1) HURRICANES, TYPHOONS, CYCLONES

• Tropical Cyclones are storm systems characterised by a large low-pressure centre and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Depending on its location and strength, a tropical cyclone is referred to as hurricane, typhoon, tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical depression or simply cyclone.
• Few events rival their power. Not only can they produce extremely powerful winds and torrential rain, they can also churn the sea and produce high waves (50 feet/15 metres) and damaging storms as well as tornadoes. they develop over large bodies of warm water and build energy as they move across the ocean. They lose their strength upon reaching land, but not before unleashing devastating damage to coastal regions.

2) TSUNAMIS

• When an underwater disturbance like an earthquake occurs, millions of galloons of seawater are suddenly displaced, creating waves that radiate in all directions at the speed of a commercial jet! The waves are unnoticeable at sea,but closer to shore, they gather height quickly (reaching up to 34 feet high) before hitting land.
• The December 26, 2004 tsunamis resulted from a massive underwater earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale was the largest since 1964. The resulting tsunami caused an unimaginably high death toll of more than 220,000.

3) ICEBERGS

• While sea ice poses little danger to humas, it is the mountainous icebergs one should worry about (we all know what happened to the RMS Titanic in 1912)
• What makes them dangerous is the part you can't see. The biggest ones can reach 400 feet above water, but what lies beneath can be 7-10 times bigger. Running into them at high speed is like smashing a car into concrete.

4) WHIRLPOOLS & MAELSTROMS

• A whirlpool is swirling body of water usually produced by ocean tides. Some exhibit a downward pull called a vortex. The more powerful ones are called maelstroms.
• The world's strongest maelstrom is the Saltstraumen outside Bodo, Norway. There's a window of opportunity when currents appear calm enough for larger ships to pass through, but it currents are constantly churning, making this the planet's most dangerous maelstrom.

5) ROGUE WAVES

• These spontaneous monster waves occuring in the middle of the ocean were thought to be legendary for the longest time, and although seafarer stories and damage to ships hinted at their existence, scientific evidence wasn't available until one was photographed by chance in the mid 1990's.
• Mid-ocean waves commonly reach 23 feet in height, sometimes 49 feet. But sailors have reported waves that measure up to 98 feet that appear without warning, often in clear weather. Though they are big enough to crush and sink large ships, these rogue waves aren't always the biggest waves found at sea. They are, however, monstrous given the sea conditions.

~ All About VOLCANOES ~

• Volcanoes are like giant safety valves that release the pressure that builds up inside the Earth
• They are Earth's natural way of cooling off
• Over half of the world's volcanoes arise in a belt around the Pacific Ocean called the 'Ring of Fire'. Indonesia has the most volcanoes
• Mount Vesuvius Italy is said to be the world's most dangerous volcano because of the population of three million people living nearby
• The most famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius happened in AD 79 that destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and killed 10,000 to 25,000 people. Due to the volcanic ash, the bodies of the town residents were well preserved, found just as they fell
• According to the Smithsonian Institute, 1,415 volcanoes have erupted in the past 10,000 years, with the most active being Mount Etna and Mount Stromboli in Italy, and the volcanoes of Hawaii
• There are around 25 major volcanic eruptions on land every year and thousands of minor ones, many of which take place under the sea. Active volcanoes are those that may erupt at any time. Dormant(sleeping) volcanoes have not erupted for centuries but may still do so. Extinct volcanoes are no longer likely to erupt
• Entire ecosystems can be altered by a volcano eruption. In some cases, eruptions have been beneficial. In areas with imbalanced ecosystems, volcanoes have helped restore balance and give them a chance to start anew
• Without volcanoes, we would not have Hawaii! Volcanoes erupting from the bottom of the ocean are able to create new islands. In 1963, an undersea volcano created one of Earth's newest islands, Surtsey Island, off the coast of Iceland
• Volcanoes have been erupting since shortly after Earth was formed. They are still erupting today. Some eruptions are quiet. Others are violently explosive.
• Lava is extremey hot. Temperatures can reach between 650 and 1600 degrees Celsius (that is, between 1202 and 2912 degrees Fahrenheit).
• On the main island of Hawaii, an active volcano is taller than Mt. Everest if you measure from the ocean floor
• During volcanic eruptions, lightning storms are common. The name "volcano" has its origin from the name of Vulcan, a god of fire in Roman mythology
• In Africa, Mount Ol Doinyo Lengai erupts black lava, which turns white when it cools - an unusual phenomenon
• The 1883 eruption of Krakatau in Indonesia is thought to have released 200 megatons of energy, the equivalent of 15,000 nuclear bombs. Even though the island was uninhabited, the eruption killed 36,000 people from burning ash showers and huge tsunamis. It generated the loudest sound historically reported.

