Winter blues

1. Winter Solstice

In the northern hemisphere, the first day of the winter season is the day of the year when the Sun is farthest south, normally on December 21^st or 22^nd. This day is known as the Winter Solstice. A common misconception is that the earth is further from the sun in winter than in summer, but the Earth is actually closest to the sun in December which is winter in the Northern hemisphere. The day of the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, because the length of time elapsed between sunrise and sunset on this day is a minimum for the year. In the United States, there are only about 9½ hours of daylight on this day.

2. Boy that's cold!

The coldest temperature ever recorded in the world was -128 degrees Celsius, in Vostok Station in Antarctica in 1983.

3. Ice

Black ice is extremely dangerous, because this type is difficult if not impossible to see. Black ice usually forms in a very thin, very slippery layer, and usually forms first on structures such as bridges. Much of the damage done by winter storms is not from snow, but from the weight of ice.

4. No Two Snowflakes are alike!

Snowflakes start as ice crystals that freeze around small pieces of dust in the air. As they fall to the earth, the ice crystals join together to form snow flakes. The shape of each snowflake is determined by temperature, wind, the amount of time it takes to fall to the ground, and the amount of water vapor in the air.

5. The Largest Snowflake

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, on January 28, 1887, a 15 inch wide, 8 inch thick snowflake ever observed fell in Fort Keogh, Montana.

6. World's Tallest Snowman

It was built to bring attention to the Bethel, Maine area and allow the total community to come together for a project. The people of Bethel and the surrounding area worked 5 months to plan and build the 113 foot 7 inch tall snowman which broke the former record held by Yamagata, Japan of 96 feet 7 inches. At 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February 17, 1999 the record was officially broken. Two town officials, a regional photographer, a videographer, a licensed professional surveyor and the president of the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce were on hand to verify the actual size and height for the Guinness Book of World Records.

7. The Winter of 1779 – 1780

It was so cold that ice was piled 20 feet high along the Delmarva Coast and stayed there until spring. The upper portion of the Chesapeake Bay and the entire Potomac River was frozen solid, allowing people to walk from Annapolis to Kent Island and from Alexandria in to D.C.

8. Snow

The all-time world record for the largest snowfall in a single day was set in the United States on December 4, 1913, when Georgetown, Colorado received a staggering 63 inches of snow – more than five feet.

9. Seasonal Affective Disorder

The "winter blues" were first diagnosed in 1984. And have recently been named seasonal affective disorder or S.A.D. According to the Mayo Clinic, Seasonal affective disorder (also called SAD) is a type of depression that occurs at the same time every year. If you're like most people with seasonal affective disorder, your symptoms start in the fall and may continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.

10. Chionophobia

People with chionophobia are simply said to have a fear of snow. One of the largest components to this fear is the idea of becoming snowbound. A forecast calling for a snowstorm can bring on cold sweats, panic attacks, and even an unrealistic feeling of doom and dread. People with chionophobia will rarely venture out into the snow for fear of being stranded as well.

 

 

Awesome facts about South Africa

Infrastructure:

The world's biggest hospital is the Chris Hani - Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto.

South Africa is one of only 12 countries where tap water is safe to drink. Its tap water is rated the third best worldwide.

Pretoria has the second largest number of embassies in the world after Washington, D.C.

South Africa is the world's biggest producer and exporter of mohair.

The rand, the world’s most actively traded emerging market currency, has joined an elite club of 15 currencies - the Continuous Linked
Settlement (CLS) - where forex transactions are settled immediately, lowering the risks of transacting across time zones.

South Africa mines deeper than any other country in the world, up to depths of 2.5 miles at the Western Deep Levels Mine.

It has the largest hydro-electric tunnel system in the world at the Orange Fish Rivers Tunnel.

South Africa is the second largest exporter of fruit in the world.

Electricity costs are the second lowest in the world.

South Africa is the world's largest producer of macadamia nuts.

Officially, the youngest language in the world is Afrikaans. By the early-20th century Afrikaans had developed from Dutch, French and
other influences into a fully fledged language with its own dictionary. After a mere 90 years, it is the second most spoken
language in South Africa (Zulu is the most spoken, the Zulu people being the largest ethnic group).

South Africa is the world's biggest producer of gold, platinum, chromium, vanadium, manganese and alumino-silicates. It also produces
nearly 40% of the world's chrome and vermiculite.

Durban is the largest port in Africa and the ninth largest in the world.

South Africa generates two-thirds of Africa's electricity.

There are about 280,000 windmills on farms across South Africa, second in number only to Australia.

The world's two largest platinum mines are located near Rustenburg.

While occupying 4% of Africa's landmass, South Africa boasts more than 50% of the cars, phones, automatic bank tellers and industrial facilities on the continent.

