From Shine Yahoo -
Bread
Bread becomes as hard as a rock when you microwave it.
Pizza
Pizza is bread - so microwaving it has the same effect. Moreover, the toppings will taste dry and dreadful.
Chicken
Microwaving chicken will dry up all the juices inside, leaving you with extremely dry meat.
Ice cream/sorbet
While this is obvious, people still try to quicken ice-hard ice cream via the microwave. A better alternative is to dip your ice cream scooper in warm water to help soften the ice cream.
Fruit
Fruit is sweet and juicy. Nuked fruit is dry and nasty.
Cake
Cakes are for baking, not microwaving. To warm it, pop it in the oven.
Eggs
An egg in the microwave will explode. Trust us - you don't want to clean the mess.
Shellfish
Shrimp become rubbery when microwaved.
Ribs
When microwaved, the meat becomes indistinguishable from the bone and makes for an unappetizing meal.
Fish
The fish's natural oils dries up when it is microwaved. In addition, it generates a strong smell.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Bananas...
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 pressur! e 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 baby is 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!"
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 pressur! e 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 baby is 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!"
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Dollar bill's secrets revealed
From Yahoo -
The keepers of the Great Seal of the United States, the familiar emblem on the back of the $1 bill, want you to know what it is not. It is not a sign that Freemasons run the country, it has nothing to do with the occult, and it does not contain clues to a fabulous hidden treasure.
It is rather the nation's stamp of authority, sovereignty and power, gracing our cash and embossing the most important of documents from its home at the State Department, which has held it since the days of Thomas Jefferson, the first secretary of state.
Not that the Seal's symbols — the all-seeing eye, the unfinished pyramid, the Latin phrases, the bald eagle clutching an olive branch and arrows and the number 13 — aren't powerful.
They are, historians say. Yet their meanings have been misidentified, misunderstood and misrepresented almost since the Continental Congress first commissioned the Seal in 1776.
It would be another six years before the original design was approved and another 128 before it evolved into its current form. Along the way, a movement to decipher the Seal's meaning with ancient Egyptian, mystical and otherwise otherworldly explanations prospered.
Among them:
That the Seal proves the domination of the United States by a powerful, quasi-religious cult. The Ancient Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is a perennial favorite of conspiracy theorists as some Founding Fathers were Masons and the Seal uses several Masonic symbols.
That the Seal draws on Satanism or polytheistic ritual to promote a universal new world order under which Earth would be ruled by a single omnipotent government.
That repeated references to 13 — the number of steps in the unfinished pyramid, stars in the constellation over the eagle's head, arrows in the eagle's claw, stripes on the eagle's shield, letters in the phrase "Annuit Coeptis" — demonstrate the power of 13 American families.
That there are two seals: one in which the eagle's head faces the arrows for times of war and another in which the eagle's head faces the olive branch for times of peace.
All rubbish, according to historians, who say the Seal's symbolism is far less ominous or revelatory than many believe. The real facts include -
Known Masons like the first U.S. president, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin had no role in designing the final seal, which uses elements of traditional heraldry, such as the unfinished pyramid to symbolize a work in progress, arrows for war and an olive branch for peace. Masons share some of those symbols, but they have never been exclusively the domain of the order.
The phrase "Novus Ordo Seculorum" below the Roman numerals for 1776 at the base of the pyramid translates as "A New Order of the Ages" that began with independence and does not imply the United States will be the lynchpin of a sinister "New World Order."
The words "Annuit Coeptis" ("Providence favors") and the eye of providence that hovers over the pyramid refer to unexpected interventions of fate that assisted the colonists in creating a new country.
The references to 13 refer to the number of colonies that formed the original United States.
The keepers of the Great Seal of the United States, the familiar emblem on the back of the $1 bill, want you to know what it is not. It is not a sign that Freemasons run the country, it has nothing to do with the occult, and it does not contain clues to a fabulous hidden treasure.
It is rather the nation's stamp of authority, sovereignty and power, gracing our cash and embossing the most important of documents from its home at the State Department, which has held it since the days of Thomas Jefferson, the first secretary of state.
