Did you know 11% of people are left handed Did you know August has the highest percentage of births Did you know unless food is mixed with saliva you can't taste it Did you know the average person falls asleep in 7 minutes Did you know a bear has 42 teeth Did you know an ostrich's eye is bigger than it's brain Did you know most lipsticks contain fish scales Did you know no two corn flakes look the same Did you know lemons contain more sugar than strawberries Did you know 8% of people have an extra rib Did you know 85% of plant life is found in the ocean Did you know Ralph Lauren's original name was Ralph Lifshitz Did you know rabbits like licorice
Did you know the Hawaiian alphabet has 12 letters Did you know 'Topolino' is the name for Mickey Mouse Italy Did you know a lobsters blood is colorless but when exposed to oxygen it turns blue Did you know armadillos have 4 babies at a time and are all the same sex Did you know reindeer like bananas Did you know the longest recorded flight of a chicken was 13 seconds Did you know birds need gravity to swallow Did you know the most commonly used letter in the alphabet is E Did you know the least used letter in the alphabet is Q Did you know the 3 most common languages in the world are Mandarin Chinese, Spanish and English Did you know dreamt is the only word that ends in mt Did you know the names of all continents both start and end with the same letter Did you know the first letters of the months July through to November spell JASON Did you know if you try to say the alphabet without moving your lips or tongue every letter will sound the same Did you know a cat has 32 muscles in each ear Did you know Perth is Australia's windiest city Did you know Elvis's middle name was Aron Did you know the flag for Libya is unlike any other being a solid green color Did you know goldfish can see both infrared and ultraviolet light Did you know the smallest bones in the human body are found in your ear Did you know cats spend 66% of their life asleep Did you know Switzerland eats the most chocolate equating to 10 kilos per person per year Did you know money is the number one thing that couples argue about Did you know macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs Did you know when lightning strikes it can reach up to 30,000 degrees celsius (54,000 degrees fahrenheit) Did you know spiders are arachnids and not insects Did you know each time you see a full moon you always see the same side Did you know Tennessee is bordered by 8 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky,
Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia - more than any other in the US Did you know stewardesses is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand Did you know there is no such thing as a naturally blue food Did you know honey is the only natural food which never goes off Did you know M&M's chocolate stands for the initials for its inventors Mars and Murrie Did you know that you burn more calories eating celery than it contains (the more you eat the thinner you become) Did you know the only continent with no active volcanoes is Australia Did you know the longest street in the world is Yonge street in Toronto Canada measuring 1,896 km (1,178 miles) Did you know about 90% of the worlds population kisses Did you know Coca-Cola originally contained cocaine Did you know in every episode of Seinfeld there is a reference to Superman Did you know the Internet was originally called ARPANet (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) designed by the US department of defense Did you know sound travels almost 5 times faster underwater than in air Did you know toilets use 35% of indoor water use Did you know the fortune cookie was invented in San Francisco Did you know Koalas sleep around 18 hours a day Did you know the average speed of a skydiver is 200kph (124mph) Did you know the first Burger King was opened in Florida Miami in 1954 Did you know all insects have 6 legs Did you know that 90% of an iceberg sits under water Did you know the croissant was invented in Austria Did you know In eastern Africa you can buy beer brewed from bananas Did you know African Grey Parrots have vocabularies of over 200 words Did you know a giraffe can clean its ears with its 21 inch tongue Did you know Australia was originally called New Holland Did you know 'Lonely Planet' for travelers is based in Melbourne Australia
Did you know the sentence "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter in the English alphabet Did you know the Grand Canyon can hold around 900 trillion footballs Did you know all the blinking in one day equates to having your eyes closed for 30 minutes Did you know your foot has 26 bones in it Did you know the average human brain contains around 78% water Did you know your brain uses between 20 25% of the oxygen your breathe Did you know 1 nautical knot equates to 1.852 Kph (1.150 mph) Did you know if you add up all the numbers from 1 to 100 consecutively (1 + 2 + 3...) it totals 5050 Did you know sponges hold more cold water than hot Did you know lightning strikes the Earth 6,000 times every minute Did you know fire usually moves faster uphill than downhill Did you know cats have over 100 vocal chords Did you know camel's milk doesn't curdle Did you know elephants sleep between 4 - 5 hours in 24 period Did you know it's possible to lead a cow up stairs but not down Did you know frogs can't swallow with their eyes open Did you know elephants are the only mammal that can't jump Did you know a 1/4 of your bones are in your feet Did you know your tongue is the fastest healing part of your body Did you know a 'jiffy' is actually 1/100th of a second Did you know on your birthday you share it with 9 million others Did you know 1 googol is the number 1 followed by 100 zeros Did you know a 1 minute kiss burns 26 calories Did you know you burn more calories sleeping than watching TV Did you know frogs don’t drink (they absorb water through their skin) Did you know at birth dalmations are always white Did you know hummingbirds are the only bird that can fly backwards Did you know a duck can't walk without bobbing its head
