Driving and alcohol is a hostile combination. In United States of America the rate of deaths and injuries caused due to drunk drivers is very high. Several preventive measures such as establishing  DWI courts, suspending or revoking driver licenses, impounding or confiscating vehicle plates, impounding  or immobilizing vehicles, enforcing open container bans, increasing penalties such as fines or jail for drunk driving, mandating alcohol education, safety seat belts, air bags etc have been introduced but sadly the numbers still remain high.

Alcohol slows down body vital functions thus it is kind of a depressant and is absorbed into the blood stream where it stays for considerably long period of time. It is falsely believed that remedies such as coffee or a cold shower can eliminate effects of alcohol but actually only time eliminates alcohol from body.

Alcohol impairs both conscious and instinctive abilities of the drivers. Few effects of alcohol that affect driving are listed below:

Reaction time- as alcohol is a depressant it slows down  reflexes, thus drunk drivers react slowly when they are faced with an un expected situation (e.g. a car approaching from a side street, traffic lights changing color, people crossing the road).

Vision and hearing- alcohol affects hearing and the visual judgment of the driver. Usually a drunk driver focuses mainly on the road ahead and so he is unable to comprehend the traffic situation on either side, for instance cars approaching from side streets or people crossing the road, or may not hear the warning bells of a crossing or car horn. Tracking-alcohol consumption affects ability to judge the car’s position on the road, location of other cars, center line and road signs etc.

Concentration-with increase in blood alcohol level the attention to driving decreases and drowsiness may occur.

Comprehension-drunk drivers are unable to make reasonable or sensible decisions due to the depressant affect of alcohol.

Coordination-driving skills are affected as eye-hand-foot coordination is reduced by alcohol consumption.

False sense of confidence-after alcohol consumption a drunk driver over estimates his abilities and takes unnecessary risks where actually he is less capable to drive. After drinking there may not be any obvious change in appearance or behavior but driving skills are obviously effected.

For further insight we have to understand the physiological changes in our body due to alcohol consumption. Our normal body function is such that nerves carry messages from brain to our body parts with the help of neurons to do different things. These neurons are placed with a gap between them called synapses and the neurotransmitters move with the message across this gap to the next neuron. Alcohol directly affects the function of these neurotransmitters thus reducing their efficiency and speed,  as a result of it a drunken person is unable to drive properly, is unable to react quickly in emergency situations and his speech is also not clear.

If you want to lose weight the first and the most common thing in many diet plans is that you have to cut down or simply quit alcohol. Terms such as ‘beer belly’ clearly specify that in common public weight gain is associated with alcohol, but is it really so?

Following are a number of reasons that clarify association of weight gain with alcohol consumption:

Alcohol is calorie rich

The calorie content in 1 gram of carbohydrates or proteins is 4 calories which is far less than 7 calories contained in 1 gram of alcohol. Although the calorie content in 1 gram of alcohol is little less than 9 calories contained in 1 gram of fat, but keeping in consideration how many grams of alcohol can be found in a beer can or a vodka bottle or a glass of vine you can realize that how many calories you are adding to your diet by consuming alcohol.

It is also found that some alcoholic drinks also contain carbohydrates which are one more reason behind weight gain. So, being rich in calories alcohol makes you fat.

Alcohol and munchies

People who consume alcohol usually don’t just drink and always have something to munch on. That’s why in bars drinks are served with nuts, pretzels and other oily stuff which is again a reason for weight gain. Secondly alcohol acts as an appetizer and creates a craving for food that is why people who consume alcohol eat all the surplus food which they should not be eating and the result is obviously weight gain.

It should be noted that alcohol has no nutritional value so for the proper function of your body you will have to consume food in addition to alcohol.

Alcohol is first in line

Everyone wants to look leaner and if given an option, out of all the nutrients you would like to burn off fat first. When alcohol is metabolized in your body it is broken into acetate and fat. The acetate is used as the primary source of energy by your body while the fat is stored. Basically your body first burns the alcohol calories and only then it starts burning the carbs, protein and fats. So by consuming alcohol you are stopping your body from consuming the stored fats.

Lethargy

It is a known fact that being a depressant alcohol makes you drowsy and lethargic. Alcoholics don’t have an active life style and are usually slow and heavy thus are unable to burn fats. So again in an indirect way also alcohol is the reason behind weight gain.

Final words

I certainly don’t mean to say that you should give up alcohol entirely. Some alcoholic drinks have benefits also, for instance, red wine is rich in antioxidants. But you surely have to act responsible and moderate by choosing low calorie alcoholic drinks and by not consuming alcohol in place of food. I hope this article has explained to you how alcohol consumption leads to weight gain.

