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Interesting tips: How to Avoid the Summer Bite

Fact of life, Mosquitoes and other biting insects may be an unfortunate part of summer, but you don't have to suffer. We've got a few tips for avoiding those nasty bug bites.

More Is Not Better

Extra coats of bug spray do not offer added protection. One coat of bug spray to exposed skin is enough. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says DEET offers the best protection against mosquito bites but notes that the chemical may cause skin rashes, including blisters and skin and mucous membrane irritation, if applied in high amounts.

If you want to avoid products that contain DEET, there are natural alternatives such as lemon eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, neem oil and citronella. See more animals for kids



The Best Ingredients to Fight Off Bugs

Be sure to look for proven ingredients like DEET, picaridin and IR3535 to give long-lasting protection. Apply repellants only to exposed skin and avoid spraying the repellant over cuts, wounds or irritated skin, the CDC advises.

Look for an EPA Label

If you're unsure of which product is the right one for you, go to the EPA's Insect Repellant Search Tool. You can plug in which bug you're trying to avoid and the duration you're going to be outside. The EPA regulation number on the back of each bottle confirms that the product has been proven safe and effective by the EPA.

Don't Spray Your Face

To protect your face, spray bug spray on the palm of your hand before applying the product to your face. The CDC says bug sprays can be used with sunscreen, though it's best to apply the sunscreen first.
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Why America’s coffee drinkers can’t resist a shot of civil litigation

Two Californians are suing Starbucks for underfilling their cups – but they’re not the first to take US coffee vendors to court ...

We’ll sip you in court ... Starbucks coffee.

Reviews, If the US loves anything, it loves a hot cup of joe in the morning and civil litigation. Good news then for the country’s ranks of attorneys that the twain shall meet. Often. And in court.

The great latte revolt of 2016

Two Californians are certain that Starbucks is making mugs out of them. Siera Strumlauf and Benjamin Robles have taken the monolithic coffee giant to court, claiming that the company systematically serves American customers lattes that are 25% too small – due to a fill-to line on the company’s milk jugs being lower than it should be. Starbucks says a “reasonable consumer” would not have been misled.

Earlier this month a district judge in San Francisco allowed some of the pair’s claims to go to federal court. Meaning that Strumlauf and Robles may soon be able to take this all the way to the top – of both the US courts system and their half-litre paper cups
The great ice-cube revolt, also of 2016

Starbucks again. This year’s other ’Bucks-based lawsuit is the claim of a Chicago woman, put forward in a 29-page legal complaint, that the firm deliberately puts too much ice in its iced lattes to offset the amount of coffee used. Stacey Pincus also pointed out that iced drinks should not be priced more than hot drinks as hot ones don’t contain ice (you can ask for less, says Starbucks). For black-coffee-no-sugar drinkers, she may be on to something here – we demand cheaper coffee than those selfish milk-drinkers. Or, we could just make it at home, in a cafetiere.

The world v Starbucks, various dates

Fact of life, they might be getting used to this kind of thing. Aside from for their coffee, Starbucks has previously been sued – usually unsuccessfully – for pretty mucheverything you can think of, including allegations of (drumroll) ageism, dwarfism, barring someone with a prosthetic leg from using the bathroom, and crushing a customer’s penis. And, of course, many times for scalding people with drinks that are too hot …

The hot coffee case, 1994

The story of a woman spilling a cup of McDonald’s coffee in her lap and being awarded millions of dollars in compensation became one of the default examples of how litigious a society the US had become. The case was even lampooned on the country’s biggest sitcom – when Cosmo Kramer accidentally settled a similar case in Seinfeld for unlimited free coffee.

But the story of 79-year-old widow Stella Liebeck was more than just a Lionel Hutzian-case of legal chicanery. The New Mexican suffered third-degree burns, required a skin graft and spent eight days in hospital, where she lost 20% of her body weight. The money she received in her civil trial, which was eventually settled for around $600,000 (McDonald’s had refused to settle for an initial $20,000), was used for a nurse to look after her until she died in 2004. 
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But people don’t remember the fact that a jury found McDonald’s 80% responsible for the incident. They remember someone being stupid enough to spill coffee on themselves, then winning the lottery. As Liebeck’s story spread, the more it became misunderstood and the more it was misinterpreted. It’s perhaps only in the last few years, with the HBO documentary Hot Coffee – a thriller about tort reform, somehow – that people have realised that the spilling ruined her life. Which is probably a bit worse than forgetting to ask for fewer ice-cubes in your iced soy latte.
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Look sharp: Yotam Ottolenghi’s gooseberry recipes



Fact of life, until I moved to England in my 20s, I hadn’t even heard of the gooseberry, let alone eaten one. As always when I feel an outsider to a British food tradition, I turned to Jane Grigson for advice, because the world she conjures in her books makes me feel both included and excluded at the same time: her writing is so wonderfully vivid, yet it’s also just so brilliantly, quintessentially British.