Did you know a hummingbird's heart beats at over a 1,000 times a minute Did you know dragonflies have 6 legs but can't walk Did you know a crocodile can't move its tongue Did you know a strawberry is the only fruit which seeds grow on the outside Did you know that the first MTV video played was 'Video killed the radio star' by the Buggles Did you know in 1878 the first telephone book made contained only 50 names
http://www.did-you-knows.com
60 Small Ways to Improve Your Life in the Next 100 Days
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May 30 by Marelisa Fabrega 1043.49M Shares | Lifestyle
3. Walk around your home and identify 100 things you’ve been tolerating; fix one each day. Here are some examples:
1. Create a “100 Days to Conquer Clutter Calendar” by penciling in one group of items you plan to declutter every day, for the next 100 days. Here’s an example:
Day 1: Declutter Magazines Day 2: Declutter DVD’s Day 3: Declutter books Day 4: Declutter kitchen appliances
2. Live by the mantra: a place for everything and everything in its place. For the next 100 days follow these four rules to keep your house in order:
If you take it out, put it back. If you open it, close it. If you throw it down, pick it up. If you take it off, hang it up.
A burnt light bulb that needs to be changed. A button that’s missing on your favorite shirt. The fact that every time you open your top kitchen cabinet all of the plastic food containers fall out.
Happiness 4. Follow the advice proffered by positive psychologists and write down 5 to 10 things that you’re grateful for, every day. 5. Make a list of 20 small things that you enjoy doing, and make sure that you do at least one of these things every day for the next 100 days. Your list can include things such as the following: Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to make drastic changes in order to notice an improvement in the quality of your life. At the same time, you don’t need to wait a long time in order to see the measurable results that come from taking positive action. All you have to do is take small steps, and take them consistently, for a period of 100 days. Below you’ll find 60 small ways to improve all areas of your life in the next 100 days.
Eating your lunch outside. Calling your best friend to chat. Taking the time to sit down and read a novel by your favorite author for a few minutes.
6. Keep a log of your mental chatter, both positive and negative, for ten days. Be as specific as possible:
How many times do you beat yourself up during the day? Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
Are you constantly thinking critical thoughts of others? How many positive thoughts do you have during the day?
15. Scour the internet for frugality tips, choose ten of the tips that you find, and apply them for the next 100 days. Here are some possibilities:
Also, make a note of the emotions that accompany these thoughts. Then, for the next 90 days, begin changing your emotions for the better by modifying your mental chatter. 7. For the next 100 days, have a good laugh at least once a day: get one of those calendars that has a different joke for every day of the year, or stop by a web site that features your favorite cartoons.
Go to the grocery store with cash and a calculator instead of using your debit card. Take inventory before going to the grocery store to avoid buying repeat items. Scale back the cable. Ask yourself if you really need a landline telephone. Consolidate errands into one trip to save on gas.
Keep track of how much money you save over the next 100 days by applying these tips.
Learning/Personal Development
16. For the next 100 days, pay for everything with paper money and keep any change that you receive. Then, put all of your change in a jar and see how much money you can accumulate in 100 days.
8. Choose a book that requires effort and concentration and read a little of it every day, so that you read it from cover to cover in 100 days.
17. Don’t buy anything that you don’t absolutely need for 100 days. Use any money you save by doing this to do one of the following:
9. Make it a point to learn at least one new thing each day: the name of a flower that grows in your garden, the capital of a far-off country, or the name of a piece of classical music you hear playing in your favorite clothing boutique as you shop. If it’s time for bed and you can’t identify anything you’ve learned that day, take out your dictionary and learn a new word. 10. Stop complaining for the next 100 days. A couple of years back, Will Bowen gave a purple rubber bracelet to each person in his congregation to remind them to stop complaining. “Negative talk produces negative thoughts; negative thoughts produce negative results”, says Bowen. For the next 100 days, whenever you catch yourself complaining about anything, stop yourself. 11. Set your alarm a minute earlier every day for the next 100 days. Then make sure that you get out of bed as soon as your alarm rings, open the windows to let in some sunlight, and do some light stretching. In 100 days you’ll be waking up an hour and forty minutes earlier than you’re waking up now. 12. For the next 100 days, keep Morning Pages, which is a tool suggested by Julia Cameron. Morning Pages are simply three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. 13. For the next 100 days make it a point to feed your mind with the thoughts, words, and images that are most consistent with who you want to be, what you want to have, and what you want to achieve. Finances 14. Create a spending plan (also known as a budget). Track every cent that you spend for the next 100 days to make sure that you’re sticking to your spending plan.
