MeatBalls!!!! yummy

Ingredients:                                                                                    250g chicken mince 250g beef mince 1 egg 2 onions 2 cans of tomatoes 1 garlic glove 1 teaspoon of dried mixed herbs                                 1 teaspoon of oregano 1 low salt stock cub 1 packet of spaghetti Preparation Time: 60 mins Cooking Time: 20 mins Serves: 4 children

Steps 1.Slice the onion 2.Put the onion and garlic in a saucepan with some olive oil and cook until soft and brown 3.Add the mixed herbs and oregano to the saucepan and add the cans of tomato and the stock cube 4.Bring to boil and then simmer for about 30mins 5.While the tomato sauce is simmering, you can make the meatballs 6.Mix the chicken and beef mince in a bowl along with the egg 7.Shape the mixture into small balls – about 3cm in size 8.Place the meatballs on a plate, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for about 20 minutes until the tomato    sauce is cooked 9.Add the meatballs to the simmering tomato sauce and cook for 20 minutes 10.Cook the spaghetti as per the packet instructions 11.Serve the pasta with the sauce and grated Parmesan in bowls

- 5 weird animals in the world -

Leafy seadragon

Named after the dragons of Chinese mythology, Leafy seadragons (Phycodurus eques) resemble a piece of drifting seaweed as they float in the seaweed-filled water. The Leafy seadragon, with green, orange and gold hues along its body, is covered with leaf-like appendages, making it remarkably camouflaged. Only the fluttering of tiny fins or the moving of an independently swiveling eye, reveals its presence.
Like the seahorse, the male seadragon carries as many as 150-200 eggs. After being deposited by the female, the eggs are carried in the honeycomb-shaped area (known as the brood patch) under the male's tail for approximately eight weeks. Seadragons have no teeth or stomach and feed exclusively on mysidopsis shrimp. Known as "Australian seahorses" in Australia, they are found in calm, cold water that is approximately 50-54° F (10-12° C). Leafy seadragons have been protected by the South Australian government since 1982.

Sun Bear

The Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) is a bear found primarily in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia.
The Sun Bear stands approximately 4 ft (1.2 m) in length, making it the smallest member in the bear family. It is often called the dog bear because of its small stature. It has a 2 in (5 cm) tail and on average weighs less than 145 lb (65 kg). Males tend to be slightly larger than females.
Unlike other bears, the Sun Bear's fur is short and sleek. This adaptation is probably due to the lowland climates it inhabits. Dark black or brown-black fur covers its body, except on the chest where there is a pale orange-yellow marking in the shape of a horseshoe. Similar colored fur can be found around the muzzle and the eyes. This distinct marking gives the sun bear its name.

Komondor Dog

Females are 27 inches (69cm) at the withers. Male Komondorok are a minimum of 28 inches at the withers, but many are over 30 inches tall, making this one of the larger common breeds of dog. The body is not overly coarse or heavy, however, and people unfamiliar with the breed are often surprised by how quick and agile the dogs are.
Its long, thick, strikingly corded white coat (the heaviest amount of fur in the canine world) resembles dreadlocks or a mop. The puppy coat is soft and fluffy. However, the coat is wavy and tends to curl as the puppy matures. A fully mature coat is formed naturally from the soft undercoat and the coarser outer coat combining to form tassels, or cords. Some help is needed in separating the cords so the dog does not turn into one large matted mess. The length of the cords increases with time as the coat grows. Shedding is very minimal with this breed, contrary to what one might think (once cords are fully formed). The only substantial shedding occurs as a puppy before the dreadlocks fully form. The Komondor is born with only a white coat, unlike the similar-looking Puli, which is usually white, black or sometimes grayish. However, a working Komondor's coat may be discolored by the elements, and may appear off-white if not washed regularly.

