Why are you vegetarian?

I often wonder why some people call themselves a vegetarian. Is it because they don't want to eat a live animal? Someone once told me that she doesn't eat egg because it has a chance to have a life as a chicken. Or, is it because it is healthier?

Plants actually do have sex. Everyone loves to pick flowers and when they do, they’re actually dismembering the reproductive organs of plants. The “male” portion of the flower is the pollen-loaded stamen, while the egg-holding pistil is the “female” part.

Most plants sprout bisexual flowers (which have both male and female parts), but plants like squash grow separate male and female flowers—still others have both bisexual and single-sex flowers. And, as evolutionary biologists have recently discovered, plants with male and bisexual flowers produce more seeds. Why this is true is a new scientific mystery, but it probably has something to do with male flowers hoarding less of a plant’s energy (making more of it available to crank out seeds).

Using nature as a matchmaker, wind, animals, or water carry pollen to a sticky female stigma. The grains then germinate and grow downward, creeping slowly towards the ovaries. Eventually, the pollen grains bump into some eggs: Ta-da, seeds are born (yes, eating an apple or other fruit means eating an unborn life form!).

I found this article about why plant iron is better than meat iron.

1kg of beef creates a whopping 34.6kg of CO2, and consumes 15,000 litres of water! On top of that our little Moo Moo friends are responsible for 37% of global methane emissions. That stinks! A recent UN report found that meat production was among the top 3 creators of greenhouse gases (including methane which is 23 times more harmful than CO2). It’s responsible for 18% of global emissions, more than the entire world transportation industry, and livestock agriculture is also a major cause of deforestation and soil erosion, as well as being a huge drain on our water supplies.

It's hard to argue with the health benefits of a diet rich in vegetables and fruits: Lower blood pressure; reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, and probably some cancers; lower risk of eye and digestive problems; and a mellowing effect on blood sugar that can help keep appetite in check.

Most people should aim for at least nine servings (at least 4½ cups) of vegetables and fruits a day, and potatoes don't count. Go for a variety of kinds and colors of produce, to give your body the mix of nutrients it needs. Your best choices are dark leafy greens, cooked tomatoes, and anything that's a rich yellow, orange, or red color.

Is beef really good for your heart?
Beef provides 39 percent of your daily needs for zinc, important for a healthy immune system. Three ounces of cooked beef contains 25 grams of protein, about 50 percent of the needs of most women. Three ounces of broiled top sirloin steak contains almost three mg of iron, almost three times as much iron as a three-ounce chicken breast. We cant hide the fact that beef contains fat, including saturated fat, and cholesterol. On the other hand beef is also a good source of iron, protein, vitamins B3, B5, B6 and B12, and phosphorus and zinc. With that information you can say if its healthy or not. One thing for sure anything that is to much would not be good same goes here.

Is chicken good for you?
Chicken has lean protein. 4 ounces of chicken provide two thirds of your daily protein requirements, and adequate protein may prevent bone loss in older people. It is good for your immune system. That 4-ounce serving of chicken also provides nearly half of your RDA of the trace mineral selenium that is essential for manufacturing glutathione, a powerful immune boosting and cancer-fighting enzyme. Eating chicken can protect you against cancer and alzheimer's. A serving of chicken supplies 72% of the RDA for niacin, a B vitamin that can protect DNA from cell damage and has cancer-preventative properties. Chicken may be a good food for Alzheimer's prevention because elderly people who obtain niacin from food are less likely to develop the disease. And the Vitamin B6 in chicken helps process carbohydrates and helps regulate blood sugar. It all also depends on how you cook your chicken.

There are a ton of healthy vegetarians in the world that never have any problems and a ton that do. Is it really what we eat that makes our bodies the way they are?

Miraj Dangal

I realized I have not posted anything in a long time. There has not been anything interesting to post until recently. Some riots have boke out in the city of Ichalkaranji, where I am currently staying. The whole town has been shut down and under curfew.

Miraj Dangal is the event that took place in Miraj, Maharashtra on 2nd September 2009. Riots broke out and things got out of control. Muslims threw stones at Ganesh ideals and broke them during the Ganesh festival last week. All of Miraj, Kolhapur, Sangli, Ichalkaranji and the surrounding villages are closed. Here in Ichalkarnji we can not go outside the house for anything. If we do go there is a change we will be shot by police. There are few people out there walking around like maids but they are all taking a chance. Only one of our maids came today. The police said if they suspect you are out there to riot, they will shoot you. There was a guy outside earlier down the street from my house selling milk. The day before yesterday some people put tires in the middle of the road and set them on fire which burned all night so that police could not get through. That was at the corner right behind my house. Muslims are going around in groups rioting and setting small shops on fire. Police are out there trying to stop this but it was out of control. All day yesterday I could hear them shouting in the distance and every now and then I would see a few of the people rioting running down the street past my house trying to outrun the police. Yesterday afternoon they set a car on fire a few streets away from here.

