₦airaland Forum

A remarkable photograph of the live birth of a thresher shark has cast light on the lives of these elusive, vulnerable fish.

The image, taken during a research dive in 2013 and now published in the journal Coral Reefs, is believed to be the first record of a birth in this species.

Lead researcher Dr Simon Oliver from the University of Chester told BBC News that this was also "the first record of any oceanic species giving birth".

He added that seeing the image was one of the most exciting moments in his career.

Q: What do Eskimos get from sitting on a block of ice?
A. Polaroids. (fast-action photo)

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A: How does a tree get pregnant?
B: By a woodpecker!

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Q: Two bodies have I though both joined in one. The stiller I stand, the faster I run. What am I?
A: An hourglass.

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A: Did you hear about the corduroy pillow?
B: It's making headlines!

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What color is your birthday? Pick your birthday from the list and read what the color says.

December 23rd until January 1st=Red

January 2nd until January 11th=Orange
January 12th until January 24th=Yellow
January 25th until February 3rd=Pink

February 4th until February 8th=Blue
February 9th until February 18th=Green
February 19th until February 29th=Brown

March 1st until March 10th=Aqua
March 11th until March 20th=Lime
March 21st=Black
March 22nd until March 31st=Purple

April 1st until April 10th=Navy
April 11th until April 20th=Silver
April 21st until April 30th=White

May 1st until May 14th=Blue
May 15th until May 24th=Gold
May 25th until June 3rd=Cream

June 4th until June 13th=Grey
June 14th until June 23rd=Maroon
June 24th=Grey
June 25th until July 4th=Red

July 5th until July 14th=Orange
July 15th until July 25th=Yellow
July 26th until August 4th=Pink

August 5th until August 13th=Blue
August 14th until August 23rd=Green
August 24th until September 2nd=Brown

September 3rd until September 12th=Aqua
September 13th until September 22nd=Lime
September 23rd=Olive
September 24th until October 3rd=Purple

October 4th until October 13th=Navy
October 14th until October 23rd=Silver
October 24th until November 11th=White

November 12th until November 21st=Gold
November22nd until December 1st=Cream

December 2nd until December 11th=Grey
December 12th until December 21st=Maroon
December 22nd=Teal

Red
Cute and lovable type. You are picky but always in love...and like to be loved. Fresh and cheerful, but can be "moody" at times.

Cream
Competitive and sportive. You don't like losing and are always cheerful! You are trustworthy, and very outgoing. You choose love carefully, and don't fall in love easily. But once you find the right one, you don't let go for a long long time.

Teal
You are mostly interested in your looks and have high standards when choosing a partner. You think before making decisions and avoid making stupid mistakes. You like to be a leader, and it is easy for you to make new friends.

Grey
You are attractive, and active. You never hide your feelings, and express everything that's inside. But you can be selfish at times. You want to be noticed, and don't like to be treated unfairly. You know what to say at the right time, and you have good sense of humor. You can usually brighten up someone's day.

Green
You get along well with new people. You are not really a shy person, but sometimes you can hurt people's feelings by your words... You like to be loved and noticed by your lover, but mostly you are single waiting for the right person.

Gold
You know what's right and what's wrong. You are cheerful and outgoing. It's hard for you to find the one you want, but once you find the right person, you won't be able to fall in love again for a long time.

Pink
You are always trying your best in everything, and like to help and care for other people. But you are not easily satisfied. You have negative thoughts, and you look for romantic love like in a fairytale.

Yellow
You are sweet and innocent and trusted by many people. You are usually the leader in relationships. You make good decision and make the right choice at the right time. You are always dreaming of a romantic relationship.

Maroon
You are intelligent, and know what's right. You like to make things go your way, which can sometimes cause trouble by not thinking about other people's feelings. But you are patient when it comes to love... Once you get hold of the right person, it's hard for you to find a better love.

Orange
You are responsible for your own actions, and you know how to treat people. You always have goals to reach, and are competitive. When it comes to friendship, you find it hard to trust someone, but once you find the right friend, you trust them forever.

