10 Incredible Plant Facts

1. The earth has more than 80,000 species of edible plants.

If you’re ever in the mood to try something new, the good news is that there is certainly food you haven’t tasted yet still growing somewhere in the world. You’ll probably have some trouble finding it, however, because …

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2. 90 percent of the foods humans eat come from just 30 plants.

Out of tens of thousands of plants we could eat, mankind chooses to consume only about 30 of them. It’s crazy to contemplate how limited our diets are compared to all of the different foods we could be eating. If you think the selection of which plants we eat has anything to do with their nutritional benefits, however, you’d be wrong …

3. Nutrition doesn’t factor into the crops we do mass produce.

The world’s largest farmers have pursued certain crops because they can grow a lot of them more quickly, easily and inexpensively to turn a better profit. As a result, most of the most healthful plants stay off of our dinner plates because they aren’t available at grocery stores. Still, sustenance isn’t the only thing humans rely on plants for …

4. 70,000 plant species are utilized for medicine.

As it turns out, humans are more diversified in the plants we use for medicine. Although a large portion of that figure applies to traditional medicine, modern medicine is not excepted from plant help. Half of the drugs prescribed in the U.S. have plant origins, many coming out of the rainforest, yet …

5. Only one percent of rainforest plants have been studied for medicinal potential.

Given how valuable plants can be medicinally, the rainforest houses a host of possible cures for ailments new and old. This untapped resource could still hold the key to medical breakthroughs. Of course, a lot of this potential could be lost considering …

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6. 80 percent of the Earth’s original forests have been cleared or destroyed.

The same forests that dominated the land 8,000 years ago are all but gone. Approximately four-fifths of the forests are gone thanks to human intervention—just think of how many plant species may have been lost in that process. If you thought protections were in place, actually …

7. Just 10 percent of the world’s plant-rich areas are protected.

Of the most biodiverse areas on the planet, only 10 percent are officially “protected” to ensure the survival of a multitude of species—plant and animal alike. Worse still, many of the supposedly protected areas are done so nominally only, leaving plants threatened by external factors they should be safeguarded from. This is especially problematic because …

8. More than half of plant species are native to just one country.

Chances are, a plant you find in one part of the world is not currently growing anywhere else. As plant habitat is ruined, there’s little point in hoping that the killed plants could be found and harvested somewhere else in the future. For this reason …

9. 68 percent of plants are in danger of going extinct.

While scientists have only examined a fraction of the existing known plant species, of those that have been studied, 68 percent face extinction in the not too distant future. Since plants can’t just up and move as their habitat is being destroyed, they are even more vulnerable than endangered animals. It’s happening quickly, too, since …

10. Plant species are going extinct—about 5,000 times faster than they should.

Some will argue that species would go extinct even without human interference. While that’s certainly true, it’s the rate that plants are dying off that raises alarm. Thanks to climate change, deforestation and other human-influence factors, experts believe that species are going extinct somewhere between 1,000 and 10,000 times faster than they would naturally.

14 Facts about Dreaming

Dreaming is one of the most mysterious and interesting experiences in our lives.

During the Roman Era some dreams were even submitted to the Roman Senate for analysis and dream interpretation. They were thought to be messages from the gods. Dream interpreters even accompanied military leaders into battles and campaigns!

In addition to this, it is also known that many artists have received their creative ideas from their dreams.

But what do we actually know about dreams?

Here are 15 interesting facts about dreams – enjoy and what’s most important, don’t forget to share your dream stories in the comment section!

1. You Forget 90% of Your Dreams

Within 5 minutes of waking half of your dream is forgotten. Within 10, 90% is gone.

2. Blind People also Dream

People who became blind after birth can see images in their dreams. People who are born blind do not see any images, but have dreams equally vivid involving their other senses of sound, smell, touch and emotion.

3. Everybody Dreams

Every human being dreams (except in cases of extreme psychological disorder). If you think you are not dreaming – you just forget your dreams.

4. In Our Dreams We Only See Faces That We already Know

Our mind is not inventing faces – in our dreams we see real faces of real people that we have seen during our life but may not know or remember. We have all seen hundreds of thousands of faces throughout our lives, so we have an endless supply of characters for our brain to utilize during our dreams.

