Dog 'Jack' Mastered The Art Of Putting Himself To Bed

Victor Noir’s Mysterious Erection

The Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris is home to many famous dead people, including Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. The grave of Oscar Wilde, in particular, is very popular. His female fans have smothered the tomb with kisses leaving red lipstick marks all over. Many female visitors, after assaulting the grave of the famous Irish writer, move over to the adjacent plot for their next target—the effigy of Victor Noir.

It’s perfectly reasonable to ask who Victor Noir is, just like it was a century and a half ago when the man was alive. He was an ordinary young man, an unimpressive fellow, who just found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nobody knew him until he was dead. His recent cult following, however, has nothing to do with the manner of his death nor its political fallout, but rather on the mysterious bulge in his pants.

Photo credit: David Edwards/Flickr

Victor Noir was working as an apprentice journalist for the newspaper La Marseillaise, in 19th century Paris. At that time, the newspaper’s owner, Henri Rochefort, and the editor, Pascal Grousset, became embroiled in a conflict with Prince Pierre Bonaparte, the great-nephew of Napoleon, and cousin of the then-ruling Emperor Napoleon III. In order to settle the matter in a way unbefitting of an editor of a newspaper, Grousset sent Victor Noir and another of his employee to the home of Bonaparte to deliver a challenge to a duel. Prince Bonaparte originally declined the challenge and asserted his willingness to fight Rochefort instead. An altercation broke out that resulted in Bonaparte drawing out his pistol and shooting Victor dead.

The murder of a journalist by a member of the emperor’s family infuriated the public, and on the day of the funeral, some 100,000 people showed up at Noir’s home in Neuilly. To add salt to injury, Pierre Bonaparte was acquitted of the murder charge, leading to a number of violent demonstrations across the city. Later on that year, the Prussians invaded France and the empire was overthrown.

Victor Noir’s martyrdom was conveniently forgotten and the young journalist remained peacefully in his hometown Neuilly for the next twenty years, until his name began to make rounds again. This time, a decision was made to erect a memorial to his name. Renowned French sculptor, Jules Dalou, was given the job of creating the sculpture in bronze.

Dalou choose to depict Victor Noir at his moment of death. Using sketches made by the press for reference, Dalou sculpted a life-sized bronze effigy of Victor lying flat on the ground as though he had just fallen down when he met his unnatural death. For reasons unknown, Dalou decided to give the sculpture a noticeable bulge under the belt. Whether or not anybody noticed this, we don’t know, but in the 1970s, a myth began that rubbing the crotch and kissing the statue on the lips will bring women enhanced fertility and a blissful sex life. You can see the effect of this myth on the statue—Victor Noir’s lips and groin are shiny, while the rest of his body has the usual greenish tone of oxidized bronze.

In 2004 a fence was erected around the statue of Noir, to deter indecent touching of the statue. But this agitated so many women that the fence was torn down again.

Photo credit: Chupacabra Viranesque/Flickr

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Photo credit: istolethetv/Flickr

Photo credit: Neil Howard/Flickr

China's BRI exposes its ulterior strategic motives

It is felt that Beijing's manufacturing facilities place significant emphasis on agricultural output, "which addresses China's food insecurity."

The official narrative in China and the highlighting of the country's "core interests" in terms of fostering and promoting economic development in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region through the ambitiously conceived "Belt Road Initiative" (BRI) may not be entirely true.

According to a report prepared by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), a Washington D.C.-based non-profit organisation dedicated to data-driven analysis and evidence-based reporting of global conflict and security issues, Beijing so-called dynamic infrastructure and investment-dominant BRI initiative most definitely has a strategic component to it that a wary international community is aware and concerned about.

The report says, ". investments may not be principally driven by the concept of win-win development. Maritime infrastructure investment is inherently dual-use and is capable of furthering both legitimate business activities and military operations. The strategic characteristics of six analytical dimensions that are exhibited across China's Indo-Pacific investments-having strategic location, a dual-use development model, notable Communist Party presence, significant financial control, limited transparency and unequal benefits."


These "several marked examples of unprofitability suggest that Beijing is actively seeking to leverage the geopolitical capacity of its port projects, as discussed by Chinese analysts.

