Saw this on 9gag and decided to share



How true is this?

Add yours to the list

In case you have any doubts



Source: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/08/30/president-buharis-appointment-this-infographic-shows-you-all-you-need-to-know/

Getting over a broken heart is one of the most difficult things in life that should to be taught in school. You are left to cry in the bathroom alone, skip numerous means meals and develop a natural hatred for every member of the natural specie.

What you also learn after a while is that, life goes on. No matter what happens, no matter how many times you get your heart broken, you will eventually find love again.

These are some of the signs that show you’ve (sort of) successfully moved on after a heartbreak, because let’s be honest, some heartbreaks can last a lifetime.

1. Your heart doesn’t skip a beat when you see their name on your phone.

If they text or call you, your stomach doesn’t flip. You don’t immediately grab your phone. You’re even willing to finish what you’re in the middle of doing before seeing what they have to say.

That’s because they simply don’t have that hold on you anymore. You could care less why they are reaching out, and you’ll take your precious time answering.

2. Certain songs/movies/restaurant/etc. no longer hold sentimental value.

Remember that song that always made you cry because it reminded you of them? Or that restaurant you no longer visit because it was your favorite spot with them? Now those things don’t faze you.

They no longer hold the emotional weight that they did during the early stages of your break-up. You will happily sit and eat to your full without the thought of them even crossing your mind.

3. You enjoy doing your activities without them.

There are definitely activities that only you two shared, so it’s difficult not to associate those activities with that person for a while.

You have trouble going to your regular part of town, you refuse to hike in the same spot you did with them every weekend, etc. But after some time, you will get to the point where partaking in these activities, whether by yourself, with other people, or even with a new beau, is totally fine and painless.

4. When you get big news, they aren’t the first person you want to tell.

A new job, your awkward accomplishment, or any other huge piece of news doesn’t send you running to tell them. Usually this would be just another excuse to reach out, but instead you tell your best friend or your sibling.

Your ex is not in your life anymore, so you don’t feel the need to tell them. It’s as simple as that.

5. They aren’t the first person you think of in the morning.

When you wake up, your mind doesn’t instantly go to them. In fact, you can get through a whole entire day without thinking about them at all.

It’s funny the change – how they used to be dominating your thoughts and now they’re barely there. But it’s a liberating feeling. You are left to think about what’s important, like doing things for yourself.

6. You can appreciate your past without missing it.

When you think back to your relationship with them, you aren’t bitter. This is a very telling sign.

If you don’t look back with resentment or anger or even sadness, then you have moved on. If you can actually appreciate what you two shared and recognize that it helped you grow and become a better person, then you’ve made it to the other side.

7. You no longer want revenge.

You aren’t fantasizing about inflicting physical pain to them, giving them five thousand strokes of the cane isn’t such a bad idea, or wishing you there was a not-safe-for-work tape you would expose on the internet.

You now care so little that the idea of taking revenge is silly and childish. You don’t hold a grudge against them for the past – in fact you’ve moved on from them to the point where a grudge is just useless weight that you don’t need to carry.

8. You’re genuinely happy for them when you hear they’re doing well.

In fact, another sign is that you won’t even think to ask about them. If you run into their friends, you are more interested in how that person is doing than following up about your ex.

But when a conversation does come up about how they have a great new job or a new girlfriend or got a promotion at work, you feel sincere happiness for them. You will say, “That’s great!” and actually mean it.

9. When you see them with someone new, you’re unaffected.

This is a major sign. You’re at a bar, you spot your ex across the room, his arm is around a new girl and they’re super affectionate and it’s all in your face and he looks very happy and she’s really pretty…. and you’re fine with it.

There might be a little pinch somewhere deep inside of you, but it’s immediately shrugged off, you get a drink, and continue with the rest of your night like nothing ever happened.

You don’t run up to your friends, immediately feeling the need to bash her and how ugly her outfit is and how you can’t believe he’s moved on already, because that’s beneath you now.

10. You don’t have the urge to text them when you’re drunk.

A drunk mind speaks the sober heart, so even if you think you are doing totally fine without them, if you check your phone in the morning and see 27 outgoing calls to them, chances are you are not over them.

Even drunk-texting them to say, “I’m over you,” is a telling sign you are not. But when you get to the point when you don’t even think of them after a few cocktails, you’re on the right path to freedom.

At what point did you realise that you were no longer in love with your ex? Let us know in the comment section below

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/08/17/10-signs-that-prove-you-are-no-longer-in-love-with-your-ex-lover/

When you hear how much Dangote Owns or how much Mike Adenuga Donated to charity, your heart gets to skip a beat and it leaves you wondering, will you ever make that much money?

It’s unlikely you’ll ever experience that. Sorry.

Unless, of course, you can overcome the following four roadblocks stopping you from achieving millionaire status. Each roadblock below also offers an “immediate action step” to help you overcome the things holding you back.

Let’s get started.

1. You don’t understand how money works.

Money is not a complicated topic, but still, few seem to really understand how it works. Do you? Sure, you can blame the Goodluck Jonathan, the witches in your village, school system or your parents, but the responsibility is still on you to figure out how money is made, how it is held, how it is invested and how it is preserved.

Millionaires understand that money is not something that is discovered, won, or created by chance.

Wealth is not an accident, but an action. Building wealth is the world’s largest game, and if you want to win, you need to learn the rules. So start studying.

Immediate action step: Start by reading several great money books, such as:

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason

But don’t just read, internalize the knowledge. Debate it. Talk about it with your spouse, grandma and friends. Personal finance can be learned, and by mastering it, you might discover that wealth is much easier to build than you previously thought.

2. You don’t value your education.

I get it: you are busy.

You have 25 hours of work to do every day and there simply isn’t enough time to get it all done. That’s the life of an entrepreneur, so something needs to be sacrificed. Chances are, you are sacrificing your continuing education, and it’s severely hurting your chances of becoming a millionaire. Wealthy people never stop learning, despite the business in their life.

When is the last time you scheduled “learning time”? Do you just try to “fit it in” when everything else is caught up?

Trust me – it’ll get you far closer to millionaire status than those TPS reports you were planning on working on today.

3. You live to your means.

What are you doing with your extra money each month?

I know, you probably don’t have any left over. Your boss doesn’t pay you enough. Your company hasn’t taken off yet. Or whatever other excuse you have. But let’s face it: you are spending too much money. No one cares how much you make – it doesn’t matter. Everyone lives to their means. You could make N20,000 per month or N200,000 per month and you’ll still be broke.

Millionaires have made a conscience decision to live on less than they make. Instead of upgrading their life every time they make more money, they choose to put that extra cash to work for them through various investments, such as their business, stocks, real estate or other assets, which we’ll talk about next.

Immediate action step: Start documenting where your money is going to for the next three months. Figure out where every single goes to, organize the entire list into categories. Then, create a solid budget for your future.

4. You don’t collect assets.

A job will never make you rich. Neither will saving all your cash in a box. So how can you build that wealth?

Start collecting assets.

An asset, as defined by Investopedia.com, is “a resource with economic value that an individual, corporation or country owns or controls with the expectation that it will provide future benefit.”

Millionaires collect assets. It’s as simple as that. Do you?

Your car is not an asset. That shiny new electronic gadget on your arm is not an asset. These are all liabilities that are robbing you of future wealth.

Stop collecting these, and start collecting things that will make you money in the long term.

Immediate action step: Make a detailed list of all the assets in your life, as well as their current value. Are you comfortable with this list? Then, make a detailed plan to acquire more assets and make a pact with yourself to NOT buy so many liabilities.

Becoming a millionaire is not impossible. In fact, it’s relatively easy when you have time on your side and the knowledge to do so.

However, it does require overcoming hurdles, which can be tough. If you want to achieve a million dollars in net worth, or more, continue to learn about the game of money, value your education, live below your means and start collecting assets. You’ll get there soon enough!

Thoughts? Disagree with us? What other steps did we miss? Leave your comments below!

Source

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/07/28/4-reasons-why-youll-never-be-a-millionaire-and-how-you-can-change-that/

A lot of people think it’s weird to talk about periods, but not us. Menstrual cycles are part of our biology, just like the nervous system or the billions of cells that make up our bodies.

Periods has been ignored by the society so much that most girls are left to find out about their bodies on their own. Here are 10 little known facts about menstruation – and the science behind them.

1. Menstruating makes you hornier

The hormone progesterone is said to lower a woman’s libido. Yet while menstruating women produce less progesterone, which makes them likelier to crave sex during this phase.

2. And less attractive to men

A man’s testosterone levels are directly affected by a woman’s scent, which changes during a menstrual cycle.

One study where men sniffed the T-shirts of women who were ovulating showed the men’s testosterone levels spike, while testosterone decreased when they sniffed T-shirts of women who weren’t ovulating.

Another study showed that strippers make twice as much in tips when they’re ovulating than when they’re on their period.

3. In the olden days, girls didn’t used to get their period until around 16 or 17

Right now, the age of 12 is an average launching pad for a girl and her period pads. She will continue menstruating until around age 50.

In the 1800s, the average girl did not get her first period until well into her teens. It is thought that girls reach puberty earlier these days due to a combination of better nutrition and increased stress.

4. Your periods isn’t just blood

You can tell just by looking – if you cut your finger, the blood appears different from what shows up in your underwear. That’s because what comes out during a period is actually the lining of the uterus, a mixture of blood and tissue.

Your body builds up the lining of your uterus each cycle in preparation for potential pregnancy. But if an egg isn’t fertilized by a sperm, the thickened lining of the uterus is shed through the vagina. This is your period.



5. Your period can change your voice

One study published in the journal Ethology claimed that men who listened to recordings of women’s voices were generally able to tell which women were menstruating.

One would assume that their tone while menstruating was slightly more menacing than normal.

6. You can get pregnant on your period

It’s unlikely, but still possible, since sperm can stay alive inside the vagina for up to a week. The risk of pregnancy is highest when having sex during the end of one’s menstrual cycle.

7. Your body mimics the symptoms of pregnancy in the days leading to your period

In the days leading up menstruate, your body secretes hormones that cause irritability, feeling bloated, acne, and fluid retention—which are precisely the same symptoms one experiences during pregnancy.

8. You think more like a man when you’re menstruating

Lowered estrogen levels during menstruation may actually enhance a woman’s “male cognitive skills,” lending a temporary cognitive advantage in areas such as spatial thinking.

9. You may bleed form other places than your vagina

In a very rare and a little scary medical condition known as “vicarious menstruation,” women on their period may also harmlessly bleed from their mouth, ears, lungs, nose, eyes, and skin. It is not known exactly why this happens, only that it does.

10. You need body fat in order to menstruate

If your body fat plummets below 8-12%, your period will abruptly cease, if it ever began at all. Fat cells are correlated with a woman’s estrogen levels and are thus necessary in both menstruation and procreation.


http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/07/27/10-little-known-facts-about-menstruating-that-might-surprise-some-girls/

It might come as a surprise to some of you that fart-combatting clothing already exists. UK brand Shreddies makes underwear for men and women that stop your farts from smelling, saving multitudes from embarrassment. And now, it has added a new range of pyjamas and jeans that promise to be “super comfy, sexy and, of course, stylish”

So how do these wonder garments work? Each one includes a back panel made using Zortex, a highly porous material that absorbs all bad odours by neutralising them. When you wash your underpants – or your jeans - the Zortex filtration system is reactivated and ready to combat flatulence once more.

The new pyjama range is made from cotton and the jeans from denim, with both being handmade by a team of seamstresses in Leicestershire. The question is, how will these new items hold all the naughty smells in?

The jeans and pyjamas feature a full carbon lining from the waistband to just above the knee which gives increased protection from odours.

Since the average person passes wind around 14 times a day, these new additions could come in very handy and prevent all sorts of awkward situations on first dates, flying and staying with friends. For extra protection, you can double up your Shreddies denim with a pair of its award-winning pants – or go commando if you’re feeling brave.

As the company’s motto goes: fart with confidence.

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/07/24/there-is-a-clothing-line-that-stops-your-farts-from-smelling/

Nigerian Air Force

While growing up most Nigerian kids know that used urine is used to treat conjunctivitis (commonly called Apollo) but we probably don’t know is that urine is extremely useful, yes you read that right. That liquid that you flush down the toilet everyday has numerous uses that you cannot begin to imagine.

Let us take a look at what you can make out of the liquid gold literally send down the drain everyday

We’ll make this list the least amount of gross that we possibly can

1. Generate Power

Four teenage girls in Nigeria have created an electrical generator that runs using urine for fuel. 1 liter of urine results in 6 hours of electricity. This makes us ask a very important question. Why is Nigerian Government not funding this?

This generator separates out the hydrogen in urine, removes the moisture, and pushes the hydrogen gas into the generator. Similarly, scientists in Singapore created a battery that is activated by biofluids like urine and can be used to power devices that test for diseases.

2. Urine Can Be Used To Make Gun Powder

Urine has been used to make gunpowder for hundreds of years by mixing urine and water into a barrel of manure. Pee in it for 10 months and drain the liquid into pans to let dry. Grind it up with a mortar and pestle. Congratulations, you now have potassium nitrate. Now, add that potassium nitrate to pre-ground charcoal and pre-ground sulfur and you have gun powder.

It’s that easy.

3. Urine Is An Amazing Fertilizer

One of the major components of fertilizers is nitrogen. A substance plants crave desperately.

But why should you pay for nitrogen when you’re pissing it down the drain every day. Don’t do that. Instead, start peeing in a jar. Keep this jar out of sight so none of your friends know that you’re peeing in a jar and decide admit you into a psychiatric ward.

Continue peeing in the jar until it’s full. Now mix eight parts water with your one part urine in a larger container and spread it on your garden soil once every two weeks. Don’t do it more often because too much nitrogen can burn plants. Also, don’t use this near root vegetables for obvious, urine soaked reasons.

If you don’t believe us, some scientist went ahead to prove us right. Nepalese researchers grew sweet peppers in a variety of fertilizers, and the plants grown in soil with a combination of human urine and compost grew the tallest and yielded the most peppers.

4. Whiten You Teeth

So by now you know that your pee can be used to kill people, generate electricity and grow crops. Let continue to awe you by taking a look at more uses of urine.

As disgusting as this sound, it turns out to be true.

You can whiten your teeth with it by either brushing or swishing it around in your mouth. It’s the ammonia in aged urine (the dark and stinky stuff) that does the trick and we honesty advice that you should look to other options.

The Romans did it, and some anonymous people do swear that it works.

If you do this then we absolutely want to know how it goes.

5. Urine Can Work As Bleach And Help Remove Stains

These days laundry detergent and bleach comes in every scent, type, and color. In ancient Rome that wasn’t the case. Instead, the Romans used different alkalis and ammonia-containing agents—two of which were human and dog urine. Roman laundries used large quantities of pee to bleach fabrics and remove stains.