Purple
You are mysterious, never selfish and easily interested in things. Your day can be sad or happy depending on your mood. You are popular amongst your friends but you can act stupid at times, and forget things easily. You seek people that are trustworthy.

Lime
You are calm, but easily stressed out. You get jealous easily, and complain over little things.

Silver
You are imaginative and shy, but you like trying new things. You like to challenge yourself and you learn new things easily. Your love life is difficult and confusing.

Black
You like being challenged and are very brave. But you don't like changes in your life. And once you make a decision, you keep it that way for a long time.

Olive
You are warm and light hearted. You seem to flow well with friends and family. You don't like violence and know what's right. You are kind and cheerful, and you don't envy other people easily.

Brown
You are active and sporty. It's hard for other people to become close with you, but you fall in love easily. Once you find out you can't get something, you give up and let go easily.

Blue
You have low self-esteem, and very picky. You are artistic and like to fall in love, but you love with your mind and not your heart.

Navy
You are attractive, and love your life. You have strong feelings towards everything and are very easily distracted. Once you get angry at someone, it’s hard for you to forgive them.

White
You dream and have goals in your life. You get jealous easily and few things make a big impression on you. You are thought highly by others.

Aqua
Your feelings change suddenly and easily. You are truthful, but believe other people too easily. It's hard to find the right love for you, and you get lost in love easily, sometimes getting hurt.

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Tom: Why are you drinking tea with the help of the straw?
Jill: Because doctor asked me to stay away from the tea.

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Home cooking may not be as healthy as you think.
The longer people spend preparing meals, the worse their health becomes, a study found.
The result contradicts the popular public health message that it is better to cook from scratch than rely on ready meals.
And it suggests that food isn’t healthy just because it is cooked at home.
Possible reasons include home chefs being extra generous with unhealthy ingredients such as butter and salt and feeling they have to eat more because of the time and effort that went into preparation.
Frequenting tasting of food as it is being prepared can lead to pounds creeping on over time.
It is also possible, say the researchers, that convenience foods have become healthier.
The researchers, from Rush University in Chicago, analyzed 14 years of data provided by more than 2,755 women in their 40s, 50s and 60s.
This included information on how long they spent cooking and the results of annual health checks for something called metabolic syndrome.
This is the medical term for when someone has three out of five risk factor that raise the odds of heart disease and strokes.
Warning signs include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity.
The women who spent the longest cooking and clearing up meals were more likely to develop metabolic syndrome, the journal Preventive Medicine reports.
Similarly, if a woman started to spend more time cooking, her odds of metabolic syndrome rose more quickly than average.
However, females who did less cooking as time went on cut their odds of health problems.
Researcher Dr Brad Appelhans said that we may have to rethink public health policies that make home cooking a ‘cornerstone’ attempts to improve health.
He said:‘In the past three or four decades, the proportion of our food that we prepare at home has decreased, and the prevalence of obesity has increased. Noting this, public health experts frequently promote home cooking as a way to curb the obesity epidemic and reduce risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. However, our research with over 2,700 women that greater time spent preparing food each week is actually linked to increasing odds of having risk factors for heart disease and diabetes over time.
‘While the reasons underlying this association are still unclear, we think these findings indicate the need to revise our public health messaging, including the need to emphasize healthy cooking methods and to consider the potential benefits of healthy convenience meals.’
He added that it is important to cook healthily, not just frequently.

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Most of you are familiar with American, Canadian and English Christmas customs, which are largely the same, including Santa bringing presents that sit below a lit up tree. But have you ever wondered just how Christmas is celebrated in China, or in Finland? Whether you’re just interested in learning more about other cultures or want to incorporate some new traditions into your holiday celebrations, this article is filled with all you need to know about international Christmases.

Poland

For Poles, Christmas Eve is a night of magic when animals are said to talk and people have the power to predict the future. It’s a time for families to gather and reconcile any differences, and to remember loved ones who have gone before them.

Wigilia (vee-GEEL-yah), which literally means "vigil," or waiting for the birth of Baby Jesus, is considered more important than Christmas Day itself.

