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Thursday 1 December 2016

Here Is What China’s Five Star Toilet Looks Like (14 pics)

This is a new five-star restroom in the Bishan district of Chongqing, China. The facility is 150 square meters and has an elegant interior design as well as quality materials: like marble floors, granite imitation walls, lacquered wood doors and urinal separators, even chandeliers. A central heating system and 24-hour air-conditioning keep the place at a constant temperature of 26 degrees Celsius all the time. There is also a high-quality stereo system that plays soothing music. The five-star public restroom cost about 800,000 yuan ($115,785) to build.














Watercress and broccoli found to kill cancer stem cells within 24 hours

Adults and children alike tend to have a strong opinion about cruciferous vegetables.  Vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage are vegetables that some people really love, while others only tolerate them smothered in cheese.

WATERCRESS AND BROCCOLI SHOWN TO INCREASE ANTIOXIDANTS IN THE BLOOD AND LOWER RISK OF PROSTATE, COLON, AND BREAST CANCERS.

Cruciferous vegetables are well known for their anticancer effects.  Recent research has paired watercress with these powerhouse vegetables.  Watercress is showing great potential for cancer prevention and management.  This peppery green has been shown to increase the levels of antioxidants in the blood and protect the body’s DNA against damage.  Growing evidence now suggests that eating watercress may lower risk of prostate, colon, and breast cancer, and counteract the process in which cancer grows and spreads.  
Watercress and broccoli contain glucosinolates, which are phytochemicals that produce isothiocyanates, which have been found to have anticancer effects.  These compounds have been shown to protect against breast, lung, colorectal, head and neck, and prostate cancer.  
When a tumor outgrows its own blood or food supply, it will then send signals to the surrounding tissue to deliver more oxygen and nutrients.  Compounds in watercress has been shown to shut off this signal.  

COMPOUND PRODUCED WHEN CHEWING WATERCRESS AND BROCCOLI CAN KILL CANCER STEM CELLS WITHIN 24 HOURS.

New research adds to the current data that broccoli and watercress will help keep cancer at bay.  This research shows that when the compounds and enzymes found in cruciferous vegetables are combined with the chewing process, phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) is produced.  The study found that sufficient cancer-preventing levels of PEITC can be achieved through diet alone! 
When cancer is treated with chemotherapy or radiation, the tumor disappears, but the cancer stem cells live on. “These cells are frequently resistant to conventional therapies,” associate professor Moul Dey said. 
“These tiny cells are very difficult to detect in a tumor,” Dey pointed, adding that for a long time scientists did not even know they existed. “It’s like finding a needle in a haystack.” 
Cancer stem cells make up less than 5 percent of a tumor, but are powerful in that they can regenerate the original tumor and spread cancer to secondary locations. 
The research team treated cervical cancer stem cells with PEITC and found that 75 percent of these stem cells died within 24 hours.  The research team found that even low concentrations of PEITC are effective and produce similar results.

Critical Things About Coconut Oil that Cancer Conventional Medicine Doesn’t Want You To Know

Recent studies prove the relationship existing between coconut oil and cancer.  In one study, results confirm the ability of lauric acid, a medium chained fatty acid, to kill up to 93% of colon cancer cells within 48 hours.
Here are essential things about how coconut oil can be your natural solution to prevent and help cure cancer.

Lauric Acid Content

Pure coconut oil is an excellent source of lauric acid. It contains about 50 percent lauric acid, a fat which is actually rarely found in nature.
This acid is one of the worst enemies of cancer cells.  Lauric acid works like poison that kills cancer cells and prevents them to form and spread in your body.
Cancer cells thrive in a body where free radicals easily unleash their wrath.  When your body produces more free radicals than it can counteract the damage, it becomes a potential host to cancer cells. What Lauric acid does is to tilt the balance in favor of antioxidants.  You need antioxidants because they counteract free radical damage.  Antioxidants must overpower free radicals to beat cancer.

Backed by Science

Scientific evidence proves that pure coconut oil may kill and prevent cancer cells.  The thing is that these studies do not get the publicity they deserve.  Perhaps the reason is that drug-based cancer treatment is big business.
In addition to the study proving how lauric acid kills 93% of colon cancer, another study confirms how coconut oil can also treat and prevent breast cancer. Results prove that virgin coconut oil is an effective adjunct treatment for breast cancer.

Benefits of Saturated Fat

Coconut oil is a saturated fat.  Recent studies have debunked the misconceptions about saturated fats. 
The saturated fat in coconut oil belongs to medium chain triglycerides.  This type of fats is easier to digest.  Further, medium chain triglycerides are the ones that can hardly trigger the formation of cancer cells.