Not that the Seal's symbols — the all-seeing eye, the unfinished pyramid, the Latin phrases, the bald eagle clutching an olive branch and arrows and the number 13 — aren't powerful.
They are, historians say. Yet their meanings have been misidentified, misunderstood and misrepresented almost since the Continental Congress first commissioned the Seal in 1776.
It would be another six years before the original design was approved and another 128 before it evolved into its current form. Along the way, a movement to decipher the Seal's meaning with ancient Egyptian, mystical and otherwise otherworldly explanations prospered.
Among them:
That the Seal proves the domination of the United States by a powerful, quasi-religious cult. The Ancient Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is a perennial favorite of conspiracy theorists as some Founding Fathers were Masons and the Seal uses several Masonic symbols.
That the Seal draws on Satanism or polytheistic ritual to promote a universal new world order under which Earth would be ruled by a single omnipotent government.
That repeated references to 13 — the number of steps in the unfinished pyramid, stars in the constellation over the eagle's head, arrows in the eagle's claw, stripes on the eagle's shield, letters in the phrase "Annuit Coeptis" — demonstrate the power of 13 American families.
That there are two seals: one in which the eagle's head faces the arrows for times of war and another in which the eagle's head faces the olive branch for times of peace.
All rubbish, according to historians, who say the Seal's symbolism is far less ominous or revelatory than many believe. The real facts include -
Known Masons like the first U.S. president, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin had no role in designing the final seal, which uses elements of traditional heraldry, such as the unfinished pyramid to symbolize a work in progress, arrows for war and an olive branch for peace. Masons share some of those symbols, but they have never been exclusively the domain of the order.
The phrase "Novus Ordo Seculorum" below the Roman numerals for 1776 at the base of the pyramid translates as "A New Order of the Ages" that began with independence and does not imply the United States will be the lynchpin of a sinister "New World Order."
The words "Annuit Coeptis" ("Providence favors") and the eye of providence that hovers over the pyramid refer to unexpected interventions of fate that assisted the colonists in creating a new country.
The references to 13 refer to the number of colonies that formed the original United States.
Friday, October 19, 2007
United Nations
From the United Nations website, list of member states -
A
* Afghanistan (19 November 1946)
* Albania (14 December 1955)
* Algeria (8 October 1962)
* Andorra (28 July 1993)
* Angola (1 December 1976)
* Antigua and Barbuda (11 November 1981)
* Argentina (24 October 1945)
* Armenia (2 March 1992)
* Australia (1 November 1945)
* Austria (14 December 1955)
* Azerbaijan (2 March 1992)
B
* Bahamas (18 September 1973)
* Bahrain (21 September 1971)
* Bangladesh (17 September 1974)
* Barbados (9 December 1966)
* Belarus (24 October 1945)
* Belgium (27 December 1945)
* Belize (25 September 1981)
* Benin (20 September 1960)
* Bhutan (21 September 1971)
* Bolivia (14 November 1945)
* Bosnia and Herzegovina (22 May 1992)
* Botswana (17 October 1966)
* Brazil (24 October 1945)
* Brunei Darussalam (21 September 1984)
* Bulgaria (14 December 1955)
* Burkina Faso (20 September 1960)
* Burundi (18 September 1962)
C
* Cambodia (14 December 1955)
* Cameroon (20 September 1960)
* Canada (9 November 1945)
* Cape Verde (16 September 1975)
* Central African Republic (20 September 1960)
* Chad (20 September 1960)
* Chile (24 October 1945)
* China (24 October 1945)