Wigilia is a meatless meal because, years ago, Roman Catholics fasted for the four weeks of Advent, including Christmas Eve. In the past there were thirteen main dishes (representing the Apostles and Christ), but, these days, many families have replaced this tradition with a twelve-fruit compote for dessert.

The foods are to represent the four corners of the earth -- mushrooms from the forest, grain from the fields, fruit from the orchards, and fish from the lakes and sea.

Meals vary from family to family but usually include a special soup followed by many elegant fish preparations, vegetables, and pierogi.

Czech Republic

The Czech version of Saint Nick is known as Svaty Mikulas, who is said to climb down to Earth from the heavens using a golden rope. Mikulas is accompanied by an angel and a devil who help him decide which girls and boys deserve treats and toys, and which ones deserve a swatch.

There are a lot of fortune-telling traditions that are associated with Christmas as well. One involves a family member cutting a branch from a cherry tree and putting it inside in water. If it blooms in time for Christmas it is good luck. It also may represent that the winter will be short, or if a single woman picked the branch, it could mean she will get married in the next year.

On Christmas Eve, single woman also try to see if they will get married in the next year by standing outside with their back to their front door, removing one of their shoes and throwing it over their shoulder. If the shoe lands with the toe facing the door, then she will marry in the next year. If not, she will have to wait at least another 12 months.

Austria

Austrian children still get to celebrate the arrival of Ol’ Saint Nick, but they also have to brace themselves for the arrival of his evil counterpart, Krampus. Where Saint Nicholas rewards good behavior with treats and toys on December 6, the demonic Krampus arrives on December 5, looking to punish all the bad children. His weapons of choice are birch switches to beat children with and burlap sacks to kidnap them and throw them into the river. The worst part is that local men actually dress up like Krampus (just like many men dress up as Santa in America) and terrorize the streets. In some villages, kids are even made to run what is known as a Krampus-gauntlet, in an attempt to outrun the switches.

France

Children of East France have an evil visitor to keep them behaving all year long. Le Pere Fouettard, which translates into “The Whipping Father,” accompanies Saint Nicolas in on December 6. While St. Nick gives good children presents, Le Pere Fouettard gives coal and whippings to the naughty children.

One of the most popular origin stories of the character say that he was a greedy inn keeper who killed three rich boys on their way to boarding school. In many versions of the story, he even eats the children. Whether or not he cannibalizes the boys, the story ends when Saint Nick finds out and resurrects the children and forces Le Pere Fouettard to act as his servant throughout time.

Aside from The Whipping Father, another popular French tradition involves making a cake that looks like a traditional Yule log, known as buche de Noel. Christmas trees never really caught on in the country and while most people don’t have any use for an actual Yule log, the cake is a fun and festive substitute. Some of the buche de Nol can get fairly elaborate and even involve meringue mushrooms and edible flower decorations.

Germany

Belsnickel is the German Santa’s dark enforcer, but he’s not nearly as evil as Krumpus or The Whipping Father. Instead he just wears fur from head to toe and gives good girls and boys candy and bad children coal and switches.

Many are decorated with a wreath known as an “Adventskranz.” These wreaths have four candles which serve as a sort of weekly advent calendar, as each Sunday marks the opportunity to light a new candle.

On December 21, St. Thomas Day is believed to be the shortest day of the year and anyone who arrives late to work is called a “Thomas Donkey.” They are also given a cardboard donkey and made fun of throughout the rest of the day.

Like many places in Europe, the Christmas tree is kept secret from the children until Christmas Eve. The parents bring the tree in, decorate it with candies, tinsel, lights and toys, put presents and plates of candy treats under the tree and then ring a bell signaling that the children can enter. The children then get to eat snacks and the whole family opens presents.

Greece

Residents will fill a shallow bowl with water and then tie wire with a wooden cross and a sprig of basil over the bowl. Once a day the cross and basil are dipped into holy water, which is then sprinkled through the house. This ceremony is used to keep out goblins, known as Killikantzaroi out of the house.

These mischievous goblins that come from the center of the earth only appear during the twelve days of Christmas. While bratty, they’re not really evil and tend to do bratty things like souring milk and extinguishing fires. Because they are said to enter the house through the fireplace, fires are left burning all day and night during this time of year.

