I THOUGHT I KNEW MY FIVE SENSES

The primary means by which we interact with the world around us is through our senses. Here are some interesting facts about these five sensory abilities.

 

1.

AFTER EATING TOO MUCH, YOUR HEARING IS LESS SHARP. If you’re heading to a concert or a musical after a big meal you may be doing yourself a disservice. Try eating a smaller meal if you need to keep your hearing pitch perfect.

 

2.

ABOUT ONE THIRD OF THE HUMAN RACE HAS 20-20 VISION. Glasses and contact wearers are hardly alone in a world where two thirds of the population have less than perfect vision. The amount of people with perfect vision decreases further as they age.

 

3.

IF SALIVA CANNOT DISSOLVE SOMETHING, YOU CANNOT TASTE IT. In order for foods, or anything else, to have a taste, chemicals from the substance must be dissolved by saliva. If you don’t believe it, try drying off your tongue before tasting something.

 

4.

WOMEN ARE BORN BETTER SMELLERS THAN MEN AND REMAIN BETTER SMELLERS OVER LIFE. Studies have shown that women are more able to correctly pinpoint just what a smell is. Women were better able to identify citrus, vanilla, cinnamon and coffee smells. While women are overall better smellers, there is an unfortunate 2% of the population with no sense of smell at all.

 

5.

YOUR NOSE CAN REMEMBER 50,000 DIFFERENT SCENTS. While a bloodhound’s nose may be a million times more sensitive than a human’s, that doesn’t mean that the human sense of smell is useless. Humans can identify a wide variety of scents and many are strongly tied to memories.

 

6.

EVEN SMALL NOISES CAUSE THE PUPILS OF THE EYES TO DILATE. It is believed that this is why surgeons, watchmakers and others who perform delicate manual operations are so bothered by uninvited noise. The sound causes their pupils to change focus and blur their vision, making it harder to do their job well.

 

7.

EVERYONE HAS A UNIQUE SMELL, EXCEPT FOR IDENTICAL TWINS. Newborns are able to recognize the smell of their mothers and many of us can pinpoint the smell of our significant others and those we are close to. Part of that smell is determined by genetics, but it’s also largely do to environment, diet and personal hygiene products that create a unique chemistry for each person.

SEX AND REPRODUCTION DISCOVERY

As taboo as it may be in some places, sex is an important part of human life as a facet of relationships and the means to reproduce. Here are a few things you might not have known.

1

ON ANY GIVEN DAY, SEXUAL INTERCOURSE TAKES PLACE 120 MILLION TIMES ON EARTH. Humans are a quickly proliferating species, and with about 4% of the world’s population having sex on any given day, it’s no wonder that birth rates continue to increase in many places all over the world.

 

2.

THE LARGEST CELL IN THE HUMAN BODY IS THE FEMALE EGG AND THE SMALLEST IS THE MALE SPERM. While you can’t see skin cells or muscle cells, the ovum is typically large enough to be seen with the naked eye with a diameter of about a millimeter. The sperm cell, on the other hand, is tiny, consisting of little more than nucleus.

 

3

THE THREE THINGS PREGNANT WOMEN DREAM MOST OF DURING THEIR FIRST TRIMESTER ARE FROGS, WORMS AND POTTED PLANTS. Pregnancy hormones can cause mood swings, cravings and many other unexpected changes. Oddly enough, hormones can often affect the types of dreams women have and their vividness. The most common are these three types, but many women also dream of water, giving birth or even have violent or sexually charged dreams.

 

4

YOUR TEETH START GROWING 6 MONTHS BEFORE YOU ARE BORN. While few babies are born with teeth in place, the teeth that will eventually push through the gums of young children are formed long before the child even leaves the womb. At 9 to 12 weeks the fetus starts to form the teeth buds that will turn into baby teeth.

 

5

BABIES ARE ALWAYS BORN WITH BLUE EYES. The color of your eyes depends on the genes you get from your parents, but at birth most babies appear to have blue eyes. The reason behind this is the pigment melanin. The melanin in a newborn’s eyes often needs time after birth to be fully deposited or to be darkened by exposure to ultraviolet light, later revealing the baby’s true eye color.