5. Not Everybody Dreams in Color

A full 12% of sighted people dream exclusively in black and white. The remaining number dream in full color. Studies from 1915 through to the 1950s maintained that the majority of dreams were in black and white, but these results began to change in the 1960s. Today only 4.4% of the dreams of under-25 year-olds are in black and white. Recent research has suggested that those changing results may be linked to the switch from black-and-white film and TV to color media.

6. Dreams are Symbolic

If you dream about some particular subject it is not often that the dream is about that. Dreams speak in a deeply symbolic language. Whatever symbol your dream picks on it is most unlikely to be a symbol for itself.

(bamboo for h.koppdelaney)

7. Emotions

The most common emotion experienced in dreams is anxiety. Negative emotions are more common than positive ones.

8. You can have four to seven dreams in one night.

On average you can dream anywhere from one or two hours every night.

9. Animals Dream Too

Studies have been done on many different animals, and they all show the same brain waves during dreaming sleep as humans. Watch a dog sleeping sometime. The paws move like they are running and they make yipping sounds as if they are chasing something in a dream.

10. Body Paralysis

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is a normal stage of sleep characterized by rapid movements of the eyes. REM sleep in adult humans typically occupies 20-25% of total sleep, about 90-120 minutes of a night’s sleep.

During REM sleep the body is paralyzed by a mechanism in the brain in order to prevent the movements which occur in the dream from causing the physical body to move. However, it is possible for this mechanism to be triggered before, during, or after normal sleep while the brain awakens.

11. Dream Incorporation

Our mind interprets the external stimuli that our senses are bombarded with when we are asleep and make them a part of ourdreams. This means that sometimes in our dreams we hear a sound from reality and incorporate it in a way. For example you may be dreaming that you are in a concert while your brother is playing a guitar during your sleep.

12. Men and Women Dream Differently

Men tend to dream more about other men. Around 70% of the characters in a man’s dream are other men. On the other hand, a woman’s dream contains almost an equal number of men and women. Aside from that, men generally have more aggressive emotions in their dreams than the female lot.

13. Precognitive Dreams

Results of several surveys across large population sets indicate that between 18% and 38% of people have experienced at least one precognitive dream and 70% have experienced déjà  vu. The percentage of persons that believe precognitive dreaming is possible is even higher – ranging from 63% to 98%.

*Precognition, also called future sight, refers to perception that involves the acquisition of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information.

14. If you are snoring, then you cannot be dreaming.

This fact is repeated all over the Internet, but I’m a bit suspicious whether it’s really true as I haven’t found any scientific evidence to support it.

Pakistan's Army

This is very important blog i am writing to describe the actual facts behind “Pakistan Army”.  A country’s defence is seen by the strength of its army and technology, they use. Pakistani Army is the best to save its country. As far as Pakistani army personals are considered here are important considerations

Pakistan Army  ( Air Force , Army , Navy ) : 600,000 
Pakistan Rerserve Army : 500,000 
Total Pakistani Army Personals : 1.1 Million personals

Now, if any like india, or USA considers attacking pakistan, they should not forget that pakistan have 2300,000 Pathans,  Fata People who are trained to fight when they are only 7 years of age. Imagine, 3.3 Million Fata soldiers are already there to fight for their country.

Total People to Save Pakistan : 1.1 M (Army )+ 2.3 M (fata soldiers)

These are the facts,  3.4 Million Soldiers are their to defend their country who know to fight and use ammonition.

Interesting Fact #14

Know your Villains!

Cone Crater

After landing on the moon in February, 1971, Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard and Ed Mitchell prepared to hike up to Cone Crater. Their goal was to collect samples, then make it to the lip and peer inside. The astronauts hiked uphill over 1,400 meters, dragging a tool cart full of scientific equipment (shown above). The steep incline made the going difficult, elevating the astronauts’ heart rates. Additionally, without landmarks it was difficult to judge distances. Mission Control told the astronauts to gather whatever samples they could and return. The mystery of how close they had come remained unanswered until recently. The evidence came from pictures taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which was launched in 2009. The pictures showed the trail the astronauts made, and the images made clear that they were about 30 meters shy of peering into Cone Crater. 