The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), now rising from a Karoo koppie in Sutherland is the largest telescope in the southern hemisphere (and third largest in the world).

South Africa is a middle income country with a strong emerging economy – the 25th largest in the world - and produces more goods than Portugal, Russia or Singapore. It also has Africa’s biggest economy, three times larger than Nigeria or Egypt.

South Africa has the fourth largest coal reserves in the world. Its coal industry ranks sixth in the world in terms of output of hard coal and third in terms of seaborne international coal trade.

Currently, South Africa is the only country in the world that has voluntarily dismantled its nuclear arsenal.

South Africa has 19,004 miles of railway track - 80% of Africa's rail infrastructure.

South Africa has the oldest wine industry outside of Europe and the Mediterranean, featuring Chardonnays, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cinsault, Riesling, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage varietals.

Entertainment:

South Africa has the second oldest Film Industry in the world.

The Cape Argus Cycle Tour is the largest timed cycle race in the world.

South Africa has the longest wine route in the world.

South Africa has the highest commercial bungi jump in the world (710 feet).

M-Net is Africa's largest pay television service, delivering 24-hour programming to dozens of countries across the continent.

South Africa has the most luxurious train in the world, The Rovos Rail.

The Lost City Resort is the largest thermal resort in the world as well as the largest building project undertaken in the southern hemisphere.

Military History:

South Africa has the world's second oldest air force, established 1920.

The Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) was the first war of the 20th century and saw the introduction of trench warfare, the first large-scale use of concentration camps for non-combatants, and the most prolonged period of guerrilla warfare by a conquered nation's military against a victorious army.

Camouflage was first used in battle by the Boers, who used camouflaged trenches and adapted battledress to blend into treeless landscapes.

The world's first news footage and propaganda films were shot during the Anglo-Boer War.

Technologically, it saw the first use of a generation of weapons that are still with us today - automatic handguns, magazine-fed rifles, and machine guns.

The Guinness Book of Records lists the Anglo-Boer War as Britain's most costly war outside of the two World Wars.

Travel & Nature:

The Kruger National Park nature reserve supports the greatest variety of wildlife species on the African continent. It is roughly the size of Wales, or the state of Massachusetts (USA), which makes it the eighth largest reserve in the world.

Home to one of the world's 6 floral kingdoms, South Africa has one-tenth (23 200) of the world's flowering plants, of which nearly 19 000 are endemic, making it the richest region in the world in terms of species to area - 1.7 times richer even than Brazil. It is the only country in the world to contain an entire floral kingdom.

It is home to more kinds of mammals than North and South America combined; or Europe and Asia together.

South African grasslands have approximately 30 species per square kilometer, greater than the biodiversity of rainforests.

Table Mountain in Cape Town is believed to be one of the oldest mountains in the world. Standing at just over 1000 metres, it dominates the city's skyline. Table Mountain can be seen as far as 200 kilometres out to sea.

South Africa has the third highest level of biodiversity in the world.

Paarl is South Africa's third oldest town and home to KWV Cellars- the largest wine cellar in the world (covering 22 hectares).

Kimberley's 'Big Hole' is the largest hand-dug hole in the world and is deeper than Table Mountain is high. Kimberley also has the only drive-in pubs in the world.

Mpumalanga province is home to the Blyderiver Canyon, the third largest canyon in the world - and the largest green one. The Grand Canyon in the U.S. is the biggest, and the Fish River Canyon in Namibia the second, but both are very dry.

The Tugela Falls in KwaZulu Natal, at 948m (3110ft), is the second highest waterfall in the world.

The world's best land-based whale-watching spot is located in Hermanus, Western Cape.

Mossel Bay is in the Guinness Book of records as having the second most moderate climate in the world.

Seal Island in False Bay is the only place in the world where Great Whites consistently breach (leap completely out of the water) to catch their prey, mainly seals. It also boasts the highest frequency of Great White shark attacks in the world.

In 1991, South Africa became the first country in the world to protect the Great White shark.

According to 'Trivial Pursuit', Graaf-Reinett in the Western Cape has the world's biggest grapevine.

Fossilized footprints were found at Langebaan Lagoon, Western Cape, in a sand-dune-turned-rock. The 117,000 year-old fossils are the oldest known footprints of an anatomically modern human.

Most of the world's proto-mammalian fossils are found in the Karoo region.

The 2,02 billion year-old crater in Vredefort is the oldest known crater on Earth. The general estimate of its original diameter is roughly 300 km, which makes it the largest crater on the planet, as well.

The Sterkfontein Caves, in Gauteng, is the site where the oldest human skeletal remains were found in the world (3,5 million years old). This is the place where the human race was born!  

Close to Oudtshoorn are the Cango Caves, a 3 km long sequence of caverns of glittering stalagmites and stalactites, which makes it the longest underground cave sequence in the world.