Angora Rabbit

The Angora rabbit is a variety of domestic rabbit bred for its long, soft hair. The Angora is one of the oldest types of domestic rabbit, originating in Ankara, Turkey, along with the Angora cat and Angora goat. The rabbits were popular pets with French royalty in the mid 1700s, and spread to other parts of Europe by the end of the century. They first appeared in the United States in the early 1900s. They are bred largely for their long wool, which may be removed by shearing or plucking (gently pulling loose wool).
There are many individual breeds of Angora rabbits, four of which are ARBA recognized. Such breeds include, French, German, Giant, English, Satin, Chinese, Swiss, Finnish, to name a few

Red Panda

The Red Panda, Ailurus fulgens ("shining cat," from a Latinized form of the Greek, ailouros, "cat," and the participial form of the Latin fulgere, "to shine") is a mostly herbivorous mammal, slightly larger than a domestic cat (55 cm long). The Red Panda has semi-retractile claws and, like the Giant Panda, has a "false thumb" which is really an extension of the wrist bone. Thick fur on the soles of the feet offers protection from cold and hides scent glands. The Red Panda is native to the Himalayas in Nepal and southern China. The word panda is derived from Nepalese word "ponya" which means bamboo and plants eating animals in Nepal.

BY: Nageswarie, Rajeswary, Kuganesh, Anita Raj

Top 10 Weirdest Things Dipped in Gold

 10. Gold Backpack

Are you a trendsetter? Do boring Jansport backpacks cramp your style? Well fear not fashion fiends! This Billionaire Boys Club backpack is sure to put more pep in your step. If its golden rays don’t make everyone turn their heads in awe, make sure to keep the price tag on. At an estimated price of $1650 (roughly the same cost to buy gold bullion), you are guaranteed to get a “DAAAAMN” everywhere you go.

Source: Diva Artist

9. Gold Dessert

So, you’ve finished your meal, but you’re still not satisfied. If you’re the “go big or go home” type and can afford to empty your wallet while you fill your stomach¸ then Serendipity 3 has a dessert with your name drizzled all over it. With a godlike name, the $1000 “Grand Opulence Sundae” screams of perfection—and it is. Take a deep breath and read off the dessert’s luscious list of ingredients: five scoops of Tahitian and Madagascar vanilla bean ice cream, an edible 23 karat gold leaf, rare Amedei Porceleana and Chuaco chocolate chunks, Parisian candied fruit, Marzipan cherries, truffles, gold dragets, and a bowl of Grand Passion Caviar. The sundae is served in a baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet with an 18 karat gold spoon and a gold sugar flower to grace the top. Before you rush into the restaurant and shout “Give it to me, baby!” Serendipity kindly asks for a 48-hour notice to handcraft the masterpiece.

Source: Luxist

8. Gold Shoes

The last pair of shoes that sparkled as much as these bad boys ended up on a girl that had an obsession with clicking her heels together three times. Ken Courtney, designer for Just Another Rich Kid, created these 24-karat gold Nike kicks. Cashing in at $5,405, it is pretty obvious that “Indulgences No. 5” aren’t your average ruby slippers.

Source: Upscale Hype

7. Gold Sushi

Sushi—a culinary trend of its own is now incorporating a flashy new fad. In the Philippines, a chef based in Manila created an entrée exhibiting five pieces of luxe sushi. Although the sushi does not stray from common ingredients, it is the thin ribbons made of 24-karat gold and African diamonds that dress the dish for success. At $2750 per plate, make sure to bring a big appetite along with that big check.

Source: Oddity Central

6. Gold Facial

Wrinkles are normal. They tell the intriguing story of a person’s life through various laugh and stress lines. But in case you don’t want people to read you like a book, try this facial on for size. Originally created in Japan, the notorious gold facial applies a thin layer of 24 karat gold to the client’s face. The grandiose spa treatment is said to firm the skin and reduce wrinkles as well as sun spots. Even though the facial runs for a pricey $500 a pop, the luminescent afterglow is nothing short of celestial. Don’t be surprised if a lot of people ask you if it hurts, because with an angel face like that, you had to have fallen from heaven.