Iceland

Icelandic children were once told to behave or they would be eaten by a pair of ogres that lived up in the hills. The characters were considered to be so terrifying that a public decree banned the use of these stories to scare children into behaving.

Instead of talking about the ogre couple, parents instead started telling stories of the ogre’s children, the Jolasveinar, who are bad, but not nearly as evil as their parents. Jolasveinars were originally said to play tricks on people and steal food, but now they are responsible for giving gifts to children. Bad children don’t get presents though, they get potatoes or other items that remind them that they weren’t forgotten, but don’t deserve real presents.

Italy

In Italy, there is no Santa, but instead there a woman called a Befana that performs the general duties of Saint Nick. The story is that the three wise men stopped during their travels and asked a woman for food and shelter. She said no, but later realized her mistake when it was too late. She now travels the earth looking for the baby Jesus and on January 6th, she leaves kids a sock filled with candy or a lump of coal.

Japan

While most Japanese residents are not Christian, the majority of people still celebrate Christmas just for the fun of it. Unsurprisingly, the rituals are slightly different than those we are used to. Because KFC has marketed the idea that fried chicken is the traditional meal for the holidays, the restaurants are so busy on Christmas Day that reservations are required.

Most of the holiday celebrations revolve around romantic love more than family relationships and bakeries even sell cakes for sweethearts.

Children still have a Santa figure though, only in this case, he is a traditional Japanese god who is known for his generosity. Hoteiosho is a heavy-set Buddhist priest who carries a large sack of presents. Children know they have to be good because Hoteiosho has eyes in the back of his head.

Ukraine

While the story about German families hiding a pickle ornament on their tree is false, Ukrainians actually do hide a spider web ornament on their tree and it is supposed to be good luck for the person who finds it. The story behind the tradition is that an old widow had no money to decorate her tree and went to bed upset that her children would have an undecorated tree the next day. While she was asleep, a spider decorated the tree with a beautiful web. When the first light of day hit the webs, they turned to silver and gold and the widow and her children never went longing again.

Norway

Norwegian folklore says that Christmas Eve is kind of like Halloween and brings about a number of evil spirits and witches. The brooms of the houses are hidden to keep them away from witches and men will often go outside and shoot their guns to ward off evil spirits.

Pagan winter celebrations used to revolve around Thor’s pet goat and a person would arrive at the parties wearing a goatskin and carrying a goat head. He would eventually fake his death and then return to life. As Christianity started to take over the area, the goat was recast as a form of the devil and he was eventually banned.

Since then, the goat character was morphed into Julebukk, a “yule goat.” The new story of the goat involved him traveling from door to door where he would get gifts for keeping the evil spirits away. Nowadays, kids dress up and play the role of the Julebukk, where they get treats as they visit the houses.

SpainSpain’s celebrations vary greatly depending on the region. In the Basque regions, the Santa role is filled by Olentzero, a fat man in a beret who smokes a pipe. He used to be an enforcer against naughty children who was said to throw a sickle down the chimney to cut the throats of kids who didn’t sleep. Nowadays though, he is a positive character like Santa that only brings good presents.

In the Catalan region, families “feed” a little log called a “Caga tio” every night from the 8th to the 23rd. On Christmas Eve, the family hits the log with a stick to release sweet treats that have been hidden in his hollow center. If you hadn’t guessed yet, “Caga tio” translates to “pooping log.”

The celebration ends when the log poops out something decidedly not sweet, usually a dried herring, an onion or a head of garlic. Catalans must enjoy poop jokes because aside from their pooping log, they also celebrate with a “Caganer,” a nativity scene character that is seen to be pooping in the corner of the scene.

Finland

Finnish people honor their departed loved ones on Christmas Eve by visiting the cemeteries and leaving candles on the graves of their family members. If they live too far away to visit their loved one’s graves, most graveyards have an area you can light a candle to remember those buried in other cemeteries. The soft snow and gentle glow of the candles make graveyards a very beautiful place to visit on Christmas Eve.