Interesting Fact: The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is currently orbiting above the moon at 50 kilometers (31 miles). The LRO mission is preparing for future manned missions to the moon by NASA. It will provide a detailed mapping program, identify safe landing sites and locate potential resources on the moon. In addition, the LRO has provided some of the first images of equipment left over by the Apollo missions on the moon. I guess you could say this also solves a mystery for the conspiracy theorists, of whether or not man really landed on the moon. 

Interesting Fact #13

The Loch Ness Monster

The Loch Ness Monster is a prehistoric creature thought to inhabit the Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. As lake monsters go, Scotland has tales of a fair few, with Nessie gaining the most popularity of all on the back of anecdotal evidence.

Nessie first hit the headlines in 1933 when a story was published in the Inverness Courier. The report quoted a Londoner who had visited a few weeks earlier as seeing: "a most extraordinary form of animal... the nearest approach to a dragon or pre-historic animal that I have ever seen in my life."

After that, more sightings were reported and this unexplained phenomena hit international headlines. That same year, one motorcyclist claimed to nearly hit Nessie late one night as it lumbered across the road and slid back into the loch. Soon, apparent photos of the Loch Ness Monster were published.

In 1960, an aeronautical engineer filmed a hump crossing the water in Loch Ness in a powerful wake unlike that of a boat.

Years later, digital enhancement of the footage revealed what seemed to be the rear body, flippers, and two more humps of a plesiosaur-like body. The technician said: "Before I saw the film, I thought the Loch Ness Monster was a load of rubbish. Having done the enhancement, I'm not so sure."

There's no doubt that the story of Nessie has drawn huge tourist interest to the famed Loch Ness. But should it be considered one of the genuine unexplained mysteries of the world? While some people believe the monster is a living plesiosaur, New Scientist points out that such a creature could not physically lift its head up out of the water like the photos and anecdotes suggest.

The most compelling evidence of its non-existence is that the loch is a mere 10,000 years old - and was frozen solid for about 20,000 years before that. For a prehistoric monster claimed to be millions of years old, the numbers just don't add up.

Interesting Fact #12

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is one of the greatest unexplained mysteries of the world. It's certainly no hoax (estimated to be more than 5,000 years old) and is probably the most important prehistoric monument in the whole of Britain.

When you visit Stonehenge, you'll find yourself driving for miles through rolling hills and countryside until, suddenly, you catch sight of this bizarre structure. There's an eerie feel to the area around Stonehenge, and for thousands of years it has soon silently, giving away few clues as to the meaning of its existence.

Excavations have revealed that Stonehenge was built in four stages:

1. First a series of holes were dug around 3,100 BC for religious ceremony.
   
2. Then, more than 1,000 years later, the most dramatic stage of building took place. Huge blue stones from mountains in Wales were lugged more than 240 miles to the Stonehenge site. Why would anyone do this in the age before the wheel? And how would they accomplish such a feat? These are true unexplained mysteries - because it really wouldn't have been hard to find rocks closer nearby. The stones were then set up to form an incomplete double circle, aligned perfectly with the midsummer sunrise.
   
3. The third stage in 2,000 BC saw the arrival of the more stones, transported by land from the Marlborough Downs some 25 miles away.
   
4. Finally, after a further 500 years had passed, someone felt the need to rearrange the massive Welsh blue stones into the familiar horseshoe and circle we see today.

One of the great unexplained mysteries of ancient man, the meaning of Stonehenge is still not clear today. Was it a temple, a burial ground, an observatory, or an ancient calendar? Without a time machine to go back and ask, we may never know...

The Crop Circles - A Mystery!

The original crop circles were exactly that - basic circular patterns of flattened crops - often created in mysterious circumstances overnight. During the last 20 years, crop circles have evolved into complex geometric shapes, like the DNA double helix or the nautilus shell. Whatever creates them has become rapidly more advanced in just a period of a few decades.

The first crop circle was recorded in 1966, when an Australian sugar cane farmer claimed to see a saucer-shaped spaceship rise up from a swamp before flying away. When he looked at the landing site, he said he found the reeds intricately woven in a clockwise direction on top of the water. Over the years there have been many other anecdotal accounts of crop circles appearing in alien UFO literature, where sometimes the crops were burnt, otherwise flattened.