Source: Umo Universe

5. Gold Toilet

Tourists from all over the world stop by Hong Kong to see Hang Fung’s solid 24 karat gold toilet. The shiny throne is accompanied by other gold fixtures to complete the over-the-top hot spot. At an approximated 5 million dollars, it’s common for people to feel overjoyed before they back that thang up and take a picture.

Source: AFP

4. Gold Vibrator

There’s not much to say here except people can use Lelo Yva’s 18 karat gold gadget as the glittering light at the end of the tunnel. Pay $2580 for a jolly good time.

Source: Healthy & Active

3. Gold Barbecue Grill

Everyone loves a relaxing 4^th of July barbecue—the smoky burgers, the ice cold pool, and the quality time with friends and family. This year, blow everyone’s minds with your new BeefEater gold plated grill. This backyard beaut is smothered in 24 karat gold and sells for $12,500. With this beast of a barbecue on your side, it’s okay to smile for us, Daddy. We see your grill.

Source: Gizmag

2. Gold Coffin

With 2012 just around the corner, people are starting to wonder if an afterlife really exists and if it does, what preparations they should take. Before there’s any chance of a zombie apocalypse, make sure you’re sent off in style with this $381,000 gold coffin complete with a cell phone. Why a dead person needs a cell phone in the beyond is unknown, but hey, better safe than sorry. Purchasing one of these caskets puts you on the same list as other gold coffin sporters such as King Tut, James Brown and Michael Jackson. Remember, just because you’re deceased doesn’t mean you have to stop being chic.

Source: Born Rich

1. Gold Pills

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, someone takes it one step further. Knowing that society is eager to devour all things lavish, Tobias Wong and Just Another Rich Kid’s Ken Courtney wanted to see how far they could push the envelope of the rich and famous. 24 karat gold leaf pills were created for “the man that has everything” in the renowned Indulgences collection. With the $425 price tag stamped on the pills, you’d think that the benefits of swallowing gold would be unlimited. However, the only documented avantage to consuming these capsules is a sparkly grand finale in the toilet bowl.

Source: Citizen

 BY: Nageswarie, Rajeswary, Kuganesh, Anita Raj

New World's Shortest Man Is Just 21.5 Inches 'Tall'

As a vertically challenged man myself, I'm always proud to see short men show off their pride -- like the very robust competition for World's Shortest Man, which just got a new champ in the form of a 72-year-old Nepalese man.

Guinness World Records has confirmed that Chandra Bahadur Dangi stands at just 21.5 inches (54.6 centimeters) tall, giving him the title in a ceremony over the weekend.

"I am very happy. Now I want to travel across Nepal and to foreign countries," Dangi told reporters afterward, according to the Associated Press.

Dangi is a full two inches shorter than Junrey Balawing, the 18-year-old Filipino who at 23.6 inches tall was named world's shortest man last year.

And Balawing is nearly three inches shorter than the previous record holder, 26.4-inch-tall Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal.

Meet Dangi and some of the other former record holders in my new photo feature, World's Shortest Men.

BY: Nageswarie, Rajeswary, Kuganesh, Anita Raj

Serial Killers

The Psychological Phases of Serial Killers

In 1988 the psychologist Joel Norris described the psychological phases that serial killers experience. Norris worked on the defense teams of several convicted killers from Georgia and completed 500 interviews with such individuals, during which he identified the following phases.

The killer begins with an aura phase, in which there is a withdrawal from reality and a heightening of the senses. This phase may last anywhere from several moments to several months and can begin as a prolonged fantasy, which may have been active for a short time or for years. The killer may attempt to medicate himself with alcohol or drugs.

The trolling phase consists of the behavior patterns that a particular killer uses to identify and stalk his victim. Norris described how Ted Bundy strapped his arm in a sling and asked for help with books, packages, or even the hull of a sailboat to lure the victim into his car. Some victims escaped and said he never seemed out of control until the moment he actually attacked them.

The wooing phase is that time period when most killers win the confidence of victims before luring them into a trap. The capture phase may include the locking of a door or a blow that renders the victim helpless. The killer savors this moment. Norris described the murder phase as the ritual reenactment of the disastrous experiences of the killer's childhood, but this time he reverses the roles.