They would leave containers on street corners for people to urinate in and take them away once they were full.

6. Temporary Gas Mask

Just in case you find yourself in a sudden gas attack and you happen to be without a gas mask, well a urine-soaked cloth will serve as a temporary gas mask until you are able to get to somewhere safe.

Don’t believe us? Think we are making these stuffs up? Ask the soldiers in World War 1 who sometimes breathed through urine-soaked cloths while attempting to survive the clouds of gas.

7. Boost Your Immune System

“Urine therapy” advocates point out that your wastewater is more water than waste, 95% in fact, that it contains many nutrients your body needs, and that the toxins in it are not enough to harm you.

In fact, they say, consuming those toxins actually strengthens the body’s immune system. If you’re going to drink your urine, use the first flow of the day, taking a few ounces from the middle of the stream. Sip it slowly instead of chugging it.

Make sure you also drink plenty of water that day. Cheers!

8. Cure Impotence And Treat Infertility

Drinking urine has been offered as an impotence cure–but only if it’s mixed with a couple of truly disgusting ingredients, bran and pig’s liver

At least two infertility medications have been developed from the pee of menopausal nuns. In the 1960s, reaseachers realized that the urine of women going through menopause contains high amounts of the hormones that stimulate ovulation.

They found a regular source of exactly such urine in convent restrooms, and proceeded to invent Menopur and Pergonal..

9. Treat Skin Conditions

Despite what we typically think, urine is not a waste product—in fact, it is about 95-98% water, with the remainder forming a combination of hormones, minerals, and salt.

If you’re not too squeamish, you can treat acne, eczema, and psoriasis by dabbing on a little urine using a clean, damp towel and leaving it on for a few minutes before rinsing it off.

Be sure to collect the urine using the “clean-catch method,” that is, beginning to urinate and collecting it mid-stream. Morning urine is thought to be best for face treatments because the hormones become more concentrated overnight.

10. Turn It Into Drinking Water

People have been drinking urine for millennia, often for health reasons. But NASA has developed a new filtration system to turn human wastewater like sweat and urine into potable drinking water. There has to be something wrong with humanity if by now we haven’t found a way to convert urine into drinking water.

NASA developed a forward osmosis bag (FOB) system, which turns wastewater, like urine and gray water, into water that is safe to drink. Cheers!

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/07/22/10-disgusting-but-useful-useful-things-you-could-do-with-your-urine/

We read a lot about red flags and signs that you’re in an abusive or unhealthy relationship, but what we don’t talk a lot about is what exactly makes a relationship healthy.

So let’s take a look at what a healthy relationship looks like.

1. You TRUST each other completely.

You trust each other implicitly, without having to convince yourself. You don’t give each other “the benefit of the doubt” because, quite simply, you don’t have those doubts.

This trust goes beyond simply trusting that your partner is faithful. You take what your partner says at face value.

You feel safe with that person and can allow yourself to be vulnerable. You trust that they care and that they won’t hurt you.

2. You make POSITIVE assumptions.

In unhealthy relationships, people make a lot of negative assumptions. He canceled plans last minute? He didn’t want to see you. She went out for lunch with a male coworker? They’ve got something going on. He is grumpy? He must be annoyed with you. And so on.

In a healthy relationship, you make positive assumptions. He canceled plans last minute? You believe his reason (working late, feeling tired, etc) and that it has nothing to do with you. She went out for lunch with a male coworker? They are friends and they like having lunch together. He’s grumpy? He had a stressful day and needs you to just give him a bit of breathing room. You don’t assume there is a problem between you, unless they have specifically told you there is a problem, or you can specifically point to an actual problem.

3. It feels NATURAL.

You don’t have to try around each other. Things don’t feel forced. Silence isn’t awkward. You are comfortable with each other and don’t feel like you need to put up appearances or question how the other person feels or ignore things you don’t like about them.

You can totally just be yourself with that person. When you are hanging out together it just feels right. It feelsnatural.

4. You like each other’s FRIENDS.

A lot of people ignore the importance of this one. See, who a person chooses to keep as friends says a lot more about them than almost anything else.

If you don’t like your partners friends then chances are, when it really comes down to it, you don’t actually like your partner. If you think all your boyfriends friends are dickbags, then there is a good chance you are ignoring a lot of things about your boyfriend that you don’t like (or he is hiding a lot about his real self from you).

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” —Jim Rohn.

Not to mention, when you actually genuinely like one another’s friends, you don’t have to deal with the stress of fighting whenever one of you wants to hang out with your friends, with or without the other person, because you like and trust those people.

5. You’re there because you WANT to be.

This is a big one that also is too often ignored. Co- dependency is not healthy. You should not depend on your partner for your sense of self or value. You shouldn’t depend on them to take care of you emotionally or financially (the obvious exception is if you choose as a couple to have one parent stay at home with the children while the other works).

In a healthy relationship, you were fine on your own without the other person and their presence in your life is a sweet, sweet bonus. You’re not with them because you NEED them.

You’re there for no other reason than you WANT to be.

6. You GET ALONG more than you fight.

We all know those couples who seem to be always fighting about one thing or another, and we wonder why the heck they are even together.

In a healthy relationship, fighting is the exception, not the norm. Yes, you do argue sometimes, or get annoyed with each other, but the vast majority of the time you spend together, you are getting along.

Fighting is NOT your normal/your default.

7. You are FRIENDS.

This comes back again to simply LIKING each other. In a healthy relationship, that person is not just your lover, they are your friend.

If you were not in a relationship with this person, you could totally be friends with them. You think they’re cool. You like hanging out with them. You see them as a complete person, not as a sexual object or some relationship trope.

In another life or another time, you could imagine yourself hanging out with them platonically as friends.

8. They bring out your best SELF.

You don’t feel pressured to change for one another, nor do you want to change one another. You accept each other the way you are, but you also support each other’s’ dreams and goals, and being around the other person brings out a better version of you.

Not because you are trying to be better around them, or because you are hiding your faults from them, but because they are a positive influence on you and you feel like a better person with them.

It’s easy to say no to your vices, or to pluck up the courage to work toward a goal when you’ve got a cheerleader in your corner.

9. You have a LIFE outside that person.

They are not the only person in your life, or the only thing you draw meaning from. You don’t do absolutely everything together.

Sometimes you go out with your own friends without each other. Maybe you each have a hobby or two that the other person doesn’t share. The point is that you have a life outside that person.

And the fact that you each have your own life doesn’t make the other person uncomfortable or insecure.

10. You’re HAPPY.

This one is simple. It’s basic. But it’s important and it’s true. If you are in a healthy relationship, you are happy.

You’re not trying to change the other person. You feel satisfied, sexually and emotionally. When you think about your partner, you smile a bit. Thinking about them makes you feel calm and secure.

Obviously, no person is 100% happy all the time. When I say you are happy, I mean that your relationship brings you a lot more happiness and joy than it does sadness or pain.

Your relationship is a net positive. Your relationship doesn’t drain you emotionally, it energizes you.

Do you agree with us? Let us know in the comment section below

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/07/23/10-foolproof-signs-that-show-youre-in-a-healthy-relationship/

Money is important. We would be the greatest liars if we told you that it isn’t, but sometimes we forget that there are other thing in life that happens to be more valuable than money.

Let’s have a look at some of them and let us know which one you disagree with in the comment section.

1. Time with your family

If you lose money, you can always make more. But once spent, you can never make time back. Luckily it doesn’t take a long time to make great memories. Tell your kids a story for five minutes. Make them laugh. You can do one thing every day that they’ll remember

2. Writing down ideas

Ideas are more valuable than money. Income has gone down versus inflation for 40 years. But ideas can grow and build and spread and touch everyone you know and then everyone they know.

3. Experiences

What was your favorite Christmas? The one where you got an amazing present? Or one you created beautiful memories with the people you love? They say “you can’t take it with you” but your experiences are like treasures you store in your mind and can play with for the rest of your life

4. Giving

Giving is a soft boomerang. You throw it hard as you can it touches everyone around. And then it flies back into your hand. And you know what? You catch it, that feels like fun. Fun is a game. Fun is also better than money.

5. Laughing

Laugher makes you happier and healthier. It makes you feel better. It makes you live longer. But you cant buy laughter. No one can pay you to laugh. But if you’re willing to search for it you can find it everywhere.

6. Persistence is more valuable than money

Everyone dreams of doing something important, but only the persistent achieve. Persistence lets you touch people. Persistence lets you share your ideas. Persistence gets people excited about those ideas. Persistence gets you paid for those ideas.

7. Ideas for other people

Start coming up with “10 Ideas to Make X Better” where X might be a person or a business. Then send the list to X. maybe one out of 50 will respond. But that’s ok. That’s all it takes to make millions

8. Your DNA

You, reading this right now, you will die in 40 – 60 years, give or take 100. But your DNA will live on. The best thing you can do for your DNA is to leave a legacy. Money disappears in only a generation or two, but your ancestors, your ideas, the light you shared with others can live forever.

9. Physical health

A huge percentage of people die within a year of retirement. It goes to show that you can’t postpone health to make money. You might die before you get a chance to spend it. Instead be healthy every day so you can live a long and happy life.

10.You

Too many people attach their self worth to their bank account. Their job title. The things they own. But you’re an amazing combination of atoms and neurochemicals and experiences and interest. You’re amazing.

What is the one thing that is more valuable to you than money? Let us know in the comment section below

Even if you like fish, you’re probably wary of that fishy smell. Previous studies have shown that the smell of fish makes people more suspicious.

A new study published this month in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, shows that this skepticism may have another implicit effect, providing a boost to people’s critical thinking skills.

In the study, the researchers asked each participant to answer questions in one of two booths. Right before the participants arrived, the researchers spritzed one of the booths with fish oil.

Once the questioning began, the researchers paid special attention to how participants answered one particular query: “How many animals of each kind did Moses take on the Ark?” Past studies have shown that, even if people know that Noah was the one to bring animals on the Ark in the Bible, they will answer “two”—a phenomenon called theMoses Illusion in which participants aren’t thinking critically.

The researchers found that the fishy smell helped the participants catch the error more often; 13 of the 31 in the stinky booth detected something amiss with the Moses question, while only 5 of the 30 questioned in the non-stinky booth questioned it.

People’s skepticism in the presence of that fishy odor might come down to biological hardwiring, the researchers hypothesize. Our ancestors who ate rotten fish would have gotten very sick and might not have had the opportunity to procreate, so having a good nose—and paying attention when something seemed off—would have been evolutionarily advantageous.

20 languages worldwide share phrases indicating the smell of rotting food to indicate suspicion. In the future, the researchers hope to decode what these unsavory smells (and their colloquialisms) mean for critical thinking across different cultures.

Does the smell of rotting food indicate suspicion in your language? Let us know in the comment section below

It’s no secret that our planet is in a pretty dire condition. Extinction rates have been estimated to be about 1,000 times higher than they should be, and that’s all due to human influence—and interference. With around 20,000 species at risk for extinction and countless others that we haven’t even discovered yet also dying, scientists are rushing to figure out what we can do about it.

Some have suggested the sixth great mass extinction is looming on the horizon, and the problem is a massive one. It’s so big that there are things that you do every day that are helping to bring about the end of the world, and chances are that you might not even know it.

5. Using Birth Control

Know anyone who’s on the pill? They’re also spreading pregnancy prevention to marine wildlife, and that’s a problem.

In 2014, researchers at the University of New Brunswick released the results of a study that had been going on for several decades. They were looking at wastewater treatment and its impact on freshwater ecosystems, and they found that even trace amounts of estrogen in the environment can wipe out entire species.

In 2001, a small amount of estrogen, one of the active ingredients in birth control pills and hormone therapy treatments, was introduced into a freshwater lake research facility in Ontario. The impact was almost immediate. Male fish first began producing egg proteins and then producing eggs. Even tiny trace amounts were enough to feminize the male fish, which led to a complete crash of the ecosystem. The insect populations normally kept in check by the fish suddenly skyrocketed. As the minnow population plummeted, so did the population of the lake trout that fed on them.

Hormones that aren’t absorbed or used end up in the sewer system after they cycle through the human body. In areas where that sewer water is dumped into lakes and rivers, the average fish population is about 85 percent female, a stark contrast to the normal 55 percent.

Fish exposed to the hormones not only lose the ability to reproduce, but their accidental hormone treatment impacts eggs at the development stage as well.

4. Using Straws

Chances are good that if you get a cold drink at any restaurant, you’ll be handed a straw, too. We curse the people working the drive-through when we’re halfway down the block and realize we don’t have one, but straws are having a pretty devastating impact on our planet.

Every day, the United States alone uses about 500 million drinking straws. For a visual, that means we could fill 46,400 school buses with straws every year. In the last 25 years, about six million of those have been picked up on beaches across the country during annual cleanups. Those are just part of the sum that ends up on the beach, and according to the Ocean Conservancy, drinking straws rank in the top 10 types of trash found floating in the ocean.

Straws are light, easily picked up by wind and water currents, and made from a polypropylene plastic that doesn’t disintegrate or dissolve. These millions of straws are around forever, making up a huge part of the estimated 12 to 24 tons of plastic that ends up ingested by fish and other marine wildlife every year. And that includes about one million seabirds that die after eating plastics. One of the most common items found in autopsies? The drinking straws that come attached to juice boxes.

3. Using Antibacterial Soap

There’s been a lot of debate about just how effective antibacterial soaps are and whether or not they should even be marketed, but using them has been proven to have an impact on the environment.

Johns Hopkins University Center for Water and Health has done a study on just what happens to all the antibacterial chemicals in your antibacterial soaps after they swirl down the drain. The most commonly used chemicals are triclocarban and triclosan, and while most of those chemicals are removed from wastewater when they’re run through a treatment plant, they have to go somewhere. That somewhere is sewage sludge, which is then recycled for agricultural use. From there, those chemicals are transferred into the ground and ultimately into surface water.

When triclocarban degrades, it degrades into two chemicals—bothcarcinogens. When triclosan is run through a treatment plant to make drinking water, it doesn’t exactly make safe drinking water. Instead, it makes other chemicals that can include chloroform. And those chemicals travel through the food chain in plants, animals, and ultimately humans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found traces of the chemicals originating with antibacterial soap in 75 percent of urine samples tested, all taken from people over five years old.

Triclosan has been shown to interfere with the basic biological systems of a number of animals, including rats and a range of amphibians. It interferes with thyroid function, and when it builds up in the body, it causes early puberty in young animals, infertility, obesity, and cancer. Triclosan collects in the body’s fatty tissues, and since animals—and humans—are higher up on the food chain, that means we’re consuming all the trace amounts found in lower animals and getting a massive dose of the stuff.

