy or kidney beans and grain products decreases levels of an amino acid that contributes to the process of underlying heart disease and stroke.

• Drink your grape juice. Just as Teflon coating keeps food from sticking to the pan, the bioflavonoid in grape juice prevents cholesterol from sticking to our arteries. Thus, regular consumption of grape juice reduces the likelihood of clogged arteries and lowers the risk for conditions like heart disease and strokes.

• Yes, you can worry your health away. The stress is on stress, which accounts for two-thirds of doctor visits, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When you’re stressed, you produce the hormones adrenaline and cortisol. While they are energy boosters, they are also potent inhibitors of our immune system, according to Dr. Kiecolt-Glaser, who adds, “This constant activation of the fight-or-flight response causes various systems of the body to develop chronic problems, such as high blood pressure or a strained heart.”

• Forgiveness helps you heal. Let go of your angry thoughts and let your body and spirit heal. In a study done by doctors at the University of Washington, it was found that holding a grudge raises the heart rate, blood pressure and sweat production in more than nine out of 10 people.

• Breathe right. Are you breathing right? Most of us aren’t. And most of us don’t know that something as ordinary as breathing can actually dramatically change our lives. According to researchers at Harvard University, breathing slowly and deeply from the abdomen triggers a blood flow boost to the brain and up to a 65-percent reduction in stress. Now you know.

• Use discretion with Internet advice. “There’s a staggering amount of medical misinformation on the Internet,” warns Dr. Scott Matthews of the University of California, San Diego. The good doctor is alarmed that patients with cancer and other life-threatening conditions often turn to alternative medicine, and a lot of times, their source of information is the Internet. People who have read Dr. Matthew’s study are grateful to him for weeding out some of the danger and the make-believe in health information.

• Remember, ginkgo biloba won’t help your memory. The ginkgo biloba is touted as a memory enhancer. But here’s something to keep in mind: There’s no shred of scientific evidence to back up those marketing claims. “Don’t worry, it’s normal,” says neuropsychologist David Salmon. “Especially as we get older, our brains just work less efficiently. Things we could remember effortlessly when we were younger require more effort when we get older.”

And remember to pass on these secrets.

Courtesy of:
PHILSTARCONSUMERLINE By Ching M. Alano Tuesday, August 28, 2007

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When you have done something good to somebody, ask him to pay for it!

Yeah I’m not kidding, do something good, help somebody today, maybe in the office helping someone to accomplish or solve clerical work, computations etc. or a friend who really in need might want a helping hand, or maybe your kids might need some help from your expertise for their school works, go on help them, help all of them but don’t forget one thing: make them pay for it!

Does that sound too materialistic?

I was being appalled by the recent stories circulating around the web world nowadays, scams left and right proliferates the entire internet world, from spamming to pyramiding to phising, sometimes you will be lost in words as to which scams to label an action. Human geniuses are being used to its full extent just to rob somebody some place. But what if we can turn it the other way around? I know it’s not my original concept but the idea always struck me whenever I see and hear rip-off all over the world.

Here’s how to earn from it

It is human nature to do good things. A mother hen will always protect their little chicks from a predator who might want her siblings for dinner, her effort be it small as it may seems is to protect at all cost those little chickens that she have there, and defend them even if it cost her life. That’s a hen I’m talking about she has something “good” in her inner self that is already there—embedded. How about humans? Of course we have “something good” in us all we have to do is tap it and put it forward to earn.

What I mean by “earn” is not to acquire financial gain, no it’s not what you think it is. Do something good to somebody; let’s say on a once a month basis. After you have helped somebody, ask him/her to pay for it. But not by money or any other material benefits, all you will ask for payment is for him/her to do good things also to somebody else in return or payment of those good things you have done to him/her. That’s pyramiding scheme isn’t it?

Make sure he/she will report to you the status in a month’s time whether he/she had helped somebody in return. Your “down line” in a matter of say, half a year will increase dramatically the one soul that you have helped will generate into a pool of helping hands that also asking people to “pay back” those good things with equally good deeds that they have done. I know it may sound like a dream a utopian dream, but what are we going to lose? There’s no money involved in here anyway.

You will be rich in no time at all!

Imagine how the goodness will spread like wildfire, if you have helped one person, and that one person will reciprocate that good deed into another person in the condition that the “down line” will also help another as payment for the good things that is done into him, them maybe you don’t need to be mother Theresa or Mahatma Gandhi, or some other famous Philanthropist to help a lot of people. You will be rich (in good deeds) in no time at all “checks” will come at your doorsteps in the form of reports (maybe an email is convenient) from those people that you have helped.