 

6

BABIES ARE, POUND FOR POUND, STRONGER THAN AN OX. While a baby certainly couldn’t pull a covered wagon at its present size, if the child were the size of an oxen it just might very well be able to. Babies have especially strong and powerful legs for such tiny creatures, so watch out for those kicks.

 

7

ONE OUT OF EVERY 2,000 NEWBORN INFANTS HAS A TOOTH WHEN THEY ARE BORN. Nursing mothers may cringe at this fact. Sometimes the tooth is a regular baby tooth that has already erupted and sometimes it is an extra tooth that will fall out before the other set of choppers comes in.

 

8

A FETUS ACQUIRES FINGERPRINTS AT THE AGE OF THREE MONTHS. When only a small fraction of the way through its development, a fetus will have already developed one of the most unique human traits: fingerprints. At only 6-13 weeks of development, the whorls of what will be fingerprints have already developed. Oddly enough, those fingerprints will not change throughout the person’s life and will be one of the last things to disappear after death.

 

9

EVERY HUMAN SPENT ABOUT HALF AN HOUR AS A SINGLE CELL. All life has to begin somewhere, and even the largest humans spent a short part of their lives as a single celled organism when sperm and egg cells first combine. Shortly afterward, the cells begin rapidly dividing and begin forming the components of a tiny embryo.

 

10

.​MOST MEN HAVE ERECTIONS EVERY HOUR TO HOUR AND A HALF DURING SLEEP. Most people’s bodies and minds are much more active when they’re sleeping than they think. The combination of blood circulation and testosterone production can cause erections during sleep and they’re often a normal and necessary part of REM sleep.

AWESOME BODY FUNCTIONS

We may not always like to talk about them, but everyone has to deal with bodily functions on a daily basis. These are a few facts about the involuntary and sometimes unpleasant actions of our bodies.

1.

SNEEZES REGULARLY EXCEED 100 MPH. There’s a good reason why you can’t keep your eyes open when you sneeze–that sneeze is rocketing out of your body at close to 100 mph. This is, of course, a good reason to cover your mouth when you sneeze.

 

2

.

COUGHS CLOCK IN AT ABOUT 60 MPH. Viruses and colds get spread around the office and the classroom quickly during cold and flu season. With 60 mph coughs spraying germs far and wide, it’s no wonder.

 

3.

WOMEN BLINK TWICE AS MANY TIMES AS MEN DO. That’s a lot of blinking every day. The average person, man or woman, blinks about 13 times a minute.

 

4.

A FULL BLADDER IS ROUGHLY THE SIZE OF A SOFT BALL. No wonder you have to run to bathroom when you feel the call of the wild. The average bladder holds about 400-800 cc of fluid but most people will feel the urge to go long before that at 250 to 300 cc.

 

5.

APPROXIMATELY 75% OF HUMAN WASTE IS MADE OF WATER. While we might typically think that urine is the liquid part of human waste products, the truth is that what we consider solid waste is actually mostly water as well. You should be thankful that most waste is fairly water-filled, as drier harder stools are what cause constipation and are much harder and sometimes painful to pass.

 

6

.

FEET HAVE 500,000 SWEAT GLANDS AND CAN PRODUCE MORE THAN A PINT OF SWEAT A DAY. With that kind of sweat-producing power it’s no wonder that your gym shoes have a stench that can peel paint. Additionally, men usually have much more active sweat glands than women.

 

7.

DURING YOUR LIFETIME, YOU WILL PRODUCE ENOUGH SALIVA TO FILL TWO SWIMMINGPOOLS. Saliva plays an important part in beginning the digestive process and keeping the mouth lubricated, and your mouth produces quite a bit of it on a daily basis.

 

8.