2. Eating Soy

Turning to soy products has long been heralded as the healthier, more eco-friendly, and certainly more cow-friendly alternative to dairy products. Unfortunately, recent studies have shown that the environmental impact of soybean production is pretty devastating, too.

Soybeans aren’t just used in products like milk substitutes. They’re also being used for non-consumables like soap and candles. And we’re not the only ones eating soy, either; about 80 percent of the world’s soy production goes into livestock feed.

There’s a huge demand for soy. As it grows in popularity, more space is needed to grow the beans. Since 2008, deforestation in Brazil has been on a steady decrease, a direct result of a ban implemented in order to counteract deforestation. The need for the ban comes on the heels of Greenpeace’s numbers, which indicated that about 1.2 million hectares of soy was planted in Brazil’s rain forest in 2005 alone.

In addition to the usual impacts of things like pesticides and water use, there’s a huge human rights issue that’s grown up around the development of soy, too. The Brazilian government keeps a list of farms that have been caught using slave labor, and soy farms throughout the Amazon basin have been found guilty of luring people there with work, then seizing their documents and forcing them into slavery. There’s also the rather shady practice of land-grabbing, leading to countless families being kicked off land that’s deemed more valuable for farming than for living.

1. Not Finishing Your Dinner

Most of us grew up hearing that we’d better clean our plates, but it’s a bigger problem than our parents probably ever realized. Every year, global food waste amounts to about 1.3 billion tons, and that’s such a big number that it’s impossible to imagine. It’s costing us about $750 billion annually, and the environmental waste is just as staggering.

Three times the annual flow of the Volga River is wasted on producing food that gets thrown away, yielding 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases. About 28 percent of our agricultural land is used to produce waste food. Clearing more and more land is putting countless plants and animals at risk.

Meanwhile, about 870 million people are starving.

A lot of the waste comes at the processing levels, but consumer waste is also incredibly high. Fruits and vegetables are often thrown away for being misshapen, not necessarily spoiled. There’s a lot of food that’s thrown away at the best-by date regardless of whether the food has spoiled. Many consumers think that the sell-by date and the best-by dates are the same, but that’s just not the case.

While plans are in place for reducing waste like packaging food in smaller containers and offering lower prices for less-than-perfect foods, there’s still a long, long way to go.

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/07/02/5-everyday-things-you-do-that-is-destroying-the-planet/

A handy list of questions you’re too embarrassed to ask your colleague.

1. What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is actually the ninth month in the Islamic calendar (which is the Hijri calendar). It’s believed to be the most holy month in the calendar for Muslims as they believe their holy book, the Qur’an, was revealed in this month.

2. Cool. I’ve heard that Muslims don’t eat in Ramadan for 30 days. Is that right? Is it even safe?

That’s right. During Ramadan anyone who’s hit puberty (said to be be around 10 for women and 15 for men) is meant to not consume any food or liquid between dawn and sunset. No, not even water.

It is safe as only those who are healthy and fit are meant to fast. This excludes children, the elderly, pregnant women, and anyone who is ill. If you’re ill or have a job that requires you to exert a lot of energy (if you work in manual labour, for example), it’s generally considered OK to not fast that day. Instead you’re meant to “make up” the fast at a later date.

This means the Muslim football players such as France’s Karim Benzema or Germany’s Mesut Ozil, who both featured at last year’s World Cup in Brazil, don’t have to fast when they’re playing intense games of football and should instead carry out the fasts later in the year by way of compensation.

3. Are you allowed rest days if you feel like you’re going to die?

No one should fast if they really feel like they’re going to die or that it’s too extreme. But at the same time if a person is fit and healthy, they should fast unless they have a very good reason not to.

Being tired doesn’t quite cut it.

4. What if I decide to not fast for no apparent reason?

In Nigeria, it not a big deal, but in some countries like Algeria, Iran and Kuwait, there are penalties for breaking the fast

Breaking the fast in public is considered a crime in some Muslim countries and offenders may be sent to prison. In other countries, an offence is punishable with fines and community service.

5. So, umm, do you lose weight then?

Great question, but no. You know how you shouldn’t go to the supermarket when you’re hungry for fear you’ll buy everything? After fasting you typically eat more than you would usually, even if you’re already full.

Many people also eat fulfilling meals both in the evening and in the early hours of the morning, knowing they won’t get to eat until the next evening.

6. Right. Is there anything else that you’re meant to do in Ramadan?

Ramadan isn’t just about food and is primarily about seeking nearness to God spiritually and being more pious. Besides food, Muslims are meant to shift the emphasis in their lives to spend less time thinking about materialistic things such as branded clothes or the latest tech and rather focus on the idea that we typically have blessed lives.

Muslims also tend to spend more time in the mosque during Ramadan, where they might read Qur’an or recite supplications to God. It’s believed that the Qur’an was revealed in the last 10 nights of Ramadan and during this period many will choose to pray for forgiveness into the early morning.

Muslims should also be more charitable and think about those less well-off, which is somewhat easier when you get pangs of hunger throughout the day. It’s also why Muslim charities tend to launch their largest campaigns during Ramadan, whether it’s someone like Islamic Relief raising money for international relief efforts.
Muslims also strive to become better humans, which includes things like being more patient, kind, and generous in their daily lives.

7. Is there anything you’re not meant to do, besides eat anything obviously?

The list of things that people shouldn’t do during fasting is pretty lengthy — and it’s pretty serious because Muslims can break their fast by doing these things. This includes doing something as simple as being impatient, lying, or gossiping, to things more active such as having sex.

There are of course exemptions for people who forget they’re fasting and undertake these actions — after all, it’s very much second nature to grab something to drink and most Muslims will have stories of spitting out water once they realise. The same goes if you go swimming and accidentally drink water, but most Muslims believe that it’s a good precaution to not go swimming if you’re fasting.

8.They say a hungry man is an angry man. What do you do when you get angry because of the hunger?

Well, the truth is there’s very little you can do. As you’re meant to be patient, the easiest thing to reduce the chance of being overtly grumpy or annoyed at someone is to minimise the opportunity for that to happen.

And that might explain why people fasting don’t stay out as late as they usually do or might avoid social engagements. It’s not because they don’t like you but probably that they actually don’t want to ruin your relationship!

9. What’s with the sweets at the end?

At the end of Ramadan there’s a big celebration, Eid al-Fitr, when families come together to spend time with one another.

Families will go to the mosque where they will take part in Eid prayers in the morning, immediately after the morning prayers, and also have some food. It’s a relaxing affair and many wear traditional garments to the mosque. After this many families will go to the cemetery and remember close ones that they have lost.

10. Why is the date of Ramadan different every year?

Ramadan falls at different times every year since it’s determined by the sighting of a new moon or crescent moon. The sighting of the moon differs between countries so the start and end dates of Ramadan also differ from country to country.

In places where it is not possible to see the crescent moon, Muslims may begin fasting according to the closest place where the moon has been sighted or astronomer calculations. Today, a majority of Muslims rely on announcements made by Islamic authorities from the respective countries.

Do you have any other questions? Let us know in the comment section below

Meet Li Li Juan, a former millionaire whose benevolent spirit led her to bankruptcy. The 47-year-old, from northern China’s Hebei Province, has adopted 72 abandoned children over the course of 19 years. She spent all her money caring for them, and is now facing a huge debt of over two million yuan.

Li became rich during the 1980s, earning huge profits from her garments business and her investments in iron ore mining. It was around this time that she started taking in sick and disabled children who were abandoned by their parents, and orphaned children whose parents had died in coal mine disasters. She used her two sources of income to provide for all her adopted children.

It was all smooth sailing for a few years, but as luck would have it, hard times fell upon Li in 2008. Her mine was shut down due to urban developments, cutting down a major source of her income. But she continued to care for the children by selling off all her properties and valuables, one at a time.

To make matters worse, Li was diagnosed with early stage lymphatic cancer in the winter of 2011. But after only seven days of treatment, she decided that she had had enough. She prioritized the children over her own health, choosing to spend whatever money she had left on them.

But the money soon ran out and the cost of running her ‘adoption home’ exceeded her income. Despite donations from friends, relatives, and charitable organisations, she still fell short of the money needed to maintain the home. Her debts kept piling up, and now stand at a whopping two million yuan.

A few kind individuals have offered to adopt Li’s orphans, but unfortunately, that’s not legally possible. Li never registered her adoption home with officially recognised Social Welfare Centers. According to Li Jing Wen, a representative of the Wu’An Civil Affairs Department, Li’s initiative is still a citizen-established non-corporal organisation that does not conform to the law. So she cannot legally give them away for adoption, nor does she have the money to care for them herself.



Although Li is a mother to 72 kids, her relationship with her own son, Xiao Wen, is strained. She claims that her son inspired her to adopt orphans and abandoned children, but Xiao wants nothing to do with her anymore. His anger apparently stems from the fact that Li wasn’t there to care for him when he suffered a spinal injury in 2004. Li was caring for an adopted child suffering from hydrocepahlus at the time.

After his surgery, Xiao became severely depressed and refused to speak to Li. He later underwent therapy and now lives with his grandmother.

All this would be enough to break anyone’s spirit, but not Li Li Juan’s. She continues to care for her 72 adopted children, relying on the help of kind-hearted people to make ends meet.

But Li Juan is not the only angel watching over the fates of Chinese abandoned children. A few months back, we wrote about Kong Zhenian, a 65-year-old woman who has adopted 39 physically and mentally-challenged children in the past 40 years.

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/06/19/former-millionaire-now-in-heavy-debt-after-adopting-72-children-in-the-last-19-years/

1. What’s up with the talk on social media about 8 billion naira clothing allowance for Nigerian legislators?


Apparently our newly inaugurated National Assembly is set to receive a whopping 8.64 billion naira to spend on clothes.

2. What? About 9 billion Naira on clothes for one person? Is this a joke? Or is it possible that someone forgot how to count the number of zeros on a figure?

Actually, the 9 billion naira is not for one person, it is the collective sum that is set to be received by every member senator and member of the House of Representatives.

This money is described as a wardrobe allowance, the amount will be split between both chambers of the National Assembly with the 109 members of the Senate receiving 21.5 million naira ($108,000) each while the 360 members of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, will each receive 17.5 million naira.

3. Is it just me or the gluttony exhibited by our legislators is about to make me vomit all over my body?

Don’t just puke over your body just yet.

Aside from a wardrobe allowance, the National Assembly will also receive other furniture and car loan allowances. The furniture allowance will see 107 senators receive 650 million naira while 358 House of Representatives members will receive total of 2 billion naira. The lawmakers can also access car loans with senators possibly provided with 867 million naira and House of Representatives members provided with 2.8 billion naira in car loans. While ordinary members of both chambers get these allowances, two principal officers from each chamber, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House and their deputies will have furniture provided by the Federal Government.

4. I once read that Nigerian Legislators are the highest paid in the world, is that true?

Nigerian legislators, among the world’s top paid, receive annual salaries of between 32 million naira per annum. Nigerian legislators are not the highest paid in the world, they are the second highest paid, lagging behind Australia. Nigerian legislators earn about $180, 000 per annum while that of Australia earns about $210, 000 per annum.

Lawmakers in Nigeria earn around 32 million naira annually more than British lawmakers. While the lawmakers earn so much, regular Nigerians survive on the 18, 000 naira monthly minimum wage.

5. If I may ask, What is the clothing allowance of legislators in the United States and Britain?

In the United States, supplementary Congressional allowances make no provision for clothing and in the Britain, which was rocked by its own allowance scandal in 2009, clothing expenses are not listed among expenses members of parliament can claim for.

6. Is this the "change" we voted for? What are Nigerians doing about this situation?

The campaign tagged #OpenNASS is led by BudgIT, a civil start-up and outraged Nigerians have taken to social media to vent.

Vent on social media? is that the best we can do?

There are already plans by some Nigerians to protest nationwide.

Nigerians can draw inspiration from events in Kenya where citizens forced legislators to rethink increases in their pay with fierce protests in 2013.

After their demands for higher pay sparked public outcry and protests, Kenyan legislators agreed to a cut (of about $45, 000) in pay – though their new wage is still more than 40 times the country’s average income.

Activists spilled cow blood outside parliament buildings, calling members of parliament ‘MPigs’ and branding parliament “a piggy bank.”

Others organized the burning of 221 coffins outside parliament to protest the attempt by the MPs to give themselves a $110,000 bonus at the end of their term.

7. These legislooters, sorry legislators must be milking Nigeria dry, don’t you think?

What was your fist clue?

Was it when Sanusi alleged that the National Assembly spends 25% of the national budget? Let’s rephrase that for easier understanding. Sanusi said 468 people get to spend 25% of the national budget and leave the remaining 75% for 180 million people.

If that is not enough to put you in shock, remember that the yearly allocation for the National Assembly, which has less than 10,000 individuals on its payroll, surpasses the annual budgets of 21 of Nigeria’s 36 states including Katsina, Benue and Jigawa all with populations of more than 4 million people.

8. But Nigeria is in a mess financially, how are we able to give the legislators this huge amount of money?

Its true that Nigeria is dealing with financial issues which can be traced back to the slump in global crude oil prices.

Fortunately for our lawmakers and unfortunately for Nigerians fund is in a special category called statutory transfer which mandates the federal government, after receiving revenues, to make the legislators’ funds immediately available before other considerations

9. Is there any hope for Nigeria at all?

Senate President Bukola Saraki has denied that federal lawmakers get N9billion wardrobe allowance. He also said there were plans by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to reduce salaries and allowances of federal lawmakers.

Saraki, who stated this on his Twitter handle yesterday after meeting with the RMAFC boss, said the annual wardrobe allowance for each senator is N506,600 per annum, about N2.25 million ‎for their four-year tenure.

It not the best of ideas to believe anything a politician says, but when given the benefit of doubt then there might be hope for Nigeria afterall.

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/06/18/9-questions-about-the-8-billion-naira-clothing-allowance-you-were-too-embarrassed-to-ask/

Humans do weird stuff. Sometimes, we don’t even realize our behaviors are strange until we really stop to look at ourselves objectively. Then, it’s only natural to wonder why we do that weird stuff.

So in the spirit of analyzing ourselves, here are some of the odd things we do every day and the leading explanations for why we do them.

10. Not Replacing The Toilet Paper Roll

On the scale of difficult things to do, replacing the toilet paper roll lands way down near the bottom of the list. Still, for some reason, many of us have a difficult time completing this simple task with any level of consistency. Why is that? The reason for our toilet paper sloppiness, according to a pair of psychologists from the University of New York, isn’t really due to laziness but because replacing the roll isn’t the slightest bit stimulating and offers virtually no intrinsic reward(except to the anal retentive).