As she writes in Good Things, “Gooseberries… provide the first fruit of the year. Unless you count strawberries flown in from Kenya. I don’t.” She then cites the 1920s fruit gourmet and grower Edward Bunyard’s description of this glorious berry as “the fruit par excellence for ambulant consumption. The freedom of the bush should be given to all visitors… and the exercise of gathering, too, is beneficial to the middle-aged and also stimulates their absorptive capacity.” Bunyard, Grigson goes on, delights in that “sociable summer hour which ambles along – or used to – between Matins and Sunday lunch”. See what I mean by quintessentially British?

The gooseberries in season now are firm little pale green ones. They are tart and acidic, so need sweetening for the compotes, jams and pickles that pair so well with rich meat, oily fish or cream. The larger, sweeter berries with softer, veiny-looking skins don’t arrive until August, and can be eaten as they are, in little need of sweetening or cooking. To quote Bunyard again, they “are in such demand when school breaks up [that] lateness is a virtue which can hardly be overrated. No garden yet grew more gooseberries than the young people are able to deal with.” (My own childhood memories are more about having pomegranate juices hosed off me.)

Nearly 100 years after Bunyard’s time, it is strawberries dominate the UK’s summer berry market and gooseberries are no longer as easy to get hold of. Frozen are fine if you’re going to cook them, but today’s first recipe needs fresh berries; frozen ones wilt when defrosted and you want these to stay firm.
Gooseberry crumble fool

If you can, get hold of some red gooseberries for this: bright fools always look fantastic. Serves six.
400g fresh (or frozen) gooseberries, topped and tailed 
80g caster sugar
350ml double cream

For the crumble
40g jumbo rolled oats
40g wholemeal flour
50g unsalted fridge-cold butter, cut into 2cm dice
30g caster sugar
½ tsp ground ginger
30g almonds (skin on), roughly chopped
1½ tbsp poppy seeds, plus 1 tsp extra to serve
Pinch of flaky sea salt

For the custard
2 tbsp custard powder (not instant)
3 tbsp caster sugar
400ml full-fat milk
2 tbsp amaretto (optional)

Heat the oven to 170C/335F/gas mark 3. Put the custard powder, sugar and three tablespoons of milk in a bowl and mix until smooth. Pour the rest of the milk into a saucepan on a medium-high flame. When it starts to simmer, pour the hot milk into the custard mix, whisking as you go, until smooth, then pour back into the pan. Return to the heat and cook through for a minute or two, stirring constantly, until thick, then take off the heat and stir in the amaretto, if using. Cover with cling-film (the film should touch the surface of the custard, to prevent a skin forming) and leave to cool

Put the gooseberries and sugar in a medium saucepan on a medium-high heat. Cook for six to seven minutes, stirring constantly and squashing the fruit as you do so, until it’s the consistency of a runny jam, then set aside to cool completely.

Put the cream in a large bowl and whisk until very soft peaks start to form – take care not to take it too far. Gently stir in a third of the jam – again, take care not to overmix, or it might split – and refrigerate.

Put all the crumble ingredients in a medium bowl. With the tips of your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until the mix comes together into a crumble consistency, then spread out on an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper. Bake for about 12 minutes, until golden-brown, then set aside to cool.

To assemble the fools, spoon half of the custard into six bowls or large glasses and top with half the cream, half the reserved jam and half the crumble mix. Repeat to build up a second layer of each, sprinkle with the remaining poppy seeds and serve.
Gooseberry slaw

A really punchy salad that works brilliantly with all sorts of rich or spicy main courses: fried chicken thighs, marinated slow-cooked lamb, barbecued tofu, pan-fried mackerel fillets – the list is almost endless. Serves six.
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600g fresh gooseberries, trimmed and cut into 0.5cm rounds 
30g caster sugar
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 red chillies, finely diced
Salt
½ red cabbage (350g), thinly sliced
½ onion, peeled and thinly sliced 
3 carrots, peeled and shaved into long, thin strips (use a vegetable peeler)
150g mange tout, thinly sliced on an angle
3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into julienne sticks
60ml lime juice
½ tsp fish sauce
1 tbsp groundnut oil
15g Thai basil, roughly torn (or 15g mint, shredded)

Put the gooseberries in a large bowl with the sugar, garlic, chilli and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt. Stir gently, so the gooseberries don’t break, and set aside for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Add all the remaining ingredients and an extra half-teaspoon of salt, give the slaw a good stir and serve.

Oven-dried gooseberries

We came up with these to go in the salsa with the tuna dish that follows, but they also work nicely as they are with fried mackerel or other oily fish. Makes about 100g dried berries.