As unexplained mysteries go, this one has been debunked by numerous experts, who have provided ample evidence that crop circles are a giant man-made hoax...

In 1991, two men from Southampton, England, admitted they had been creating hoax crop circles for 15 years. They could make intricate patterns using planks, rope, hats and wire - and could create a 40-foot circle in 15 minutes. The only reason they came clean was because one of the men was running up considerable mileage on his car and had to convince his wife he wasn't having an affair. He still publicly demonstrates the art today.

Further studies have dismissed claims that alien saucers have been leaving excessive nitrate deposits at crop circle locations. The trace deposits are explained by the nitrate-based fertilizers used by farmers to grow their crops.

Other paranormal fans claim that there is a mysterious energy left behind within crop circles and people go there to mentally make contact with an extra-terrestrial energy. What could possibly create such a widespread psychological effect?

Science refers to this as The Placebo Effect - where the mind can produce powerful effects on the body simply because the person expects it to. Indeed, the mind is so powerful (and science fully accepts this) that it can sometimesheal the body just as well as medicine when that medicine is replaced by a sugar pill.

Interesting Fact #11

Fun Facts about Smartphones

Smartphones are rapidly changing the world and your life. It is now easier for you to access the internet, use your apps and do almost everything with your magical smartphones.

• In a day, a person spend average 2.7 hours to socialize on his or her smartphone, this period of time is one-third one spending on sleeping and twice more than on eating.
• It takes about $187.51 to manufacture an iPhone.
• Screen and memory are the most expensive parts of a smartphone.
• It is predicted that 1 billion would be spent on only shipment of smartphone worldwide in a year by 2016.
• The smartphone “Simon” was first introduced in 1992, produced by IBM. It had a calendar, address book, world clock, calculator, note pad, e-mail, fax and games, and a touch-screen keyboard. It was sold at the price of $1099.
• Ericsson was the first company which marketed a device as a smartphone named R380 in 2000
• The first phone with camera was released in Japan in 2000.
• 90% of the apps downloaded are not used more than 10 times.
• 35% of smartphone users launch apps like Facebook before even getting out of bed.
• Current smartphones now can even be more powerful than computers that put man on the moon.
• The average smartphone user checks their phone 110 times a day!

20 things I love about Lahore

As I am a Lahori, I have spent 22 years of my life in Lahore. Its a common saying about Lahore that " Lahore Lahore hae " Yes, Its true. This city is full of passion, joys and happenings. I belong to this city and I love it alot. These 20 things are those I love the most!

1. How Lahoris forgive and forget. Though belligerence seems to be the natural order of the day in Lahore, the news doesn’t end right there. In the first half of a second, you see two men dash and break each other’s teeth. In the next half of the same second, you see them going to the dentist together.

2. The shrine of Mian Mir Madho Lal Hussain, Data Darbar, the langar, the divine verses, the dholaks, and the dance ─ sufism seeps pure and chaste through the city.

3. Driving through the canal road. There are few things as joyous as passing through the underpasses besides the melodious canal, especially in the summers, when the canal plays host to a number of heat-struck kids!

4. Food. Ah, the food is the best, but since the culinary aspect of Lahore has been written about to death, skip to the next one! (However, this isn’t to say that checking out the new food street shouldn’t be aim of your life from this moment on!)

5. The rapidly increasing fly-overs and modern structures. I’m ready to forgive the massive amount of hapless trouble the Kalma Chowk fly-over recently gave me. Environmentalists may hate me for this, but I do have a thing for concrete.

6. The wonderful, strong people Lahore has produced, which includes the likes of Maulana Maudodi, Bano Qudsia, Sufi Tabassum, Saadat Hassan Manto, Habib Jabib and Ashfaq Ahmad, and, of course, my mother!

7. Lahore never sleeps and it is downright aversive to the idea of keeping mum. It remains abuzz with activity even in the unwonted of all hours. When all else is calm, the rickshaws come to play, or the blaring vocals of Naseebo Lal!

8. Amidst the elegant harmony between Badshahi masjid, Gurdwara Dera Sahib and Krishna Mandir, Lahore remains devout to its faith. Most of the times, religion tends to remain in the city what it’s intended to be: an ideology rather than an accessory.