Similar chores like taking out the trash or doing the dishes are equally boring and unmotivating, but at least they give us the satisfaction of keeping things stink- and rodent-free. Properly loading the toilet paper might make things look a little better, but so what?

The Reaseacher, say that for humans to be truly motivated to do anything, the task must meet three psychological needs: competence, autonomy, and relatedness. The chore should be challenging enough to make us feel competent when we complete it. It should make us feel like we have some sort of control over what we’re doing. And it should give us the sense that we’re enhancing our relationships with loved ones. This theory is known as the self-determination theory. Replacing the toilet paper falls far short of meeting those three criteria. The only one it might fulfill is relatedness—that is, if you live in a very “we’re all in this together and we all pitch in with the chores” type of household.

Thus, getting a spouse or roommate to always properly replace the toilet paper or to do any other mundane task is probably a lost cause. Unless you can psychologically convince them that doing so takes a certain level of proficiency, that they’re by no means a “slave” to forever doing the chore, and that it will make them more connected to others. Now that’s a difficult task.

9. Desire To Bite Cute Things

Any time there’s a baby around, someone invariably tells the baby (in the obligatory cutesy voice) that they’re “gonna eat them up” or “bite their toes” or eat some other body part. Similar conversations happen when puppies are around, and you may have even seen someone (or caught yourself) pretend-chomping on a puppy’s paw. What’s the deal with this? Why do we have the urge to jokingly munch on cute things?

Scientists have two main theories for this phenomenon. The first idea is that somehow our pleasure-sensing wires are getting crossed in the brain. When people (women in particular) catch a whiff of a newborn baby, we get a rush of dopamine similar to what happens when eating delicious food. It’s thought that we relate cuteness to this dopamine-inducing scent, which also reminds us of food. This overlap in senses unconsciously gives us the desire to put cute things in our mouths.

The other explanation is that it’s a form of play biting, which is common in many mammals and is a behavior from our animalistic sides. Many animals nip, pseudo-bite, and wrestle in a friendly, playful manner. It’s not entirely clear whether this is done to hone fighting skills, boost motor skills, or simply for fun, but the behavior usually happens between trusted allies. It takes a lot of trust to put your hand in someone’s mouth and let them bite down. So, if for nothing else, play biting is used to increase social bonds, and that could explain why we unconsciously do it when we feel the urge to get emotionally close to something cute.

8. Inappropriate Laughing

Most of us are guilty of laughing inappropriately at one time or another, such as when we see someone fall down and get hurt or when we’re relaying bad news. And although we know there’s nothing funny about Grandma’s death, we may still find ourselves trying to hold back fits of laughter at her funeral. Laughing in these types of situations isn’t necessarily okay by social standards, but it’s apparently fairly common, and there’s a good reason for it.

When we laugh in a solemn circumstance, it doesn’t mean we’re cold-hearted or disrespectful. In fact, it’s likely a sign that we’re under a great deal of emotional stress and our body is using laughter as a way to relieve some of the discomfort or tension. Similarly, chuckling when someone falls down or otherwise gets hurt is believed to be an evolutionary function letting the tribe know that, although the person might be embarrassed or slightly injured, he’s not gravely wounded, and there’s no need for alarm.

Laughing, in general, is rarely a response to something being legitimately funny. Neuroscientist Sophie Scott explains it’s used most often as a method of social bonding—to let people know that we like them, we agree with them, or we’re in the same group. Knowing that, we shouldn’t feel so horrified if our neighbor lets out a chuckle while explaining how he ran over our dog. It’s possible he simply feels really uncomfortable and is instinctively trying to connect with us during an awkward situation.

7. Fascination With Psychopaths

A good size of the population has a fascination with the macabre and specifically psychopaths. Nightly entertainment is chock-full of crazy, psychotic killers, and for some reason, we can’t get enough of them. What might our insatiable interest in the vilest of humans say about us as a people? There are three main theories floating around to explain this obsession.

The first idea is that watching or hearing about psychos allows us to temporarily step out of our conscientious, law-abiding shoes and vicariously step into the shoes of someone who only thinks about himself. He doesn’t do any of the things we automatically do every day, like worrying about others’ feelings or being fair. Imagining ourselves as that person (even unconsciously) temporarily liberates us from these obligations without actually causing any harm.

In contrast, forensic psychologist J. Reid Meloy says that psychopaths are a type of predator, and hearing about them connects us with our primal existence of constantly being both the hunter and the hunted. Entertaining ourselves with the stories of human predators allows us to relate with our primal, animalistic selves without experiencing the real danger of the natural world.

Finally, psychiatrist and Harvard professor Ron Schouten says that our draw to psychopaths is similar to our attraction to horror movies or roller coasters. Sometimes we just like to be frightened, and tales of psycho killers can definitely fulfill that need. This is because being frightened sends a rush of neurotransmitters, including dopamine, which evokes feelings of pleasure. In an entertainment setting where there’s no real danger, our fear doesn’t last long. On top of the dopamine-induced pleasure, we usually leave the theater or turn off the TV feeling a sense of well-being or justice (depending on how the film or show ends). This type of satisfaction keeps us coming back for more.

6. Pretending To Know Stuff

Most of us have probably been in the situation where someone casually asks, “Hey, have you heard of such and such?” And almost unthinkingly, we respond, “Yeah,” even though if we took time to genuinely think about it, we’d realize we don’t actually know what they’re talking about. Similarly, some folks habitually feign knowledge when they’re well aware they know nothing about the topic at hand. Whether we purposefully pretend to know stuff or if we just sort of do it accidentally, scientists say there’s an explanation for this behavior.

Cornell professor David Dunning has researched this psychological quirk and explains that most people fake it out of convenience or to reaffirm their identity. He says that many of us don’t have a very clear understanding of what we do or don’t know and might unconsciously fake knowledge. This is because in the instant when someone asks us if we know about something, our brains start to infer, assume, and invent explanations for things. In that moment, we may say that we know something (even if we don’t) partly because we don’t want to bog the conversation down with questions and partly because our brains think we should know something about the topic. In short, the feeling of knowing is more of a sensation than it is actually sifting through our brains’ stores of information and coming up with a conclusion.

Another, perhaps more obvious, reason people pretend to know stuff is because they like feeling like a know-it-all. But why?

Neurologist Robert A. Burton explains that our society glorifies knowledge, and to have an awareness of something is a notch on the social belt—especially if you came from know-it-all parents. Being a know-it-all can become kind of an addiction. In fact, the same area of the brain lights up and the same reward pathways shoot dopamine whether we’re rewarded with a right answer or if we’re taking drugs or gambling. Thus, pretending to be the person who knows everything can be a hard habit to break.

5. Crying

Crying seems like an ordinary enough experience and something we don’t really think of as strange. Yet if we really stop to contemplate what’s happening—salt water dripping out of our eyes during emotional moments—it seems a little bizarre. What do tears, eyes, and emotions have to do with each other?

One of the prevailing theories to explain human crying is put forth by Dutch psychologist Ad Vingerhoets. He argues that crying is largely a social sign that has its evolutionary roots in distress signals. Most young animals emit some type of distress sound to alert others that they need help. It’s thought that crying started as a way for humans to signify their distress (through tears) without making a predator-alerting scream or other noise. Although human babies usually have audible cries, adults often shed tears with little noise. Evolutionarily, this could have been an advantageous response, since another member of the tribe would only need to glance at the crier to see he was in trouble. Interestingly, humans are the only species to emit emotional tears. Most other animals stop making distress calls after reaching adulthood.

Further evidence that crying may have originated as a response to danger or trouble is that it also works in conjunction with our sympathetic nervous system(or the fight or flight system). For example, in addition to shedding tears, crying speeds up the heart rate, increases sweating, and slows breathing. Emotional tears even contain a natural painkiller, leucine enkephalin, which could partially explain why we sometimes feel better after a good cry.

So, although we can nowadays cry when alone or during harmless, sappy movies, the act may have started as a method of protection.

4. Twitch When Falling Asleep

As much as 70 percent of people twitch or have an involuntary jerk, or hypnagogic jerk, when falling asleep. Other than amusing awake onlookers, it seems there must be an explanation for a behavior that’s apparently so common. Unfortunately, scientists aren’t entirely sure why we have the spasms, but of course, there are some educated hypotheses.

Some scientists believe it’s nothing more than an accidental reaction that happens when our nerves misfire while transitioning from alertness to sleep. This is because our bodies don’t have a definitive on/off switch, where “on” is awake and “off” is asleep. Instead we gradually transition between the state where our reticular activating system (which governs basic physiological processes) is in full force and when the ventrolateral system (which drives sleepiness and influences sleep cycles) is in charge. We can be in the middle of the two states, such as when feeling sleepy, and there can be a bit of a struggle as we firmly position ourselves into one state or another. This back-and-forth struggle is thought to cause the misfiring, and the twitches are the last fights of wakefulness.

In contrast, others believe it’s an evolutionary response left over from our tree-dwelling days, and the jerks are a primate reflex that keeps us from getting too relaxed and falling from branches.

Other types of spasms while sleeping aren’t quite the same as a hypnagogic jerk. Dreaming of falling, for instance, and then jerking oneself awake is more of an example of dream incorporation where the brain intermixes real life and the dream state.

3. Gossiping

Women usually get pegged as the biggest gossips out of the two sexes, but men are guilty of this social offense as well. At least one study says men gossip 32 percent more than women per day. No matter which sex has the biggest blabbermouths, hurtful gossip can come back to bite us, yet it seems we can’t help ourselves when it comes to dishing a little dirt.

The reason for this is that most of us have an inherent desire to bond with those immediately around us—an urge that can overpower any moral obligations we might feel to mind our own business. We want to form social connections to people in our vicinity, and gossiping not only gives us something to talk about, it immediately creates a sense of trust, since the act of gossiping signals that we’re letting the other person in our confidence. In turn, the other person shares secrets, and a rapport is established. As we all know, it also gives us a feeling of superiority, is good for a laugh, and spices up boring situations.

Curiously, gossiping about people’s successes (if there is such a thing) doesn’t have the same effect. Studies show that connecting over shared dislikes creates stronger bonds than discussing shared positives.

Although gossiping means we’re throwing someone else under the bus for the sake of an immediate relationship or gratification, it might not be an entirely bad thing. Anthropologist Robin Dunbar says that gossip partly drove the evolutionary development of our brains. He argues that language first developed out of our desire to share gossip, and it enables us to talk about those who aren’t present while indirectly teaching others how to properly relate to the group.

About 60 percent of conversations between adults are about someone who’s not present. Thus, there’s no need to be paranoid that your friends are talking about you when you’re not around, as it’s almost certainly a fact.

2. Liking Sad Movies

Enough grief, misfortune, and other nonsense happens to us on a daily basis that it seems ridiculous that we would want to spend our entertainment hours subjecting ourselves to more sadness. Despite this, we still regularly find ourselves sitting down to watch a guaranteed tearjerker. While it may seem counterintuitive, one reason for this is that watching tragedies actually makes us feel happier in the short term and therefore boosts our enjoyment of the movie.

Researchers at Ohio State University found that watching sad movies causes people to think about their own close relationships, which makes them feel appreciative and satisfied with their lives. Seeing tragedies on the screen causes folks to examine their own lives and count their blessings. However, the researchers point out that this reaction is not the same as those who watch a tragic movie and think something along the lines of, “Sheesh, at least I don’t have it as bad as that guy.” Those viewers have selfish thinking, are more focused on themselves instead of others, and don’t experience any boost in happiness after watching the film.

Also, according to Dr. Paul Zak, seeing movies or hearing stories about others causes us to feel empathy and prompts our brains to release oxytocin, which increases our feelings of caring. Zak even refers to oxytocin as the “moral molecule” because of how it makes us more trustworthy, generous, and compassionate. Right after a sad movie and the ensuing rush of oxytocin, we feel more connected to the people around us and overall more satisfied—even if we are shedding some tears. This feeling keeps us coming back for even more depressing flicks.

1. Thinking Silence Is Awkward

Regardless of whether there is anything of value to say, many of us feel a burning desire to fill every silent moment with some type of conversation. What’s so bad about just sitting quietly with someone, and why does prolonged silence make us feel so awkward?

Like many of our behaviors, it all comes down to our primal desire to belong and fit in with the group. According to psychologist Namkje Koudenburg, when the dance of conversation doesn’t follow the traditional ebb and flow, we start to worry that something might not be right. We may wonder if we’re uninteresting or not relevant, which makes us worry about our position in the group. On the other hand, when the dialogue is bouncing back and forth as expected, we feel socially validated.

That said, not all cultures experience awkward silence in the same ways as Americans and others. For example, in Japan, a long pause can be a sign of respect, especially when considering a serious question. Cross-culture businesspeople are even trained on this etiquette, so they don’t assume a silent Japanese colleague is unsatisfied with the negotiation or whatever else the conversation is about.

The Finnish, Australian Aboriginals, and those in many Asian countries are also known for long, silent pauses in their talk and don’t see them as a sign that the conversation has broken down. Rather, it’s not uncommon for people from these countries to think Americans talk too much and dominate conversations.

Incidentally, for those of us where nonstop talking is the norm, researchers say it only takes four seconds of silence for things to get awkward.

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/05/23/10-scientific-explanations-for-our-weird-behaviors/

Ever since we were children, we’ve been told countless times to pursue our dreams, and to fight for what we want in life.

However, since our goals can sometimes seem unattainable, we tend to find reasons to justify our lack of action.

Here are 6 common excuses we make, and why to reconsider them:

1. “I don’t have enough time.”

Nobody has enough time. We’re all frantically running around our daily activities, attempting to get through our daily tasks without wanting to jump off the nearest bridge.

It may seem impossible at first, but you have to gradually establish a manageable balance based on what is most important to you.

By then, you’ll realize that time isn’t the real issue holding you back from what you want – it’s all a matter of priorities.

2. “I’m scared I’ll mess up.”

Honestly, you probably will. We’ve all made mistakes, and we’re also more knowledgeable because of them.

However, over the years I’ve learned to accept that it’s critical to push yourself in life to effectively grow.

If you constantly let your fear get in the way of trying new things, you’ll never make progress toward where you hope to ultimately be.

So take a deep breath and try.

3. “I’ll start tomorrow.”

What’s wrong with right now? The longer you delay, the longer your journey will inevitably be.

Plus, the more you procrastinate, the more likely the chance you’ll end up saying, “Eh – it’s just too difficult” and giving up.

So resist the urge to put it off, and start today before your motivation dissipates. You can only binge watch so many shows on season films, after all.

4. “I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

Just because you commit to a goal doesn’t mean you have to jump right in with no plan or sense of direction.

Instead, start small – it’s helpful to break down your plan into sections, and realistically consider the time commitment for each task.