The Boesmansgat is renowned as the second deepest sinkhole (about 299 metres) and the largest of its kind in the world. Many attempts have been made at world records in cave-diving in this exceptional sinkhole.

The St. Lucia estuarine system, in Kwazulu Natal, is the largest estuarine system in Africa.

South Africa is home to the world's smallest succulent plants (less than 0.39 inches) and the largest (the baobab tree).

Business:

The Rand Refinery is the largest refinery of gold in the world.

The South African oil company SASOL has established the only commercially proven oil from coal operations in the world.

The world's biggest producer of non-fuel minerals is South African company Anglo-American Corporation.

The University of South Africa UNISA is a pioneer of tertiary distance education and is believed to be the largest correspondence university in the world with 250,000 students.

Eskom, the national electricity utility, is the world's fourth largest in terms of both sales volume and normal capacity.

The De Beers Group of companies control more than 80% of the world supply of rough diamonds.

SABMiller ranks as the largest brewing company in the world by volume. It supplies up to 50% of China's beer.

Samancor Limited is the world's largest producer by sales of manganese and chrome products.

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange was the 7th best performing stock market in 2005, according to the World Federation of Exchanges.

Stellenbosch University was the first university in the world to design and launch a microsatellite.

South Africa is the sole producer of the Mercedes Benz C Class, right-hand drive vehicles.

KSDP Pentagraph is rated as the world's second best design company by British design magazine, 'Creative Review'. The company is responsible for the new-look packaging of 'Fanta' and design modifications of 'Coca-Cola' soft drinks worldwide.

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God is never wrong...

A King who did not believe in the goodness of God, had a slave who, in all circumstances, said: My king, do not be discouraged, because everything God does is perfect, no mistakes!

One day they went hunting and along the way a wild animal attacked the king. His slave managed to kill the animal, but could not prevent his majesty losing a finger.

Furious and without showing his gratitude for being saved, the nobleman said "Is God good? If He was good, I would not have been attacked and lost my finger."

The slave replied: "My king, despite all these things, I can only tell you that God is good, and he knows "why" of all these things. What God does is perfect. He is never wrong!"

Outraged by the response, the king ordered the arrest ! of his slave.

Later, he left for another hunt and was captured by savages who made human sacrifices.

In the altar, ready to sacrifice the nobleman, the savages found that the victim had not one of his fingers, so he was released. According to them, it was not so complete to be offered to the gods.

Upon his return to the palace, he authorized the release of his slave that he received very affectionately.

"My dear, God was really good to me! I was almost killed by the wild men, but for lack of a single finger, I was let go! But I have a question: if God is so good, why did he allow me to put you in jail?"

"My King, if I had gone with you in this hunt, I would have been sacrificed for you, because I have no missing finger, therefore, remember everything God does is perfect. He is never wrong."

Often we complain about life, and negative things that happen to us, forgetting that nothing is random and that everything has a purpose

Every morning, offer your day to God, don't be in a rush.

Ask God to inspire your thoughts, guide your actions, and ease your feelings. And do not be afraid. God is never wrong!

You know why this message is for you? I do not know, but God knows, because he never makes mistakes.......

The path of God and his word is perfect, without impurities. He is the way of all those who trust in Him.

What you do with this message is up to you. May God put in your heart the desire to send it to someone. God knows why He chose you to receive this message. Please bless someone with it.

Lateral or Logical?

Many years ago in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a village moneylender.  The Moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the farmer's beautiful Daughter. So he proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the farmer's debt if he could marry his Daughter. Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the Proposal.

So the cunning money-lender suggested that they let Providence decide the matter.
He told them that he would put a black Pebble and a white Pebble into an empty money bag.
Then the girl would have to pick one Pebble from the bag.

1) If she picked the Black pebble, she would become his wife and her father's debt would be forgiven.
2) If she picked the White pebble she need not marry him and her father's debt would still be forgiven.
3) But if she refused to pick a Pebble, her father would be thrown into Jail.

They were standing on a Pebble strewn path in the farmer's field.
As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two Pebbles.
As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two Black pebbles and put them into the bag.

He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag.
Now, imagine that you were standing in the field.
What would you have done if you were the girl?
If you had to advise her, what would you have told her?

Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:

1.)  The girl should refuse to take a Pebble.
2.)  The girl should show that there were two Black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender    as a “cheat”.
3.)  The girl should pick a Black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.

Take a moment to ponder over the story.
The above story is used with “The Hope” that it will make us appreciate the difference between “lateral” and “logical” thinking.

The girl's dilemma cannot be solved with “Traditional” logical thinking.
Think of the “consequences” if she chooses the above “logical” answers.
What would you recommend to the Girl to do?

Well, here is what she did ....
The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a Pebble.
 
Without Looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the Pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other Pebbles.