* Colombia (5 November 1945)
* Comoros (12 November 1975)
* Congo, Republic of the... (20 September 1960)
* Costa Rica (2 November 1945)
* Côte d'Ivoire (20 September 1960)
* Croatia (22 May 1992)
* Cuba (24 October 1945)
* Cyprus (20 September 1960)
* Czech Republic (19 January 1993)
D
* Democratic People's Republic of Korea (17 September 1991)
* Democratic Republic of the Congo (20 September 1960)
* Denmark (24 October 1945)
* Djibouti (20 September 1977)
* Dominica (18 December 1978)
* Dominican Republic (24 October 1945)
E
* Ecuador (21 December 1945)
* Egypt (24 October 1945)
* El Salvador (24 October 1945)
* Equatorial Guinea (12 November 1968)
* Eritrea (28 May 1993)
* Estonia (17 September 1991)
* Ethiopia (13 November 1945)
F
* Fiji (13 October 1970)
* Finland (14 December 1955)
* France (24 October 1945)
G
* Gabon (20 September 1960)
* Gambia (21 September 1965)
* Georgia (31 July 1992)
* Germany (18 September 1973)
* Ghana (8 March 1957)
* Greece (25 October 1945)
* Grenada (17 September 1974)
* Guatemala (21 November 1945)
* Guinea (12 December 1958)
* Guinea-Bissau (17 September 1974)
* Guyana (20 September 1966)
H
* Haiti (24 October 1945)
* Honduras (17 December 1945)
* Hungary (14 December 1955)
I
* Iceland (19 November 1946)
* India (30 October 1945)
* Indonesia (28 September 1950)
* Iran, Islamic Republic of... (24 October 1945)
* Iraq (21 December 1945)
* Ireland (14 December 1955)
* Israel (11 May 1949)
* Italy (14 December 1955)
J
* Jamaica (18 September 1962)
* Japan (18 December 1956)
* Jordan (14 December 1955)
K
* Kazakhstan (2 March 1992)
* Kenya (16 December 1963)
* Kiribati (14 September 1999)
* Kuwait (14 May 1963)
* Kyrgyzstan (2 March 1992)
L
* Lao People's Democratic Republic (14 December 1955)
* Latvia (17 September 1991)
* Lebanon (24 October 1945)
* Lesotho (17 October 1966)
* Liberia (2 November 1945)
* Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (14 December 1955)
* Liechtenstein (18 September 1990)
* Lithuania (17 September 1991)
* Luxembourg (24 October 1945)
M
* Madagascar (20 September 1960)
* Malawi (1 December 1964)
* Malaysia (17 September 1957)
* Maldives (21 September 1965)
* Mali (28 September 1960)
* Malta (1 December 1964)
* Marshall Islands (17 September 1991)
* Mauritania (27 October 1961)
* Mauritius (24 April 1968)
* Mexico (7 November 1945)
* Micronesia, Federated States of... (17 September 1991)
* Moldova (2 March 1992)
* Monaco (28 May 1993)
* Mongolia (27 October 1961)
* Montenegro (28 June 2006)
* Morocco (12 November 1956)
* Mozambique (16 September 1975)
* Myanmar (19 April 1948)
N
* Namibia (23 April 1990)
* Nauru (14 September 1999)
* Nepal (14 December 1955)
* Netherlands (10 December 1945)
* New Zealand (24 October 1945)
* Nicaragua (24 October 1945)
* Niger (20 September 1960)
* Nigeria (7 October 1960)
* Norway (27 November 1945)
O
* Oman (7 October 1971)
P
* Pakistan (30 September 1947)
* Palau (15 December 1994)
* Panama (13 November 1945)
* Papua New Guinea (10 October 1975)
* Paraguay (24 October 1945)
* Peru (31 October 1945)
* Philippines (24 October 1945)
* Poland (24 October 1945)
* Portugal (14 December 1955)
Q
* Qatar (21 September 1971)
R
* Republic of Korea (17 September 1991)
* Romania (14 December 1955)
* Russian Federation (24 October 1945)
* Rwanda (18 September 1962)
S
* Saint Kitts and Nevis (23 September 1983)
* Saint Lucia (18 September 1979)
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (16 September 1980)
* Samoa (15 December 1976)
* San Marino (2 March 1992)
* Sao Tome and Principe (16 September 1975)
* Saudi Arabia (24 October 1945)
* Senegal (28 September 1960)
* Serbia (1 November 2000)
* Seychelles (21 September 1976)
* Sierra Leone (27 September 1961)
* Singapore (21 September 1965)
* Slovakia (19 January 1993)
* Slovenia (22 May 1992)