Your dreams fulfilled

I always dreamt of having a good life, where there is a financial freedom, a big house of my own, money in the bank, a car, travel and vacation whenever, wherever I may want…all of those material things. But have we ever thought of investing on our soul? Investing in doing good things is the highest form of seeking happiness, it is the ultimate high in life, noticed how people gave smile whenever you have a chance to help them? And have you noticed the way it feels inside you whenever you have helped somebody?

Invest right now, you don’t need money, you don’t need stocks, just keep all your wealth in the bank but be generous in lending a helping hand, and while you do that don’t forget to open a account where you will deposit all your good deeds for later spending in heaven.

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More Games at arcadecabin.com | Cool Generators

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Why did I stop watching the evening news?

I really can’t recall when I really started being aware of my social surroundings, reading the morning papers and watching the evening news. All of us want to be kept updated as we need the news within our grasp; it gives us somehow a feeling of belonging as we are being updated on what was happening on whom and when. Little that we know that it all affects us, our sanity and our daily function.

Haven’t you noticed how many times an exclamation point appears above your head every time you watch the evening news? Or you are too engrossed on the gory details of your local news that you blindly overlooked what was the effect on you? If there will be a classification or ratings on television I guess news program should not be spared.

Of course we have to be informed on what was going on around us, local news, national news, and world news; they keep us all well informed on what is going on, what is the trend, fashion, crimes, war, weather and so on. But did it occur to you that somehow it goes directly in your nerves that you feel you are no longer safe anymore? News about the nuclear armaments in China, or the resistance of North Korea, and the fall down of Saddam Hussein suddenly makes you verify your bank account passbook, and check all together your door padlock, not mentioning the ever growing terrorism in and out of your country.

It’s not being paranoid, but if you can observe the correlation between local news to national news, the latter is just a mere reflection of the former; whatever is happening nationally is somewhat cast shadow of the local happenings. Cheating, theft, robbery, killings, indifference, human rights violation, slavery, happens from roots to the tips—from your local neighborhood to the global citizenry.

What to do now? For me I had just stop living in the shadow of fear, I must admit watching evening news gives me a shiver, a son killing his own father, a 4 year old raped and beaten to death, election cheating, squatter demolition, bomb blast killing 22 people, tuition fee hike, oil price hike, terrorists behead 14 soldiers, Chinese product contaminated with lead, and so on and so forth. It all goes into your head, into your system, into your nerves without knowing it, suddenly you live in fear, the next time you know (as you try to resist it) you become apathy.

Of course there are also news that are good and what they say worthy of watching, but can you count them in your fingers? If yes, then they are just mere sidelights that are being shown after the weather report or after the celebrity news on which headlines had already gone through your head.

There is no truth in the thinking that being less aware of your surroundings makes apathy in you, in fact you are just sparing yourself of further mental and emotional degradation. The fact is too much bad news can take great effect on your behavior, on how you deal with people around you. Haven’t you noticed how people nowadays distrust other people? Did somebody whom you don’t know suddenly smile upon you as you walk past the alley? If yes, check yourself, most people think when somebody did smile upon them thinks that maybe the smiling fellow have some sinister plan on them and that is a sinister smile. Whew! Whatever happens to good old golden values?

Let us try to think how deep are we in the wallow of fear, apathy and indifference that we tend to forget human nature—which is doing good, but first let us spare ourselves from the disease and degradation of human spirit. Check and break old habits today it’s never too late.

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My brief stint as a guitar instructor

How many among us live the life we dream? How many among you are already living the way you always wanted to be? For quite sometime, I have somewhat had a chance to come near to my long lost dream. I always wanted to be a musician, playing guitar virtuously in front of a screaming audience, not so much of a singer but I dream I can play that axe with the virtuosity of Eddie Van Halen, Eric Clapton or Steve Vai.

Well it remains a dream, until recently I had a chance of grabbing again my old classic guitar and play it as I would want it, but this time not in front of audiences but in a series of tutorial session. I was hesitant, of course I don’t have experience before of teaching guitar to a new player but as it goes, I thought to gave it a shot as it can augment financial load.

It turns out to be more of a journey to me than acquiring extra income, my first student, William, if I can call him student at all turns out to be a friend, I don’t know if he regard me as one but the sessions we have sometimes are more than an hour of strumming and finger fretting chords, instead it becomes a session of heart pouring stories and sighs of the life we are living.

Between finding the right place in the frets of the guitar and falling in the right beat on the strings we talked about anything we might have come across that we want to talk to, sometimes it borders into personal matters, past and present, cultures, music, trivia, etc.