Pay down your debt, if you have any. Put it toward your six month emergency fund. Start setting aside money to invest.
18. Set an hour aside every day for the next 100 days to devote to creating one source of passive income.
Time Management 19. For the next 100 days, take a notebook with you everywhere in order to keep your mind decluttered. Record everything, so that it’s safely stored in one place—out of your head—where you can decide what to do with it later. Include things such as the following:
Ideas for writing assignments. Appointment dates. To Do list items
20. Track how you spend your time for 5 days. Use the information that you gather in order to create a time budget: the percentage of your time that you want to devote to each activity that you engage in on a regular basis. This can include things such as:
Transportation Housework Leisure
Income-Generating Activities
Make sure that you stick to your time budget for the remaining 95 days. 21. Identify one low-priority activity which you can stop doing for the next 100 days, and devote that time to a high priority task instead. 22. Identify five ways in which you regularly waste time, and limit the time that you’re going to spend on these activities each day, for the next 100 days. Here are three examples:
Watch no more than half-an-hour of television a day. Spend no more than half-an-hour each day on social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Stumbleupon. Spend no more than twenty minutes a day playing video games.
23. For the next 100 days, stop multi-tasking; do one thing at a time without distractions. 24. For the next 100 days, plan your day the night before. 25. For the next 100 days, do the most important thing on your To-Do list first, before you do anything else. 26. For the next 14 weeks, conduct a review of each week. During your weekly review, answer the following:
What did you accomplish? What went wrong? What went right?
27. For the next 100 days, spend a few minutes at the end of each day organizing your desk, filing papers, and making sure that your work area is clean and orderly, so that you can walk in to a neat desk the next day. 28. Make a list of all of the commitments and social obligations that you have in the next 100 days. Then, take out a red pen and cross out anything that does not truly bring you joy or help move you along the path to achieving your main life goals. 29. For the next 100 days, every time that you switch to a new activity throughout the day stop and ask yourself, “Is this the best use of my time at this moment?”
Health
30. Losing a pound of fat requires burning 3500 calories. If you reduce your caloric intake by 175 calories a day for the next 100 days, you’ll have lost 5 pounds in the next 100 days. 31. For the next 100 days, eat five servings of vegetables every day. 32. For the next 100 days, eat three servings of fruit of every day. 33. Choose one food that constantly sabotages your efforts to eat healthier—whether it’s the decadent cheesecake from the bakery around the corner, deep-dish pizza, or your favorite potato chips—and go cold turkey for the next 100 days. 34. For the next 100 days, eat from a smaller plate to help control portion size. 35. For the next 100 days, buy 100% natural juices instead of the kind with added sugar and preservatives. 36. For the next 100 days, instead of carbonated drinks, drink water. 37. Create a list of 10 healthy, easy to fix breakfast meals. 38. Create a list of 20 healthy, easy to fix meals which can be eaten for lunch or dinner. 39. Create a list of 10 healthy, easy to fix snacks. 40. Use your lists of healthy breakfast meals, lunches, dinners, and snacks in order to plan out your meals for the week ahead of time. Do this for the next 14 weeks. 41. For the next 100 days, keep a food log. This will help you to identify where you’re deviating from your planned menu, and where you’re consuming extra calories. 42. For the next 100 days, get at least twenty minutes of daily exercise. 43. Wear a pedometer and walk 10,000 steps, every day, for the next 100 days. Every step you take during the day counts toward the 10,000 steps:
When you walk to your car. When you walk from your desk to the bathroom. When you walk over to talk to a co-worker, and so on.
44. Set up a weight chart and post it up in your bathroom. Every week for the next 14 weeks, keep track of the following:
Your weight. Your percentage of body fat. Your waist circumference.
45. For the next 100 days, set your watch to beep once an hour, or set up a computer reminder, to make sure that you drink water on a regular basis throughout the day.
54. For the next 100 days do one kind deed for someone every day, however small, even if it’s just sending a silent blessing their way.