Don't know what else to say about it. It's all between the Hindus and Muslims. There are some videos of the riots on youtube. You will see in one of the videos that a guy got on top of a police jeep waving a Pakistani flag and the cop standing right there alloweed him to do so. Just seach Miraj Dangal in youtube and you'll find all kinds of videos show up. Looks like something out of a movie but these are real.

Thanks to all this crap I can not take my daughter outside to the parks and play. When will we all just have some respect for other ppls beliefs and get along. Now we are all (hindus and muslims) prisoners in our own homes. Look at what we are teaching our kids.

IPL Cricket

It seems every one and their Uncle and Aunts are talking about IPL season in India.

Teams are doing good but the only team which is doing really really bad is Kolkata. They were ok last season but this year they are mess. Mr. SRK has made a big mess of his team by following Mr. Buchanan. Bukha Naan, according to the 'Fake IPL Player' !

If you follow Indian cricket, don't miss this for the love of... It's apparantly from aa IPL player who is posting insider stories of the Kolkata team. Very very funny!!!

http://fakeiplplayer.blogspot.com/

I thought I will post some links which show it live for free.

Official website www.iplt20.com/
http://www.cric7.com/
http://www.cricheats.net/

Willowtv and Direct TV also has good deals for the entire package.
Now that it is half way through it getting more interesting. Alas if it would have been in India not in South Africa.

Of course our team is Mumbai Indians ! Go Sachin go !

The Alchemyst - Free PDF Download

For a limited time you can download the fantasy fiction book "The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1)." But hurry because this offer ends May 08, 2009.

To download from Barnes and Noble, click here.

To download from others like Andersons, Borders, ect... click here.

It opens in PDF and it is safe to download.

Happy Square Root Day

Well today is all over the news. This day only occurs nine times each century, falls on Tuesday — 3/3/09 (for the mathematically challenged, three is the square root of nine).

"These days are like calendar comets, you wait and wait and wait for them, then they brighten up your day — and poof — they're gone," said Ron Gordon, a Redwood City teacher who started a contest meant to get people excited about the event.

The winner gets, of course, $339 for having the biggest Square Root Day event.
Gordon's daughter even set up a Facebook page — one of a half-dozen or so dedicated to the holiday — and hundreds of people had signed up with plans to celebrate in some way. Celebrations are as varied: Some cut root vegetables into squares, others make food in the shape of a square root symbol.

The last such day was five years ago, Feb. 2, 2004, which coincided with Groundhog Day. The next is seven years away, on April 4, 2016.

How will you celebrate you square root day?

Red moon

What causes a red moon?

The orange and red tints that the Sun and Moon sometimes take on are caused by the particles in the Earth's atmosphere.

When light (or more specifically, packets of light called photons) from an astronomical object passes through the Earth's atmosphere, it scatters off of particles in the latter. It turns out that these particles like to scatter blue light more than they do red light; so "bluer" photons (those with shorter wavelengths) tend to get scattered, and "redder" photons (those with longer wavelengths) pass through. So, astronomical objects look redder from Earth than they would from space, because the redder wavelengths from the objects penetrate the atmosphere better than the bluer ones. Incidentally, this is why the sky is blue: blue light from the Sun is scattered in all directions on its way to the Earth.

These pictures were captured by a Daily Mail Reporter. They are absolutely beautiful.

The story of a monkey

Last night after I finished telling my daughter, who is 22 months old, a story, I told her it was now her turn to tell me a story. This is how it went:

Me - Now it's your turn to tell me a story.

Her - Monkey

Me - Oh you're story is about a monkey?

Her - Yes, and big hat.

Me - The monkey is wearing a big hat. What color?

Her - Orange.

Me - The monkey is wearing a big orange hat. And what else?

Her - Dresses.

Me - The monkey wearing wearing a dress?

Her - Yes.

Me - What is the monkey doing with a dress on?

Her - Cooking.

Me - So the monkey is wearing a big orange hat and a dress and the
monkey is cooking. What is monkey cooking.

Her - Muffin and put salt and pepper.

Me - Wow that sounds like fun but I don't know if it will taste good with salt and pepper on muffins.

Her - Yes, it's good.

Me - That's a good story. Now what will the monkey do after eating the muffins.

Her - Go sleep.