The next phase Norris described is the totem phase. After the kill, murderers sink into a depression, so many develop a ritual to preserve their "success." This is why some killers keep news clippings, photographs, and parts of the victims' bodies, or eat parts of the victims, wear their skin, or show parts of victims' bodies to later victims. The trophy is meant to give the murderer the same feelings of power he experienced at the time of the kill.

The last phase is the depression phase. A victim, now killed, no longer represents what the killer thought he or she represented, and the memory of the individual that tortured the murderer in the past is still there. Ressler compares the murder to a television serial with no satisfactory ending because the serial killer experiences the tension of a fantasy incompletely fulfilled. In each subsequent murder, he attempts to make the scene of the crime equal to the fantasy. Norris notes that there is an absence of the killer's sense of self and, during this phase, the killer may confess to the police before the fantasies start once more. However, because victims are not seen as people, recollections of murders may be vague or viewed as the killer having watched someone else. They may have a memory for tiny details about the murder, which is dissociated from the event as a whole.

Psychological, Social, and Biological Factors in the Serial Murder

Psychological factors in the development of serial murder have sometimes included obvious abuse or emotional isolation in childhood. An example of the obviously abusive stands out in Henry Lee Lucas's prostitute mother hitting him for years with broom handles, dressing him as a girl for school, and forcing him to watch her having sex with men who would then be violent toward him. In such cases, the child appears to identify with the aggressor and replay a childhood victimization, this time as the aggressor. But not all cases show obvious massive family dysfunction. Many cases, however, according to Ressler and his fellow researchers Ann Burgess and John Douglas, do show loss of a parent or parental rejection. Robert Keppel and William Birnes describe the formation of the diphasic personality, in which a person's life develops two phases. One phase is the fantasy life where the child has complete control, while the other phase is the shell that walks through the real world and has little energy or effort committed to it. The child is emotionally isolated with his fantasies.

From a social construction point of view, Hickey describes a trauma-control model of the serial killer. While head injury or brain pathology may be predisposing factors, the eventual offender responds to traumatization in the formative years in the negative way of having low self-esteem and increasingly violent fantasies. Traumatic experiences and feelings from the past may be dissociated from conscious feelings, and the adult offender may aid an altered state of consciousness by facilitators such as alcohol, pornography, or drugs. Finally he commits murder as a way of regaining control and may initially feel reinforced before the low self-esteem sets in again.

Biological causes of crime were hypothesized by Hans Eysenck, who believed that criminality resulted from a nervous system distinct from that of most people, and that extroverts were more likely to be involved in antisocial behavior. J. A. Gray proposed a behavioral inhibition system as the neural system underlying anxiety. This system teaches most people not to make an antisocial response because of anxiety and is called passive avoidance learning. The researcher Don Fowles continued this concept with the idea that criminal personalities have deficient behavioral inhibition systems, therefore will proceed to make the anti-social response. The second half of Gray's model is the behavioral activation system, which causes reward-seeking behavior and active avoidance of punishment, such as running away. Fowles believes this system is normal in the criminal personality. Gray's theory also says there is a nonspecific arousal system receiving excitatory inputs from both systems.

Similar ideas may be viewed directly from the brain. In a 1997 article in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, the researcher Daniel Amen reported findings with Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography (SPECT) brain imaging, which measures metabolic activity and cerebral blood flow patterns to examine differences in the aggressive brain. He examined forty aggressive adolescents and adults from a psychiatric population that physically attacked someone or destroyed property within six months of evaluation, and compared them to an age-, sex-, and diagnosis-matched control group of forty psychiatric patients who had never had reported problems with aggression. No person was included in the study who had a history of a substance abuse problem in the last year or a history of head injury involving loss of consciousness.