46. For the next 100 days, make it a daily ritual to mediate, breath, or visualize every day in order to calm your mind.
55. For the next 100 days, make it a point to give praise and approval to those who deserve it.
You’re Relationship
56. For the next 100 days, practice active listening. When someone is talking to you, remain focused on what they’re saying, instead of rehearsing in your head what you’re going to say next. Paraphrase what you think you heard them say to make sure that you haven’t misinterpreted them, and encourage them to elaborate on any points you’re still not clear about.
47. For the next 100 days, actively look for something positive in your partner every day, and write it down. 48. Create a scrapbook of all the things you and your partner do together during the next 100 days. At the end of the 100 days, give your partner the list you created of positive things you observed about them each day, as well as the scrapbook you created. 49. Identify 3 actions that you’re going to take each day, for the next 100 days, in order to strengthen your relationship. These can include the following:
Say “I love you” and “Have a good day” to your significant other every morning. Hug your significant other as soon as you see each other after work. Go for a twenty minute walk together every day after dinner; hold hands.
Social 50. Connect with someone new every day for the next 100 days, whether it’s by greeting a neighbor you’ve never spoken to before, following someone new on Twitter, leaving a comment on a blog you’ve never commented on before, and so on. 51. For the next 100 days, make it a point to associate with people you admire, respect and want to be like. 52. For the next 100 days, when someone does or says something that upsets you, take a minute to think over your response instead of answering right away. 53. For the next 100 days, don’t even think of passing judgment until you’ve heard both sides of the story.
57. Practice empathy for the next 100 days. If you disagree with someone, try to see the world from their perspective; put yourself in their shoes. Be curious about the other person, about their beliefs and their life experience, and about the thinking process that they followed to reach their conclusions. 58. For the next 100 days, stay in your own life and don’t compare yourself to anyone else. 59. For the next 100 days, place the best possible interpretation on the actions of others. 60. For the next 100 days, keep reminding yourself that everyone is doing the best that they can.
Royal Rumble
Monarchy, Heirs to the throne, Royalty. Things that have stirred up a media frenzy once again. Some of us were gripped by Royal Baby fever, whilst others couldn’t care less. I mean, what does a monarchy have to do with us South Africans? Nothing and everything.
Some might argue we live in a new world filled with democracy, republics and the odd dictator or two, that monarchies are from the old world and that there should not be a place for it. They might add that we as humans are all equal, and
that prejudicial behaviour towards one family is biased, and unjust.
Nothing says ‘raised with a silver spoon in your mouth’ quite like being born into a royal house. The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to a baby boy who is now third in line to the British throne behind his father and grandfather. This means that unless some tragedy occurred, the little fella will only take charge of the Commonwealth in about 50 years. Still, what does that have to do with us Saffas living under the African sun? The traditions and spectacles surrounding the royal family are certainly entertaining and part of world history, but it has no bearing on how we function as a society. I beg to differ. Monarchies don’t have an affect on us individually, but more as a society. Millions of children are birthed into the world, but none get as much recognition as that of a major royal family. We accept that whether by divine
right or historic bloodline, a baby will one day grow up to be a Ruler over millions. There is something quite magical about that, whether you agree with it or not. Tales like that should remain in the period of the Romantics.
Its also a frustrating prospect, someone that you didn’t vote for, don’t support and have no say in the way they do things, will inevitably one day have the power to influence your life in major way. Many a revolution has been formed to overthrow monarchies, dictatorships and governments across the world. The Windsors though have managed to escape this prosecution by handing power to government but still somehow manage to grab the spoils. If something goes wrong the prime minister is to blame, if it goes right it is because of the monarchs. I suppose this stems from the support they receive from the Aristocrats, the people pulling the strings behind the scenes. Sure they are meant to be a positive force in a world full of negative influences, but does that make it right? We know the British to be procedurally rigid, sticking to century old guidelines in most affairs. The question I would like to ask is, if monarchs were disbanded and
their wealth and properties returned to governments to enable their people, wouldn’t the world be a better place? These Royal families will just become another dynasty, like the Bush’s’, the Clintons, the Kennedys… and those are just American examples. How would such a drastic change influence the Commonwealth, when Castles, and Palaces, and treasures collected by an Empire over the ages gets used to conquer the troubles our world faces? Sure they’ll lose a culture and traditions that gave the British Isles the supremacy that they’ve enjoyed for so long. The argument will remain that when one group loses power, it opens up for another one to abuse. The ‘enemy’ you know is less dangerous than the ‘enemy’you don’t.
Whether the Royal Houses will ever cease to exist will perhaps remain a mystery for the ages, they are endangered specie, and whilst they remain in the confines of the Paparazzi zoo, we should enjoy the show.