* Solomon Islands (19 September 1978)
* Somalia (20 September 1960)
* South Africa (7 November 1945)
* Spain (14 December 1955)
* Sri Lanka (14 December 1955)
* Sudan (12 November 1956)
* Suriname (4 December 1975)
* Swaziland (24 September 1968)
* Sweden (19 November 1946)
* Switzerland (10 September 2002)
* Syrian Arab Republic (24 October 1945)
T
* Tajikistan (2 March 1992)
* Thailand (16 December 1946)
* The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (8 April 1993)
* Timor-Leste (27 September 2002)
* Togo (20 September 1960)
* Tonga (14 September 1999)
* Trinidad and Tobago (18 September 1962)
* Tunisia (12 November 1956)
* Turkey (24 October 1945)
* Turkmenistan (2 March 1992)
* Tuvalu (5 September 2000)
U
* Uganda (25 October 1962)
* Ukraine (24 October 1945)
* United Arab Emirates (9 December 1971)
* United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (24 October 1945)
* United Republic of Tanzania (14 December 1961)
* United States of America (24 October 1945)
* Uruguay (18 December 1945)
* Uzbekistan (2 March 1992)
V
* Vanuatu (15 September 1981)
* Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of... (15 November 1945)
* Viet Nam (20 September 1977)
Y
* Yemen (30 September 1947)
Z
* Zambia (1 December 1964)
* Zimbabwe (25 August 1980)
A
* Afghanistan (19 November 1946)
* Albania (14 December 1955)
* Algeria (8 October 1962)
* Andorra (28 July 1993)
* Angola (1 December 1976)
* Antigua and Barbuda (11 November 1981)
* Argentina (24 October 1945)
* Armenia (2 March 1992)
* Australia (1 November 1945)
* Austria (14 December 1955)
* Azerbaijan (2 March 1992)
B
* Bahamas (18 September 1973)
* Bahrain (21 September 1971)
* Bangladesh (17 September 1974)
* Barbados (9 December 1966)
* Belarus (24 October 1945)
* Belgium (27 December 1945)
* Belize (25 September 1981)
* Benin (20 September 1960)
* Bhutan (21 September 1971)
* Bolivia (14 November 1945)
* Bosnia and Herzegovina (22 May 1992)
* Botswana (17 October 1966)
* Brazil (24 October 1945)
* Brunei Darussalam (21 September 1984)
* Bulgaria (14 December 1955)
* Burkina Faso (20 September 1960)
* Burundi (18 September 1962)
C
* Cambodia (14 December 1955)
* Cameroon (20 September 1960)
* Canada (9 November 1945)
* Cape Verde (16 September 1975)
* Central African Republic (20 September 1960)
* Chad (20 September 1960)
* Chile (24 October 1945)
* China (24 October 1945)
* Colombia (5 November 1945)
* Comoros (12 November 1975)
* Congo, Republic of the... (20 September 1960)
* Costa Rica (2 November 1945)
* Côte d'Ivoire (20 September 1960)
* Croatia (22 May 1992)
* Cuba (24 October 1945)
* Cyprus (20 September 1960)
* Czech Republic (19 January 1993)
D
* Democratic People's Republic of Korea (17 September 1991)
* Democratic Republic of the Congo (20 September 1960)
* Denmark (24 October 1945)
* Djibouti (20 September 1977)
* Dominica (18 December 1978)
* Dominican Republic (24 October 1945)
E
* Ecuador (21 December 1945)
* Egypt (24 October 1945)
* El Salvador (24 October 1945)
* Equatorial Guinea (12 November 1968)
* Eritrea (28 May 1993)
* Estonia (17 September 1991)
* Ethiopia (13 November 1945)
F
* Fiji (13 October 1970)
* Finland (14 December 1955)
* France (24 October 1945)
G
* Gabon (20 September 1960)
* Gambia (21 September 1965)
* Georgia (31 July 1992)
* Germany (18 September 1973)
* Ghana (8 March 1957)
* Greece (25 October 1945)
* Grenada (17 September 1974)
* Guatemala (21 November 1945)
* Guinea (12 December 1958)
* Guinea-Bissau (17 September 1974)
* Guyana (20 September 1966)
H
* Haiti (24 October 1945)
* Honduras (17 December 1945)
* Hungary (14 December 1955)
I
* Iceland (19 November 1946)
* India (30 October 1945)
* Indonesia (28 September 1950)
* Iran, Islamic Republic of... (24 October 1945)
* Iraq (21 December 1945)
* Ireland (14 December 1955)
* Israel (11 May 1949)