The C4ADS report is also of the view that port-linked investments by China will eventually deliver to it strategic advantages and are indicative of that country's long acknowledged and accepted policy of centralized control of schemes that it conceives from time to time, whether at home or abroad.

The report does not hesitate to flag China's ulterior motives through its analysis, maintaining that its BRI-related investments "are both serving China's national security interests and altering the strategic operating environment of the United States and its allies."

According to the report, port projects in the Indo-Pacific region fall along just a few of the BRI's nine economic pathways, and if looked at from the economic perspective, the Chinese government and through it Chinese firms are creating new markets for the exploitation of cheap labour as costs rise at home.

It is felt that Beijing's manufacturing facilities place significant emphasis on agricultural output, "which addresses China's food insecurity."

The report quotes Geoff Wade of the Australian National University as alleging that militarily, Cambodia's three ports on Koh Kong, which receives ships from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, "will be large enough to potentially host China's frigates and destroyers, though there is no concrete indication that China plans to establish a base there or use the proposed port as a place of forward deployment."

It must be kept in mind that planned hospitals and recreational areas in this port area "could theoretically host People's Liberation Army Navy crews on patrol in the Gulf of Thailand or on the eastern side of the Malacca Strait. Its proposed future industrial capacity could also theoretically provide logistical support to Chinese warships in line with strategies proposed by China's analysts."

Creating port related pilot zone, for instance in Cambodia, could potentially allow China to use a proposed "Thai Canal" to "circumvent China's Malacca Dilemma and cut approximately three days from the time required to ship through the Malacca Strait. In addition to facilitating exports and imports between the Indian Ocean and South East Asia, the Koh Kong Port could provide PLAN ships swifter access to the Indian Ocean and allow Beijing's navy to monitor these new sea lanes. Notably, the Chinese ambassador to Thailand (has) reportedly asserted that the Thai Canal is part of China's vision for the BRI."

Officially though what has been projected is that the Pilot Zone's master plan imagines building a nearly complete economy, with medical treatment centers, condominiums, resorts and hotels, manufacturing facilities, a deep-water port, and an international airport.

China's gradual control over Sri Lanka's Hambantota Port is another example of a country not being able to pay of its debts and opting to cede lease-based control to another country to arrive at some sort of one-sided concessional arrangement.

According to the C4ADS report, "Sri Lanka agreed to the aforementioned deal with China Merchants Holding and China Communication Construction Company for berth operating rights at Hambantota. Local media alleged that since negotiations for the deal had continued until the day before the agreement was signed, it was impossible that the Sri Lankan Cabinet had properly vetted the agreement prior to signing. Instead, local media contend that the contract was a backroom deal between (then President Mahinda) Rajapaksa and Beijing, in which Sri Lanka conceded the berths in exchange for more favorable repayment terms on other loans owed to China."

The report further reveals that, "All told, between 2005 and 2012, China is reported to have provided 4.761 billion USD in loans to Sri Lanka. Between 2012 and 2014, it pledged an additional 2.18 billion USD. Many of these ventures, particularly those named in honor of the president, have been described as vanity projects rather than legitimate sources of economic development for Sri Lanka."

China's influence in Sri Lanka, according to the C4ADS report, has, "seemingly resulted in a number of geostrategic wins for Beijing through 2014. Achieving operational control of four of seven berths at Hambantota coincided with port visits by the Chinese Navy's nuclear-powered submarine and the "Warship Changxing Dao", which alarmed India, as it had not been informed by Colombo ahead of time.

On the surface, the only objective of China's BRI is to increase infrastructure connectivity within Asia and beyond so as to facilitate "win-win" economic development and prosperity. Officially, these maritime infrastructure investments do not indicate any strategic agenda, but Western analysts think otherwise.

The report conclusively warns that, "If states do not heed the lessons of the Indo-Pacific, China will continue to pursue a security strategy that utilizes infrastructure investments to generate political influence, stealthily expand Beijing's military presence, and create an advantageous strategic environment."

7 Surprising Benefits of a Healthy Gut

If you are feeling depressed right now, your gut bacteria may be to blame. Research has linked poor gut health to bad mood, weak immune system, poor mental health, weight gain and many more surprising conditions.