Regulates Blood Sugar

Cancer cells need sugar to form, spread, and survive in your body.  Thus, to prevent their formation and to get rid of them, deny these cells the environment they need to thrive.
Coconut oil is an effective natural remedy for managing and controlling blood sugar. It can even help in reversing type 2 diabetes.  This is important since diabetes can make matter worst for cancer patients.
According to health experts at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the formation of cancer cells is one of the long-term effects of unregulated blood sugar, pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes.
Experts worldwide continue to explore the link between coconut oil and cancer.  Use pure coconut oil as part of your cancer treatment.  Note that the oil is not a substitute for other treatments that you need.    It is also best to use pure coconut oil as preventive treatment for cancer.
While more research is definitely needed in the field, you can’t go wrong by starting to cook your dishes with coconut oil or add it by the spoon to your morning smoothies. Not only will it help your body prevent and fight cancer, it enables your body to absorb more nutrients from the food you eat as well.

Top 10 toxic ingredients used by McDonald's

McDonald’s has a very complicated brand image: entirely unhealthy, yet an affordable option that is almost universally available. McDonald’s isn’t a place we go to get our nutritional needs met, and with most research connecting our Western/fast food diet directly to various diseases, such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease, one begins to wonder why this company continues to serve billions and billions. Availability is a key to McDonald’s worldwide success. This fast food mecca can be found in every airport, off rural highways, on college campuses and, who knows, maybe one day the golden arches might even show up in Arches National Park. All joking aside, the global addiction to McDonald’s is frightening, and assuming that McDonald’s isn’t going away anytime soon, then perhaps it is time you know some of the toxic ingredients that can be found in a typical McDonald’s menu.

ACRYLAMIDE

The items on a McDonald’s menu may vary slightly from country to country, but there is one fried food you can expect to find worldwide: fries. In Canada, these “Famous Fries” can be served with gravy or cheese curds, but all McDonald’s fries contain one very unhealthy element: acrylamide. While acrylamide is not an added ingredient, it is a result of frying food, one of the most common methods of cooking at McDonald’s. Acrylamide levels are particularly high in fried potatoes. The debate over the link to acrylamide and cancer continues, yet this chemical compound can be found on the Proposition 65 list. This is a list of chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. Additionally, the National Toxicology Program lists acrylamide as a chemical which may be “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” How long a food is cooked can also affect acrylamide levels. For example, if your fries are cooked longer and their color turns a dark brown, then these fries will contain much higher levels of acrylamide than fries which are cooked for less time.

AZODICARBONAMIDE

Almost every bun at McDonald’s contains dough conditioners. These are ingredients which are used to “improve” the texture of the dough. McDonald’s uses azodicarbonamide in their buns, from the sesame to the McRib bun. Azodicarbonamide is also a chemical foaming agent, a blowing agent for plastics and rubbers and a common food additive, and it is even found in some tobacco products. In the UK, you cannot find azodicarbonamide in McDonald’s buns, because it is a banned food additive there. It is also banned in most European countries, as well as Australia. In Singapore, using azodicarbonamide can result in a 15-year prison sentence and a fine of $450,000.
Some McDonald’s food items are prepared with a liquid margarine which contains partially hydrogenated soybean oil. Partially hydrogenated oils are very high in trans fat. Trans fats are known to increase one’s risk of heart disease and may also add to one’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Trans fats raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol which increases your risk of cardiovascular disease.

SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE

Sodium acid pyrophosphate (SAPP) is a synthetic substance which is often used as a leavening agent. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CPSI) warns that “excessive consumption of phosphates could lead to dietary imbalances that might contribute to osteoporosis.” SAPP can be found in the McDonald’s hash browns, eggs and tortillas, to name a few fast food items. In bulk form, SAPP may cause severe inflammation if it comes into contact with the skin or eyes, or is inhaled or ingested.

DIMETHYLPOLYSILOXANE

Dimethylpolysiloxane is added to cooking oils and is used as an anti-foaming agent to cook McDonald’s Filet-o-Fish, Chicken McNuggets and french fries. Dimethylpolysiloxane can also be found in cosmetics, hair conditioners, silly putty and even in breast implants. 

THBQ

The Chicken McNuggets are also prepared in a vegetable oil with a chemical preservative called THBQ, or tertiary butylhydroquinone, a petroleum-based product which can also be found in cosmetic products such as eyeshadows.

SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE

Sodium aluminum phosphate is another food additive in the batter of McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets. Several studies have shown a possible link to sodium aluminum phosphate and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

SODIUM BENZOATE

Sodium benzoate can be found in many of McDonald’s sauces, as well as in most of their soft drinks. One UK study found that consuming a mixture of sodium benzoate with artificial food colors can be linked to increased hyperactivity in children. The study recommended that children should avoid foods with these products.