300g gooseberries, fresh (or frozen and then defrosted)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp caster sugar
¼ tsp chilli flakes
Flaky sea salt

Heat the oven to its lowest setting (around 90C). Mix the gooseberries in a small bowl with the oil, sugar, chilli and a teaspoon of salt, then spread out on an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper and bake for three and a half hours, until shrivelled but still slightly soft in the centre – the berries will look a bit like plump raisins. Remove and leave to cool.
Seared tuna with dried gooseberry salsa and anchovy sauce


A mixture of black and white sesame seeds looks great here, but use white only, if that’s all you have to hand. Serves four, as a generous starter.

600g skinless tuna loin
1 tsp celery seeds
2 tbsp black sesame seeds
2 tbsp white sesame seeds
Flaky sea salt
3 tbsp olive oil

For the salsa
85g oven-dried gooseberries (see previous recipe) 
1½ sticks celery, cut into 0.5cm dice, plus 10g celery leaves, finely chopped
10g mint leaves, finely chopped
10g parsley leaves, finely chopped
¼ tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp elderflower cordial
2 tbsp olive oil

For the anchovy sauce
25g salted anchovies
30ml whole milk
50g soured cream
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
Pinch of white pepper

Start with the anchovy sauce. Put the anchovies in a small bowl, cover with the milk and leave to soak and soften for 10 minutes. Strain, discard the milk and put the fish in the small bowl of a food processor. Add the soured cream, oil, lemon juice and white pepper, blitz until smooth, then tip into a small bowl, cover and refrigerate.

Just before cooking the fish, mix all the salsa ingredients in a bowl.

Now for the tuna. The loin is shaped like a long triangle, so cut off the top third and cut the remaining tuna in half, so you end up with three similar-sized pieces about 7cm long and 5cm wide.

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In a shallow bowl, mix the celery seeds, sesame seeds and two teaspoons of salt. Use a tablespoon of oil to brush over the long sides of the tuna pieces, then roll the fish in the seed mix, to coat. Heat a medium frying pan on a high flame, add the remaining oil and, once hot, lay in the tuna pieces. Sear for 30 seconds on each side, until golden on the outside and still very rare in the centre.

Cut each piece of seared fish into four 1.5cm-thick slices, and lay three pieces on each plate. Spoon some salsa alongside, then drizzle over the sauce or serve it in a bowl on the side.

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Fork stacker or food separatist: what your eating habits say about you


Reviews, eating in public can be exposing. It is one of the few intense physical pleasures that we can enjoy with just about anyone. But when you observe someone else attack a plate of food, subtle quirks, neuroses and vulnerabilities become apparent. This is why dining with a new boss, or watching a first date devour a plate of food can be both intimidating and levelling.

I, for example, am like a barmy puppy when served meat on the bone. I pick and gnaw at it long after everyone else has finished. I’m also a fork stacker. Each mouthful must have a bit of everything on it, and, as I go, I automatically prioritise that perfect final forkful.

The chef Giorgio Locatelli is a fork stacker, too. Or at least a soup-spoon stacker. “If you have minestrone with beans in it, and you try to eat the minestrone with one bean in each spoonful, that sums it up. I like the combination of things.” He also loves getting his fingers mucky. “During the meal, I’ll go for the touch. If it can be done by hand, I will eat with my hands,” a food trait that will go down well with the never-trust-a-person-who-tackles-pizza-with-a-knife-and-fork crowd.


In a shock admission, chef Yotam Ottolenghi says he is a pernickety food compartmentaliser. You know, one of those people who ask for items to be served on the side. “I, much like my three-year-old son, like the different food items on the plate to be kept separate,” he says. “Possibly even served in a sequence and not all together. I love tasting each item and then moving on to the next one.” It seems odd that a chef could be even mildly brumotactillophobic (the impressive technical term for fear of different foods touching each other). “A typical Christmas dinner sends shivers down my spine,” Ottolenghi says. “A bunch of meats and vegetables crammed together, rendered indistinct by a uniform coating of gravy. It’s wrong!”
Brumotactillophobia is viewed by food psychologists as a hangover from childhood fussy eating. We were all picky once – even Guardian restaurant critic Marina O’Loughlin, whose mother would accuse her of performing brain surgery on meat because of her painstaking food dissection. “I refused point blank to touch even the tiniest suggestion of fat. It makes me laugh now,” she says, “on days when I’m happily scoffing lardo, or the glorious melty fat on jamón ibérico.”




Locatelli falls into a second militant eating category: the delayed gratifiers. “I always keep the special bit until last,” he says, “which is contrary to my brother. We used to have big discussions about this when we were younger. He would say that you appreciate the first mouthful more because you are hungry, so you eat the best one when you start. My logic is: no, no, you keep the best for last. I try to have a little bit of everything in the last forkful, just so I remember that flavour and texture.”

The chef Marcus Wareing, on the other hand, eats the best bit first. He has tried to equally pace his consumption of all the foods on the plate, but he cannot do it. “I just think that’s too much time wasted while the food is hot.” So his Sunday roast disappears in this order: potatoes, sage-and-onion stuffing, crackling, pork, with the poor old carrots and cauliflower left to the lukewarm end.