Not all bacteria in your gut are bad. Your gut contains good bacteria that are very beneficial. And when you increase that good gut bacteria, it helps destroy the bad bacteria.

You probably know that changing your daily habits and eating probiotic-rich foods can help improve your gut health and foster that beneficial bacteria, but a healthy gut has more benefits than you may realize. Here are the surprising benefits of a healthy gut.

BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY GUT

1. Boosts Energy Levels

Eating nutrient-dense foods is not enough to boost your energy levels. Unless you have a healthy gut, your body will not absorb as many of the nutrients from the foods you eat. Maintaining a healthy gut helps the body absorb more nutrients and as a result, provide you with more energy.

In this study, researchers found that athletes performed better and experienced less fatigue after taking probiotic supplements. Luckily, you don’t have to be an athlete to enjoy the benefits of a healthy gut. 

2. Improves Brain Health

Which body part has been nicknamed “the second brain”? If you guessed the gut, you are right! Research shows that there is a very strong link between the gut and the brain.

Gut bacteria help produce serotonin, the feel-good hormone. Low levels of serotonin increase risk of depression. Improving gut health can also help prevent mood disorders.

3. Makes it Easier to Lose Weight

If you thinik that eating less and moving more are all it takes to lose weight, think again.

Poor gut health can cause overeating and obesity, according to research. Boosting good gut bacteria prevents overeating and make it easier to lose weight.

In fact, animal studies show that normal-sized mice gain weight (without overeating) when given gut flora from obese mice.

4. Improves Cholesterol Levels

According to this study, gut bacteria has an effect on triglyceride and HDL cholesterol levels. The results of the study show that the gut microbiome can improve triglycerides, HDL, and BMI by up to 6 percent.

5. Improves Oral Health

Your mouth and throat – aka the oral cavity - are full of bacteria, and even though they may not have a huge impact on your health, they can cause bad breath, tonsillitis, and sore throat.

Increasing good bacteria in your oral cavity can help keep your mouth and throat healthy. Tests show that using probiotic lozenges can increase good bacteria in the mouth and throat.

6. Prevents Excess Estrogen

Certain bad gut bacteria interfere with the processing of hormones. For instance, an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase has been shown to reactivate estrogen in the gut, which results in excess estrogen.

Luckily, research shows that taking probiotic supplements helps reduce the activity of beta-glucuronidase.

7. Strengthens the Immune System

Gut bacteria support the immune system in so many ways. They prevent pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract from getting into the body, reduce inflammation, and produce antibacterial substances that fight bacteria that cause infections.

Eating probiotics can strengthen your immune system. This study suggests that Acidolphus, which is found in yogurt, can help prevent diseases.

How Gardening Benefits Your Health

When we think about activities that boost our health and wellness, many of us immediately think of traditional exercise, like jogging or biking.

However, for those who aren’t exercise-inclined — or for those who want a change of pace — there’s another healthy alternative: Gardening. Gardening regularly is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself, not to mention the environment (if you practice sustainable gardening). 

Here are the four main reasons why gardening is so good for you:

TIME IN THE SUN

Though it’s important not to get sunburned, time in the sun is good for humans. Exposure to moderate amounts of sunlight helps the body create vitamin D. Unfortunately, as humans have moved indoors, their levels of vitamin D have declined. Some researchers have even theorized that vitamin D deficiency could be a global public health problem.

Wear a hat, loose but covering clothing, and some shades to protect yourself from the sun. Do your gardening outside of peak sunlight hours (between 10 and 2) to get some fresh air and vitamin D without the sunburn.

EXPERIENCING FLOW

“Flow” is the state where we’re fully immersed in the activity we’re doing, and it’s extremely good for our health. Many people experience flow when gardening and tend to lose track of time because they are so focused on the task at hand.

DE-STRESSING WITH NATURE

In addition to the de-stressing associated with flow, gardening also offers a calming effect thanks to the presence of nature. Simply being in nature is known to reduce stress levels, as does coming into contact with plants and the earth.

AEROBIC EXERCISE

Finally, all the sitting, standing, kneeling, bending over, scraping, digging and shoveling required for gardening can give you quite the workout! These types of movements offer a moderate level of aerobic exercise that, over the course of a few hours, can provide a major calorie burn.