The metal copper is made up of Cu (metal atoms) and is a very common metal that is used by humans in different ways. In its natural form copper is pinkish or peachy colored. Like other metals for instance iron copper also undergoes the process of oxidation. Oxidation is basically a process in which chemical changes take place when a substance is exposed to the elements present in air. In case of iron this process is generally known as rusting. Iron is found to rust into an orange-brown color where as copper oxidizes into green color. Another example of oxidation is a freshly cut apple that always turns from white flesh to the dark brown when it is exposed to air.

Common people are not familiar with several facts about copper. Few facts about copper are listed below:

Why it turns green

Due to the reaction with oxygen copper turns green when it is exposed to the atmosphere. in the air water or rain is dissolved in the oxygen due to which a reaction takes place when copper sits in the air for a long period of time.

For Electrical Wiring

Copper is used for electrical wiring reason being, it is a good electrical conductor, provides a good contact surface, copper is ductile which means that it is easily bent repeatedly without breaking and it is not too expensive. It is vastly used in electrical equipment, appliances and gadgets.

For decorations

One other useful property of copper is that it can easily fuse with other elements. When copper is fused with zinc brass is produced which can be used for making ornaments and decorations such as candles sticks, necklaces, imitation jewelry etc, use of brass is almost endless. One can easily determine which element is dominant by looking at the color of brass. If it is pale then it has a lot of zinc in it.

Plumbing

Copper is vastly used in plumbing as it has the property of being resistant to corrosion and is a good heat conductor. Using copper to manufacture pipes makes flow of hot and cold water quite easy.

Making pots and pans

Copper being a good conductor of heat is excessively used in the making of kitchen utensils. The combination of copper with tin gives the utensils their non stick feature.

Other uses

According to an estimate every home has at least half a ton of copper. It can be seen everywhere in wiring, appliances, pipes, electronic equipment etc. Cars have electronic and other equipment in which copper is used so each car may carry almost 50 pounds of copper.

Versatility

Due to its versatility copper has earned the position to be called eternal metal. Apart from being a good conductor of heat it is soft, durable and can be bent into any shape thus has become an important part of engineering and construction. It is now being used in space flights as well.

Copper is an irreplaceable metal and we cannot deny its usefulness as it is all around us. Copper has become kind of a necessity as it in used in our computers, wires, pipes, fridge, microwave, washing and drying machines, vehicles etc.

According to the Nebular Hypothesis sun is a cooling and rotating nebula and our planet earth has been formed as a result of solidification of a ring along with eight other such rings thrown by it.  Theory of nebular hypothesis was put forward by German philosopher, Kant and French mathematician, Laplace.

But according to the Jeans and Jeffery theory proposed in 1925 two nebulae are involved in the creation of earth. According to this theory a larger nebula came closer to the smaller nebula (sun) and due to gravitational pull a gaseous tide was raised on the surface of the sun. As the nebula came closer the tide increased in size and when the nebula moved away the gaseous tide detached and was like a spindle. When this spindle broke into pieces nine planets of solar system were formed after condensation. The matter detached from the smaller nebula (sun) had an inertial momentum of rotation, so after getting detached from the sun it conserved its momentum (according to the law of conservation of momentum); this explains the rotation of earth and other planets in our solar system.

The period of rotation of earth is 1 day that is 24 hours. The rotation of earth on its own axis is from west to east and it is due to this rotation of earth that all parts of it get sunlight otherwise the part of earth away from the sun would have frozen and the part facing it would have been super hot. Similarly half of earth would have no day and the other half no night.

Curious people have always looked up to astronomers to explain the rotation of all planets. According to astronomers the planets are molecular chunks formed as a result of shock waves sent by a supernova through a cold cloud of molecular hydrogen and have a momentum which they retained even after being detached from the nebula. This state of momentum is clearly supported by the law of conservation of momentum. Under the effects of gravity, over the period of time planets have come close to each other. Due to gravity the particles in momentum are kept restricted on planet surface thus making the planets bulkier and it also leads to gain in momentum of the planets. In this course of action change is to avoid collision.

Earth’s orbital path is not quite a perfect circle but instead is slightly elliptical (oval-shaped) .Its axis of rotation is inclined and makes an angle of 66 ½o with the plane of ecliptic i.e., the plane of orbit of the earth around the sun. Earth’s axis of rotation is inclined (tilted) 23.5° relative to its plane of revolution around the Sun. This inclination of the axis creates the seasons and causes the height of the Sun in the sky at noon to increase and decrease as the seasons change.