This debate has been studied by actual psychologists from the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania. Among Americans, delayed gratification was the more popular approach, thus supporting the psychologists’ hypothesis that Americans prefer a rising sequence in life. Only 5% gobbled the best first, à la Wareing; 35% saved the best till last, and 36% were fork stackers (go, team!).

There are, of course, external forces that dictate how we clear our plates – a subject that Julia Hormes, food behaviour expert at the University of Albany in New York, knows all too well. “I was brought up in Germany, so I’m very aware of cultural differences.” (In case you hadn’t noticed, Americans do both their cutting and their forking with one hand, often eating with their other hand in their lap.) She also points out that the acceptability of slurping or eating loudly depends on national traditions. “Slurping in Japan is good,” she says. “China considers using a knife at the table to be improper, which is why you eat with chopsticks and the knife is relegated to the realm of the kitchen.” Table manners are arbitrary. “There are rules, but they don’t necessarily make a lot of sense, and they evolved to define the upper social class and exclude the lower classes, so they had to become increasingly elaborate to identify who had access to that upper segment of society.”

I should imagine, however, that there are soppers and dunkers the world over. There is a childish delight to be had in going for the dunk, be it digestives in tea, bread in dripping or biscotti in vin santo. Or, in the case of Olly Knights from the London band Turin Brakes, Mars bars in peanut butter. “And Twixes,” he adds. “Pretty much any chocolate rigid enough. It’s finding the chocolate equivalent of a spoon, and then you want the softest peanut butter you can get your hands on.” I’m not sure Ottolenghi would approve.


And then there are those irritating people (OK, me) who think food tastes better when nicked from a loved one’s plate. The writer Howard Jacobson is also a coveter of his companion’s food. My fella and I now address this issue by swapping our restaurant meals halfway through.

Tempting as it is, you can’t read too much into people’s food traits.

The novelist Lionel Shriver brings a Marmite pot filled with chilli flakes to restaurants because she loves “skirting the line between pleasant and unpleasant”. But does this mean she likes all elements of her life to be challenging? Of course not. “I also like plain American biscuits with butter. You can’t call that challenging. There are lots of things in life that interest me but aren’t challenging.”



When it comes to food foibles, context is everything. Locatelli hates it when restaurants “show off, using some fucking stupid container, or serving food on a shovel. I adore normal plates.” Does his plate adoration mean he can’t love a paper-wrapped spleen sandwich, dripping with fat, at Palermo station? Negative.

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The selfie generation: How to avoid raising a narcissistic child


Between getting a trophy just for participation, posting selfies on social media, and millennials who think they deserve high-level, lucrative positions right after college, the current generation has gotten a bad rep as self-centered, entitled and narcissistic. Learn more about animals for kids

Starting in the toddler years, self-centeredness is completely normal and part of development. Although it’s true that children and young adults are more self-centered that older adults, experts say from baby boomers to Generation Z, it’s not a new phenomenon.

“I have never seen convincing research that kids today are more self-centered,” said Dr. Laura Markham, a clinical psychologist in New York City and author of “Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids: How to Stop Yelling and Start Connecting.”

Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, however, has conducted several studies that indicate narcissism among college students is on the rise.

Yet Markham said the questionnaire that Twenge used, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), isn’t a good measure because it includes questions about self-confidence, not to mention that other researchers couldn’t replicate her claims.

“The research shows the opposite. The research shows kids volunteer more [and] it shows kids are more confident but not more entitled,” Markham said. 

Strong self-esteem or inflated ego?
Every parent wants their child to have a strong sense of self and research shows kids today have stronger self-esteem than previous generations. In fact, 80 percent of middle school students scored higher in self-esteem in 2006 than students in 1988, according to a study in the Review of General Psychology.

Another study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that by age 5, kids have developed self-esteem comparable to those of adults.

Although self-esteem is always a good thing, some experts say many parents are raising children who are self-centered and entitled. And that superiority, ironically, is rooted in poor self-esteem.

One of the problems is helicopter parenting.

“We give them so much of our love and attention that they start to realize unconsciously, ‘I can’t function without mom or dad,’” said Dr. Gary Brown, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Los Angeles.

Brown frequently sees this happening among affluent parents or those who want to give their children a better life than they had themselves.

“That creates a certain anxiety in those children but it also fuels a false sense of importance,” he said.

“Somebody who is always coming across as arrogant, or self-centered, or not caring about others, is somebody who was missed, somebody who wasn’t seen, somebody who wasn’t recognized,” said Dr. Brad Reedy, the co-owner and clinical director of Evoke Therapy Programs in Santa Clara, Utah and author of, “The Journey of the Heroic Parent.” Click to get fun facts about dogs 

Reedy said kids who grow up feeling this way do so because their parents can’t set limits in their own lives.