DISODIUM 5′-RIBONUCLEOTIDES

Disodium 5′-ribonucleotides (a combination of disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate) can be found in McDonald’s chicken products as well as in some of their sauces. Disodium guanylate is not safe for very young babies (under 3 months old) and should be avoided by asthmatics and people with gout.

SODIUM METABISULFITE

Sodium metabisulfite is another dough conditioner used in McDonald’s tortillas, and it is known to cause allergic reactions in people who are sensitive to sulfites. Sulfites also may be related to certain diseases and health conditions, including skin conditions, lethargy, diabetes, bloating, joint pain and even brain fog. Sodium metabisulfite is also used in waste treatment and as a bleaching agent in coconut cream.

HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

McDonald’s has a very hardworking PR campaign that tries to minimize the adverse health effects caused by these toxic ingredients. On their own website, they claim that high-fructose corn syrup, an ingredient used in many of their products, is similar in composition to sugar. They also state that HFCS is in a “wide variety of products found on your local supermarket shelves,” which is clearly a way of trying to normalize the use of HFCS. It is also an attempt to skirt the issue and avoid the serious and well-documented negative health effects caused by consumption of HFCS.
The toxic ingredients found in many of McDonald’s products are hidden in their cooking oils, breads and sauces. The science experiments taking place in the McDonald’s kitchens are filled with foods (and chemicals) that you do not want to eat. 

50 Reasons To Stockpile Vinegar

1. Disinfect wood cutting boards.
2. Soothe a sore throat; use 1 tsp. of vinegar per glass of water, then gargle.
3. Fight dandruff; after shampooing, rinse hair with vinegar and 2 cups of warm water.
4. Remove warts; apply daily a 50/50 solution of cider vinegar and glycerin until they’re gone.
5. Cure an upset stomach; drink 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar in one cup of water.
6. Polish chrome.
7. Keep boiled eggs from cracking; add 2 tbsp to water before boiling.
8. Clean deposits from fish tanks.
9. Remove urine stains from carpet.
10. Keep fleas off dogs; add a little vinegar to the dog’s drinking water.
11. Keep car windows from frosting up; use a solution of 3 oz. vinegar to 1 oz. water.
12. Clean dentures; soak overnight in vinegar and then brush.
13. Get rid of lint in clothes; add 0.5 cup vinegar to rinse cycle.
14. Remove grease from suede.
15. Kill grass on sidewalks and driveways.
16. Make wool blankets softer; add 2 cups distilled vinegar to rinse cycle.
17. Remove skunk odor from a dog; rub fur with full strength vinegar and rinse.
18. Freshen wilted vegetables; soak them in 1 tbsp vinegar and a cup of cold water.
19. Dissolve mineral deposits in drip coffee makers.
20. Deodorize drains; pour a cup down the drain once a week, let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse.
21. Use as a replacement for a lemon; 0.25 tsp.. vinegar substitutes for 1 tsp. of lemon juice.
22. Make rice fluffier; add 1 tsp. of vinegar to water when it boils.
23. Prevent grease build-up in ovens; wipe oven with cleaning rag soaked in distilled vinegar and water.
24. Kill germs; mix a 50-50 solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
25. Clean a clogged shower head.; pour vinegar into a zip-lock bag and gang it around the shower head. let it soak overnight to remove any mineral deposits.
26. Shine patent leather.
27. Remove the smell from laundry that has been left in the washer too long; pour 1 cup of vinegar in with the load and rewash it.
28. Make propane lantern wicks burn longer/brighter; soak them in vinegar for 3 hours, let dry.
29. Act as an an air freshener.
30. Soften paint brushes; soak in hot vinegar then rinse with soapy water.
31. Remove bumper stickers and decals; simply cover them with vinegar-soaked cloth for several minutes.
32. Prolong the life of fresh-cut flowers; use 2 tbsp of vinegar and 3 tbsp of sugar per quart of warm water
33.  Prevent Mildew; Wipe down shower walls with a vinegar solution.
34. Soften calloused feet;  soak your feet in a mixture 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water for 30 minutes then scrub them with a pumice stone. The dead skin should slough off easily.
35. Treat Acne;  start with a solution of organic apple cider vinegar and water at a ration of 1:8, apply the toner to blemishes and  leave on a minimum of 2 minutes.
36. Preserve food; many vegetables that would otherwise require pressure canning may be waterbath canned if you pickle them in vinegar.
37. Remove stains from white counter tops; mix a paste of baking soda and vinegar, apply it to the stain overnight, then scrub it clean in the morning.
38. Remove cooking spray build-up; vinegar cuts grease on baking sheets when spritzed on from a spray bottle, then washed as usual.
39. Control blood sugar; drink high quality apple cider vinegar 4 times per day to keep blood sugar under control.
40. Keep psoriasis under control; wash the affected area with plain white vinegar several times per week.
41. Kill moss; spray it, undiluted, on moss.
42. Penetrating fluid for rusty items; soak metal items that are rusted together in vinegar overnight. If you begin to get some movement, replace the vinegar with fresh vinegar and soak for one more day. The items should become freed up.
43. Use in place of commercial fabric softener; add it to the last cycle in your washing machine. (Don’t worry, the water will rinse out any vinegar smell)
44. Remove pesticide from produce; soak produce in a sink full of water with 1 cup of vinegar and half a cup of baking soda
45. Remove ball point pen marks from walls; dab full strength vinegar on the spot with a cloth. Repeat until the mark is gone. (Don’t scrub, though, or you’ll just smear the mark all over the wall.)
46. Remove sticky residue from scissors; dip them in a cup of full strength vinegar. Then use that vinegar for other cleaning purposes.
47. Remove candle wax; if you get candle wax on your wood table, soften the candle wax with the heat of a blow dryer. Dip a cloth into equal parts vinegar and water, then gently scrub away the rest of the wax.
48. Get rid of the smell of smoke; if you burn dinner (or have a smoker in your home), you can get rid of the smell by sitting a bowl of pure vinegar out in the area where the smell is.
49. Make a trap for fruit flies (gnats); put apple cider vinegar in a Mason jar.  Poke some holes in the lid large enough for them to get in. They’ll be drawn to the smell, then die in the jar.
50. Kill weeds in the cracks of your sidewalk; forget about using toxic Round-up on weeds. Spray full strength white vinegar on the plant at the roots. (10% is best if you have a real issue, not the kitchen kind).