THE AVERAGE PERSON EXPELS FLATULENCE 14 TIMES EACH DAY. Even if you’d like to think you’re too dignified to pass gas, the reality is that almost everyone will at least a few times a day. Digestion causes the body to release gases which can be painful if trapped in the abdomen and not released.

 

9.

EARWAX PRODUCTION IS NECESSARY FOR GOOD EAR HEALTH. While many people find earwax to be disgusting, it’s actually a very important part of your ear’s defense system. It protects the delicate inner ear from bacteria, fungus, dirt and even insects. It also cleans and lubricates the ear canal. 

-----------------------

AWESOME TRUTH ABOUT YOUR INTERNAL ORGANS

Though we may not give them much thought unless they’re bothering us, our internal organs are what allow us to go on eating, breathing and walking around. Here are some things to consider the next time you hear your stomach growl.

 

1. THE LARGEST INTERNAL ORGAN IS THE SMALL INTESTINE. Despite being called the smaller of the two intestines, your small intestine is actually four times as long as the average adult is tall. If it weren’t looped back and forth upon itself it wouldn’t fit inside the abdominal cavity.

 

2. THE HUMAN HEART CREATES ENOUGH PRESSURE TO SQUIRT BLOOD 30 FEET. No wonder you can feel your heartbeat so easily. Pumping blood through your body quickly and efficiently takes quite a bit of pressure resulting in the strong contractions of the heart and the thick walls of the ventricles which push blood to the body.

 

3. THE ACID IN YOUR STOMACH IS STRONG ENOUGH TO DISSOLVE RAZORBLADES. While you certainly shouldn’t test the fortitude of your stomach by eating a razorblade or any other metal object for that matter, the acids that digest the food you eat aren’t to be taken lightly. Hydrochloric acid, the type found in your stomach, is not only good at dissolving food but can also eat through many types of metal.

 

4. THE HUMAN BODY IS ESTIMATED TO HAVE 60,000 MILES OF BLOOD VESSELS. To put that in perspective, the distance around the earth is about 25,000 miles, making the distance your blood vessels could travel if laid end to end more than two times around the earth.

 

5. YOU GET A NEW STOMACH LINING EVERY THREE TO FOUR DAYS. The mucus-like cells lining the walls of the stomach would soon dissolve due to the strong digestive acids in your stomach if they weren’t constantly replaced. Those with ulcers know how painful it can be when stomach acid takes its toll on the lining of your stomach.

 

6. THE SURFACE AREA OF A HUMAN LUNG IS EQUAL TO A TENNIS COURT. In order to more efficiently oxygenate the blood, the lungs are filled with thousands of branching bronchi and tiny, grape-like alveoli. These are filled with microscopic capillaries with oxygen and carbon dioxide. The large amount of surface area makes it easier for this exchange to take place, and makes sure you stay properly oxygenated at all times.

 

7. WOMEN’S HEARTS BEAT FASTER THAN MEN’S. The main reason for this is simply that on average, women tend to be smaller than men and have less mass to pump blood to. But women’s and men’s hearts can actually act quite differently, especially when experiencing trauma like a heart attack, and many treatments that work for men must be adjusted or changed entirely to work for women.

 

8. SCIENTISTS HAVE COUNTED OVER 500 DIFFERENT LIVER FUNCTIONS. You may not think much about your liver except after a long night of drinking, but the liver is one of the body’s hardest working, largest and busiest organ. Some of the functions your liver performs are: production of bile, decomposition of red blood cells, plasma protein synthesis, and detoxification.

 

9. THE AORTA IS NEARLY THE DIAMETER OF A GARDEN HOSE. The average adult heart is about the size of two fists, making the size of the aorta quite impressive. The artery needs to be so large as it is the main supplier of rich, oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.

 

10. YOUR LEFT LUNG IS SMALLER THAN YOUR RIGHT LUNG TO MAKE ROOM FOR YOUR HEART. For most people, if they were asked to draw a picture of what the lungs look like they would draw both looking roughly the same size. While the lungs are fairly similar in size, the human heart, though located fairly centrally, is tilted slightly to the left making it take up more room on that side of the body and crowding out that poor left lung.