These parents might be the ones who overschedule their kids and spend afternoons and weekends shuttling them to countless sports and after-school activities. The problem is that they do it because they feel guilty, have a strong desire to be the perfect parent, or because they want their kids to be successful because they falsely believe it’s a reflection on them, Reedy said.

As a result, children are never required to recognize other people and they see themselves as the center of the universe.

“You’re not really parenting the child, you’re parenting your own wounded child,” he said.

How not to raise a self-centered kid

Parenting is no easy feat, but emphasizing love and support without going overboard is the key to raising a child who won’t turn into a self-centered adult. Here’s how to make it happen.

Set limits.
Regardless of your child’s age, try to see each situation from his perspective and be empathic, but always set boundaries. 

“If you constantly put your child’s needs above other people’s and you don’t set limits with your child on their behavior, then you’re giving the child the message that they’re entitled over and above other people’s needs,” Markham said.

Foster a strong work ethic.
Instead of placing too much emphasis on academics or sports which can create performance anxiety, focus on a strong work ethic and that teaching your child that giving it your all is good enough.

Teach gratitude.
Find opportunities to teach your children to practice gratitude so they will appreciate what they have and be empathic towards others. For example, children can donate toys, collect food for the local food bank or volunteer. 

Let them feel unhappiness.
“We need to let them be unhappy, it’s really important. But we need to support them through that unhappiness so that they learn unhappiness is tolerable. That’s how kids become resilient and that’s how kids also get normal competence instead of superior competence,” Markham said.

Say ‘I love you.’
Children whose parents “overvalue,” them by telling them they’re more special than others or entitled to special treatment, in part, seem to grow up to be narcissists, a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found.

A better approach is what you already do best: plenty of hugs, kisses and “I love you.”

“If our children have a sense of genuine warmth from their parents, I think that does a lot more to correlate with good self esteem,” Brown said.

Do your own work.
Consider seeing a therapist or read parenting books to understand why you might be over-parenting your child and learn how to set limits.

Accept their uniqueness.
Instead of constantly criticizing your children or hovering, love them just the way they are.

“Kids who get that message have a need to prove that they’re better than they are,” according to Markham. “Everyone is unique but no one is special.”
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Fun facts about Cows


Cows animals for kids are members of the sub-family ‘Bovinae’ of the family ‘Bovidae’. This family also includes Gazelles, Buffalo, Bison, Antelopes, Sheep and Goats.

Cows are raised for many reasons including: milk, cheese, other dairy products, also for meat such as beef and veal and materials such as leather hide. In older times they were used as work animals to pull carts and to plow fields.

In some countries such as India, cows were classed as sacred animals and were used in religious ceremonies and treated with much respect.

Today, cows are domesticated ungulates (hoofed animals with two toes on each hoof) that we see very often chewing the grass in farmers fields as we walk or drive through the countryside.

There is an estimated 1.3 billion head of cattle and 920 breeds of cow in the world today. Cows are referred to as the ‘fosters mothers to the human race’ because they produce most of the milk that people drink.

The mature female of the species is called a ‘cow’.
The mature male of the species is called a ‘bull’.
A group of cows is called a ‘herd’.
A young female cow is called a ‘heifer’.
A baby cow is called a ‘calf’.

A cow spends up to 6 hours a day eating. Cows spend over 8 hours a day chewing thier cud which is regurigated, partially digested food. Cows each drink equivalent to a bath tub full of water a day.

Cows occupy a unique role in human history. Cows have been considered one of the oldest forms of wealth. Cows have always been of interest to man because of their amazing ability to be able to provide meat and dairy products, have been strong animals to work with and also reproduce themselves while eating nothing but grass. Amazing!

Cow Reproduction


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The average cow is 2 years old when she has her first calf. Calves are fed from the cow until they are between 8 and 9 weeks old. It is essential for a calf to be fed their mothers milk from the start as it contains antibodies that protect the new calf from diseases. Two months before giving birth, a dairy cow takes a rest from giving milk in order to grow her calf.

During this period the cow is known as a Dry Cow. When a dairy cow gives birth, this process is called a freshening. All calves are born with horn nubs. It is common for a vet to remove these nowadays.

A young female calf is called a heifer, she is called this until she has her first calf. A young male is called a bull calf.

Did you know that cows never forget their calves. It is quite common to see them licking their grown calves just as they did when they were young.

How to determine the age of a cow


The age of a cow is determined by examination of the teeth and less perfectly by the horns. The temporary teeth are in part erupted at birth and all the incisors are erupted within twenty days. The first, second and third pairs of temporary molars are erupted in thirty days. The teeth have grown large enough to touch each other by the sixth month. They gradually wear and fall in eighteen months. The fourth permanent molars are through at around the fourth month. See more about fun facts about dogs

The fifth at the fifteenth month and the sixth at two years. The temporary teeth begin to fall at twenty-one months and are entirely replaced by the thirty-ninth to the forty-fifth month.