I don’t know if I became an effective teacher to him our sessions had come in to stop due to complications in time as I have important matters to attend to at home. It is true that the teacher learns more than his students, in my case it’s more than that, I’m the kind of a person that can be satisfied easily, stints like that made me closer to my old forgotten dream, it’s not exactly as I dreamt it to be but it is as closer as I can get.

William is a great student, patient and kind but the lack of time practicing had a toll on his learning the guitar but as a friend and somebody who hear stories from an old dreamer—he’s great! Sometimes I think that songs and music that comes from the heart are more lyrical and melodically uplifting than coming from the instrument itself.

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Beatles one-liners!

The Beatles, not just pretty faces it seems

clipped from www.kulichki.com "When the Beatles conquered the world, it wasn't just the music that captured people. The Beatles became very known for their wit in press conferences." Press: How did you find America? John: Turn left at Greenland. Press: Are you afraid military service might break up your careers? John: No. There's no draft in England now. We're going to let you do our fighting for us. Press: Do you like topless bathing suits? Ringo: We've been wearing them for years. Press (to George): Hi, you're not married. George: No, I'm George. Press: The French have not made up their minds about the Beatles. What do you think of them? John: Oh, we like the Beatles. They're gear. Press: What do you think you've contributed to the musical field? Ringo: Records. George: A laugh and a smile. Press: When you do a new song, how do you decide who sings the lead? John: We just get together and whoever knows most of the words sings the lead.

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inspiring movie

one of feel good movies around

clipped from www.makeadifferencemovie.com

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Voice over the Internet Protocol

So you think you are all well with that cell phone in your hand? Modern technology nowadays had a knack of turning your present gadget into oblivion in a blink of an eye, the trend today maybe the past tomorrow that’s how fast technological changes these days.

You don’t have to join the race I guess, the wise thing to do is to pick up only what you think will fit your lifestyle and those who will benefit your business and present needs. But one thing most people can’t live without today is communication and the telephone (be it analog or cell phone) plays a major role in it. Thus came the dawn of VoIP or Voice over the Internet Protocol.

VoIP is a technology that allows you to make voice calls with the help of broadband Internet connection instead of your regular analog phone line. VoIP gives you the luxury of calling other people’s telephone in local or long distance range, be it mobile or international numbers. All you need is a computer with a broadband connection and you can connect to the world. Also VoIP services provides special adapters that you can install to your analog or regular phone and use it as VoIP phone, they also provide a VoIP phone if you want to avail it.

How it works? Well, VoIP converts your voice into a digital signal and travels through the internet, and when you call a regular analog phone the signal will then be converted into a regular analog signal before the telephone on the other side rings, sounds techy right? VoIP allows you to make calls directly from the computer, and if you happen to be in “hot spot” areas say like airports, cafes, parks where wireless connection is readily available, you can connect to the internet and enable you to use VoIP service wirelessly.

The good thing about this new technology is that some of VoIP providers offer their services for free, and you are only a download away from acquiring one. The provider will also offer you to choose areas and area codes where you will have your calls frequently, aside from the area on which you live.

Technology may be on its high point right now but we should always remember that technology is here to serve humans and not the other way around. Good old communication brings people near, it helps bridge the gap in spite of distances and it is there that we should make better use of technology, in my opinion, a regular analog set of phone is much important than a high-tech weaponry gadget isn’t it?

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Indian Tattoo

I have been in India for nearly a year, the place is culture rich, and as it is a conglomeration of different ethnicity and heritage. The weather condition is tropical much like home, but as you walk along the roads you will notice locals staring at you, and this can be quite annoying, local there tend to scrutinize people whom they perceive as different nationalities, and measure you by their stare.

Shil Paramam in Hyderabad is a great place to hang out in the lazy afternoon and early evening, it’s like a bazaar, where you can stroll around and have a tattoo. Yes, tattoo! Near the entrance, at the gate, there are about four or five women dressed in black outfit, (I guess they are Muslim women wearing their traditional clothes) with veils and all, they have this picture enclosed in a folder that acts as a catalogue where you can choose designs, or a pattern of design for that matter and they will readily paint it on your skin for a fee.

We are curious of course, the designs were magnificent, intricate, detailed, and rare, they are using henna ink and the design can lasts up to 15days on your skin. We approached them as we want to inquire how much and to see what designs are good. We are a bit surprise that they refuse to entertain us, later that we know, as we tried hard to make a conversation and understand the reason that only ladies are allowed a tattoo in their custom, and a tattoo is like an accessories women use on special occasions particularly on weddings.