 

11. YOU COULD REMOVE A LARGE PART OF YOUR INTERNAL ORGANS AND SURVIVE. The human body may appear fragile but it’s possible to survive even with the removal of the stomach, the spleen, 75 percent of the liver, 80 percent of the intestines, one kidney, one lung, and virtually every organ from the pelvic and groin area. You might not feel too great, but the missing organs wouldn’t kill you.

 

12. THE ADRENAL GLANDS CHANGE SIZE THROUGHOUT LIFE. The adrenal glands lying right above the kidneys, are responsible for releasing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. In the seventh month of a fetus’ development, the glands are roughly the same size as the kidneys. At birth, the glands have shrunk slightly and will continue to do so throughout life. In fact, by the time a person reaches old age, the glands are so small they can hardly be seen.

 

LIVE A HEALTHY LIFE. PREVENT HEART DISEASE

You can prevent heart disease by following a heart-healthy lifestyle. Here are strategies to help you protect your heart.

Heart disease may be a leading cause of death, but that doesn't mean you have to accept it as your fate. Although you lack the power to change some risk factors — such as family history, sex or age — there are some key heart disease prevention steps you can take.

You can avoid heart problems in the future by adopting a healthy lifestyle today. Here are six heart disease prevention tips to get you started.

1. Don't smoke or use tobacco

Smoking or using tobacco of any kind is one of the most significant risk factors for developing heart disease. Chemicals in tobacco can damage your heart and blood vessels, leading to narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis). Atherosclerosis can ultimately lead to a heart attack.

Carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke replaces some of the oxygen in your blood. This increases your blood pressure and heart rate by forcing your heart to work harder to supply enough oxygen. Women who smoke and take birth control pills are at greater risk of having a heart attack or stroke than are those who don't do either because both smoking and taking birth control pills increase the risk of blood clots.

When it comes to heart disease prevention, no amount of smoking is safe. But, the more you smoke, the greater your risk. Smokeless tobacco and low-tar and low-nicotine cigarettes also are risky, as is exposure to secondhand smoke. Even so-called "social smoking" — smoking only while at a bar or restaurant with friends — is dangerous and increases the risk of heart disease.

The good news, though, is that when you quit smoking, your risk of heart disease drops almost to that of a nonsmoker in about five years. And no matter how long or how much you smoked, you'll start reaping rewards as soon as you quit.

2. Exercise for 30 minutes on most days of the week

Getting some regular, daily exercise can reduce your risk of fatal heart disease. And when you combine physical activity with other lifestyle measures, such as maintaining a healthy weight, the payoff is even greater.

Physical activity helps you control your weight and can reduce your chances of developing other conditions that may put a strain on your heart, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

Try getting at least 30 to 60 minutes of moderately intense physical activity most days of the week. However, even shorter amounts of exercise offer heart benefits, so if you can't meet those guidelines, don't give up. You can even get the same health benefits if you break up your workout time into three 10-minute sessions most days of the week.

And remember that activities, such as gardening, housekeeping, taking the stairs and walking the dog all count toward your total. You don't have to exercise strenuously to achieve benefits, but you can see bigger benefits by increasing the intensity, duration and frequency of your workouts.

3. Eat a heart-healthy diet

Eating a healthy diet can reduce your risk of heart disease. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains can help protect your heart. Beans, other low-fat sources of protein and certain types of fish also can reduce your risk of heart disease.

Limiting certain fats you eat also is important. Of the types of fat — saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and trans fat — saturated fat and trans fat are the ones to try to limit or avoid. Try to keep saturated fat to no more than 10 percent of your daily calories. And, try to keep trans fat out of your diet altogether.

Major sources of saturated fat include:

Red meat

Dairy products

Coconut and palm oils

Sources of trans fat include:

Deep-fried fast foods

Bakery products

Packaged snack foods

Margarines

Crackers

If the nutrition label has the term "partially hydrogenated," it means that product contains trans fat.