Interesting Cow Facts

  • The oldest cow ever recorded was a Dremon Cow named ‘Big Bertha’ who died 3 months just before her 49th birthday on New Years Eve, 1993.
  • ‘Big Bertha’ also holds the record for lifetime breeding as she produced 39 calves.
  • The heaviest live birth of a calf is 225 lbs for a British Friesian cow in 1961.
  • Dairy cows can produce 125 pounds of saliva a day.
  • Dairy cows can produce up to 200 pounds of flatus (trumps and burps) a day!
  • Cows often have their ears pierced-with I.D. tags.
  • People first domesticated cows about 5000 years ago.
  • The Holstein cow produces the most milk of all breeds.
  • Cows can live to the age of 25 years old if people would let them.
  • A cow stands up and sits down about 14 times a day.
  • In an average herd, there is 1 bull to every 30 cows.
  • Cows can detect odours up to five miles away.
  • The age of a cow can be determined by counting the rings on its horns.
  • Cows can see colour.
  • There are approximately 350 ‘squirts’ in a gallon of milk.
  • Cows can pick and lick their noses with their tongues.
  • Cows drink 25 – 50 gallons of water each day. That is nearly a bathtub full.
  • When the Pilgrims went to America, they took cows with them
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Can exercise really reduce the risk of getting cancer?



Click plant facts and read more, just in case you haven’t got the message that exercise is good for you, two huge research studies this week shout it louder than ever. Which is just as well, since almost one-third of adults are classified as “inactive”. Exercise is already known to reduce the risk of breast, colon and endometrial cancer (cancer of the lining of the uterus) by between 10% and 40%. Now, a pooled analysis of data from studies looking at 1.4 million adults between the ages of 19 and 98 has found that exercise reduces the risk of an additional 10 cancers, including oesophageal, stomach, bladder and kidney. What’s more, for many cancers, exercise reduces the risk even in overweight people. This is particularly interesting, because the mechanism by which exercise is thought to protect from cancer is weight reduction.

It seems that exercise may work its magic in a variety of ways. Dr Marilie Gammon, an epidemiologist from the Gillings School of Global Public Health in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, who wrote an editorial to accompany the paper in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Internal Medicine, says that exercise may help to repair DNA when it is damaged by cancer-promoting substances. Exercise may also alter hormone levels and reduce inflammation. Get more information at video game reviews 

The study showed that the risk of oesophageal cancer for those taking the most exercise was 42% lower than for those taking the least. For seven of the cancers, the risk reduction was one-fifth or more. Gammon says the data was based on four hours of activity a week – the standard recommendation to prevent heart disease.

How active you have to be to reduce your cancer risk is unknown. Gammon suggests anything is likely to be beneficial – even taking the stairs instead of the lift.

But why stop at exercise? The second study of lifestyle and cancer, which took data from 136,000 Americans, found that anyone who quits smoking; does two and a half hours of moderate exercise a week; has no more than one drink a day if a woman or two if a man; and keeps to a BMI between 18.5 and 27.5 is likely to reduce their risk of bowel cancer by 30% and breast cancer by 12%. 
Get on your bike

So, are you doing enough to reduce your risk of getting cancer? While these studies can’t prove that exercise reduces the risk of cancer – because they only report an observed association – they show a strong link, which is enough for me to get out my bike tomorrow. The fact that you can be overweight and still see a reduction in risk means you can get the benefit whatever your size. Dr Stephen Moore, the author of the JAMA Internal Medicine paper, is reported to run every day. Get moving. See more fun facts about dogs

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Cool Animals Facts

Fun facts about the dogs 

  • A dog’s nose has about 4 times as many scent cells as a cat’s and 14 times more than a human’s. That’s why dogs are often used to track down illegal drugs and missing persons. They can sniff out their dinner from any room in the house!
  • With patience and understanding you can teach any old dog new tricks, depending on what you are trying to teach, or un-teach the dog, which is usually more difficult. Dogs can learn at any age, and like humans, it’s just old habits that are hard to break!
  • Dogs see in color, but not the same way that we do. Veterinary ophthalmologists have found that dogs are similar to people with red/green color blindness, meaning they can see bluish and greenish shades but not reddish ones. To a dog, a bright orange ball on a grassy lawn appears as a light greenish ball in greenish grass. Go fetch!
  • According to a recent survey, the most popular name for a dog is Max. Other popular names include Molly, Sam, Zach, and Maggie.
  • An estimated 1 million dogs in the United States have been named the primary beneficiary in their owner's will.
  • Contrary to popular belief, dogs do not sweat by salivating. They sweat through the pads of their feet.
  • Every known dog, except the chow, has a pink tongue - a chow's tongue is black.
  • Dogs can alert their owners of an epileptic seizure up to an hour before it occurs.
  • Walt Disney's family dog was named Lady. She was a poodle.
  • The dog was one of the first animals domesticated by humans.
  • The heaviest dog ever weighed 319 pounds.
  • The oldest dog ever died at age 29.