These Are the Real Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar has been touted as a cure-all for decades. I’ve seen claims that it can do everything from halt hiccups to whiten teeth, and even banish dandruff. Whether or not it's capable of all those things, there is some solid research to back up apple cider vinegar as a healthy elixir, as long as you use it correctly.
One promising benefit: It seems to help regulate blood sugar. A study published in Diabetes Care looked at men and women with type 2 diabetes. The researchers found that when the participants downed two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bed with a snack (one ounce of cheese), they had lower blood sugar levels the next morning, compared to when they ate the same bedtime snack paired with two tablespoons of water.
Another study published in the same journal compared the effects of apple cider vinegar on healthy adults, people with pre-diabetes, and people with type 2 diabetes. Study participants in all three groups had better blood glucose readings when they consumed less than an ounce of apple cider vinegar with a high-carb meal (a white bagel with butter and orange juice), compared to when they the had the same meal and drank a placebo. People with pre-diabetes improved their blood glucose levels with vinegar by nearly half, while people with diabetes cut their blood glucose concentrations by 25%. 
Some research also suggests that apple cider vinegar may ward off scale creep. In a study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, mice fed a high-fat diet along with acetic acid—vinegar’s key component—developed up to 10% less body fat than control rodents. The researchers believe the findings support the notion that acetic acid turns on genes that trigger enzymes to break down fat and prevent weight gain.
To investigate this effect in humans, Japanese scientists conducted a double-blind trial on obese adults with similar body weights and waist measurements in 2009. They divided the participants into three groups. Every day for 12 weeks, one group drank a beverage containing half an ounce of apple cider vinegar. Another group drank a beverage with one ounce of apple cider vinegar. And the third group had a drink containing no vinegar at all. At the end of the study, the people who drank one of the beverages with vinegar had less belly fat, lower triglycerides and waist measurements, and a lower body weight and BMI, compared to the no-vinegar group. 
Apple cider vinegar may also be a boon to digestive health, based on the results of a study done on mice with ulcerative colitis. The researchers found that when acetic acid was added to their drinking water, they had higher levels of good bacteria in their guts, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria, and reduced symptoms of the gastrointestinal disease.
While the evidence behind apple cider vinegar seems promising, there are a few things to keep in mind before you start downing the stuff. First off, I don’t recommend drinking straight vinegar. Undiluted shots have been known to wear away tooth enamel, and damage the esophagus. Also, too much apple cider vinegar may lower potassium levels in the body. 
If you want to give it a go, swirl two teaspoons of organic apple cider vinegar and a teaspoon of organic honey into a cup of warm water once a day. Or simply use apple cider vinegar as a main ingredient in salad dressing, or chilled veggie side dishes, like vinegar-based slaw. 
My go-to recipe: Whisk together one tablespoon each apple cider vinegar and lemon juice, add a half teaspoon of minced garlic, a dash of ground black pepper, and a few fresh basil leaves, chopped. It's fantastic drizzled over fresh leafy greens, broad beans, or cooked, chilled fingerling potatoes.
Just remember, making vinegar a daily habit won't cancel out the effects of overeating. Think of it as one piece of your wellness puzzle, and not a panacea.