~ CITIES IN DANGER ~

'Our crazy weather patterns are not a coincidence. As the ozone things temperature rise, experts are scrambling to analyse what effects are taking place and what is being done. Find out what is going on around the world and how they are adapting to the change':

1) A SALTY AFFAIR

Effect: In a Bangladesh village, water levels from the Bay of Bengal is rising and making its way into water supplies, polluting the once clear freshwater rivers with tiny white crystals. As a result paddy farms in the village are suffering, producing poor quality rice that does not sell.

Solution: Unable to put up with poor rice sales, farmers are making use of the salty water by turning to shrimp farming instead. However, shrimp farming requires less labour hence contributing to unemployment.

2) GOING UNDERWATER

Effect: With sea levels rising as much as 59cm by 2100, most parts of the Maldives that are merely 0.9m above sea level, are expected to be fully submerged by water within 25 years. Already, a few islands have been evacuated.

Solution: Homeless islanders have relocated to a rectangular artificial island named Hulhumale atop an underwater reef. So far, it also includes an airport and tiny Club Med. By its completion in 2020, about 150,000 people will set up homes there as their tiny country sinks. In the long run however, the government is looking to buy land in Sri Lanka, India and Australia.

3) DESERT ON THE LOOSE

Effect: In 2007, UN reported that one third of the Earth's population would fall victim to desertification - the spreading of sand. With the Sahara expanding 48km annually, large areas have been overtaken by sand. In Iran, a sand storm buried 124 villages while in Kazakhstan, more than 80 per cent of their cropland have been affected.

Solution: Currently, there are proposals to build a 6000km wall out of solidified sand across the Sahara. Other preventative measures include planting trees to form a green belt ala the Great Wall of China.

~ EARTH: POPULATION ZERO ( LIFE AFTER PEOPLE ) ~

If the earth's population of 6.7 ( and counting) dissapeared all at once fine day, nature is whera the party would be at. With our plundering, pillaging, over-consuming and over-developing ways, the most dominant species on Earth is also the most demanding of its resources. So if we all vanished into thin air, leaving nature well and truly alone, it would eventually reclaim the planet and return to its glory days of green. But these flora and fauna would first have to deal with the mess we leave behind. There are some of the things scientists predict would happen to Earth once humans are no longer habitants:

• With no one to turn on the light, artificial light would no longer blaze the night sky. Light pollution will no longer taint the atmosphere
• Power stations would not be fuelled, and with no power, nothing runs - factories, machines, water pumps, sewage treatment plants, etc. Wind turbines and solar power plants that also produce power will eventually die out with no one to maintain them
• Without water pumps, subways and streets would flood. In colder climates, freezing and thawing would split cements
• In the absence of pollution, weeds and creepers would consume cities
• No more pollutants from cars and factories. Some pollutants already in the atmosphere will wash out in weeks. Some, such as chlorofluorocarbons, dioxines and pesticide DDT, take longer to break down. Our biggest headache, carbon dioxide, will eventually be absorbed by the ocean to its full capacity in about a thousand years. But 15 per cent of CO2 will remain in the atmosphere, influencing the climate for more than 1000 years after humans stop emitting it
• Lightning will set paper-filled offices on fire after lightning rods have rusted away. The concrete ruins of these structures, however, will remain for thousands of years, just like the ruins of ancient civilizations that we've discovered in our time
• Steel bank vaults could last for eons with our paper money and gold bars in it. Certain common plastic might remain intact for hundreds of thousands of years and may not break down until microbes evolved the ability to consume them.
• Nuclear waste currently in long-term storage will last thousands of years without supervision, by which time its radioactivity would have dropped drastically. Active reactors, however, might leak, catch fire and melt down, releasing huge amounts of radiation. But as witnessed around Chernobyl, where nature quickly bounced back, the effects of radiation might not be so dreadful
• Some ecosystems may never return to the way they were before humans interfered, because they have become locked into a new state
• Domesticated, artificially selected and inbred animals and plants will evolve back to the way their feral ancestors were through random breeding. No more cute little poodles running around
• Most endangered species will rebound once they get their habitat back. But some on the brink of extinction won't survive without human protection as they lack the genetic diversity and the ecological critical mass they need to recover
• The rat population, though not endangered, would dissapear as it would be deprived of human garbage. Cockroaches will too. as they thrive in warm buildings
• Fish populations will gradually recover from drastic overfishing. Corals and other bottom-dwelling organisms on deep water reefs will gradually regrow
• After a few million years, almost every trace of our present dominance would vanish completely

~ How to Make a Mummy ~

STEP 1

=> The body is placed on a flat surface and is cut at the abdomen. The lungs, liver, intestines and stomach are removed to be mummified separately. The heart, believed to contain the person's essence and intelligence, is left in the body.