Can You Eat Kiwi Skin?

A kiwifruit (or kiwi), also known as the Chinese gooseberry, is a nutritious, sweet-tart fruit. They are about the size of a chicken egg, with brown fuzzy skin, vibrant green or yellow flesh, small black seeds and a tender white core.

While many people love kiwis, there is some controversy over whether or not the skin should be eaten. Technically, the skin is edible, but some people dislike its fuzzy texture.

Let’s look at the pros and cons of eating kiwi skin, so you can decide whether you might want to give it a try.

THE SKIN IS VERY NUTRITIOUS

Kiwi skins contain a high concentration of nutrients, especially fiber, folate and vitamin E.

• Fiber: This critical nutrient feeds the good bacteria living in your gut. High-fiber diets are linked to lower risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes (1).
• Folate: Folate is an especially important nutrient for cell growth and division, and can help prevent neural tube defects during pregnancy (2, 3, 4)
• Vitamin E: This fat-soluble vitamin has strong antioxidant properties. It helps keep your cells healthy by preventing damage from free radicals (5).

Eating the skin of a kiwi can increase its fiber content by 50%, boost folate by 32% and raise vitamin E concentration by 34%, compared to eating the flesh alone (6).

Since many people do not consume enough of these nutrients in their diets, eating kiwis with the skin on is one easy way to boost your intake (7).

MOST OF THE ANTIOXIDANTS ARE IN THE SKIN

The skin of the kiwi contains many antioxidants. In fact, there is a higher concentration of antioxidants in the skin than in the flesh of the fruit (8).

The skin is a particularly good source of two major antioxidants: vitamin C and vitamin E (9, 10). Vitamin C is water-soluble, so it’s able to fight oxidative damage inside your cells and within your bloodstream (11). In contrast, vitamin E is fat-soluble, and primarily fights free radicals within cell membranes (12).

Since kiwi skins are rich in both water-soluble and fat-soluble antioxidants, they offer strong antioxidant protection for your entire body.

EATING THE SKIN CAN BE UNPLEASANT FOR SOME PEOPLE

Kiwi skin is packed full of nutrients, but eating it can be unpleasant for some people. People often discard the skin because of its fuzzy texture and strange mouthfeel.

However, the fuzz can be partially removed by rubbing the fruit with a clean towel, scrubbing it with a vegetable brush or scraping it lightly with a spoon. 

If you prefer to remove the skin, simply slice it off with a paring knife or cut off one end of the kiwi and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh.

Kiwis can also irritate the insides of some people’s mouths.

This is due to the presence of naturally occurring calcium oxalate crystals, called raphides, that can scratch the tender skin inside your mouth. These microscopic scratches, combined with the acid in the fruit, can cause an unpleasant stinging sensation.

Peeling the fruit can help reduce this effect, since there is a high concentration of oxalates in the skin. However, raphides are also present in the flesh (13, 14, 15).

Ripe kiwis tend to produce less mouth irritation than underripe fruits, since the soft flesh traps some of the raphides and decreases their effects (16).

CERTAIN PEOPLE SHOULD NOT EAT KIWIS

While kiwis are enjoyable for most people, those with allergies or a tendency to develop kidney stones may need to avoid them.

Kiwi Allergies

There have been many documented cases of kiwi allergy, with symptoms ranging from a slightly itchy mouth to full-blown anaphylaxis. Anyone with a severe allergy should avoid these fruits (17, 18).

Those who suffer from mild symptoms may have oral allergy syndrome or latex food allergy syndrome (19, 20).

Oral allergies and latex food allergies occur when the immune system reacts to certain proteins, like those found in kiwi, that are similar in shape to birch pollen or latex (21). This causes unpleasant symptoms such as itching or tingling in the mouth, numb or swollen lips, scratchy throat and nasal or sinus congestion (22).

Some people suffering from these syndromes can tolerate cooked or canned kiwi, since heating changes the shape of the proteins and reduces cross-reactivity reactions (23, 24).

Kidney Stones

People with a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones may also want to avoid eating the skin of the kiwi, since it’s higher in oxalates than the inner flesh of the fruit (25).