Wednesday 30 November 2016

Venezuela's currency now worth so little shopkeepers weigh vast piles of notes instead of counting them

Inflation in Venezuela is expected to reach 720 per cent this year, with the largest bolívar bill now worth just five US cents on the black market
Some shopkeepers have reportedly taken to weighing rather than counting the wads of cash customers hand them, and standard-size wallets have become all but useless in the socialist South American state. Instead, many people stuff huge volumes of cash into handbags, money belts, or backpacks, in scenes analysts have said are suggestive of "runaway" inflation.
In 2014, plummeting global oil prices decimated Venezuela's economy. President Nicolás Maduro responded by fixing the official exchange rate and ordering banks to print more cash, which ultimately devalued the currency further, while goods prices soared.   
The country of 30 million does not publish consumer-price data on a regular basis, but observers have said scenes on the streets of the capital, Caracas, are reminiscent of the past century's most chaotic cases of hyperinflation. 
Humberto Gonzalez, who runs a delicatessen in the city, said he uses the same scales to weigh slices of salty white cheese and the stacks of bolívar notes handed over by his customers .
“It’s sad,“ Mr Gonzalez told Bloomberg. ”At this point, I think the cheese is worth more.”
Jesus Casique, a consulting firm director, told the news site that although weighing cash was not ubiquitious, it was indicative of a financial crisis.
“When they start weighing cash, it’s a sign of runaway inflation,” he said. “But Venezuelans don’t know just how bad it is because the government refuses to publish figures.”
Oil makes up a staggering 95 per cent of Venezuela's exports, and accounts for a quarter of the country's economy, with oil-related revenues having historically supplied roughly half the government budget. This kind of over-reliance on a single export notoriously depresses all other industries in a country, in a phenomenon known by economists as "Dutch Disease".  
When the price of oil on the global market collapsed by two-thirds in 2014, Venezuela had little else to fall back on, so a natural reaction would have been for the bolívar to collapse. But Mr Maduro, who succeeded Hugo Chávez following the revolutionary leader's death in 2013, instead tried to control the exchange rate, creating a massive black market for currency.
Figuring out scams to get dollars and then sell them for bolívars became hugely lucrative business for Venezuelans, setting off a feedback loop that drove the inflation rate higher and higher. 
In one of Caracas richer neighbourhoods, the owner of a tiny kiosk selling newspapers, cigarettes and snacks told the Washington Post that every evening he quietly stuffs a plastic bag full of the day’s earnings, around 100,000 bolívars (about £42) in notes of 10, 20, 50 and 100 bolívars. Venezuela has one of the highest crime rates in the world, and he said carrying that much cash frightens him.
“All of Caracas is unsafe,” the 42-year-old told the newspaper, opting not to give his name.
His best-selling item is cigarettes, he said, which have climbed in price from 250 bolívars to 2,000 bolívars a pack — at least 20 bills.
The shrinking value of the currency has meant that withdrawing the equivalent of £5 from an ATM produces a fistful of more than 100 bills. Some ATMs now need to be refilled every three hours, because the machines can only hold so much cash. This means there are often a limited number of functioning ATMs in Caracas, and long queues to withdraw money. 
Electronic payment is increasingly common in the country Henkel Garcia, director of the Venezuelan economic think tank Econométrica, told the Washington Post. “The use of online payments is likely to have soared," he said.
But it is expensive for small businesses to buy and set up credit-card machines.
Mr Maduro, who has largely continued the socialist policies of his predecessor, blamed the situation on an “economic war” waged by his opponents in the business community and in the United States. But, in a sign his government recognises the severity of the problem, he recently announced the issue of larger-denomination bills, expected in January.
The notes are reportedly set to start at 500 bolivars and reach 20,000 bolivars, or just over £8.
Until the notes are issued, however, the Venezuelan people are poorer than ever, while the country is awash with cash. 
Bremmer Rodrigues, who runs a bakery on the outskirts of Caracas, said his family are at a loss over what to do with their bags of bills. Every day his business takes in hundreds of thousands of bolívar, he said, which he hides around his office until packing them up in boxes to deposit at the bank. He said if someone looked in on him, he might be mistaken for a drug dealer.