Plus, by having a more logical approach, your dreams won’t seem as far out of reach.

5. “It’s too late now.”

Or is it? We often feel that we are unable to turn around once we’ve gone down a certain path.

However, you always have the power to change your direction. It doesn’t matter how much time you’ve invested in something else – if it’s really important to you, you’ll find a way.

6. “I’m comfortable – why change things?”

Venturing outside of our comfort zone isn’t easy. If there aren’t any significant problems with a situation, we typically prefer to leave things as they are. This is okay – to an extent.

However, if you really want something, your passion will start to override your comfort level. So don’t fight the possibility of change – embrace it.

Although our dreams can initially seem unachievable, the first step is to have faith in our own capabilities. This involves thinking positively, and focusing on taking initiative – not thinking about all of the potential setbacks. By limiting our excuses, we can expedite the process, and finally turn “I can’t” into “I will.”

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/02/23/6-common-excuses-you-should-stop-making-today/

Our bodies are around 60% water, give or take.

It is commonly recommended to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day (the 8×8 rule).

Although there is little science behind this specific rule, staying hydrated is important.

Here are 7 evidence-based health benefits of drinking plenty of water.

1. Water Helps to Maximize Physical Performance

If we do not stay hydrated, physical performance can suffer.

This is particularly important during intense exercise or high heat.

Dehydration can have a noticeable effect if you lose as little as 2% of your body’s water content. However, it is not uncommon for athletes to lose up to 6-10% of their water weight via sweat.

This can lead to altered body temperature control, reduced motivation, increased fatigue and make exercise feel much more difficult, both physically and mentally.

Optimal hydration has been shown to prevent this from happening, and may even reduce the oxidative stress that occurs during high intensity exercise. This is not surprising when you consider that muscle is about 80% water.

So, if you exercise intensely and tend to sweat, then staying hydrated can help you perform at your absolute best.

Bottom Line: Losing as little as 2% of your body’s water content can significantly impair physical performance.

2. Hydration Has a Major Effect on Energy Levels and Brain Function

Your brain is strongly influenced by hydration status.

Studies show that even mild dehydration& (1-3% of body weight) can impair many aspects of brain function.

In a study of young women, fluid loss of 1.36% after exercise impaired both mood and concentration, and increased the frequency of headaches.

Another similar study, this time in young men, showed that fluid loss of 1.59% was detrimental to working memory and increased feelings of anxiety and fatigue.

A 1-3% fluid loss equals about 1.5-4.5 lbs (0.5-2 kg) of body weight loss for a 150 lbs (68 kg) person. This can easily occur through normal daily activities, let alone during exercise or high heat.

Many other studies, ranging from children to the elderly, have shown that mild dehydration can impair mood, memory and brain performance.

Bottom Line:Mild dehydration (fluid loss of 1-3%) can impair energy levels and mood, and lead to major reductions in memory and brain performance.

3. Drinking Water May Help to Prevent and Treat Headaches

Dehydration can trigger headaches and migraines in some individuals.

Several studies have shown that water can relieve headaches in those who are dehydrated.

However, this appears to depend on the type of headache.

One study of 18 people found that water had no effect on the frequency of headaches, but did reduce the intensity and duration somewhat.

Bottom Line:Drinking water can sometimes help relieve headache symptoms, especially in people who are dehydrated.

4. Drinking More Water May Help Relieve Constipation

Constipation is a common problem, characterized by infrequent bowel movements and difficulty passing stool.

Increasing fluid intake is often recommended as a part of the treatment protocol, and there is some evidence to back this up.

Low water consumption appears to be a risk factor for constipation in both young and elderly individuals.

Carbonated water shows particularly promising results for constipation relief, although the reason is not entirely understood

Bottom Line:Drinking plenty of water can help prevent and relieve constipation, especially in people who generally do not drink enough water.

5. Drinking Water May Help Treat Kidney Stones

Urinary stones are painful clumps of mineral crystal that form in the urinary system.

The most common form is kidney stones, which form in the kidneys.

There is limited evidence that water intake can help prevent recurrence in people who have previously gotten kidney stones.

Higher fluid intake increases the volume of urine passing through the kidneys, which dilutes the concentration of minerals, so they are less likely to crystallize and form clumps.

Water may also help prevent the initial formation of stones, but studies are required to confirm this.

Bottom Line:Increased water intake appears to decrease the risk of kidney stone formation. More research is needed in this area.

6. Water Helps Prevent Hangovers

A hangover refers to the unpleasant symptoms experienced after drinking alcohol.

Alcohol is a diuretic, so it makes you lose more water than you take in. This can lead to dehydration.

Although dehydration is not the main cause of hangovers, it can cause symptoms like thirst, fatigue, headache and dry mouth.

A good way to reduce hangovers is to drink a glass of water between drinks, and to have at least one big glass of water before going to bed.

Bottom Line:Hangovers are partly caused by dehydration, and drinking water can help reduce some of the main symptoms of hangovers.

7. Drinking More Water Can Help With Weight Loss

Drinking plenty of water can help you lose weight.

This is due to the fact that water can increase satiety and boost your metabolic rate.

In two studies, drinking half a liter (17 ounces) of water was shown to increase metabolism by 24-30% for up to 1.5 hours.

This means that drinking 2 liters of water every day can increase your total energy expenditure by up to 96 calories per day.

The timing is important too, and drinking water half an hour before meals is the most effective. It can make you feel more full, so that you eat fewer calories.

In one study, dieters who drank half a liter of water before meals lost 44% more weight, over a period of 12 weeks (30).

It is actually best to drink water cold, because then the body will use additional energy (calories) to heat the water to body temperature.

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/02/22/7-reasons-you-should-be-drinking-more-water/

When emotional intelligence (EQ) first appeared to the masses, it served as the missing link in a peculiar finding: people with average IQs outperform those with the highest IQs 70% of the time. This anomaly threw a massive wrench into the broadly held assumption that IQ was the sole source of success.

Decades of research now point to emotional intelligence as being the critical factor that sets star performers apart from the rest of the pack. The connection is so strong that 90% of top performers have high emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is the “something” in each of us that is a bit intangible. It affects how we manage behavior, navigate social complexities, and make personal decisions to achieve positive results.

Want to know if you have emotional intelligence? Read on to find out

1. You have a robust emotional vocabulary.

All people experience emotions, but it is a select few who can accurately identify them as they occur. Our research shows that only 36% of people can do this, which is problematic because unlabeled emotions often go misunderstood, which leads to irrational choices and counterproductive actions.

People with high EQs master their emotions because they understand them, and they use an extensive vocabulary of feelings to do so. While many people might describe themselves as simply feeling “bad,” emotionally intelligent people can pinpoint whether they feel “irritable,” “frustrated,” “downtrodden,” or “anxious.” The more specific your word choice, the better insight you have into exactly how you are feeling, what caused it, and what you should do about it.

2. You’re curious about people.

It doesn’t matter if they’re introverted or extroverted, emotionally intelligent people are curious about everyone around them. This curiosity is the product of empathy, one of the most significant gateways to a high EQ. The more you care about other people and what they’re going through, the more curiosity you’re going to have about them.

3. You embrace change.

Emotionally intelligent people are flexible and are constantly adapting. They know that fear of change is paralyzing and a major threat to their success and happiness. They look for change that is lurking just around the corner, and they form a plan of action should these changes occur.

4. You know your strengths and weaknesses.

Emotionally intelligent people don’t just understand emotions; they know what they’re good at and what they’re terrible at. They also know who pushes their buttons and the environments (both situations and people) that enable them to succeed. Having a high EQ means you know your strengths and you know how to lean into them and use them to your full advantage while keeping your weaknesses from holding you back.

5. You’re a good judge of character.

Much of emotional intelligence comes down to social awareness; the ability to read other people, know what they’re about, and understand what they’re going through. Over time, this skill makes you an exceptional judge of character. People are no mystery to you. You know what they’re all about and understand their motivations, even those that lie hidden beneath the surface.

6. You are difficult to offend.

If you have a firm grasp of whom you are, it’s difficult for someone to say or do something that gets your goat. Emotionally intelligent people are self-confident and open-minded, which creates a pretty thick skin. You may even poke fun at yourself or let other people make jokes about you because you are able to mentally draw the line between humor and degradation.

7. You know how to say no (to yourself and others).

Emotional intelligence means knowing how to exert self-control. You delay gratification, and you avoid impulsive action. Research conducted at the University of California, San Francisco, shows that the more difficulty that you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and even depression. Saying no is indeed a major self-control challenge for many people.

“No” is a powerful word that you should not be afraid to wield. When it’s time to say no, emotionally intelligent people avoid phrases such as “I don’t think I can” or “I’m not certain.” Saying no to a new commitment honors your existing commitments and gives you the opportunity to successfully fulfill them.

8. You let go of mistakes.

Emotionally intelligent people distance themselves from their mistakes, but do so without forgetting them. By keeping their mistakes at a safe distance, yet still handy enough to refer to, they are able to adapt and adjust for future success. It takes refined self-awareness to walk this tightrope between dwelling and remembering.

Dwelling too long on your mistakes makes you anxious and gun shy, while forgetting about them completely makes you bound to repeat them. The key to balance lies in your ability to transform failures into nuggets of improvement. This creates the tendency to get right back up every time you fall down.

9. You give and expect nothing in return.

When someone gives you something spontaneously, without expecting anything in return, this leaves a powerful impression. For example, you might have an interesting conversation with someone about a book, and when you see them again a month later, you show up with the book in hand. Emotionally intelligent people build strong relationships because they are constantly thinking about others.

10. You don’t hold grudges.

The negative emotions that come with holding onto a grudge are actually a stress response. Just thinking about the event sends your body into fight-or-flight mode, a survival mechanism that forces you to stand up and fight or run for the hills when faced with a threat. When the threat is imminent, this reaction is essential to your survival, but when the threat is ancient history, holding onto that stress wreaks havoc on your body and can have devastating health consequences over time.

In fact, researchers at Emory University have shown that holding onto stress contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease. Holding onto a grudge means you’re holding onto stress, and emotionally intelligent people know to avoid this at all costs. Letting go of a grudge not only makes you feel better now but can also improve your health.

11. You neutralize toxic people.

Dealing with difficult people is frustrating and exhausting for most. High EQ individuals control their interactions with toxic people by keeping their feelings in check. When they need to confront a toxic person, they approach the situation rationally. They identify their own emotions and don’t allow anger or frustration to fuel the chaos. They also consider the difficult person’s standpoint and are able to find solutions and common ground.

Even when things completely derail, emotionally intelligent people are able to take the toxic person with a grain of salt to avoid letting him or her bring them down.

12. You don’t seek perfection.

Emotionally intelligent people won’t set perfection as their target because they know that it doesn’t exist. Human beings, by our very nature, are fallible. When perfection is your goal, you’re always left with a nagging sense of failure that makes you want to give up or reduce your effort. You end up spending your time lamenting what you failed to accomplish and what you should have done differently instead of moving forward, excited about what you’ve achieved and what you will accomplish in the future.

13. You appreciate what you have.

Taking time to contemplate what you’re grateful for isn’t merely the right thing to do; it also improves your mood because it reduces the stress hormone cortisol by 23%. Research conducted at the University of California, Davis, found that people who worked daily to cultivate an attitude of gratitude experienced improved mood, energy, and physical well-being. It’s likely that lower levels of cortisol played a major role in this.

14. You disconnect.

Taking regular time off the grid is a sign of a high EQ because it helps you to keep your stress under control and to live in the moment. When you make yourself available to your work 24/7, you expose yourself to a constant barrage of stressors. Forcing yourself offline and even — gulp! — turning off your phone gives your body and mind a break.

Studies have shown that something as simple as an email break can lower stress levels. Technology enables constant communication and the expectation that you should be available 24/7. It is extremely difficult to enjoy a stress-free moment outside of work when an email that will change your train of thought and get you thinking (read: stressing) about work can drop onto your phone at any moment.

15. You limit your caffeine intake.

Drinking excessive amounts of caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline, and adrenaline is the source of the fight-or-flight response. The fight-or-flight mechanism sidesteps rational thinking in favor of a faster response to ensure survival. This is great when a bear is chasing you, but not so great when you’re responding to a curt email.

When caffeine puts your brain and body into this hyper-aroused state of stress, your emotions overrun your behavior. Caffeine’s long half-life ensures you stay this way as it takes its sweet time working its way out of your body. High-EQ individuals know that caffeine is trouble, and they don’t let it get the better of them.

16. You get enough sleep.

It’s difficult to overstate the importance of sleep to increasing your emotional intelligence and managing your stress levels. When you sleep, your brain literally recharges, shuffling through the day’s memories and storing or discarding them (which causes dreams) so that you wake up alert and clearheaded. High-EQ individuals know that their self-control, attention, and memory are all reduced when they don’t get enough — or the right kind — of sleep. So, they make sleep a top priority.

17. You stop negative self-talk in its tracks.

The more you ruminate on negative thoughts, the more power you give them. Most of our negative thoughts are just that — thoughts, not facts. When it feels like something always or never happens, this is just your brain’s natural tendency to perceive threats (inflating the frequency or severity of an event). Emotionally intelligent people separate their thoughts from the facts in order to escape the cycle of negativity and move toward a positive, new outlook.

18. You won’t let anyone limit your joy.

When your sense of pleasure and satisfaction are derived from the opinions of other people, you are no longer the master of your own happiness. When emotionally intelligent people feel good about something that they’ve done, they won’t let anyone’s opinions or snide remarks take that away from them.

While it’s impossible to turn off your reactions to what others think of you, you don’t have to compare yourself to others, and you can always take people’s opinions with a grain of salt. That way, no matter what other people are thinking or doing, your self-worth comes from within.


http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/02/22/18-signs-you-have-high-emotional-intelligence/

Red, green, yellow, blue—urine comes in a variety of shades and hues, but peeing different colors of the rainbow is not always healthy. That’s why it is good to know what your urine says about your health.

Sometimes red pee indicates kidney disease or urinary tract infections, but it’s also possible that you recently ate food with a certain pigment. For example, eating beets can result inbeeturia—the passing of red or pink urine because of a compound called betanin in the vegetable.

Since pee is such a useful tool of diagnosis, the Cleveland Clinic—a non-profit academic medical center in Ohio—made an infographic about the hue of your liquid excreta. Of course, if you are worried about the color of your urine, the Cleveland Clinic recommends you visit your doctor.

Note: While the infographic says there is no such thing as purple pee, Mayo Clinicdisagrees: “Deep purple urine is an identifying characteristic of porphyria, a rare, inherited disorder of red blood cells.”




http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/02/22/what-the-color-of-your-urine-says-about-your-health/

1. Wash behind your ears.

Wash behind your ears. It prevents the “old person smell.”