9. Old Lahore. Narrow streets ad wide havelis speak of a spectacular past. And the thirteen gates (theoretically speaking). One cannot leave out Wazir Khan mosque, Shahi Hamam, and paan-chewing uncles playing cards.

10. Of how Lahore is a sensitive place ─ there is so much feeling to the city. Everything in Lahore has a story to tell. Since I’m much of a loser at poetic expressions, can I please get away by just saying that the city itself lives?

11. The vehicles. Lahore is the city where I first saw a limousine, desperately trying to make a U-turn on the narrow road of an underdeveloped neighbourhood. To complete the picture; years ago it was also the city where I first saw a rickshaw! ‘Itna bara scooter?’ a five-year-old me had shockingly posed at my aunt!

12. The splendor. Thanks to the Mughals (and, err, to the British, too), past blends flawlessly with the present in Lahore and gives rise to an aura peculiar to the city. A special salute to Noor Jehan for giving us her husband Jehangir’s tomb, which tops the list of my favourite Mughal structures! They don’t really say ‘Lahore, Lahore hai’ for nothing!

13. Lahore is home to Pakistan’s state-of-the-art, premium, international standards (pun intended) film industry: Lollywood. What’s life without laughter? What’s Lahore without Lollywood?

14. I especially adore how welcoming and hospitable the city is. Despite the barbarous invasions throughout its timeline, Lahore isn’t the least bit sceptical or cynical. In fact, it has been irrationally abused too much by all the separatists, that it rightfully doesn’t seem to care anymore. When others refused to bow and went for arms, Lahore surrendered, not because it was weak, but since it was ready to evolve.

15. That market near that road I do not remember exactly, but it has a note-worthy collection of impressive pets ─ cats, dogs and birds. Lame? Sorry! (But they even sell African Grey Parrots and Japanese Spitz(es)!)

16. Lahore is an absolute delight for shoppers. There’s an infinite list of options to choose from; Fortress, Anarkali, Gulberg, Liberty, Sunday Bazaar (and even Landa Bazaar).

17. The parks. In the mood for jogging, or just enjoying the serene nature in intimacy? Lahore won’t disappoint you.

18. The festivities! Lahore calls for celebrations galore at the slightest hint of a chance. It doesn’t just make merry; it has to do it. Had all cities been the same, just think about the numerous holidays we’d be having!

19. Because it’s a (ignoring certain aspects) classy example of how a city should be. It has even braced itself to get Pakistan’s first metro rail transit system. It’s just that no one really knows if/how the project turns up – but we won’t go there.

20. Because it’s ours!

Interesting Fact #10

Interesting Fact #9

10 SuperFoods

The Superfoods
Lemons: 
Just one lemon has more than 100 percent of your daily intake of vitamin C, which may help increase "good" HDL cholesterol levels and strengthen bones.Citrus flavonoids found in lemons may help inhibit the growth of cancer cells and act as an anti-inflammatory.

Broccoli: 
One medium stalk of broccoli contains more than 100 percent of your daily vitamin K requirement and almost 200 percent of your recommended daily dose of vitamin C -- two essential bone-building nutrients.

The same serving also helps stave off numerous cancers.

Dark Chocolate:
Just one-fourth of an ounce daily can reduce blood pressure in otherwise healthy individuals.Cocoa powder is rich in flavonoids, antioxidants shown to reduce "bad" LDL cholesterol and increase "good" HDL levels.

Potatoes:

 One red potato contains 66 micrograms of cell-building folate -- about the same amount found in one cup of spinach or  broccoli.One sweet potato has almost eight times the amount of cancer-fighting and immune-boosting vitamin A you  need daily.

Salmon:

A great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked to a reduced risk of depression, heart disease, and cancer.A 3-ounce serving contains almost 50 percent of your daily dose of niacin, which may protect against Alzheimer's disease and memory loss.

Walnuts:

Contain the most omega-3 fatty acids, which may help reduce cholesterol, of all nuts.Omega-3s have been shown to improve mood and fight cancer; they may protect against sun damage, too (but don't skip the SPF!).

Avocado:

Rich in healthy, satisfying fats proven in one study to lower cholesterol by about 22 percent.One has more than half the fiber and 40 percent of the folate you need daily, which may reduce your risk of heart disease.