Amen found aggressive individuals show significant differences from nonviolent individuals. First, there is decreased activity in the prefrontal cortex; decreased functioning would result in less impulse control, less ability to focus attention, and poor judgment of highly charged situations. He found increased activity in the left side only of the basal ganglia and limbic system. Among multiple complex functions, he noticed that overactivity in the basal ganglia is associated with anxiety, and overactivity in that part of the limbic system is associated with negative mood and a higher chance of violent behavior. He found increased activity in the temporal lobes, which, among other functions, have been connected to temper outburst and rapid mood shifts, especially noted for the left temporal lobe. He found increased activity in the anteromedial portions of the frontal lobes (anterior cingulate area), which, among other functions, results in obsessive inability to stop thinking about negative events or ideas. In his 1997 publication, Amen discusses how correct medication can improve some of these abnormalities and, along with therapy, improve problem behavior. He has also found that the use of alcohol results in overall decreased brain activity, and chronic alcoholism is associated with reduced metabolism, especially in the frontal and temporal regions of the brain. These are the same regions involved in violent behavior. Interestingly, Ressler and colleagues specifically listed alcohol use during the murder as one of the characteristics of the organized serial killer.

Violence has also been connected to a variety of serotonin abnormalities as well as reduced glucose metabolism shown by positron emission tomography. In 1997 the scholar Adrian Raine and colleagues examined glucose metabolism in forty-one murderers pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, compared to an equal number of age- and sex-matched control subjects. The murderers showed reduced glucose metabolism in the prefrontal cortex, superior parietal gyrus, left angular gyrus, and corpus callosum. The left hemispheres of their brains had lower activity than the right in the amygdala, thalamus, and medial temporal lobe.

Research has identified certain brain dysfunctions, parental loss or rejection, and the development of the diphasic personality and the trauma control model as potential factors in the development of the serial killer. In the future, identifying the diphasic, emotionally isolated child and helping him or her to connect with people could potentially occur in the school. Perhaps brain scans as well as school-based behavioral evaluations could indicate those people who might benefit from psychotherapy, social skills interventions, medication, or some combination of the above to prevent or control their aggressiveness. A society with the skills and the willingness to finance such a possibility would have to make careful decisions about the freedoms of the people it labeled as well as the rights of the public. Yet deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill, as flawed as it is, took hundreds of thousands of people out of hospitals and gave them a less restrictive life. Perhaps a similar, but well-managed, outcome could be the future of a safe public and of the murderers society must lock away.

BY: Nageswarie, Rajeswary, Kuganesh, Anita Raj

- 10 interesting facts about DOLPHINS -

1. Dolphins have specially adapted eyes, which means they can see very clearly out of the water and under the water. They have almost no sense of smell.

2. In the wild, Dolphins normally sleep with only one side of the brain and leave the other side active so they can still swim, breathe and be aware of predators.

3. Dolphins can make many different sounds. They communicate mainly with various combinations of Clicks, Whistles and Pulses.

                                

4. Dolphins mainly use echolocation for hunting and navigating by sensing the response of the clicks they emit. They have extremely good hearing.

5. Squid and fish are the dolphins’ favourite food. Pods of dolphins often hunt together to scare and group small fish together so they are easier to catch.

6. The Killer Whale (Orca) and the Pilot Whale, among others, are actually dolphins.

7. Dolphins are highly social and highly intelligent. They are known to use tools to catch prey and display playful behaviour and learning abilities. The fact they also communicate and collaborate with each other in the wild and also with humans in captivity is further evidence to support this.

                                      

8. Dolphins do not have many natural predators, the main one being sharks or in some cases larger dolphins. Dolphins also tend to suffer from various diseases, which can spread between dolphins quite easily. The greatest threat to dolphins are fishing nets and hunting. They are considered quite a delicacy in some Asian restaurants.

9. Dolphins and their interaction with humans is well documented because they can be trained and lead fruitful lives in captivity. They work together with humans for therapy, entertainment (in Dolphinariums like Sea World, television shows like Flipper and films like Free Willy) and have also reportedly been used by the military.