Oxalates can bind with calcium in the body and form painful stones in the kidneys of those predisposed to this condition.

While not all research has shown benefits from reducing oxalate intake, it’s recommended by the American Urological Association for the management of kidney stones (26).

KIWIS ARE GOOD FOR YOU

Whether or not you choose to eat the skin, consuming the fruit of a kiwi is associated with a variety of health benefits, including:

• Improved cholesterol levels: Consuming two kiwis per day for eight weeks increases heart-healthy HDL cholesterol levels, boosts antioxidant levels in the blood and decreases dangerous oxidation of LDL cholesterol (27, 28).
• Lower blood pressure: Eating 3 kiwis per day has been shown to lower blood pressure by an average of 10 points in 8 weeks in some studies (29, 30).
• Better iron absorption: Pairing kiwifruit with iron-rich foods can increase iron absorption and help correct iron deficiency (31, 32).
• Increased immunity: Eating kiwi is associated with improved immunity and may help reduce head congestion and sore throat (33, 34, 35).
• Improved digestion: Kiwi contains an enzyme called actinidin that may help your body more easily digest proteins in your food (36, 37).
• Reduced constipation: The fiber in kiwifruit can help reduce constipation and ease bowel movements when consumed twice per day (38, 39, 40).

These studies used the flesh of the kiwi, but it’s reasonable to believe that the same health benefits can be had from eating fruit with the skin.

TIPS FOR SELECTING, PREPARING AND STORING

Kiwis are a hardy fruit that can last for a long time when properly selected, prepared and stored.

Selecting

If you plan on eating the kiwi skin, look for smaller fruits, as they tend to have more tender skin than larger varieties (41).

While green kiwis are the most commonly sold variety, SunGolds are a newer type that have sweet yellow flesh and fuzz-free skin. Kiwi grapes, a miniature smooth-skinned type of fruit, can also be enjoyed whole.

Look for fruit with smooth, blemish-free skin that gives slightly when pressed. If the kiwi is extremely firm, it’s underripe, but if it feels mushy, it’s overripe.

Some research suggests that organic kiwis may have more antioxidants than conventionally grown fruits, so you may want to choose organic when available (42).

Preparing

Wash the outside of the kiwi before eating to remove any dirt, germs or pesticides. Soaking the fruit for 15 minutes in a mixture of baking soda and water may help remove more residue than rinsing with water alone (43).

Kiwis are generally considered low in pesticide residues, but washing them is still a good idea since the fruit may have picked up other contaminants during processing, packaging or transport (44).

Storing

Kiwis are typically harvested when they are not yet ripe, and continue to ripen during storage (45).

The ripening process slows under cold temperatures, so kiwis should be ripened at room temperature and then moved to the refrigerator once they’re ready to eat (46). Once refrigerated, they can last up to four weeks.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Kiwis are a delicious and nutritious fruit choice for most people. While the skin is perfectly edible and provides lots of fiber, folate and antioxidants, some people dislike its texture.

There are many varieties of kiwi to choose from, including several with tender, fuzz-free skin, so you can experiment and find your favorite type.

People with sensitive mouths, kiwi allergies or a history of kidney stones should avoid eating the fruit and its skin, since it can exacerbate these conditions.

Regular kiwi consumption is associated with many health benefits, including better immunity, a lower risk of heart disease and improved digestive health, so it may be wise to include them in your diet.

8 vitamins and supplements that are a total waste of money — and could even be dangerous

Vitamins and minerals are essential to health, but that doesn't mean that megadoses will keep you out of the hospital or make you live longer. Some may be harmful. In most cases, it's preferable to get these nutrients from a balanced diet. High doses of certain vitamins and minerals may be appropriate for certain people, though. Talk to your doctor about supplements if you are a woman of childbearing age, are a vegetarian or vegan, have limited exposure to the sun, are an athlete in training, or suspect for any reason you may be malnourished. Here's the lowdown on eight common supplements — most of which are vitamins you probably don't need.