Garlic:

Garlic is a powerful disease fighter that can inhibit the growth of bacteria, including E. coli. Allicin, a compound found in garlic, works as a potent anti-inflammatory and has been shown to help lower cholesterol and blood-pressure levels.

Spinach:
Spinach contains lutein and zeaxanthin, two immune-boosting antioxidants important for eye health. Recent research found that among cancer-fighting fruits and veggies, spinach is one of the most effective.

Beans:
Eating a serving of legumes (beans, peas, and lentils) four times a week can lower your risk of heart disease by 22 percent. That same habit may also reduce your risk of breast cancer.

Interesting Fact #8

The Voynich Manuscript

The Voynich Manuscript

The Voynich Manuscript, one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in the world. Source

The Voynich Manuscript is a manuscript written in the Middle Ages in an unknown language using an unknown alphabet system. Attempts have been made to interpret the document for over 100 years, but there hasn’t been a single breakthrough yet. The Book includes illustrations of plants (with some of them being unknown to modern bottanists) and astronimocal information. It is possible that the book is the work of an alchemist who used codes to keep his discoveries a secret but, untill the book is decoded, no one knows for certain.

Like its contents, the history of ownership of the Voynich manuscript is yet another unsolved mystery. The codex belonged to Emperor Rudolph II of Germany, who purchased it for 600 gold ducats and believed that it was the work of Roger Bacon. It is very likely that Emperor Rudolph acquired the manuscript from the English astrologer John Dee (1527-1608). Dee apparently owned the manuscript along with a number of other Roger Bacon manuscripts. In addition, Dee stated that he had 630 ducats in October 1586, and his son noted that Dee, while in Bohemia, owned “a booke…containing nothing butt Hieroglyphicks, which booke his father bestowed much time upon: but I could not heare that hee could make it out.”  Emperor Rudolph seems to have given the manuscript to Jacobus Horcicky de Tepenecz (d. 1622), an exchange based on the inscription visible only with ultraviolet light on folio 1r which reads: “Jacobi de Tepenecz.” Johannes Marcus Marci of Cronland presented the book to Athanasius Kircher (1601-1680) in 1666. In 1912, Wilfred M. Voynich purchased the manuscript from the Jesuit College at Frascati near Rome. In 1969, the codex was given to the Beinecke Library by H. P. Kraus, who had purchased it from the estate of Ethel Voynich, Wilfrid Voynich’s widow.

Interesting fact #7

The Bermuda Triangle- One of the biggest unsolved mysteries in the World

The Bermuda Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle is still one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in the world.

The Bermuda Triangle is a large part of ocean in the North Atlantic that has been the source of many plain- and boat disappearances. A number of explanations have been suggested over the years ranging from; time warps, extreme weather to alien abductions. There is substantial evidence to show that many of the disappearances have been exaggerated, but even if those were excluded from the total count, the odds of vanishing into thin air are higher in the Bermuda Triangle then anywhere else.

Interesting Fact #6

Jack the Ripper - A Serial Killer!

Jack the Ripper has to be the most famous serial killer of all time. He was the most active in 1888 when he committed his hideous crimes mostly in the poor Whitechapel area of London. His victims were mostly prostitutes and in some cases the bodies were found only minutes after Jack the Ripper left the scene. This was especially creepy considering the Ripper took his time to mutilate and surgically remove organs from its victims.

Probably the biggest reason for the enduring appeal of this bizarre series of prostitute murders is the name Jack the Ripper. The name is easy to explain. It was written at the end of a letter which was forwarded it to the Metropolitan Police on 29 September 1988. The letter began “Dear Boss……” It went on to speak of  ”I am down on whores and I shant quit ripping them till I do get buckled…”; and went on in similar fashion. The “trade name” of Jack the Ripper was then made public and ignited both the imagination and a nation wide panic among the public. None of the 11 brutal murders were ever solved and to this day, we still don’t know anything about the identity of this mysterious serial killer and how many victims he made.

How it's made ?

http://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/how-its-made

Click on the link above and know how different things are produced. Know their interesting facts and sales.

Interesting Fact #5

Interesting Fact #4