Moon in our solar system does not shine by its own light but in fact it is visible to us on earth because it reflects light from the sun, this phenomenon is known as moon’s Albedo. Albedo is basically the reflecting power of a surface and it is measured on a scale of 0 to 1; 0 means low reflection and 1 means high or low reflection. Our Moon’s average visual Albedo is 0.12 comparatively our earth has an average Albedo of 0.37. Moon’s Albedo varies from 0.07 as its darkest point and 0.24 as it’s lightest.

Moon orbits around the earth every 29.5 earth days and at all times half of the moon is lit by the sun. The other half of the moon is in darkness as it is facing away from the sun. We can see more and more of the lit side of the moon as it orbits around the earth. This process changes slowly and these changes are known as the phases of the moon.

When the moon is between the sun and the earth it is called the new moon and it rises and sets at the same time as the sun but it is not visible to us because the side being lit by sun cannot be seen from earth. Basically the Moon is not totally invisible to us at this point, because there is other light in the universe that it reflects, including the light the Earth itself reflects from the Sun to the Moon, but generally, a New Moon is very difficult for the naked eye to see.

One week after the new moon, first we see a slim crescent also known as the horned moon and then the moon looks like a half circle. This stage is known as the first quarter because the moon has completed one-quarter of its orbit around the earth. Half of the moon’s sunlight is visible from earth at this stage. This first quarter moon rises at noon and sets at midnight.

After a week when the moon grows out of the first quarter this process is called waxing. Now the moon has moved to a point where the earth is between the moon and the sun. We can now see the entire side of the moon lit by the sun. This full moon rises as the sun sets and sets as the sun rises. The Moon is said to be ‘gibbous’ when it is larger than a semi-circle, but not yet a full circle. One week after the full moon the moon again looks like a half circle and it is called the last quarter because the moon has completed the last quarter of its orbit around the earth. Now half of the moon’s sunlit side is again visible from earth.

We see people around us who have bent pinky fingers some have more bent fingers then others; it is a medical condition and is commonly known as Camptodactyly. Usually people suffering from Camptodctyly have ancestors whose fingers are bent and that explains it being a hereditary condition.

Defining the Condition

The condition Camptodactyly is explained as a flexion deformity (disfiguration) of the finger. People who have Camptodctyly syndrome have one or more bent fingers that cannot be straightened or extended completely. Camptodctyly is found to be a congenital condition which means that it is present at birth. Antthropathy-Camptodctyly is a disorder that affects a joint. Usually children who have the Camptodctyly syndrome also have swollen knees and ankles and at times complain having hip pain. It has also been found that patients of Camptodctyly have problems with the sac that surrounds the heart and is known as pericardium. Patients can be and are being relieved of this problem by a surgical procedure called pericardiectomy in which the pericardium is removed.

Causes of Camptodactyly/Bent Pinky Fingers

There are several causes of Camptodactyly or generally speaking bent fingers. The presence of a number of different abnormal structures in the finger may also be a cause. It may be due to the tightening of the skin or may be due to tendon and ligament contraction. Abnormal muscles and irregularly shaped bones may also be one of the causes.

Some of these above mentioned causes are obvious and some are not, it varies from one patient to the other.

Common Incidence

The exact occurrence of this condition in general population is still not known, but according to an estimate it affects 1% of the general population, however this estimate might not be accurate for the present time. This disease is generally found in infants or adolescents. Camptodctyly syndrome is most often found in children whose parents have a blood relation. It has also been found that this disease affects the female population more than the male population. It is due to the Camptodtyly syndrome that the proximal interphalageal joint of the smaller finger is most commonly affected. It is not epidemic in most cases; some patients might have family history. Camptodactyly may also occur as a part of an underlying syndrome.

So far almost 2000 cases of Camptodctyly have been diagnosed. The countries where these cases have been diagnosed are Canada, India, Mexico, Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Newfoundland.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Common people cannot and should not diagnose Camptodactyly on their own unless it is diagnosed by a physician after a thorough physical examination. X-rays are strongly recommended in such cases.

Patients can be treated with occupational hand therapy or splinting in mild cases whereas in severe cases surgery is always an option. Fingers in such cases are generally kept mobile by removing the tendon sheaths in the affected fingers. The mobility of other such joints e.g. knees is also maintained by removal of the membranes surrounding the joint.

Doctors and medical experts all around the world strongly oppose the habit of smoking as it has been found to be a serious threat to human health. Researches in the medical field have proved that several hostile diseases such as stenosis, strokes, cancer and malfunctioning of the cardiovascular system are also caused due to the bad habit of smoking. High blood pressure is also a result of excessive smoking. High blood pressure is a general term used to explain the medical term hypertension. Blood pressure and heart beat are simultaneously increased by smoking thus resulting in different heart diseases and strokes. Sum of the reasons that show high blood pressure is caused due to smoking are detailed below.