2. Wipe until the paper is white.

On your last wipe, there should be no brown on the toilet paper.

3. Wet Wipes > Toilet Paper

Use flushable wet wipes every time that you poop. Especially if you’re a girl. TP isn’t enough and that stuff will stay caked on, even if it’s a thin, clear layer of poop broth.

4. Switch your pillowcase every couple days to avoid acne.

Switch your pillowcase regularly. People with acne issues should do this especially.

By regularly I mean every couple days.

5. Floss to prevent bad breath.

Flossing is common knowledge, but a lot of people don’t realize how much not flossing contributes to bad breath.

6. Scrape your tongue to prevent bad breath.

Scrape your tongue! SCRAPE IT!

Seriously. Right now, scratch along your tongue until you get a bit of goo under your fingernail. Wait for a couple of minutes, and then after it’s dried a bit, give it a sniff.

That’s what people smell when you talk to them.

Buy those silly little white plastic floss picks, because most of them have a built-in ridge for tongue scraping (way more efficient than your toothbrush) and scrape in the morning and at night. You’ll notice a vast improvement in your breath.

7. Use hydrogen peroxide and saline water as mouthwash.

Use some hydrogen peroxide/saline water to rinse your mouth out from time to time.

8. Sneeze on the inside of your elbow.

Always sneeze in the inside of your elbow. You don’t need your elbow otherwise so it’s one of the best part of the body to sneeze in.

9. Clean your bellybutton!

Clean your bellybutton!

10. Wash between your toes.

Wash your feet and between your toes. Wear socks with shoes.

11. Men: Sprinkle baby powder on your balls.

Baby powder makes your balls feel amazing.

12. Men: Trim your armpits and pubes.

As a guy, trimming your armpit and ball hair goes a long way in getting rid of B.O.

You don’t have to shave, just trim the 3 bushes down.

13. Men: Clean your smelly balls.

Your balls smell. You like bj’s, right? Clean your balls a couple of times a day if you intend to use them. Have you ever pulled off your pants after a hard day at work and smelled the amalgamation of assss stink and nut sweat rise into the air?

Why would you put that stink into a woman’s mouth? She already has so much respect for you that they put their mouth where you piss. Return the favor for one, and for two keep your friggin crotch clean.

14. Men: Wipe the tip of your Johnson after peeing.

If you are a man after peeing just wipe the tip with toilet paper. It surely would not kill you.

15. Women: Use pH-balanced soap to wash your lady parts.

Every last woman needs to get pH balanced vag soap. Any number of things can throw off your balance and give you stank vag or a minor infection

Regular soaps are harsh and many women are actually allergic to the fragrances in them. Pointing hot water at it for a long time can mess it up, too. So can sex. Best to avoid problems down the line and use vag soap regularly.

16. Shower instead of wearing cheap-ass body spray.

There is not perfume on planet earth that can replace a shower, especially when you smell like shit, sweat, and fish.

17. Wash your bum-bum.

Every day. Seriously, just do it.

18. Squeeze out your nose pore pus.

Nose pore pus. Ever heard of it? Look it up. Google is your friend. If you have greasy skin or clogged pores or acne problems, give it a squeeze. Watch the little worms of pus poke out like creamy peanut butter through a Saltine.

Now, once a week, squeeze that stuff. Rub it down in the shower, with a black shirt, whatever.

This is not because there’s something wrong with you. Other people won’t notice it. It’s for your own good.

19. Shower before going to bed, wash your back, and get rid of your carpet.

Don’t bring all the daily grunge your body generated and collected throughout the day into your clean bed. Your partner will appreciate this too.

20. CLIP YOUR FINGERNAILS!

CLIP YOUR FINGERNAILS! You won’t believe how many adults have skanky, freakishly, long nails with various colors of dirt under them.

We have something called fingernail clippers. It’s an elegant device. Please for the love of God.

Got something to add? Let us know in the comment section below

pweetixandy:
Not even a picture to back it up?

Thank you for that observation. The post has been updated

A special type of caviar (salted fish egg) made from rare abino fish and laced with 22-carat gold is thought to be the most expensive food on planet earth.

This food is priced at . . . wait for it . . . $300, 000 per kilo (that is about $40, 000 per teaspoon). Let’s put this in perspective to the Nigerian folks out there. With the conversion rate as at 21st February 2015, it costs 60 Million naira per kilo (8 Million naira per teaspoon).

The brand-new caviar, invented by fish farmer Walter Gruell, 51, and his son Patrick, 25.

In order to give people a taste of what the father and son duo have on offer, the caviar is currently priced at £73,000 to selected customers, but the rare caviar will cost at least £200,000 per kilo normally.

It will be served to royalty and the super rich of the world in restaurants from Monaco to Dubai.

The Austrian father and son duo said they decided use the eggs from the sturgeon fish which were first consumed hundreds of years ago for their healing and medicinal properties.

The pair also chose to also include gold leaf as it’s good for the immune system.

‘White Gold’ caviar will be served to the super rich at some of the best restaurants in the world.

The albino beluga that produces the special caviar originally lived in the Caspian Sea, but it is now almost extinct in its native environment, making it a rare delicacy

Another reason for the prohibitive price of White Gold is the age of albino belugas. While sturgeons usually live over 100 years, few belugas reach that age due to a genetic flaw that shortens their life.

He also explained that the caviar they produce in Austria is among the best in the world because of the pristine, pollutant-free water that flows down from mountain snowcaps. “It is part of the reason why it probably tastes so good, that and the fact that it is specially seasoned before being dehydrated, when it loses 80 percent of its weight. It is then grated extremely finely and mixed with 22-carat gold, which in very small amounts has a very positive effect on the human immune system,” he added.

“The golden yellow white spreadable powder that we create can quickly be made into a paste, risotto, or put on toasted bread with butter. The taste is very strong and tastes distinctly like fresh fish. It only needs very small quantities for the flavor to be spread to a meal.”




If you had one advice to the people that buy this cavier, what would it be? Let us know in the comment section below


http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/02/21/worlds-most-expensive-food-is-n4-million-per-teaspoon/

Japan has a unique culture with a very strict code of etiquette.

There are specific ways to eat noodles, good practices for accepting gifts, and certain rules to follow to avoid insulting a host.

This complex web of social rules and traditions can be overwhelming for those traveling to Japan, so we compiled a list of some of the things foreigners find most shocking when visiting the country.

Here are 10 customs you should know before traveling to Japan.

1. No. 4 is avoided at all cost.

In Japan, the number “four” is avoided because it sounds very similar to the word for death. In the same vein as No. 13 in Western culture, No. 4 is extremely unlucky and is used as little as possible. You must always avoid giving anyone something in fours because it can be seen as a very ominous gift.

Elevator labels will often be missing a fourth floor — and in extreme cases, they will not have floors 40 to 49. No. 49 is especially unlucky, as it sounds similar to the phrase that means “pain until death.”

The practice of avoiding No. 4 is called “Tetraphobia,” and it is common in many East Asian and Southeast Asian regions.

2. Blowing your nose in public is considered rude.

Blowing your nose in public is seen as not only rude, but simply disgusting. Instead people will generally sniffle until they find somewhere private. If you simply must blow your nose, it is recommended that you do so as discreetly as possible.

The Japanese are also repelled by the idea of a handkerchief.

3. Tipping can be seen as insulting.

Tipping is considered rude — and can even be seen as degrading. Tipping will often cause confusion, and many people will chase after you to give you back your money.

If someone has been particularly helpful and you feel absolutely compelled to leave a tip, Rough Guides suggests leaving a small present instead.

4. Walking and eating is seen as sloppy.

Although walking and eating is often convenient and widely accepted in many Western cultures, the practice is looked down upon in Japan. Many also consider it rude to eat in public or on the trains.

There are just a few exceptions to this rule, including the fact that it is OK to eat an ice-cream cone on the street.

5. There are designated people who will push you into a crowded subway car.

Oshiya, or “pushers,” wear uniforms, white gloves, and hats and literally push people into crowded subway cars during rush hour.

They are paid to make sure everybody gets in and doesn’t get caught in the doors.

6. People will sleep on the trains with their head on your shoulder.

If someone in Japan falls asleep with his or her head on you shoulder, it is common practice to just tolerate it. People have very long commutes and work dreadfully long hours, so many will often fall asleep on the train.

7. There are toilet slippers for the bathrooms.

It is customary to change into slippers when entering a Japanese home, a traditional restaurant, temples, and sometimes museums and art galleries, according to Rough Guides. Basically any time you come across of row of slippers in Japan, you should just put them on.

There are even special toilet slippers kept inside the bathroom, so you’ll take off your house slippers and put on the toilet slippers.

8. You must always bring a host a gift.

It is an honor in Japan to be invited to someone’s home, and if this happens, you must always bring a gift. The gift should also be wrapped in the most elaborate way possible, and lots of fancy ribbons are suggested.

You should also never refuse a gift once offered — but it is good practice to strongly protest the gift at first.

9. Pouring you own glass is considered rude.

It is customary in the most countries to serve others before you serve yourself, but in Japan you are never supposed to pour yourself a drink. If you have poured for others, another guest will hopefully see that your drink is empty and pour for you.

You must also always wait for someone to say “Kanpai” (cheers) before drinking.

10. Slurping noodles is not only seen as polite — but it also means you have enjoyed your meal.

Slurping is considered polite in Japan because it shows that you are enjoying your delicious noodles — in fact, if you don’t eat loudly enough, it can be mistaken as you not enjoying your food.

Slurping noodles is not entirely for the sake of politeness, but also to avoid having a burnt tongue. Japanese soup and noodles are generally served steaming hot — hot enough to burn — and slurping helps to cool down the food.

But unlike in some other Asian nations, it is still considered rude to belch at the table.

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/02/21/10-japanese-cultures-that-will-shock-you-to-your-bones/

Japan has a unique culture with a very strict code of etiquette.

There are specific ways to eat noodles, good practices for accepting gifts, and certain rules to follow to avoid insulting a host.

This complex web of social rules and traditions can be overwhelming for those traveling to Japan, so we compiled a list of some of the things foreigners find most shocking when visiting the country.

Here are 10 customs you should know before traveling to Japan.

1. No. 4 is avoided at all cost.

In Japan, the number “four” is avoided because it sounds very similar to the word for death. In the same vein as No. 13 in Western culture, No. 4 is extremely unlucky and is used as little as possible. You must always avoid giving anyone something in fours because it can be seen as a very ominous gift.

Elevator labels will often be missing a fourth floor — and in extreme cases, they will not have floors 40 to 49. No. 49 is especially unlucky, as it sounds similar to the phrase that means “pain until death.”

The practice of avoiding No. 4 is called “Tetraphobia,” and it is common in many East Asian and Southeast Asian regions.

2. Blowing your nose in public is considered rude.

Blowing your nose in public is seen as not only rude, but simply disgusting. Instead people will generally sniffle until they find somewhere private. If you simply must blow your nose, it is recommended that you do so as discreetly as possible.

The Japanese are also repelled by the idea of a handkerchief.

3. Tipping can be seen as insulting.

Tipping is considered rude — and can even be seen as degrading. Tipping will often cause confusion, and many people will chase after you to give you back your money.

If someone has been particularly helpful and you feel absolutely compelled to leave a tip, Rough Guides suggests leaving a small present instead.

4. Walking and eating is seen as sloppy.

Although walking and eating is often convenient and widely accepted in many Western cultures, the practice is looked down upon in Japan. Many also consider it rude to eat in public or on the trains.

There are just a few exceptions to this rule, including the fact that it is OK to eat an ice-cream cone on the street.

5. There are designated people who will push you into a crowded subway car.

Oshiya, or “pushers,” wear uniforms, white gloves, and hats and literally push people into crowded subway cars during rush hour.

They are paid to make sure everybody gets in and doesn’t get caught in the doors.

6. People will sleep on the trains with their head on your shoulder.

If someone in Japan falls asleep with his or her head on you shoulder, it is common practice to just tolerate it. People have very long commutes and work dreadfully long hours, so many will often fall asleep on the train.

7. There are toilet slippers for the bathrooms.

It is customary to change into slippers when entering a Japanese home, a traditional restaurant, temples, and sometimes museums and art galleries, according to Rough Guides. Basically any time you come across of row of slippers in Japan, you should just put them on.

There are even special toilet slippers kept inside the bathroom, so you’ll take off your house slippers and put on the toilet slippers.

8. You must always bring a host a gift.

It is an honor in Japan to be invited to someone’s home, and if this happens, you must always bring a gift. The gift should also be wrapped in the most elaborate way possible, and lots of fancy ribbons are suggested.

You should also never refuse a gift once offered — but it is good practice to strongly protest the gift at first.

9. Pouring you own glass is considered rude.

It is customary in the most countries to serve others before you serve yourself, but in Japan you are never supposed to pour yourself a drink. If you have poured for others, another guest will hopefully see that your drink is empty and pour for you.

You must also always wait for someone to say “Kanpai” (cheers) before drinking.

10. Slurping noodles is not only seen as polite — but it also means you have enjoyed your meal.

Slurping is considered polite in Japan because it shows that you are enjoying your delicious noodles — in fact, if you don’t eat loudly enough, it can be mistaken as you not enjoying your food.

Slurping noodles is not entirely for the sake of politeness, but also to avoid having a burnt tongue. Japanese soup and noodles are generally served steaming hot — hot enough to burn — and slurping helps to cool down the food.

But unlike in some other Asian nations, it is still considered rude to belch at the table.

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/02/21/10-japanese-cultures-that-will-shock-you-to-your-bones/

If you thought that darker-colored food and drinks would have little or no effect on discoloring your teeth, think again!
The experts tell us that if any fruit or drink can stain a white T-shirt, then it can be just as disastrous for your white teeth.

Any acidic food or drink is likely to cause your teeth’s enamel to wear away. The enamel is the gleaming-white coating on your teeth that keeps them shining, until you get old and/or consume too many colorful foods and drinks.

The next layer is called dentin, and that is always a shade less white. The secret is to avoid these acidic substances. If you do eat or drink them, rinse your mouth with water afterwards. This will limit the damage, somewhat.

Here are 10 foods and drinks to avoid and six ways to limit the damage and help you keep your teeth gleaming white.

1. Red or white wine

Not just red wine as you would expect, but also white wine is not ideal for keeping those teeth white. The reason is that they both contain tannins, which are really yellow and brown polyphenols and can leave a dirty footprint on your teeth. Rinsing your mouth with water after a cup of wine would alleviate the problem.

2. Coffee

You cannot get a darker liquid than this, so the effect on your white teeth is less than great. One solution is to use more milk in it if that does not spoil the taste.