STEP 2

=> The brain, believed to have no purpose except to accelerate the decomposition process, is removed by first breaking the thin bone that separates the crnial and nasal cavities. A hooked rod is inserted and used to stir the brain tissue until it liquefies so that it can be drained out through the nose.

STEP 3

=> The cranial cavity is then swabbed with linen and hot resin is used to seal it.

STEP 4

=> The body is washed inside and out with water and palm wine, and packed with the internal organs in a special salt called natron for 40 days to dry out the body.

STEP 5

=> The body and organs are wrapped in linen strips ans sealed with resin. Amulets to protect the body are placed in the wrappings. The mummified body is now ready for burial. The entire process takes 70 days.

~THE SKINNY ON WEIGHT LOSS~

1) Have Breakfast

• Breakfast makes you smarter. A good breakfast replenishes your body and blood sugar levels, giving your brain the kick-start it need to concentrate better, think faster and think longer. You will also feel more nourished and satisfied making you less likely to snack or eat extra for the rest of the day.

2) Get A Good Night's Sleep

• Getting enough snooze time may be the best diet secret of all! Research shows those who sleep less than five hours a night are 70 per cent more likely to be obese. Sleep loss affects hormone levels in your body, making you think that you are hungry. It also affects your metabolism making it difficult to maintain weight loss.

3) Learn To Love Water

• Drinking water may play a role in the regulation of your metabolism, your body's calorie-burning engine. If you become dehydrated, your metabolism slow down, meaning you won't burn as many calories as normal while at rest. In addition, ample water may reduce appetite and control food intake by making you feel full.

4) Breathe To De-Stress

• Stress causes you to hold your breath, take shallow breaths or hyperventilate causing further stress to the body. It also increases the level of cortisol, which slows down the metabolism and makes you crave fatty, salty and sugary foods! So the next time you feel stressed, instead of going for food remeber to breathe.

5) Eat All Your Meals

• Many think that skipping meals will help in weight loss, but in reality, you might end up putting on weight. Your body needs a constant flow of energy and nutrients to increase your metablism and burn fat. If you make a habit of skipping meals, your body will think that you are starving and your metabolism will slow down to conserve energy! Remember that regular meal and snack times will help to maintain the optimal metabolism for weight loss.

6) Healthy Eating-Out Options

• When eating out, look for steamed, boiled, baked, grill or roasted foods on the menu. When in doubt, just opt for salad, no matter how boring your date thinks of you!

7) Drink Smart

• When it comes to choosing a beverage, don't drink soda--whether it's sugared or diet soda. It'll put weight on you, dehydrate you and deplete the minerals from your system. Instead, go for sparkling water, ices teas, green tea and white tea, which have been shown to burn more at and up to 78 more calories per day.

8) Cook At Home

• It takes more time, but preparing a dish at home rather than picking up a pre-made version not only saves you money, but it also ensures your dish is healthier because you dictate the amount of oil or salt it contains. Best of all, this guarantees no hidden preservatives.

9) Get Rid Of Junk Food

• You can't eat if it's not there, so rid your home, office and car of food that are't nutritious or that will cause you to overeat. Replace problem foods with healthy choices, like fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, lean meats and poultry, and low-fat dairy products.

10) How Much To Eat?

• Just avoid portions that are larger than your fist. Anything more than that is too much!

~PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR CAR~

Many women have a tendency to sit around in their cars and go through their shopping purchases instead of driving off immediately. These women make easy targets for car thieves--they either risk getting their cars hijacked or being kidnap victim. Here are some pointers to keep in mind if you want to keep yourself and your car safe:

• Do not leave valuables like your laptop or handphone visible in the vehicle
• Do not leave your bags on the passenger seat of your vehicle while driving
• If you have a flat tyre in an area that does not seem safe, try to keep driving until you reach a safer location
• Be careful while getting into your car. Look out for suspicious characters lurking nearby.
• Install theft-deterrent devices such as clutch and gear locks as well as an alarm in your vehicle