Venezuela

Venezuelans celebrate Christmas similar to many other cultures, in that they generally go to mass early on Christmas Day. The difference is that Venezuelans go to church in roller skates. In the capital, Caracas, streets are even closed off to traffic in order to keep the skaters safe. On Christmas Eve, children tie strings to their toes and let them dangle into the street, where they are tugged on by skaters as they go by. It’s certainly a different way to wake up on Christmas morning.

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Q: How many flies does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A: Two. But I have no idea how they get in there.

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Q: Who is closer to you, your mom or your dad?
A: Mom is closer, because dad is farther.

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Q: What makes opening piano so hard?
A: All the keys are inside.

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Q: What do you get if you cross stereo and fridge?
A: Very cool music.

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Q: What two words contain thousands of letters?
A: Post office.

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A: What do you call an honest lawyer?
B: An oxymoron.

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A: How is a hospital gown like insurance?
B: You're never covered as much as you think you are.

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A: What kind of physician works on a cruise liner?
B: A dry doc.

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Doctor: What's the condition of the boy who swallowed the quarter?
Nurse: No change yet.

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A: Did you hear that researchers have discovered that diarrhea is hereditary?
B: It runs in your jeans.

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Complex jobs 'may protect memory'

People with mentally taxing jobs, including lawyers and graphic designers, may end up having better memory in old age, research suggests.

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Did you hear that researchers have discovered that diarrhea is hereditary?
It runs in your jeans.

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Reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions Nigeria will not defend their title in Equatorial Guinea after failing to qualify from Group A.
In Wednesday's final round of matches, Nigeria were held 2-2 by South Africa in Uyo, meaning they finished outside of their group's top two automatic qualification spots with eight points - a total that also put them out of the running to be the best third-placed team.
South Africa had already assured their place at the tournament, which will be played from 17 January to 8 February.
Congo Brazzaville, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Mali and DR Congo all claimed their tickets to the continent's showpiece event with their results on Wednesday.


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Mandela glasses sculpture defaced
A sculpture of a pair of spectacles, inspired by Nelson Mandela, is defaced by vandals in the South African coastal city of Cape Town.

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What did the reindeer say before beginning his comedy routine?
This will sleigh you!

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Why did the termite eat a sofa and two chairs?
It had a suite tooth!

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The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) is in no mood to reduce prices of petroleum products despite a heavy fall in the price of crude oil on the international market, and relative stability of the cedi.

If anything, the Head of Communications of the Authority, Yaro Kasambata insists the two percent reduction in prices of petroleum announced last month is "significant enough" to which consumers must accept.

His comments follow a crusade being led by the Deputy Minority Leader Dominic Nitiwul to force the NPA to reduce prices of petroleum products on the local market.

In line with the automatic price adjustment formula, the NPA had always increased prices on the local market when the value of the cedi fell and the price of crude oil appreciated on the international market.

The product now sells at 15.00 cedis per gallon at the pumps.

However, the elements in the adjustment formula had changed drastically in the last few months.

The value of the cedi which also affected prices at the pumps has also appreciated 15 percent since the last two months.

After a drastic reduction of crude oil from 115 dollars per barrel to about 80 dollars per barrel on the international market, Nitiwul says the time has come for the NPA to reduce prices accordingly.

But Yaro Kasambata told Joy News the authority will not reduce prices.

......

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Mother: Has your tooth stopped hurting yet?
Son: I don't know. The dentist kept it.

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Banana Principle:
If you buy bananas or avocados before they are ripe, there won't be any left by the time they are ripe.
If you buy them ripe, they rot before they are eaten.

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If a reindeer lost its tail, where could he get a new one?
At a retail store.

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What do snow men eat for breakfast?
Frosted Flakes.

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A man goes to a Halloween party with a woman on his back.
The host asks him, "And what are you?"
The man says, “I’m a snail."
The host says, "And who's that on your back?"
And the man says, "That's Michelle!"

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Differences Between Men and Women
Friends
Women on a girls’ night out talk the whole time. Men on a boys’ night out say about twenty words all night, most of which are “Pass the Doritos” or “Got any more beer?”

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