So that is her story of a monkey. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Styx Pub

Just beside Cauvery, near the Brigade road - MG Road crossing is a pub called Styx. Climb up a flight of stairs and you're there. Styx is a pub that is home to the heavy metal aficionados of the city. They have big aquariums full of exotic fish, muted lighting, cane furniture and blaring music. Don't go there if you like any kind of music that is slow, sweet or country. The music played there is heavy metal, which makes it a great place for the head bangers who can drink beer by the pitchers. If you have a special request, have no fear, just go tell the DJ what you want to hear and he will play it for you. I think Pink Floyd is pretty popular there. And if you have to see the video of your song, don't worry because there is a huge TV screen on the wall that plays the videos of songs.

As among every pub and restaurant in Bangalore, it is hard to get a seat. Styx does not have many tables as the place is a small square footaged area so if you don't get there early there is a good change you have to wait.

The real reason why I am blogging about Styx is because of the food. I was thinking of making chicken when I remembered their Drums of Heaven. Drums of Heaven is of course chicken legs but the taste is so amazing you can not stop eating them. I have tried the Drums of Heaven in other restaurants but nothing compares to the ones you get in Styx.

What a coincidence that I am posting this today about Styx. The last time I was there (years ago) was on my birthday. HA HA!

Happy birthday to me!!!

Have you ever looked up the word birthday? Well, I did and here is what it means.

The melody to the song “Happy Birthday to You” (also known as "The Birthday Song") was written in the early 1890’s by an American woman by the name of Mildred Hill. Her sister Patti, who was a teacher, put the lyric “Good morning dear teacher, good morning to you” to fit the melody. The song grew in popularity over the years and was eventually sung in schools across the US. Some forty years later, it is believed that Patti came up with the words "Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday Dear , Happy Birthday to You," and fit those words to her sister’s melody. The entire song was then published in 1935. The song was popularized later in the 1930's when it was sung in the Broadway production of “As Thousands Cheer,” and has since become the mega-classic hit of all time. One final interesting tidbit: The "Happy Birthday to You" song (lyrics and melody together) are still under copyright protection, so every time you hear it sung on TV or radio, for example, royalties are being paid to the publisher (Warner Chapel, in the US).

Did you know:

• More people celebrate their birthdays in August than in any other month (about 9% of all people). The two other months that rate high for birthdays are July and September.
• Close to 2 billion birthday cards are sent each year in the U.S. alone, accounting for nearly 58 percent of all cards sent.
• The world's largest birthday cake was created in 1989 for the 100th Birthday of the city of Fort Payne, Alabama. The cake weighed 128,238 pounds, 8 oz. and used 16,209 pounds of icing.

What is your favorite beer?

Sometimes it is nice to have a ice cold beer on a real hot day. There are a couple that I would choose. I have not had that many different kinds of beer so I am gonna have to say either a Corona or MGD (Miller Genuine Draft). I don't like lagars or anything like that.

Beer is one of the world's oldest beverages. It dates back to the 6th millenium BC. The earliest known chemical evidence of beer dates to circa 3500–3100 BC from the site of Godin Tepe in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran.

Beer was known to Germanic and Celtic tribes in Europe as far back as 3000 BC.

More than 35 billion gallons (133 billion liters) are sold per year.

There is a movie called 'Beerfest'. I don't want to tell the whole movie but it's about a few guys that have an old family beer recipe. The go to Germany to a beer competition to save their family secret and to gain a bruery.

There is actually a beer festival. I wonder if Chris is a regular there. LOL

There are so many drinking games and songs. If I knew any, I would tell you. If you know any good ones that you enjoy, feel free to leave mention it here.

Drink responsibly!!!

What is your favorite cocktail?

Not to be such a girl but I love a really cold fuzzy navel. The peach flavor tastes sweet and refreshing. Fuzzy means peach and navel means orange.

Here is how to you make a fuzzy navel:

Mix together
1 part peach schnapps
1 part orange juice and
1 part lemonade

If you add 1 or 1 1/2 part vodka then it will be called a hairy navel.

It is unclear who came up with the fuzzy navel, but it was one of the first drinks to arise in the new popularity of cocktails and mixed drinks in the 1980s. God bless them!

What is your favorite color to wear?

I like to wear white most of the time because it looks clean and fresh and it makes me feel that way too. I hear lots of people telling me that this color or that color looks good on me but we all know everyone has their own preferences.

I don't like to wear tan just because it looks dull and boring. I also don't like to wear black jeans. I don't think they look good on anyone.

So what is your favorite color and least favorite color clothes to wear?

Why is pink a girl's color?