Heart-healthy eating isn't all about cutting back, though. Healthy fats from plant-based sources, such as avocado, nuts, olives and olive oil, help your heart by lowering the bad type of cholesterol.

Most people need to add more fruits and vegetables to their diet — with a goal of five to 10 servings a day. Eating that many fruits and vegetables can not only help prevent heart disease but also may help prevent cancer and improve diabetes.

Eating several servings a week of certain fish, such as salmon and mackerel, may decrease your risk of heart attack.

STOP DRINKING!

I know some men will not agree totally with this. But following a heart-healthy diet also means keeping an eye on how much alcohol you drink. If you choose to drink alcohol, it's better for your heart to do so in moderation. For healthy adults, that means up to one drink a day for women of all ages and men older than age 65, and up to two drinks a day for men age 65 and younger. At that moderate level, alcohol can have a protective effect on your heart. More than that becomes a health hazard.

4. Maintain a healthy weight

Being overweight, especially if you carry excess weight around your middle, ups your risk of heart disease. Excess weight can lead to conditions that increase your chances of heart disease — high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

One way to see if your weight is healthy is to calculate your body mass index (BMI), which considers your height and weight in determining whether you have a healthy or unhealthy percentage of body fat. BMI numbers 25 and higher are associated with higher blood fats, higher blood pressure, and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

The BMI is a good, but imperfect guide. Muscle weighs more than fat, for instance, and women and men who are very muscular and physically fit can have high BMIs without added health risks. Because of that, waist circumference also is a useful tool to measure how much abdominal fat you have:

Men are considered overweight if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (101.6 centimeters, or cm).

Women are overweight if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches (88.9 cm).

Even a small weight loss can be beneficial. Reducing your weight by just 5 to 10 percent can help decrease your blood pressure, lower your blood cholesterol level and reduce your risk of diabetes.

5. Get enough quality sleep

Sleep deprivation can do more than leave you yawning throughout the day; it can harm your health. People who don't get enough sleep have a higher risk of obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes and depression.

Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night. If you wake up without your alarm clock and you feel refreshed, you're getting enough sleep. But, if you're constantly reaching for the snooze button and it's a struggle to get out of bed, you need more sleep each night.

Make sleep a priority in your life. Set a sleep schedule and stick to it by going to bed and waking up at the same times each day. Keep your bedroom dark and quiet, so it's easier to sleep.

If you feel like you've been getting enough sleep, but you're still tired throughout the day, ask your doctor if you need to be evaluated for sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea blocks the airflow through your windpipe and causes you to stop breathing temporarily. Signs and symptoms of sleep apnea include snoring loudly; gasping for air during sleep; waking up several times during the night; waking up with a headache, sore throat or dry mouth; and memory or learning problems.

Treatments for obstructive sleep apnea include losing weight or using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device that keeps your airway open while you sleep. CPAP treatment appears to lower the risk of heart disease from sleep apnea.

6. Get regular health screenings

High blood pressure and high cholesterol can damage your heart and blood vessels. But without testing for them, you probably won't know whether you have these conditions. Regular screening can tell you what your numbers are and whether you need to take action.

Blood pressure. Regular blood pressure screenings usually start in childhood. Adults should have their blood pressure checked at least every two years. You may need more-frequent checks if your numbers aren't ideal or if you have other risk factors for heart disease. Optimal blood pressure is less than 120/80 millimeters of mercury.

Cholesterol levels. Adults should have their cholesterol measured at least once every five years starting at age 20 if they have risk factors for heart disease, such as obesity or high blood pressure. If you're healthy, you can start having your cholesterol screened at age 35 for men and 45 for women. Some children may need their blood cholesterol tested if they have a strong family history of heart disease.

Diabetes screening. Since diabetes is a risk factor for developing heart disease, you may want to consider being screened for diabetes. Talk to your doctor about when you should have a fasting blood sugar test to check for diabetes. Depending on your risk factors, such as being overweight or having a family history of diabetes, your doctor may recommend early screening for diabetes. If your weight is normal and you don't have other risk factors for type 2 diabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends starting screening at age 45, and then retesting every three years.