Surprise, Surprise!
There are only two constants in life: death and taxes. Everything else is subject to terms and conditions. I guess that is the reason why we get caught off guard so often; our lives are setup for the unexpected to take advantage.
It comes down to what I mean by unexpected, as I see it, it means an unforeseeable life altering event, the type of event that insurance companies build their business on. A loved one falling terminally ill, even though they lead a healthy life, natural events that demolish infrastructure or accidents that lead to death.
The most common responses are usually “things happen for a reason”, “why me?” or the non-chalant “shit happens”. Call me paranoid but everyday produces an opportunity for the unexpected to happen, that’s why we find comfort in routines, routines are safe, they provide a comfort zone, we know what to expect whilst following certain lifestyle patterns, but then BOOM! You switch on the lights and a hundred people yell SURPRISE! Yep, that’s right, it’s your birthday, and did you really not expect anything to happen? Sure surprises can be positive as well, a surprise engagement or an unplanned bun in the oven. Even lottery winners have claimed to be surprised by winning, yet they went out and bought the ticket. If you’re not in it you can’t win it. Actions have consequences, to say that you didn’t expect a result is just plain ignorant. Ignorance is after all bliss. If we ignore all the dangers the world has to offer we can continue living in our cocoons of safety, matters that we are capable of dealing with, but if one day that safety net tears, we feel the impending doom coming down us. Call me a pessimist, I dare you. Just because you take note of all possibilities in a situation to come to the most logical reasonable explanation does not make you a Cup-half-empty kind of person. I see a cup, and I see substance within, the rest just doesn’t matter. Perspective is the difference between stubbing your toe, and your world ending. If there’s one thing that gets my goat, is a person who thrives on the drama the world has to offer, making mountains out of molehills. People who constantly carry around their
soapboxes and jump on them anytime something unexpected happens, which could be an infinite amount of different things.
The way we react to whatever life throws at us is, is what makes us human, and those reactions sets in motion events that could lead to another unforeseen action. Life is a very mysterious and fragile concept, which is why we value it so highly, we forget sometimes that in the end we are all on borrowed time, so it doesn’t help to spend it thinking about what could have been, but rather what could still be. Obviously that’s just one mans opinion, one which will change as life progresses. All we can do is to keep on keeping on.
ShortTerm Detoxes 1. 1 Do a fruit detox. Fruit detoxes are a great way to fast without starving yourself. Among other health benefits, getting enough fruit can increase your energy levels, help manage your weight, and even reduce the likelihood of stroke.[2][3] You can either detox by eating a variety of different fruits, or by only eating one kind of fruit. For best results, choose a fruit that you enjoy eating so that you don't feel like you're suffering. Do not exceed 7 days in a row of a fruit-only diet.
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Eat citrus fruits. These fruits have the highest detoxifying power, and include oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, lemons, and limes. [4][5] You can eat them on their own or combine them with other fruits. Again, do not exceed 7 days in a row of a fruit-only diet. Try a grape detox. Grapes contain resveratrol, which can protect against cancer and diabetes, and potentially prevent blood clots.[6] They are also a great source of potassium and Vitamin C. Eat nothing but grapes (whichever kind you like) for 3-5 days.
2. 2 Do a liquid fast. Consume nothing but liquids (water, tea, fruit juice, vegetable juice, and/or protein shakes) for 2-3 days.[7] Liquid diets can help jump-start weight loss by restricting caloric intake, and are believed to cleanse your body of certain toxins, though there is no solid research to back up this claim.[8]
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Be sure to include fruit and/or vegetable juices in your liquid fast
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to ensure that your body is getting the proper nourishment. If your goal is to lose weight, then you will have to change your eating habits once the liquid fast is over, or you will simply gain all the weight back.[9]
Eat only fruits and vegetables for 7 days. Fruits and vegetables contain the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. Be sure to eat a diverse combination of produce to ensure that you are getting the proper nutrients. Use the following guide to determine what to eat during your fast:
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Get fiber from kidney beans, black beans, apples, soybeans, blueberries, and artichokes.[10] Get potassium from carrots, bananas, lima beans, white potatoes, cooked greens, and sweet potatoes.[11] Get Vitamin C from kiwis, strawberries, kale, cauliflower, tomatoes, oranges, Brussels sprouts, mangoes, and bell peppers.[12]
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Get folate from cooked spinach, melons, asparagus, oranges, and black eyed peas.[13] Get good fats from avocado, olives, and coconut.[14]