"Oh, how clumsy of me," she said:, "But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which “Pebble I Picked”.
Since the remaining Pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had Picked the White one.
 
And since the money-lender dared not admit his “Dishonesty”,
the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.

MORAL OF THE STORY:      
Most “complex problems do have a solution”.
 It is only that we don't “Attempt to think”.

Valentine Trivia

Valentine's Day is a long-standing holiday with origins that are not entirely known. The celebration of the holiday today contains remnants of both Roman and Christian traditions. Over time, there have been some strange practices associated with Valentine's Day, some of which are still practiced, and some interesting facts across the continents.
Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine.
In the middle ages, girls believed that the first boy they saw on the morning of Valentine's Day would become their spouse later in life.
February 14th is thought to be the day when birds mate for the spring. It is sometimes believed that if a robin flies over the head of an unmarried woman, then she will marry a sailor.

Teachers receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, and then, sweethearts. Children between ages 6 to 10 exchange more than 650 million Valentine's cards with teachers, classmates, and family members.

In Wales, an intricately carved "love spoon" is a traditional Valentine's Day gift.

In the Middle Ages young men and women drew the names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned on their sleeves for one week. This was done so that it becomes easy for other people to know your true feelings. This was known as "to wear your heart on your sleeve"

Verona, the Italian city where Shakespeare's play lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters every year sent to Juliet on Valentine's Day.

In Finland Valentine's Day is called Ystävänpäivä which translates into "Friend's day".

In Slovenia, a proverb says that "St Valentine brings the keys of roots", so on February 14, plants and flowers start to grow.

In some Latin American countries Valentine's Day is known as "Día del Amor y la Amistad" (Day of Love and Friendship).

In Korea, if you do not receive any gift on Valentine's daythen all the singles go to Korean restaurants and eat black noodles to mourn their single status.

Trivia

The Brain

Complex and poorly understood; the brain is the organ that makes everything work properly. The body may be kept alive, but without the brain, a person can’t truly live. Here are some facts about the brain.

1.  The brain doesn’t feel pain: Even though the brain processes pain signals, the brain itself does not actually feel pain.

2. Your brain has huge oxygen needs: Your brain requires 20% of the oxygen and calories your body needs — even though your brain only makes up 2% of your total body weight. (So the more you think, the more calories you burn? … Maybe?!)
3. 80% of the brain is water: Instead of being relatively solid, your brain 80% water. This means that it is important that you remain properly hydrated for the sake of your mind.
4. Your brain comes out to play at night: You’d think that your brain is more active during the day, when the rest of your body is. But it’s not. Your brain is more active when you sleep.
5. Your brain operates on 10 watts of power: It’s true: The amazing computational power of your brain only requires about 10 watts of power to operate.
6. The brain changes shapes during puberty: Your teenage years do more than just change how you feel; the very structure of your brain changes during the teen years, and it even affects impulsive, risky behaviour. (This may explain a lot … hmmm).
7. Your brain can store everything: Technically, your brain has the capacity to store everything you experience, see, read or hear. However, the real issue is recall — whether you can access that information.
8. Information in your brain travels at different speeds: The neurons in your brain are built differently, and information travels along them at different speeds. This is why sometimes you can recall information instantly, and sometimes it takes a little longer.

Your Senses

You might be surprised at the amazing things your various senses can accomplish.

9.  Your smell is unique: Your body odor is unique to you — unless you have an identical twin. Even babies recognize the individual scents of their mothers.

10.              Women smell better than men: Women are better than men at identifying smells. (Couldn’t resist this fact).

11.              Humans use echolocation: Humans can use sound to sense objects in their area using echolocation. It is thought that those who are blind develop this ability to heightened effectiveness.

12.              Adrenaline gives you super strength: Yes, with the proper response in certain situations, you really can lift a car.

13. Your nose remembers 50,000 scents: It is possible for your nose to identify and remember more than 50,000 smells.

14. Your hearing decreases when you overeat: When you eat too much food, it actually reduces your ability to hear. So consider eating healthy — and only until you are full. (This may explain the “graveyard shift” people refer to after lunch).

15. Your sense of time is in your head: How you experience time is all about your perception. (The better you plan, the more time you have. The more productive you are). Some speculate that stress can help you experience time dilation. Apparently, time manipulation isn’t just for superheroes.

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Useless trivia

Henry Ford, father of the Automobile, is also father of the charcoal briquette. [Fire and the wheel … impressive use of two great inventions]

The first product that Sony came out with was the rice cooker.

The creator of the NIKE Swoosh symbol was paid only $35 for the design.

The most productive day of the workweek is Tuesday. [Does that change your plans this week?]

In 2002, there were no billionaires in China. In 2007, there are 106 billionaires.

The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer. [Ironic?]

Dell Computers was started by a 19 year old with only $1,000.

In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch or clock is usually 10:10.