Live a healthy life. Life is too short to waste it struggling with sickness. 

UNSPEAKABLE JOY

There are many things in this life, that can steal our JOY. Some of them are as follows:

·         - Sickness

·         - The loss of a loved one

·         - Financial lack

·         - Betrayal

·         - Rejection etc. 

It's our choice on the other hand, as to what we make out of these circumstances. We can decide, either to allow these circumstances to steal our JOY or we can choose to be JOYFUL. Thomas S. Monson once said "Find Joy in your Journey." As   ridiculous as that may sound, with GODS UNSPEAKABLE JOY, we not only will find JOY in our journey but also enjoy the journey.

Despite all the enemy has tried to destroy you, just know that GOD’S UNSPEAKABLE JOY awaits you. GOD Bless your Journey!

Forwarded by Glenn

Thanks Glenn

FACTS YOU NEVER REALLY CONSIDERED ABOUT YOUR HAIR AND NAILS

While they’re not a living part of your body, most people spend a good amount of time caring for their hair and nails. The next time you’re heading in for a haircut or manicure, think of these facts.

1. Facial hair grows faster than any other hair on the body. If you've ever had a covering of stubble on your face as you’re clocking out at 5 o’clock you’re probably pretty familiar with this. In fact, if the average man never shaved his beard it would grow to over 30 feet during his lifetime, longer than a killer whale.

2.  Every day the average person loses 60-100 strands of hair. Unless you’re already bald, chances are good that you’re shedding pretty heavily on a daily basis. Your hair loss will vary in accordance with the season, pregnancy, illness, diet and age.

3.  Women’s hair is about half the diameter of men’s hair. While it might sound strange, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that men’s hair should be coarser than that of women. Hair diameter also varies on average between races, making hair plugs on some men look especially obvious.

4.  One human hair can support 3.5 ounces. That’s about the weight of two full size candy bars. And with hundreds of thousands of hairs on the human head, think of how much that weight.

5.  The fastest growing nail is on the middle finger. And the nail on the middle finger of your dominant hand will grow the fastest of all. Why is not entirely known, but nail growth is related to the length of the finger, with the longest fingers growing nails the fastest and shortest the slowest.

6.  There are as many hairs per square inch on your body as a chimpanzee. Humans are not quite the naked apes that we’re made out to be. We have lots of hair, but on most of us it’s not obvious as a majority of the hairs are too fine or light to be seen.

7.  Blondes have more hair. They’re said to have more fun, and they definitely have more hair. Hair color determines how dense the hair on your head is. The average human has 100,000 hair follicles, each of which is capable of producing 20 individual hairs during a person’s lifetime. Blondes average 146,000 follicles while people with black hair tend to have about 110,000 follicles. Those with brown hair fit the average with 100,000 follicles and redheads have the least dense hair, with about 86,000 follicles.

8.  Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails. If you notice that you’re trimming your fingernails much more frequently than your toenails you’re not just imagining it. The nails that get the most exposure and are used most frequently grow the fastest. On average, nails on both the toes and fingers grow about one-tenth of an inch each month.

9.  The lifespan of a human hair is 3 to 7 years on average. While you quite a few hairs each day, your hairs actually have a pretty long life provided they aren't subject to any trauma. Your hairs will likely get to see several different haircuts, styles, and even possibly decades before they fall out on their own.

10.   You must lose over 50% of your scalp hairs before it is apparent to anyone. You lose hundreds of hairs a day but you’ll have to lose a lot more before you or anyone else will notice. Half of the hairs on your pretty little head will have to disappear before your impending baldness will become obvious to all those around you.

11.   Human hair is virtually indestructible. Aside from It’s flammability, human hair decays at such a slow rate that it is practically non-dis-integrative. If you’ve ever wondered how you clog up your pipes so quickly, consider this: hair cannot be destroyed by cold, change of climate, water, or other natural forces and it is resistant to many kinds of acids and corrosive chemicals.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE HUMAN BRAIN

The human brain is the most complex and least understood part of the human anatomy. There may be a lot we don’t know, but here are a few interesting facts that we've just covered.