Beta-carotene

For most healthy adults, the recommended daily allowance of beta-carotone (in the form of vitamin A) is 3,000 IU for males and 2,130 IU for females. Some of its highest food sources include carrots, spinach, kale, and cantaloupe. Some people take is as an anti-cancer antioxidant, but the supplements can actually increase risk of lung cancer in smokers (learn how to notice symptoms of lung cancer) and hasn't been shown to prevent any other form of cancer. Bottom line: Don't take it. Don't miss these other vitamin mistakes you've been making.

Folic acid 

Aim to get 400 micrograms of folic acid, found in fortified bread and breakfast cereal, legumes, and asparagus, every day. Because it's been shown to reduce the risk of neural tube defects in newborns, some women take it while pregnant. But some doctors warn supplementation of food with folic acid could be fueling rising rates of colon cancer. Bottom line: Only women who are pregnant or may become pregnant are advised to take it. If you're a mom-to-be, you'll relate to these thoughts every woman has with a positive pregnancy test.

Selenium

Aim to get 55 micrograms of selenium from natural sources, like Brazil nuts, tuna, and beef. Some people take selenium to prevent cancer, especially prostate cancer. But those good intentions could actually be working against you — one major study found that taking selenium could actually increase risk of high-grade prostate cancer in men who were already high in the mineral. (One real prostate cancer prevention? Ejaculating. Find out how many times to ejaculate every month to cut cancer risk.) Selenium could also be one of the worst supplements for diabetes. Another 2007 study found a 50% increased risk of type 2 diabetes in people who took 200 micrograms a day. Bottom line: Don't take it.

Vitamin B6 

Adults between 19 and 50 should aim to get 1.4 milligrams of vitamin B6 from baked potatoes, bananas, and chickpeas daily. After age 50, men should aim for 1.5 milligrams, while females should get 1.5 milligrams. Some use it to prevent mental decline and lower levels of homocysteine (an amino acid associated with heart disease), but the studies are mixed. Two studies failed to show cognitive benefits, and while B6 does reduce homocysteine, it's not clear whether this prevents heart attacks. Bottom line: Take it only if your doctor recommends it. Instead, try these everyday habits that prevent Alzheimer's, and follow cardiologists' best heart-healthy advice.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12-rich foods include fish and shellfish, lean beef, and fortified breakfast cereal; it's avitamin vegetarians and vegans tend to be low in. Aim to get 2.4 micrograms from those sources every day. Vitamin B12 deficiency, which can cause anemia and dementia, is a problem for some seniors, so supplements can help. However, high doses of B12 have not been proven to prevent cognitive loss, and they don't boost energy. Bottom line: Only take it if your doctor recommends it. Ask your doctor if you've been showing signs of nutrient deficiency.

Vitamin C 

Vitamin C can be found in citrus fruits, melons, and tomatoes; adult males should get 90 milligrams a day, while women should aim for 75 milligrams. Some people take it to protect against the common cold, but a review of 30 clinical trials found no evidence that vitamin C prevents colds. There are some exceptions though: It may reduce the risk in people who live in cold climates or experience extreme physical stress, such as running marathons. Smokers may need extra vitamin C. Still, most people will be better off with these ways to prevent the cold and flu. Studies haven't backed up claims that high doses of vitamin C can fight cancer and heart disease. Bottom line: Most people don't need C supplements. Use these science-backed ways to avoid cancer instead.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E — found in vegetable oil, nuts, and leafy green vegetables — has been thought to prevent heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. Try to get 15 milligrams a day from food. Not only have studies failed to show that vitamin E supplements prevent heart attacks or cancer, but high doses may increase the risk of strokes. On the other hand, some foods can help prevent strokes. One study found that vitamin E from food—but not supplements—helps prevent Alzheimer's disease. Bottom line: Don't take it.

Zinc 

The daily recommended allowance for zinc — found in oysters, lean beef, and breakfast cereal — is 11 milligrams for males and 8 milligrams for females. There are claims that the mineral can prevent and treat symptoms of the common cold, but the evidence doesn't hold up. A few studies suggest that cold symptoms are less severe and resolve sooner in zinc users, but others show no benefit. Plus, high doses can actually weaken the immune system, so you might want to stick with these ways to treat a cold instead. Bottom line: Don't take it except for occasional use of zinc lozenges or sprays for colds.