Cat Facts

  • Fact of life, a cat will almost never meow at another cat. Cats use this sound for humans.
  • Cats, unlike dogs, do not learn tricks to win your approval. Cats can be taught to perform tasks such as retrieving toys and jumping through hoops - but it may take patience and perseverance…and quite a few yummy treats for your feline.
  • A cat uses its whiskers as feelers to determine if a space is too small to squeeze through.
  • A cat can be either right-pawed or left-pawed.
  • A cat can jump as much as 7 times its height.
  • Cats cannot break a sweat because they have no sweat glands.
  • A cat's brain is more similar to a human's brain than that of a dog.
  • A cat sees about 6 times better than a human at night.
  • A cat's tongue is scratchy because it's lined with papillae - tiny backwards hooks that help to hold prey in place.
  • A fifteen year old cat has probably spent ten years of its life sleeping.
  • A frightened cat can run at speeds of up to 31 mph, slightly faster than a human sprinter.
  • All kittens are born with blue eyes.
  • Ancient Egyptians believed worshiped cats were sacred animals.
  • In Asia and England, a black cat is considered lucky.
  • Cat families usually play best in even numbers. Cats and kittens should be acquired in pairs whenever possible.
  • Cats can see color. Studies have shown that cats can distinguish between red and green; red and blue; red and gray; green and blue; green and gray; blue and gray; yellow and blue, and yellow and gray.
  • Cats have a third eyelid that is rarely visible. If it can be seen, it could be an indication of ill health.
  • Cats lack a true collarbone and can generally squeeze their bodies through any space they can get their heads through.
  • You should talk to your cat often. Cats love to hear the sound of their own name and your voice.
  • Cats, not dogs, are the most common pets in America.
  • Human painkillers such acetaminophen (Tylenol) are toxic to cats.
  • Chocolate is also poisonous to both cats and dogs.
  • A female cat may have three to seven kittens every four months. This is why having your pets spayed and neutered is so important.

Pet Facts animals for kids  

  • Dogs can donate blood to other dogs and cats can donate blood to other cats.
  • Studies have shown that people who own pets live longer, have less stress, and have fewer heart attacks.
  • Over 50% of all pet owners would rather be stranded on a desert island with their pet, not another person.

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Fun Dog Facts for Kids

Interesting facts about dogs

Enjoy these fun facts about dogs that deliver a variety of information about interesting breeds, puppies, guide dogs such as Labradors and much more. As the famous saying goes, dogs are man’s best friend. Whether it’s as reliable workers, family pets or loyal companions, dogs are wonderful domestic animals that offer a number of qualities that are put to good use by humans.
  • In total there is said to be around 400 million dogs in the world.
  • The domestic dog has been one of the most popular working and companion animals throughout human history.
  • Dogs perform many useful tasks for humans including hunting, farm work and security as well as assisting those with disabilities such as the blind.
  • Although experts often disagree, there is scientific evidence which shows that the domestication of dogs could have occurred more than 15,000 years ago.
  • There are hundreds of different breeds of dogs.
  • Examples of these breeds include: Bulldog, German Shepherd, Collie, Golden Retriever, St Bernard, Greyhound, Bloodhound, Chihuahua, Labrador, Great Dane, Rottweiler, Boxer and Cocker Spaniel.
  • The most popular breed of dog in the world by registered ownership is the Labrador. With their gentle nature, obedience, intelligence and near limitless energy, Labradors make for excellent family pets and reliable workers. They often assist police and are a common choice as guide dogs.
  • Dogs animals for kids have formed such a strong bond as pets, workers and companions to humans that they have earned the nickname "man's best friend".
  • Humans help train various dog breeds to enter in competitions such as breed shows, agility and obedience contests, racing and sled pulling.
  • Dog have superior hearing than humans, capable of hearing sounds at four times the distance.
  • Dogs have a remarkable sense of smell, they are capable of differentiating odors in concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than humans can.
  • The average life span for a dog is around 10 to 14 years.
  • Those involved in dog breeding refer to males as ‘dogs’, females as ‘bitches’, dogs younger than a year old as ‘puppies’ and a group of offspring as a ‘litter’.
  • Domestic dogs are omnivores, they feed on a variety of foods including grains, vegetables and meats

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Emilia Clarke Will Break Your Heart in 'Me Before You'


Starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke
Four out of five stars
Fact of life, Based on the book by Jojo Moyes, "Me Before You" opens by introducing us to Will Traynor (Sam Claflin) on the morning of what we’re about to learn is a life-altering accident. He wakes up next to a beautiful woman, they seem very happy, he offers to cook dinner later, gets dressed in an expensive suit and leaves his flat in the pouring rain while trying to conduct business on his cell phone -- which distracts him from the motorcycle that hits him.
A couple of years later, we’re introduced to the quirky and kind Louisa Clark, played with surprising exuberance and charm by Emilia Clarke, best-known as the no-nonsense Mother of Dragons Daenerys Targaryen on HBO’s "Game of Thrones." If you were a fan of "GoT" and saw this movie, and had never seen Clarke without her "GoT" wig and costume, you likely would never know it’s the same person.
When we first meet Lou, she’s working in a bakery and tea shop. That is, until she’s fired. Desperately in need of a job but with few real skills, an employment agency places her with the Traynor family, who are looking for an aide to help Will, paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair since his accident.
Lou is the fifth aide Will’s mother has hired, and even though Lou has almost no qualifications for this kind of job, Mrs. Traynor is taken by her personality. You know who isn’t? Will.
The development of Will and Lou’s relationship is predictable, but so is a warm and sunny day. And that’s how good Clarke makes you feel here. This is an outstanding, surprising performance by her, a cross between Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman" and Sally Hawkins in the 2008 British import "Happy Go Lucky."
There are flaws with "Me Before You," most notably issues with direction in the movie’s most pivotal scene, but Clarke’s performance is so strong, I’m willing to put those aside. Claflin is fine, but Clarke will break your heart and help you recognize Daenerys Targaryen is just the beginning for a brilliant actress who’s going to have a very long and distinguished career.

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More than 65m Tumblr emails for sale on the darknet


Personal information from more than 65m Tumblr accounts has been discovered for sale on the darknet - fact of life
Tumblr disclosed the leak, which it says took place in early 2013, this month, but had not previously acknowledged the scale of the database that was compromised.
The database includes email addresses and passwords, but the latter are heavily protected: Tumblr salted and hashed the passwords, a procedure which renders it practically impossible to restore the passwords to a useable state. It has since turned up for sale on darknet marketplace The Real Deal, with a sale price of just $150, according to Motherboard’s Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai.
“As soon as we became aware of this, our security team thoroughly investigated the matter,” the company said in a statement on 12 May. “Our analysis gives us no reason to believe that this information was used to access Tumblr accounts. As a precaution, however, we will be requiring affected Tumblr users to set a new password.”
Troy Hunt, a security researcher who runs the Have I Been Pwned site, which records database leaks and notifies the victims, writes that the leak is good example of a new type of breach: “historical mega breaches”.
Hunt has recorded 269m individual compromised accounts in the past week, and notes that a MySpace database ostensibly containing 360m records is also for sale online, but none of the sites involved was breached more recently than three years ago. “This data has been lying dormant – or at least out of public sight– for long periods of time,” Hunt says.
Users who fear that their credentials were involved in the Tumblr hack can find out at Hunt’s site. Tumblr recommends that affected users change their password, and those in the database should also be on particular lookout for phishing attacks over the coming weeks and months.

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Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris has now come to an end


Calvin Harris called it quits with his long-time girlfriend Taylor Swift several days ago, multiple media reports reported late Wednesday. Fact of life - it’s natural to feel sad that the relationship between Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris has now come to an end. Amazon, for instance, was so moved by the news that it selflessly press-released a themed playlist of songs, “to help both them and their fans get over the romantic parting”, within hours of the story breaking. But that lovingly compiled and in no way shoved-together-in-five-minutes playlist was a temporary bandage.
It may also have been a diversionary tactic, as the news carried deeper – and unexpected – significance for the world’s A-list celebrities. You will remember, of course, that Swift and Harris went public with their relationship via an Instagram post in which the couple were pictured frolicking on the back of a large inflatable swan. Was it mere coincidence that this relationship, cemented as it was on an outsized pool toy, came to an end just 24 hours after disturbing footage was released of an apparently unconnected incident in which Rihanna fell off a large inflatable swan?
Edward Snowden may not want to touch this story, but it’s time for someone to take their lips off the rubber valve and use them to blow a whistle. Contrary to what the powerful figures behind Big Inflatable may have you believe, what happened to Calvin and Taylor is not “coincidental” to what happened, in the same 24-hour window, to Rihanna.
There is only a single conclusion one is able to draw from these two “unrelated” events: inflatable swans are cursed. Not so long ago Vogue, no doubt in on the whole thing, was billing these rubbery beasts as “the unexpected pool party accessory of the moment”, while none other than Taylor Swift declared herself part of the “swan squad”.
Now the veil of joy has been removed to reveal tears and trauma. The dream is over – and the curse may extend far beyond the swans also favoured by the likes of Kendall Jenner. Could it already be too late for Justin Bieber, who has been pictured in a 5ft inflatable doughnut? What fate will befall Martha Hunt and Diane Kruger, both of whom have been pictured in close proximity to 6ft inflatable flamingos? And after it was reported that searches for “swan pool toy” spiked after Swift’s initial endorsement, what responsibility do celebrities now have towards their fans? This is just the beginning of a far bigger story – and it’s about to blow up.

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