3. Teas

Strong black teas may be just as stimulating as a cup of coffee but they also have the same disastrous effect on the color of your teeth. Experts say that opting for herbal and lighter-colored teas may help.

4. Curry

Wonderful taste! But the colors of curry will leave your teeth a bolder shade of yellow if you indulge in these exotic spices all the time. Spinach will protect the enamel of the teeth against curry.

5. Tomato sauce

Who can resist tomatoes in pasta sauces and other dishes? Well, if you cannot, your teeth may begin to appear darker. It is not just the color of tomatoes but also the fact that they are highly acidic. Again, one solution is to have spinach in the same meal.

6. Colas and sodas

The problem with these is their dark color, but there is additional trap. If they are very cold, teeth will tend to contract and that makes them more porous so they will absorb more color. The same goes for very hot liquids like coffee and tea. The best way is to avoid cola because cola itself is not healthy at all. Only drink it once in a while if you really like it.

5 Easy Ways to Whiten Your Teeth

1. Brush your teeth immediately?

Why Did we put a question mark here? The reason is that after consuming all those acidic and highly colorful foods mentioned above, the tooth enamel is softer and weaker, so vigorous brushing will further damage it.

Experts say that it is better to wait about half an hour before brushing your teeth.

2. Don’t forget your tongue

Your tongue accumulates a lot of waste matter which, if left there, will continue to discolor your teeth. If you want whiter teeth, it is better to brush your tongue on a regular basis so that you are removing this toxic dump!

3. Apples, Spinach, and cauliflower are great

Apples are great to bite on, are a light color, and act as a detergent to keep your teeth white. As you chew on an apple, it acts as a sort of toothbrush by scrubbing your teeth gently. Pears are just as good.

As regards veggies that are just as useful, go for carrots, celery and cauliflower. Check out the other tooth-whitening foods here.

4. Drink water after eating citrus fruits

When you eat oranges or other citrus fruits, try to rinse your mouth with water immediately afterwards as this will rinse away all that acid.

5. Everyone needs their dental hygienist

Whether you opt for getting your teeth whitened by a professional or not, a visit to the dental hygienist or dentist just for teeth cleaning is a great way to keep those teeth sparkling white. Removing plaque and giving teeth a thorough cleaning every six months will help you keep that great smile impeccable!

Have you any tips to pass on which are useful in keeping teeth sparkling white? Let us know in the comments below.

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/02/21/10-fooddrinks-that-cause-yellow-teeth-and-6-easy-ways-to-whiten-teeth/

Sometimes job hunting is all about you. Sometimes job hunting is all about them. Don’t take every rejection personally. Here’s why.

You do not need to be a rocket scientist to realize that job hunting in Nigeria is painful, tedious, frustrating and most at times emotionally devastating. But not all rejection should be taken personally. In fact, there are many reasons you don’t get the job–and some have nothing to do with you and your skills. Here are 10.

1. Someone Had Friends In High Places

We are talking about Nigeria. Even when you are over qualified for the job,aced the interview with flying colors, impressed the interviewers with all you got; all it takes is a phone call and the job goes to the least qualified person for the job. Don’t take it personally, nepotism is the bane of every job seeker in Nigeria.

Some companies have policies that a certain number of people have to be interviewed for each position (or that the job has to be advertised publicly) — regardless of the fact that the firm has already decided whom to hire.

You got dagged in to check off the proper boxes on the form, but never had a chance of getting the job.

2. The Job Disappeared

You’d think that when a company posts a job, sources résumés, and conducts interviews, the company would know it wants to hire someone. But that’s not always true.

Sometimes there are disagreements over which department gets the head count. Sometimes funding is moved to somewhere else. Sometimes the company just decides not to fill the job.

Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), don’t sweat it, we are obviously not talking to you.

3. You’ve Been Conned

Some people in Nigeria make a living from snipping the small amount of money that job seekers have. How heartless!

You weren’t called because the money you were asked to pay for in order to process the interview process was used to fund someone’s account. Accept our deepest sympathy for your money lost.

As a rule, no genuine interviewer will ask a dime from you if they are really interested in giving you a job.

Once again, Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) stop looking at us.

4. The Recruiter Is A Weird Fellow

Recruiters are funny people. Most are awesome, but some will reject you because you have scuffs on your shoes, or because they didnt like your face. We wish this was a joke.

Sometimes you might be asked a ridiculous question that has serves no purpose but to see how creative you can be or how you respond to difficult situations. You really do not want to hear some of the weird questions that some recruiters ask during job interviews.

Most recruiters aren’t horrible like these are, but some do have their games.

5. You’re Not A Good Cultural Fit.

As much as we like to think it should be all about the skills, it’s not. Different cultures are better for different people.

Nigeria is a country where we find it difficult to alienate tribe and religion from our day to day activities. You might rejected for a job because of your tribe, age, state of origin or religion.

A lady might be rejected because she wore trousers to a job interview, why? The company does not allow trousers at their place of work. You might be rejected for wearing two earring and sometime for having two ear holes.

Skills? You conquered that. Cultural fit? No, you didnt conquer that

6. You Can’t Agree On Salary.

Theoretically, salaries should be based on market rates and nothing more.

In Nigeria, there’s a ton of stuff that goes into a salary. A graduate could be made to endure the military training of the Navy SEALs and after such rigorous process you will be offered N20, 000 as salary for a month. May you never encounter such people in your job seeking experience.

Even when some companies are reasonable, the prospective worker might be flat out greedy. If you know you’re looking for something higher than what the company can offer, then don’t proceed with the interview process.

Why waste everyone’s time?

7. Your (bad) Reputation Preceded You.

Often people think they can burn bridges at old jobs, because they’ve moved on to newer and better. The problem is, the world is small, and the person you told to go f**k himself is the your current interviewer.

You didn’t even know his name, but he surely knows yours, and now you’re not hired.

8. You Blew The Interview.

Sometimes interviews simply go badly. It wasn’t that you did anything wrong–you didn’t answer your cell phone, pick your nose, or insult the interviewer–you just didn’t rock it.

Sometimes you have bad days.

9. There Was Someone Better Than You.

Often people identify themselves as perfect for the job, but you never get to vet the other candidates.

Your fitting all the listed qualifications doesn’t mean someone else isn’t better than you are.

10. Your Village Witches Are Dancing Sekeem On Your Head.

We are Nigerians, we are highly religious and we blame everything on religion. So yes, your village witches made you to fail the job interview.

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/02/20/10-reasons-you-were-not-called-after-the-interview/

What is wealth?

It really depends on who you ask.

Some people say it’s the amount of money you have in the bank, others insist it’s being able to afford the necessities in life, and still others swear that true wealth has nothing to do with money whatsoever.

Robert Kiyosaki, multimillionaire and author of personal finance classic “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” has his own outlook.

In his newest book, “Second Chance: For Your Money, Your Life, And Our World,” he defines wealth as freedom from work.

“Rich dad defined wealth by asking, ‘If you stopped working, how long could you survive?’” Kiyosaki writes.

He compares this approach to that of inventor and theorist Bucky Fuller, who said wealth was “the ability to survive X number of days forward.”

Put another way, Kiyosaki is saying that wealth is about staying power: How long can your money keep you afloat?

Kiyosaki, whose estimated net worth is about $80 million, provides a definition of wealth that excludes anyone living paycheck to paycheck, no matter how large those paychecks may be. In fact, his definition places significantly more weight on the money you have saved for tomorrow — whether for retirement, emergencies, or major events and purchases — than the money you have available to spend today.

Do you agree with this definition of wealth? Let us know in the comment section below

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/02/17/do-you-agree-with-this-definition-of-wealth/

In early January 2015, as all eyes were on France, Islamist gunmen attacked the town of Baga in Nigeria. It’s unknown how many died, but the highest estimates mention 2,000 civilians, making it possibly one of the deadliest terror attacks in history. The culprits: Boko Haram.

Since coming to prominence in 2009, the radical jihadist group has been waging a catastrophic war against the Nigerian state.

In 2013 alone, 10,000 people died, more than have died in the entire Ukrainian civil war. But these statistics are only the tip of the iceberg. Dig a little deeper and you’ll uncover a nightmare of violence and bloodshed threatening to tear open the most populous black nation on earth.

10. They Already Have A Caliphate

When ISIS overthrew the Iraqi city of Mosul and declared an Islamic caliphate, it seemed like a nightmare. The idea that a gang of armed fanatics could carve out their own state was uniquely horrific.

Less than a year later, it’s no longer so unique. Boko Haram currently controls over 50,000 square kilometers (20,000 mi2) of northeast Nigeria, setting up their own caliphate that rules 1.6 million people.

For comparison, that’s an area of land roughly the size of Costa Rica now governed by mass murderers. It’s every bit as gruesome as life under ISIS. With Boko Haram in charge, Christian men are subject to decapitation, and their wives are forced to convert and get sold into sex slavery. Petty criminals routinely have their hands cut off, while young girls are forced to work as laborers or as bait to lure in enemy soldiers.

Such atrocities are unlikely to stop anytime soon. Back in 2012, the group declared it wouldn’t rest until the whole of Nigeria was under sharia law. Back then, their goal seemed chilling, yet unlikely. Today, it feels terrifyingly real.

9. They’re Expanding Rapidly

Unlike ISIS, Boko Haram currently control territory in only one country. But this could change at any moment. Already, the group runs frequent cross-border raids into Cameroon, slaughtering civilians and bombing buses. In January 2015, they stepped up the attacks, brazenly assaulting a local army base in a (failed) attempt to get a foothold in the country.

Even when they’re not actively trying to seize territory, fear of the group is wreaking havoc. Many schools in Niger’s border towns have shut down out of fear of a massacre, and new security restrictions have devastated the local economy. Meanwhile, Chad is being overwhelmed by hundreds of thousands of refugees pouring across the border in desperate need of food and shelter.

Although the group has yet to extend its reach out of Nigeria, analysts worry about their plans for expansion. According to experts, a powerful Boko Haram could destabilize the entire region, with consequences for us all.

Only a year ago, the group vowed they would attack the United States, calling it a “prostitute nation of infidels and liars.”

8. They Target School

The name Boko Haram loosely translates as “Western education is a sin.” It’s an idea the group takes very seriously.

Since Boko Haram first emerged, the militants have made it their mission to attack as many schools as possible. In the first five months of 2014 alone, they targeted 50 schools in Nigeria, killing more than 100 children and 70 teachers. The attacks were almost demonic in their cunning.

In one instance, the group detonated a bomb hidden in a dormitory, killing 40 students. In another, they sewed explosives into a rucksack, dressed a teenager in school uniform, and sent their bomber wandering into a school assembly. The subsequent explosion killed a minimum of 48 teenagers. Those who survive such attacks are often forced to flee, joining the tide pouring into Chad.

When violence has failed, Boko Haram has frequently resorted to kidnapping. Most infamously, this involved the mass abduction of 200 schoolgirls in May last year. Although the world responded with outrage and a global Twitter campaign, most of those girls are still missing, presumed to have been sold into slavery.

7. Horrifying Massacres

When Boko Haram drove into the town of Baga on January 7, 2015, they used rocket-propelled grenades to slaughter civilians. Bodies were left piled in the bush. Those who hid in their homes were burned alive. Terrible as this is, it’s only the latest in a long line of massacres horrifying in their depravity.

Over the past few years, the group has targeted Nigeria’s citizens with a combination of psychopathy and impunity terrifying to behold. In January 2015, they razed 16 villages to the ground, leaving a pile of bodies so deep survivors couldn’t count them all. Nearly a year beforehand, they targeted the country’s capital with a bomb that killed 71 after it detonated during the morning rush hour. By way of comparison, that’s nearly 20 more people than died during London’s 7/7 bombings.

The list goes on. Football matches, markets, and mosques were all bombed in 2014, each attack killing a minimum of 40 people. In the case of the mosque attack, gunmen then opened fire on worshipers fleeing the scene, adding dozens more to the death toll.

6. They Use Children

On January 10, 2015, a 10-year-old girl wandered into a crowded market in Maiduguri, Borno State. As shoppers went about their daily business, the girl activated a suicide belt, killing 20 and injuring many more. The girl herself was torn in half by the blast, part of her body thrown across the nearby buildings by the force of the explosion. Officials later said she may not have known what she was carrying, bringing the total number of innocents killed in the attack to 21.

If you’re hoping this was just a particularly depraved one-off, we’ve got some bad news for you. Less than a day after the attack in Maiduguri, two more girls blew themselves up at a market, killing three and injuring 46. They were estimated by survivors to have been no more than 10 years old.

5. Funding

By this point, you may be wondering where Boko Haram gets the money to pull off such vicious operations. The answer lies in a dark network of extortion and slavery almost breathtaking in its scope.

According to the Washington Post, the group first started to pull money in following 9/11, when Al-Qaeda went looking for proteges.

Since then, Bin Laden’s old terror network has continued to pour cash into Boko Haram, while new groups such as Somalia’s deadly Al-Shabaab have begun to chip in. The result is an influx of cash and training flowing from some of the worst people on Earth, pushing Boko Haram to ever more violent extremes.

But this only accounts for a fraction of the group’s money. Much more worrying is their side line in kidnapping. Currently, the group is making millions from abducting foreigners and Nigerian officials and holding them for ransom. Those who can’t fetch a price find themselves instead sold in one of Nigeria’s booming slave markets. Thanks to lax efforts on the part of governments to shut this trade in humans down, Boko Haram are in no danger of running out of money anytime soon.

4. The Nigerian Government Is Useless

Faced with a growing insurgency movement that could destabilize the entire region, Nigeria’s government has collapsed into acrimony and politicking.

After 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped by Boko Haram last May, President Goodluck Jonathan spent 18 days claiming the news was a rumor designed to stop him getting re-elected. His paranoia delayed a meaningful search for the kidnapped children, possibly costing them their freedom.

This isn’t the only time propaganda has gotten in the way of fighting Boko Haram. In October, President Jonathan declared that a ceasefire had been agreed upon—only for the militants to savagely attack a village only hours later. At best, Jonathan was revealed to be an incompetent who’d accidentally been negotiating with the wrong terrorists. At worst, some have suggested he simply made the deal up to boost his poll ratings.

Bad as this is, it only touches the tip of the government’s problems in Nigeria. Since the 1960s, successive heads of state have used oil money to enrich themselves while making ordinary Nigerians increasingly poorer.

According to The Guardian, this has driven thousands into the arms of Boko Haram while severely weakening the state’s power to deal with insurrections.

3. They’ve Infiltrated The State

Trust isn’t the only issue affecting the Nigerian government right now. There are credible reports that Boko Haram has gotten so powerful that its members are actively infiltrating arms of the state.

