Assessment #1 Blog Post

Blogs...

So what's the craze about blogs. It's really not for everyone. Not everyone has so much to say to everyone in the world. I am not against it, except that why am I so involved in it when this is the first time I've learnt about it? Time.... You need time to do this blogging thing. Sometimes it's hard to find time when you are juggling uni work, full time job and a family. But writing for whom? You don't even know who your audience is!
How to judge interestingness?
I focussed on looking for facts that is useful to me, hopefully it will be useful to someone else. That's why I share them.
The pictures uploaded on to Flickr are educational and informative.
The links in delicious (hopefully) have been helpful to those who live inside their own box. I intended most of my links to be educational in one way or another.
I think I have accomplished the assessment checklist by ticking and checking each and every criteria against my blog, if I found that I haven't done an item I immedietly set to work to accomplish it. This has resulted in my complete blog.

Chocolate

Facts & Figures About Chocolate

It's healthy!
Chocolate is good for you...
Recent research from Italy suggests that chocolate can lower blood pressure, neutralise free radicals and boost the body's ability to metabolise sugar. However scientists pointed out that the effects were only found in dark chocolate and warned that anyone seeking to boost their health through chocolate should make alterations in their diet to counter the additional calories.

Concentration aid
Chocolate helps you concentrate...
It contains a caffeine-like stimulant called theobromine and chocolate can boost low blood-sugar levels. Also chocolate is a good source of chromium, which helps to control blood sugar.

Gold bars
It boosts the economy...
Last year Britons spent £3 billion on half a million tonnes of chocolate.

It's educational
Chocolate has literary leanings...
Confectionary-inspired reading includes Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel and Chocolat by Joanne Harris.

Eggstravagant!
Chocolate eggs are cheaper than Fabergè...
The most expensive Easter egg wasn't made of chocolate. It was designed by Peter Carl Fabergè in the 1800s.

It's always popular
Chocolate isn't going out of fashion
57% of UK children spend their weekly pocket money on chocolate and confectionary.

Funny signs

Have you seen signs that don't really make sense??
Here are some that I think probably too overboard....


You have been warned!!


Not much of a line forming.


Oh...ok

to see more go to my del.icio.us

Amazing Facts about on bananas

Do you like bananas? I do. Read this if you do and if you don't you might change your mind after this.

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!

This is interesting. After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again. Bananas contain three natural
sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial
boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily
diet.

Depression:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana.
This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS:
Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia:
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power:
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast,
break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning
by making pupils more alert.

Constipation:
High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without
resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers:
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates
your system.

Heartburn:
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness:
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites:
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight:
and at work?
Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and
crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs.
The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers:
The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness.It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control:
Many other cultures see bananas as a " cooling "fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their babyis born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):
Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking &Tobacco Use:
Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium
and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water
balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels.These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes:
According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of
death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts:
Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the
wart, with the yellow side out Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills.When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the
carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so
that we say,

" A banana a day keeps the doctor away! "

PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all thetime! I will add one here; want a quick shine on
our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe ... polish with dry cloth.


Amazing fruit!

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collection of pictures about things that I find an interest in.

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holidays...about to happen(maybe)

planning a holiday...... where to?? mmmm...0_o

heard of nutwood farm! have you been there? might not happen because of the road



got it off google earth...do you see text 'danes way'? that's where the farm is and look at the road to get there!

there you can pick your own chestnut...have you seen a chestnut or eaten one before?



they are yum if you roast them in the oven. they will POP! when they're cooked...kinda like popcorn but worse! any other recipes for chestnuts?

happy holidays everyone!