* Italy (14 December 1955)
J
* Jamaica (18 September 1962)
* Japan (18 December 1956)
* Jordan (14 December 1955)
K
* Kazakhstan (2 March 1992)
* Kenya (16 December 1963)
* Kiribati (14 September 1999)
* Kuwait (14 May 1963)
* Kyrgyzstan (2 March 1992)
L
* Lao People's Democratic Republic (14 December 1955)
* Latvia (17 September 1991)
* Lebanon (24 October 1945)
* Lesotho (17 October 1966)
* Liberia (2 November 1945)
* Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (14 December 1955)
* Liechtenstein (18 September 1990)
* Lithuania (17 September 1991)
* Luxembourg (24 October 1945)
M
* Madagascar (20 September 1960)
* Malawi (1 December 1964)
* Malaysia (17 September 1957)
* Maldives (21 September 1965)
* Mali (28 September 1960)
* Malta (1 December 1964)
* Marshall Islands (17 September 1991)
* Mauritania (27 October 1961)
* Mauritius (24 April 1968)
* Mexico (7 November 1945)
* Micronesia, Federated States of... (17 September 1991)
* Moldova (2 March 1992)
* Monaco (28 May 1993)
* Mongolia (27 October 1961)
* Montenegro (28 June 2006)
* Morocco (12 November 1956)
* Mozambique (16 September 1975)
* Myanmar (19 April 1948)
N
* Namibia (23 April 1990)
* Nauru (14 September 1999)
* Nepal (14 December 1955)
* Netherlands (10 December 1945)
* New Zealand (24 October 1945)
* Nicaragua (24 October 1945)
* Niger (20 September 1960)
* Nigeria (7 October 1960)
* Norway (27 November 1945)
O
* Oman (7 October 1971)
P
* Pakistan (30 September 1947)
* Palau (15 December 1994)
* Panama (13 November 1945)
* Papua New Guinea (10 October 1975)
* Paraguay (24 October 1945)
* Peru (31 October 1945)
* Philippines (24 October 1945)
* Poland (24 October 1945)
* Portugal (14 December 1955)
Q
* Qatar (21 September 1971)
R
* Republic of Korea (17 September 1991)
* Romania (14 December 1955)
* Russian Federation (24 October 1945)
* Rwanda (18 September 1962)
S
* Saint Kitts and Nevis (23 September 1983)
* Saint Lucia (18 September 1979)
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (16 September 1980)
* Samoa (15 December 1976)
* San Marino (2 March 1992)
* Sao Tome and Principe (16 September 1975)
* Saudi Arabia (24 October 1945)
* Senegal (28 September 1960)
* Serbia (1 November 2000)
* Seychelles (21 September 1976)
* Sierra Leone (27 September 1961)
* Singapore (21 September 1965)
* Slovakia (19 January 1993)
* Slovenia (22 May 1992)
* Solomon Islands (19 September 1978)
* Somalia (20 September 1960)
* South Africa (7 November 1945)
* Spain (14 December 1955)
* Sri Lanka (14 December 1955)
* Sudan (12 November 1956)
* Suriname (4 December 1975)
* Swaziland (24 September 1968)
* Sweden (19 November 1946)
* Switzerland (10 September 2002)
* Syrian Arab Republic (24 October 1945)
T
* Tajikistan (2 March 1992)
* Thailand (16 December 1946)
* The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (8 April 1993)
* Timor-Leste (27 September 2002)
* Togo (20 September 1960)
* Tonga (14 September 1999)
* Trinidad and Tobago (18 September 1962)
* Tunisia (12 November 1956)
* Turkey (24 October 1945)
* Turkmenistan (2 March 1992)
* Tuvalu (5 September 2000)
U
* Uganda (25 October 1962)
* Ukraine (24 October 1945)
* United Arab Emirates (9 December 1971)
* United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (24 October 1945)
* United Republic of Tanzania (14 December 1961)
* United States of America (24 October 1945)
* Uruguay (18 December 1945)
* Uzbekistan (2 March 1992)
V
* Vanuatu (15 September 1981)
* Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of... (15 November 1945)
* Viet Nam (20 September 1977)
Y
* Yemen (30 September 1947)
Z
* Zambia (1 December 1964)
* Zimbabwe (25 August 1980)
American Football
In 1905, 18 men died from injuries sustained on the football field. President Theodore Roosevelt stepped in and instituted safety measures to make the game safer.
The Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the winners of the Super Bowl.
The first pick (by Eagles) in the first NFL draft in 1935, was Jay Berwanger from the University of Chicago. He never played in the league
The first Rose Bowl game was held in 1902 in Pasadena, California. The University of Michigan beat Sanford 49-0.
The first Super Bowl was played in 1967. The Green Bay Packers of the National Football League defeated the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League, 35-to-10.
Paul Hornung holds the NFL record for the most points in a single season. He scored 176 points in 1960.
The first professional football team to sport an insignia on their helmets was the Los Angeles Rams in 1950, who hand painted yellow horns on their blue leather helmets.
The dimensions of a regulation football field are: 360 feet long and 160 feet wide.
The Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the winners of the Super Bowl.
The first pick (by Eagles) in the first NFL draft in 1935, was Jay Berwanger from the University of Chicago. He never played in the league
The first Rose Bowl game was held in 1902 in Pasadena, California. The University of Michigan beat Sanford 49-0.
The first Super Bowl was played in 1967. The Green Bay Packers of the National Football League defeated the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League, 35-to-10.
Paul Hornung holds the NFL record for the most points in a single season. He scored 176 points in 1960.
The first professional football team to sport an insignia on their helmets was the Los Angeles Rams in 1950, who hand painted yellow horns on their blue leather helmets.
The dimensions of a regulation football field are: 360 feet long and 160 feet wide.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Cracking the Rubik's Cube
David Kunkle, a computer scientist at Northeastern University in Boston, has proved that 26 moves are enough to solve any scrambled Rubik's Cube. That's one move below the previous record. In the process, he developed algorithms that can be useful for problems as disparate as scheduling air flights and determining how proteins will fold.
Rubik's Cube has approximately 43 quintillion possible configurations. Even a supercomputer can't search through every possible configuration to find the quickest way to unscramble a given starting arrangement in a reasonable amount of time.
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Kunkle and his advisor Gene Cooperman approached the problem by applying various mathematical tricks. If each side of the cube is one color, the puzzle is solved regardless of which color is on which side. By considering configurations to be equivalent if they differ only in having two colors interchanged, they managed to reduce the number of truly distinct configurations to just over a quintillion.
Next, they looked at a simpler problem: they considered only configurations that could be solved by twisting facelets through half-turns only, with no quarter-turns. Only about 15,000 of the quintillion configurations can be solved in this way. The team found that any puzzle in one of those special configurations could be solved in 13 moves or fewer.
Then they figured out how many steps are required to turn any random configuration into one of the 15,000 special configurations. To do this, they first classified the configurations into sets, each containing configurations that can be transformed among themselves using only half-turns. These sets were constructed in such a way that a series of moves that gets from one member of any set to one of the special configurations will also turn any other member of the set into a special configuration. They ended up with 1.4 trillion of these sets, so they now had only 1.4 trillion problems to solve—far fewer than the original 43 quintillion, but still a formidable number.
Using a supercomputer, they found that it took no more than 16 steps to turn any random configuration into a special configuration that can be solved using only half-turns. And since those special puzzles can be solved in no more than 13 steps, this approach showed that 29 steps were enough to solve any Rubik's Cube. But this answer wasn't good enough to set a new record. So to set a new record, they would need to eliminate three steps.
Their existing method had established that all but about 80 million sets of configurations could be solved in 26 steps or fewer. By searching through all possible moves starting from those relatively few configurations, they succeeded in finding a solution for each one that took 26 steps or fewer. Kunkle and Cooperman now hope to knock the maximum number of steps down to 25. They think they can use their brute-force search method on all of the configurations that require 26 steps to find a quicker way to solve them.
Even if they manage this feat, however, it will probably leave room for improvement. Most researchers believe that just 20 steps are enough to solve any Rubik's Cube, but no one has proved it yet.
More details at MathTrek.
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