Have you ever noticed that most little girls favorite color is pink? Is that because girls really like pink or is it because they have been brainwashed by us dressing them in pink since the day they were born?

"The preferred color to dress young boys in was pink! Blue wasreserved for girls as it was considered the paler, more dainty of thetwo colors, and pink was thought to be the stronger (akin to red). Itwas not until WWII that the colors were reversed and pink was used forgirls and blue for boys..." - Quote from Dress Maker Magazine

You can read more here...

During World War II the Nazis used a color- & shape-coded system to keep track of their prisoners. Jews were given a yellow star of David to wear to identify them. Homosexuals were given a pink inverted triangle, which is also half a star of David.

When my daughter was a baby I dressed her in all the colors. I used to show her the clothes I would be putting on her that day and eventually started letting her pick out her own clothes. I would just hold up two different things and whichever one she grabbed, that is the one I would buy. She would always choose the yellow or lime green first. Orange was her second option. Now she is not too much into the color but more interested in the picture.

Are bananas monkeys favorite fruit?

We all have a favorite food that makes our tummies smile with pleasure. Is a monkeys favorite a banana or are all the pictures of monkeys with bananas just an art? Monkeys eat bananas because there is a ton of them where they live in the wild. They do enjoy other fruits and bugs as well. Did you know a monkey peels a banana from the other end of the side that we do?

Click here to get instructions on how to peel a banana like a monkey.

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is one of the natural wonders of the world. It attracts nearly 4 million people each year. The Grand Canyon National Park encompassed 1,218,375 acres on the Colorado Plateau in northwestern Arizona. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and 5000 feet deep.

In the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River has cut through the accumulated layers of the earth's surface to reach what Norman MacLean dubbed "the basement of time." A billion years of history can be seen from the bedrock at the distant river's edge to fossilized sand dunes only a million years old at the rim. Some of the earth's oldest rock lies at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The rock is made up of sediments thousands of feed deep. About 300 million years after it formed, monumental geologic forces lifted the rock back up into a great range of mountains that may have been six miles high, or about the height of the Himalayas. Over time, the mountains eroded into a plain. About one billion years ago, that plain was raised into a second mountain range. These mountains were also worn away by millions of years of rain, wind and frost.During later ages, the entire region sank beneath an inland sea, with primitive shellfish fossilizing in sea bottoms that eventually hardened to shale. Eons later, the region rose again as a high plateau; the former sea bottom was now on top and the ancient rocks below. This is when the Colorado River went to work, first cutting into the upper layers about six million years ago. Carving inch by inch over the millennia, the river finally reached the oldest rocks nearly a mile below the surface.

Over 1,500 plant, 355 bird, 89 mammalian, 47 reptile, 9 amphibian, and 17 fish species are found in the park. Since the entire canyon has little soil there is very little vegetation is seen except on parts of the rims. The northern rim is partly forested with evergreens. In the depths of the valley very little grows except desert plants and Spanish bayonet.

If you have not yet visited the Grand Canyon, you need to add it to the top of your list of places to see. It is so beautiful with amazing views all around. It will leave you breathless.

There's a cow outside!

I loved that movie Barnyard. It was so hilarious, expecially the part where the woman says to her husband, "There's a cow outside." and he replies, "This is a cow farm, you're gonna find cows outside." Everytime I hear that line I just crack up.

Well there is a story I read this morning about a woman in Boulder, Colorado was riding her bicycle on the South Boulder Creek Trail and stopped to let a cow cross. Well I guess the cow did not want to cross or did not want her there because instead of him crossing and going on with his business, he knocked the woman off her bike and stepped on her legs. That was not too friendly of him. Luckily, the woman was not seriously hurt and think of the story she can tell her grandkids. It is not funny really but it really is an odd thing to hear about.

Ski resorts in Connecticut

This is the time of year that is perfect for skiing. I think skiing is one of those things that you will either love or hate, there is no in between. We went once back in 2000 at some ski resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was a lot of fun although we were just sliding on our skis all over the place instead of actually skiing. It is difficult to stay up on your skis. Because it was so cold outside, we rented the snow suits and we actually got hot in them.

There are so many ski resorts to go to. There are four here in Connecticut. Click on the name of the resort to go directly to their website.

1. Mohawk Mountain
Snow resort located in Cornwall, Connecticut. Features 2 dozen ski and snowboard trails.

2. Mount Southington
Ski and snowboarding near Hartford, Connecticut.

3. Ski Sundown
Located 2 miles northeast of New Hartford, Connecticut.

4. Woodbury Ski Area
Ski center in Woodbury, Connecticut.

I would recommend everyone at least trying it once. And if it is impossible for you to do, you will have fun trying.