In April 2014, it was reported that the militants were receiving arms and supplies by helicopter, despite a curfew that should have made such a thing impossible. At the time, local branches of government feigned ignorance of any suspicious activity, leading many to believe corrupt officials were deliberately allowing the helicopters through. Nor was this confined to the tinfoil hat brigade. In 2012, the president himself declared Boko Haram were taking control of the government. In his own words:

“Some of them are in the executive arm of government, some of them are in the parliamentary/legislative arm of government, while some of them are even in the judiciary, some are also in the armed forces, the police and other security agencies.”

In the years since, officials have accused President Jonathan as well of being in Boko Haram’s pocket.

2. The Military Is Almost As Bad

In August 2014, chilling footage emerged on YouTube from the Nigerian town of Maiduguri. Beginning with 16 young men and boys being held at gunpoint, the video showed armed men pull five out the crowd, slit their throats, and dump their bodies in a mass grave. The perpetrators weren’t Boko Haram or another Islamist group. They were Nigerian military.

As Boko Haram grow ever more brazen, the Nigerian state has responded by going to disturbing extremes. Following a mass prisoner breakout in March 2014, Amnesty declared that the military had hunted down and extrajudicially murdered 600 former convicts in a single night. Escapees were rounded up, forced to dig their own graves, and then shot or knifed as part of a cleanup operation. Less than two months later, a military detachment opened fire on a group of protesters, killing 19 adults and two children.

These are far from one-offs. A 10-year Amnesty investigation found that Nigeria’s state frequently electrocuted, tortured, and raped men, women, and children as part of its fight against militants. Separate reports have concluded that the military is thoroughly corrupt and violently distrusted by up to 90 percent of all Nigerians. In a battle for hearts and minds, it seems Nigeria’s state is happy to be on the losing side.

1. The Western World Is Ignoring Them

When ISIS captured the town of Mosul, they became global news. Emergency meetings were convened between heads of state. American planes were sent in to halt their advance and bomb them. When Boko Haram took the town of Baga, cementing their caliphate, the media was nearly silent and our leaders did nothing.

Part of this is to do with the timing. As Baga fell, gunmen were on the streets of Paris conducting massacres, taking up a lot of the media’s attention. Even so, the response to the Nigerian attacks was so muted that the Catholic Archbishop of Jos felt compelled to condemn the lack of reaction in the press. He also claimed that the Boko Haram problem was more than simply a local one. In his words:

“I can smell a lot more trouble. It’s not going to be confined to this region. It’s going to expand. It will get to Europe and elsewhere.”

Others have expressed similar sentiments. Israeli paper Haaretz claimed this global apathy was exactly what had allowed Boko Haram to gain such ground in the first place.

Source: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/02/17/10-dark-facts-about-boko-haram/

If you think that Nigerian politicians are the first beings to live without a brain, think again. It turns out that a chicken named Mike accomplished this feat before Nigeria even gained independence. Mike the headless chicken lived without his entire head for 18 months.

Mike the Headless Chicken was your everyday chicken that needed to end up in the stomach of its owner, Lloyd Olsen. But fortunately for Mike (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it) the axe of the Olsen barely missed the jugular vein, and left an ear and the majority of the bird’s brain stem unharmed.

Anybody who is familiar with the slaughter of chicken already knows that Mike should be busy running aimlessly after its head had been cut off; Mike shook off the blow and went about his day to day activities like nothing happened. He “pecked” with his neck in the absence of his head and continuing to preen himself.

Olsen sat down and waited for Mike to die, but when he made no signs of doing so, Olsen decided to have something different for dinner that night and continued to care for Mike. Olsen fed him things like milk and water through his open oesophagus using an eyedropper. Small bits of gravel were dropped down his throat to help his gizzard grind food.

Mike was initially able to walk but somewhat unsteadily. He soon got used to the situation and his new center of gravity. He could no longer crow, but instead made a gurgling noise.

The owner took Mike to a nearby University to be studied and the amebo’s around did what they know how to do best and in no time a large number of people got to know about the headless chicken.

Mike was photographed for all the big magazines and papers of the day and he got a job as a sideshow attraction, travelling with other marvels such as a two-headed calf. He also travelled with a chicken head in a glass jar that was passed off as his. Mike’s real head was allegedly eaten by a cat and the travelling head was from another chicken, pickled to enhance Mike’s display.

Unfortunately for chickens all over the country, Mike’s popularity lead to a string of people trying to behead their birds in just the same way. One of the copycat beheaded chickens lived for eleven days, but the rest died quickly.

Like many other celebrities, Mike choked to death in a motel room. One problem Mike often experienced was that he would choke on his own mucus. The Olsens kept syringes on hand for when this happened, to suck the mucus out. But, one night Mike was roosting with the Olsens in a Phoenix motel room between sideshow exhibits. The Olsen’s heard him choking in the middle of the night but couldn’t find a syringe to save him!

A subsequent autopsy revealed that the axe had not touched the bird’s carotid artery and Mike’s blood had quickly clotted, saving him from bleeding to death. Because most basic body functions like breathing and heart-rate, as well as most of a chicken’s reflex actions, are controlled by the brain stem, Mike remained able to function and otherwise healthy for 18 months after losing his head.

In his hometown, there is an annual “Mike headless Chicken Day,” the third weekend in May.

For all you us complaining that there are no jobs around, remember, a headless chicken got a job, and a day named after him.

What would you do if you cut the head of a chicken and it refused to die? Run? Call your pastor?

Let us know in the comment section below

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/01/11/everybody-meet-the-chicken-who-lived-without-its-head-for-18-months/

Be honest — how many New Year’s Resolutions have you actually kept for longer than a few weeks? Not many, right?

You’re not alone. The things that we resolve to do — exercise more regularly, eat a healthier diet, save more money — are often exactly the habits we find most difficult to adopt. These kinds of changes require sustained motivation, and the ability to resist immediate rewards in favor of longer-term benefits — something our brains find very difficult.

But it’s not impossible to make them happen. Here’s a brief guide, based on interviews with experts and research in the psychology of motivation and goal-setting, to actually keeping your resolutions.

1) Only choose goals you really care about

This might sound obvious — who would set a resolution they don’t actually care about? But it’s surprisingly easy to tell yourself that you really should do something that you don’t really, on a gut level, feel like you want to do.

If you don’t even start out with a strong desire to keep your resolution, there’s no way you’ll manage to keep motivated. Piers Steel, one of the world’s leading researchers in the science of motivation and procrastination, has found that believing your goal is valuable — that achieving it will ultimately make your life better — is a crucial factor for staying motivated.

Sometimes you have to drill a little deeper to get to what you really care about. The idea of going for a run in the wind and cold doesn’t fill me with excitement. But the idea of being someone who is fit and healthy, and the kind of person who exercises regularly, does feel strongly motivating to me.

Ask yourself: what is it about achieving this goal, or developing this habit, that excites me? If you can’t get yourself into a state where you feel really motivated by your resolution, you might want to choose something different.

2) Only choose goals you believe you can achieve

A second vital component of motivation, according to Piers Steel’s model of motivation based on decades of research, is self-efficacy: believing that you have the ability to achieve your goal. I’m pretty sure that cutting all alcohol and sugar out of my diet would be good for me — but I’m skeptical that this is a goal I can realistically meet.

This doesn’t mean that you should only set easy goals, goals that you have no doubt you’ll meet. Almost anything worth doing is going to be challenging, and you’re likely to face obstacles along the way. But your goal should be something that you realistically can see yourself achieving with hard work.

3) Make a “trigger-action” plan

Research in psychology finds that one of the best ways to make sure you actually achieve your goals is to use implementation intentions: “if-then” plans which specify exactly what action you’re going to do and when. Also sometimes known as “trigger-action plans”, the basic idea is that you set a clear, concrete trigger: “when I walk through my front door after work”, followed by an action that you’ll take after the trigger: “I will put on my running clothes.” Results from almost 100 studies find that people who make these trigger-action plans are significantly more likely to reach their goals, across a variety of domains.

For this to work, your trigger should be something specific and obvious — so it will be very clear to you when it’s occurred. For example, say your New Year’s resolution is to start flossing (not exactly exciting, I know, but a useful habit all the same). A bad trigger for flossing your teeth would be something like “in the evening” — this is far too vague and will likely pass you by. A much better trigger would be “when I put down my toothbrush after brushing”, which is much clearer.

The action you have to take should also be small and very easily doable. You’re trying to build an automatic connection between the trigger and the action, so it becomes a habit — the easier the action is, the more likely this will happen.

4) Change your environment

Research also finds that one of the most effective ways to change your habits is to change your environment. If you can set up your surroundings in a way that makes your desired behavior easy or natural, you’re much more likely to stick to it.

If you’re on a diet, don’t buy unhealthy food and keep it around the house. If you want to go running in the mornings, put your running clothes and shoes by your bed. I’ve personally found the latter surprisingly effective — it might not seem like much, but the effort it takes to dig my trainers out of the cupboard is often enough to keep me in bed. In general, anything that makes keeping your resolution more natural and less effortful — removing distractions and temptations, putting reminders in relevant places — will make you much more likely to actually keep it.

5) Ask yourself: how surprised would I be if I failed?

I recently attended a workshop run by the Center for Applied Rationality (CFAR), a San-Francisco based nonprofit who teach research-based techniques for improving your productivity, making better decisions, and achieving your goals. Amongst many other insights, they suggest using a “surprise-o-meter” to check how likely your plan is to work. Once you’ve made a plan to achieve your resolution, ask yourself, “how surprised would I be if I didn’t end up meeting this goal?” Your sense of surprise is some indication of how solid your plan really is — if you wouldn’t be that surprised, your plan probably has a few holes.

6) Identify reasons you might fail

Simply knowing you’re unlikely to succeed isn’t that helpful, though — you also need to be able to do something about it. Gabriele Oettingen, a psychology professor at New York University, suggests that the key is actually anticipating the concrete ways in which your goal might fail. Oettingen and colleagues have conducted a number of studies using a technique known as “mental contrasting”: first focusing on your goal and why you want to attain it, and then turning to thinking about the obstacles standing in your way of that goal. What they find is that people who use “mental contrasting” to identify and overcome possible failure modes are twice as likely to stick with their goals.

Imagine yourself 6 months from now, having broken your New Year’s resolution, and feeling a bit down on yourself. What happened? What things might have gotten in the way? Maybe you’ve tried to meet a similar goal in the past and failed, in which case that’s a perfect source of information: what mistakes have you made in the past?

Once you’ve got a list of your possible “failure modes”, you can guard against them. How can you ensure these specific barriers don’t hold you back? For example, you might realize you’re going to find it hard sticking to your diet when friends offer you treats — and so pre-warn everyone you know to keep the cakes far away from you.

Having done this, return to your surprise-o-meter: now how surprised would you be if you failed, with all these precautions in place? Hopefully a little more so. You might even want to repeat this process until your plan is so foolproof you’d be astonished if it didn’t work.

7) Set a time to check in

A big problem with new year’s resolutions is they are such a one-off. Once a year, we “resolve” to do things differently — but this burst of motivation inevitably fails as we slip back into everyday life, and we forget about our goals. Research in goal setting consistently finds that feedback on how you’re progressing is vital for staying motivated and achieving your goals.

If you really want to keep your resolutions, setting them once isn’t going to cut it: it’s vital that you check in and ask yourself: How am I doing? Have I made as much progress towards this goal as I’d like? Is there anything I can do to improve my plan going forwards? Is this a goal I really still care about?

As well as allowing you to refine your goals and plans, this is an opportunity to regain that motivation and excitement you felt when you initially made those resolutions on January 1st. Because at the end of the day, that’s why we so often fail to keep our resolutions: we forget about them and why they’re important.

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/01/11/7-tips-that-makes-keeping-your-new-year-resolution-easier/

Getting caught talking to yourself is one of the fastest ways to land in a psychiatric hospital in Nigeria. Anytime you subconsciously do this, you are sure to caution (if not scold) yourself never to try such a risky act, for your own good, of course.

There is a certain verboten attached to talking to talking to yourself, in fact there is no positive light to talking to yourself in Nigeria. People would start to look at you as a possessed person, a crazy person, or a potentially crazy person at best.

But researchers have now found that talking to yourself not only helps you focus your mind and motivation, but it can help with a healthier self-image and enhance performance.

Yes, you could go back, read that paragraph again and be rest assured that you read it properly. Talking to yourself is not entirely a bad thing.

It’s something we pretty much all do, and when we’re caught doing it, there’s a certain amount of embarrassment that usually goes along with it. We’ve always been told that talking to yourself is the first sign you’re on your way to Yaba Left (Ward 7), and it’s been associated with mental illness and instability.

But now, research has found that there’s absolutely no need to be shy about talking to yourself. Far from being a sign of mental illness, it’s quite the opposite.

Because everything has to have a new and updated name, the idea of talking to yourself is called self-talk or, in some cases, it’s referred to as private speech.

Different people talk to themselves in different situations and in different amounts—some say something aloud to themselves once or twice a day, some have entire conversations with themselves on their commute home from work.

Regardless of how often we do it, it’s been found that it can serve a very positive purpose and certainly isn’t something to be embarrassed about doing.

Researchers first tested people by asking them to find something in a store. One group was told to repeat the name of the item, the other group was instructed not to.

The group talking to themselves was much more successful much faster, and a subsequent experiment has found that self-talk can be particularly useful when you already have something of a connection with whatever you’re saying.

You’re more likely to have a better success rate practicing repetitious self-talk when you know what it is you’re looking for, as opposed to, say, looking for a business in a plaza when you you have no clue what their sign looks like.

Self-talk might not mean you’re crazy, but it can still be harmful. Researchers from the University of Thessaly in Greece have found that self-talk has a measurable impact on not just mood but motivation. Being positive in your self-talk can make a huge difference in our performance of certain tasks.

Next time you start to talk to yourself, listen to how you’re addressing yourself. If you’re saying “I” a lot, start referring to yourself as “you.” Researchers suggest that simply switching how you refer to yourself might help the brain process the information you’re giving yourself.

Rather than scolding yourself in the first person, suddenly the words take on the air of the advice of a trusted friend.

You’re not crazy when you do it, but you can damage yourself emotionally by criticizing yourself too much—especially when you say it out loud.

Self-talk begins when we’re young. Listen to a child just learning how to talk, and you’ll probably hear her repeating words back to herself that she’s learning. It’s a good way for children to start developing language, and as they get older, the role of self-talk changes—but becomes no less important.

Toddlers and young children will often reinforce their successes with praising themselves, and we do much the same thing as we get older.

So, it’s a completely natural thing to do, and there’s no reason to be embarrassed about holding an entire conversation with yourself.

Even after reading this article, what would you do to a relative that keeps talking to himself/herself? Let us know in the comment section below

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2015/01/05/science-says-talking-to-yourself-does-not-mean-you-are-crazy/