1.  NERVE IMPULSES TO AND FROM THE BRAIN TRAVEL AS FAST AS 170 MILES PER HOUR. Ever wonder how you can react so fast to things around you or why that stubbed toe hurts right away? It’s due to the super-speedy movement of nerve impulses from your brain to the rest of your body and vice versa, bringing reactions at the speed of a high powered luxury sports car.

2.  THE BRAIN OPERATES ON THE SAME AMOUNT OF POWER AS 10-WATT LIGHT BULB. The cartoon image of a light bulb over your head when a great thought occurs isn’t too far off the mark. Your brain generates as much energy as a small light bulb even when you’re sleeping.

3.  THE HUMAN BRAIN CELL CAN HOLD 5 TIMES AS MUCH INFORMATION AS THE ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA. Or any other encyclopedia for that matter. Scientists have yet to settle on a definitive amount but the storage capacity of the brain in electronic terms is thought to be between 3 or even 1,000 terabytes. The National Archives of Britain, containing over 900 years of history, only takes up 70 terabytes, making your brain’s memory power pretty darn impressive.

4.  YOUR BRAIN USES 20% OF THE OXYGEN THAT ENTERS YOUR BLOODSTREAM. The brain only makes up about 2% of our body mass, yet consumes more oxygen than any other organ in the body, making it extremely susceptible to damage related to oxygen deprivation. So breathe deep to keep your brain happy and swimming in oxygenated cells.

5.  THE BRAIN IS MUCH MORE ACTIVE AT NIGHT THAN DURING THE DAY. Logically, you would think that all the moving around, complicated calculations and tasks and general interaction we do on a daily basis during our working hours would take a lot more brain power than, say, lying in bed. Turns out, the opposite is true. When you turn off your brain turns on. Scientists don’t yet know why this is but you can thank the hard work of your brain while you sleep for all those pleasant dreams.

6.  SCIENTISTS SAY THE HIGHER YOUR I.Q. THE MORE YOU DREAM. While this may be true, don’t take it as a sign you’re mentally lacking if you can’t recall your dreams. Most of us don’t remember many of our dreams and the average length of most dreams is only 2-3 seconds–barely long enough to register.

7.  NEURONS CONTINUE TO GROW THROUGHOUT HUMAN LIFE. For years scientists and doctors thought that brain and neural tissue couldn't grow or regenerate. While it doesn't act in the same manner as tissues in many other parts of the body, neurons can and do grow throughout your life, adding a whole new dimension to the study of the brain and the illnesses that affect it.

8.  INFORMATION TRAVELS AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS WITHIN DIFFERENT TYPES OF NEURONS. Not all neurons are the same. There are a few different types within the body and transmission along these different kinds can be as slow as 0.5 meters/sec or as fast as 120 meters/sec.

9.  THE BRAIN ITSELF CANNOT FEEL PAIN. While the brain might be the pain center when you cut your finger or burn yourself, the brain itself does not have pain receptors and cannot feel pain. That doesn’t mean your head can’t hurt. The brain is surrounded by loads of tissues, nerves and blood vessels that are plenty receptive to pain and can give you a pounding headache.

10. 80% OF THE BRAIN IS WATER. Your brain isn’t the firm, gray mass you’ve seen on TV. Living brain tissue is a squishy, pink and jelly-like organ thanks to the loads of blood and high water content of the tissue. So the next time you’re feeling dehydrated get a drink to keep your brain hydrated.

Now my question is this: If God can design something as complex as the human brain, don't you think He can answer ALL your prayers and provide solutions to your every problem? Think about it. God still answers prayer!

GET INSPIRED. BE INSPIRED

Been going through some scriptures and I thought I should share them with you guys. When you read the scripture, connect with it and you'll be blessed. Like and share. Do have a wonderful day. Remain blessed and be a blessing. 