10. Some Dolphins can dive up to about 300 meters and jump about 6 meters out of the water. Some can swim up to 40 kph and some can hold their breath for up to 30 minutes

BY: Nageswarie, Rajeswary, Kuganesh, Anita Raj

- NOMURA JELLYFISH-

   Nomura's Jellyfish also known as the Echizen kurage by the Japanese, is a large Japanese Jellyfish whose width is slightly larger than a height of a fully grown man. It can grow up to 2 meters and weigh about 450lb (220 kg) which is as heavy as a male lion. It is the biggest jellyfish in the world. 

The mating and migration habits of this animal are not clearly understood and a series of studies have been encouraged by the Japanese government to research it. 

The sting of this giant jellyfish is rather painful but not toxic enough to cause serious harm to humans. But there have been reports that the sting has caused build-up of fluid inside the lungs. Although the reported number of human injuries is low, a few unlucky swimmers have been killed by this giant. 

Nomura's Jellyfish are unwelcome visitors who are normally found in the ocean of China and Korea. The numbers have grown in hundreds in some parts of Japan as well, with the population centralized in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea. 

Their population is on the rise in the fishing waters and is a serious problem to the fishermen because a large number of the Nomura's Jellyfish gets caught in their nets. The cause for greater concern is that they poison their catch with their toxic stingers or crush them to death. And often break the nets due to their weight. It's a serious crisis which has started to affect their livelihood. There are even reports where they destroy the local fisheries with their taste for fish eggs and larvae. In some areas the density is reported to be hundred times more than normal. 

There are many theories that is said to be the cause of this explosion. One is global warming where the seas have been warmed and are better suited for their breeding. And scientists blame the over-fishing of the natural predators of the Jellyfish and the pollution along the coast. The high levels of nutrients in the water are also linked to this sudden jellyfish bloom. 

When the Nomura's Jellyfish is under attack or killed they release billions of sperm or eggs, they connect with the water and attach to rocks or coral formations. These eggs detach from their home when the conditions are favorable and grow into more jellyfish millions at a time. This makes the problem of combating the Nomura Jellyfish even more difficult. And the baby Nomura's Jellyfish grow from the size of a grain of rice to the size of a washing machine in less than six months. 

Japan has led the government to form a committee solve this problem. The issue was so serious in 2005/2006 that the fisheries officials from South Korea, Japan, and China met to discuss strategies for dealing with the invasion at a jellyfish summit. 

The coastal communities in Japan are trying to promote jellyfish as a novelty food which is sold dried and salted. It is reported that collagen extracted from Jellyfish is beneficial to the skin, and Anglers have found out that they also make good crab food and fertilizer. 

BY: Nageswarie, Rajeswary, Kuganesh, Anita Raj

National Service: Success or Failure?

The National Service Training Programme, or Program Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN), is Malaysia's National Service program. The conscripts are 18-year-old youths that are selectively drafted. The three-month program, which started in December 2003, began as way to encourage friendship between youths of certain ages from different races and ethnic groups and address concerns that the country's various races were becoming increasingly isolated from one another.  

But the happenings in most of the PLKN camps don’t meet the objectives of government. So far, 17 trainees have been killed and on Feb 28, 2004, a 17-year-old female trainee was raped by an instructor. Apart from that, hundreds of trainees have suffered sickness ranging from food poisoning to various diseases. Participants lose their confidence and determination as they have been bullied and beaten up.

In the case of late Vinoth, authority is still giving inconsistent responses to his parents. Everyone is saying a different story and yet the truth is hiding behind a mask. Not only in this case but in many other cases, the truth has not been revealed yet. Although the government spent billions of ringgit each year, the problems and risks have not been eliminated. The parents of the trainees have therefore justifiably lost confidence in the programme.

It is now the responsibility of our government to correct the mistakes of the National Service Training Programme. If not the trust that we put in such a training programme will be lost forever. Eventually, any efforts taken by the government in future will not gain our support any more.

By: Anita Raj, Kuganaeshwari, Nageswarie, Rajeswary