Of course we insist, after all we are not Indians and I guess we are not bound by their traditions. A 200rps worth of tattoo can cover up the skin of your two hands, the designs are mostly based on the flora and faunas of Indian traditions, intricately done and in a matter of a 20 minute or so you can have your way drying up those hands in the air.

The result? Wonderful, we had a good time comparing tattoos, and most of it all we buy those do-it-yourself tattoo kits they sell, as we had drinking session later that evening and take turns embedding tattoo on each other’s skin.

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The Wonders of Vinegar

Vinegar is a sour-tasting condiment and preservative. It is a liquid produced from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid. I will state only several of the uses of vinegar which I think will be most helpful for the majority of the population. In fact, based upon extensive research, the vinegar is really a big wonder as it has over 100 uses applicable for all of us.

Remove stubborn coffee stained cups and pots. Fill the cup with vinegar overnight, then rinse with hot soapy water.

Clean the hoses and unclog soap scum from a washing machine. Pour one cup of white vinegar into the washing machine and run the machine through a normal cycle, without clothes, about once a month.

Deodorize a stale lunch box. Soak a paper napkin in vinegar and leave it inside the closed lunch box overnight.

Keep a garbage disposal clean and smelling fresh. Mix one cup of vinegar in enough water to fill an ice cube tray, freeze the mixture, grind the cubes through the disposal, and flush with cold water.

Eliminate odors from used jars. Rinse peanut butter and mayonnaise jars with white vinegar.

Remove perspiration stains from clothes. Apply one part white vinegar to four parts water, then rinse.

Remove decals or bumper stickers or price tag. Soak a cloth in vinegar and cover the decal or bumper sticker for several minutes until the vinegar soaks in. The decals and bumper stickers should peel off easily.

Remove corns. Make a poultice of one crumbled piece of bread soaked in one-quarter cup vinegar. Let poultice sit for one-half hour, then apply to the corn and tape in place overnight. If corn does not peel off by morning, reapply the poultice for several consecutive nights.

Clean dentures. Soak dentures overnight in vinegar, then brush away tartar with a toothbrush.

Cheese storage. Cheese will last longer if you store it in a vinegar soaked cloth.

Prevent cracked hard boiled eggs. Add two tablespoons of white vinegar per quart of water before boiling to prevent the eggs from cracking. The egg shells will also peel off faster and easier.

Clean food-stained pots and pans. Fill the pots and pans with white vinegar and let stand for thirty minutes. Then rinse in hot, soapy water.

Relieve itching. Use a cotton ball to dab mosquito and other bug bites with vinegar straight from the bottle.

Longer-lasting pantyhose. Add one tablespoon of vinegar to the rinse water when washing, and your pantyhose will last longer.

Remove stubborn stains from furniture upholstery and clothes. Apply white vinegar directly to the stain, then wash as directed by the manufacturer’s instructions.

Clean windows. Use undiluted vinegar in a spray bottle. Dry with a soft cloth.

Remove wallpaper. Mix equal parts vinegar and hot water. Use a paint roller to wet the paper thoroughly with the mixture. Repeat. Paper should peal off in sheets.

At first, I never thought that the vinegar would render so many uses. A simple household item can be as useful as anyone can imagine.

DISCLAIMER: All hints, tips and ideas are used at your own risk.

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My so called life

If my life were a book I would call it “revelations.” No, not the book from the bible, my life is not prophetic nor holy; it was far from that, it’s just that only on this machismo society of ours a little or nothing at all reveals the true picture of husband beating in broad daylight, it’s a shame I guess…and I hate it.

I hate it! I really hate it! I never thought it still grows inside me, after five years, it’s still boiling inside and burning like hell, an unending burst of flame. It all triggers as I watched this evening news, Rolando Navarette, a former Filipino WBC boxing champ, now a sick and poor as rat, forgotten, a has-been, beats his live in partner who is half of his age. The poor women suffered a broken face, and a broken head as the hammer smashed into her cranial area, a black eye and tons of bruises tells the entire story.

I felt a cold damp on my nape, after the sudden flush of anger, I sweat but I feel cold, suddenly I noticed my thumb on the TV’s remote, it’s shaking as if pushing the button is such a burden. The TV is finally off, I don’t know how I did it but I shut it off, as soon as my memories start to play on a different channel in my mind.

I always thought my own story is different from the others, “it’s not worth re-telling” I always said that. Nobody would listen to such an unconventional story that is so doubtful, unrecorded and I guess—rare, as nobody would listen to the story of a BATTERED HUSBAND.