Psalm 120:1

I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me.

Psalm 119:71

It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.

Psalm 119:50

My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.

Psalm 119:25

I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word.

Psalm 119:114-115

You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.  Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!

Psalm 118:14-16

The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.  Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: "The LORD's right hand has done mighty things!  The LORD's right hand is lifted high; the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!"

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

1 Peter 5:7

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Psalm 55:22

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

Psalm 16:8

I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

2 Timothy 1:7

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Psalm 46:1-3

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,  though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. "Selah"

John 16:33

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Proverbs 18:10

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

HOW TO PREPARE THE REAL AFANG SOUP

I know I’m a dude but for now let’s forget that fact. This is my area. I can cook very well. Where do you think I got the name, Jeff The Chef from? (smiles). Now back to business.

Cooking Afang soup is easy. There are many methods of cooking this soup. Depending on the taste you want, or how thick, green and fresh you want it. There are times I add palm oil at the very beginning like this one. At other times, I add palm oil when cooking is almost done.

Afang soup is very healthy and filling. There are times I just eat the soup alone with a spoon or my fingers. When cooking this soup, remember to make the quantity of water leaf more than the Afang. Add both vegetables at the same time and please do not squeeze out the green juice in the Water leaf before adding. You can blend the Afang if you like. It can also be pounded with a mortar like I did this one.

Even if you forget to buy other ingredients, do not forget crayfish, smoked catfish and stock-fish. And of course periwinkle. We call it “mfi”. For snail and kpomo lovers, please add those. Snails and cow skin will give an added taste to your Afang soup. 

Another method of cooking Afang soup is by adding cooked oil to fried crayfish and onion. This method gives a sharp, spicy taste. The soup is cooked, but without palm oil or crayfish. When soup is ready, chopped onion and grounded crayfish are fried in palm oil, added and allowed to cook a little before removing from heat. This fried crayfish method of cooking Afang soup can make one finish a whole big bowl of eba. (Trust me. I know what talking about)

Sometimes, after washing my periwinkle, I dry it very well in the oven before cooking. Dried periwinkle is fun to chew when cooked.

Boil goat meat with stock fish, onion and salt. Add palm oil and pepper to stock fish. Add seasoning to boiling palm oil and stock fish.

 Ingredients:

·         Water

·         Goat meat 1 kilo (or more)

·         Stock fish 1 big pack (or more)

·         Onion

·         Salt

·         Palm oil

·         Seasoning cubes

·         Crayfish 1 cup ( 7cm measuring cup)

·         Smoked cat fish 3 (or more)

·         Afang leaves 4 cups

·         Water leaf 2 large bunches

·         Periwinkle 2 cups (or more)

·         Snails (optional but very highly recommended)

·         Cow skin (optional but very highly recommended)

·         Dry Shrimps (optional)

·         Bonga fish (optional)

·         A sprinkle of Hot leaf (optional)

Preparation

·         Add enough ground crayfish

·         Add washed smoked cat fish

·         Add pounded Afang vegetable to cooked stock and tender meat/stock fish

·         Stir in Afang before adding washed water leaf

·         Add waterleaf immediately after. Do not squeeze out the chlorophyll in your water leaf

·         Add washed periwinkle.

·         Stir and mix well before removing from heat

·         Afang soup is cooked

·         Cooked Afang vegetable soup still looks green and fresh.

Salt is used to preserve mfi/ periwinkle. So to avoid turning your nice pot of soup into a pond of salt, add salt and seasoning sparingly before adding periwinkle. Ensure that the

Periwinkle is properly washed with much water to remove the salt.

Do not let vegetables boil and cook for long before removing from heat. There is so much water (green juice) in water leaf, which drains into the pot if allowed to boil. To avoid cooking watery vegetable soup. Do not boil green vegetables.

Afang vegetable soup can be served with garri, semo, wheat meal, pounded yam and even starch.

Afang soup is very irresistible. Even these white dudes have tasted and testified!