Blood Vessels: Tobacco which is the major component of a cigarette is made up of nicotine and several other poisonous chemicals. When a person smokes a cigarette these harmful chemicals enter the blood stream due to which the arteries and veins are narrowed and weakened thus limiting the flow of blood through them as a result of which in order to pump blood the heart has to use more pressure then it usually and normally does and this eventually results in strokes and paralysis in some cases. The rise in blood pressure is directly proportional to the pressure the heart applies.  In medical term the narrowing and weakening of veins and arteries is known as atherosclerosis.

Affected Blood: With the passage of time there is an adverse affect on the blood of the smokers. Basically due to nicotine in cigarettes the level of cholesterol and fibrinogen is increased. Cholesterol is a constituent of cell membranes and is essential for the formation of bile acid and some hormones and fibrinogen is a protein found in blood that converts to fibrin  when blood clots. Heart attacks are caused when the blood clots in the heart.

Oxygen Deficit: We need oxygen to survive; the level of oxygen in body is decreased due to smoking. In order to cover this deficiency of oxygen the heart has to do double the work it usually does. The cardiovascular system is affected when the heart is over worked and there is a noticeable rise in the blood pressure.
Plaque: another major adverse affect of smoking on human health is that the arteries are blocked when plaque is build up in the blood vessels and restricts the flow of blood. Swelling, pain and redness of blood vessels occur when the inner lining of the blood vessels is affected due to nicotine. This inflammation of vessels and plaque causes high blood pressure.

Initially when a person cultivates the habit of smoking his body shows a resistance to the harmful foreign objects for instance a beginner coughs and feels pain and burning in throat and lungs after smoking. With the passage of time these mild after effects turn into complicated diseases such as high blood pressure, throat and lung cancer, kidney failure etc.

The dictionary definition of the word crater is as follows “a large hole in the ground or a surface caused by an explosion”. These holes or craters can either be manmade or can be natural. Basically a crater is a deep hole found on the moon or any planet surface. Impact crater is generally referred term when the word crater is used.

When a planetary object or a large body of a planet collides at a high velocity with a small projectile it causes an impact crater. The craters that are caused due to the meteorites are known as the meteorite craters. The size of a crater varies from very large, multi ringed basin to a small simple hole in the ground. The craters that are very big in size have lava filled in them and only their outlines can be seen.

When something collides with the surface of the moon and makes holes craters are formed on the surface of the moon. Asteroids and meteorite collision is the main reason for the formation of craters on the surface of the moon. Usually the asteroids and meteorites strike the surface of the moon at 20 km per sec or 12 mile per sec. The craters like moon and other planets are also found on the surface of our planet earth but comparatively are lesser than the moon. The reason behind this is that most of the asteroids and the meteoroids that are the major cause of these craters are burned up in the earth’s atmosphere. Since moon has no atmosphere thus there is more collision on the moon surface and thus moon has more craters. The craters on the moon surface stay in the same shape for a longer period of time until a new object collides because unlike earth factors such as wind, rain, erosion etc are not present on the moon.

The shape and size of the craters found on the surface of the moon depends mainly upon the angle of the object that collides with the surface, its size, its speed and above all it’s mass, so we can say that the craters can be of any shape or size.  When big objects strike the moon’s surface at a very high speed these result in the formation of huge complex craters and new craters are formed when the ejected object again falls on the moon surface.

Other then the impact craters there is another form of craters known as the volcanic craters. These volcanic craters have been found on Jupiter’s moon, Mars, Venus, Earth’s moon and Earth. Due to the collapse of a part of a volcano or the build-up of lava which is the erupted volcanic deposit the volcanic craters are formed. Even though in most of the cases the craters are formed as a result of meteor collision, some are formed as a result of volcanic activity. Crater lakes are formed the craters caused by the volcanic activity are filled with rain water or melted snow.

Relaxation — it seems such an easy thing to do, yet for many people the meaning of the world is lost. What is the first thing to learn in trying to relax?

The first thing to learn whenever you are going to do something is to know the roots of a problem. If you ask me how I would get rid of my tension then I would have to know what these tensions are. If you think the tension is just physical then I would say go to a sauna and have a massage. If you think that the tension is emotional, then you would have to find a way to relax your emotions. If the tension is not only physical and emotional but also mental then you would have to know how to relax the mind. Now, if in addition to that you think you also suffer other types of tension such as generalized tension, then you will have to know how to do that. There are no magical solutions.

Do women have a higher or lower threshold of anxiety than men as a general rule?

It varies a lot according to individual and societies. Women are not exactly treated the same way in most societies, but there’s one thing they have going for them with respect to tension. Women in most societies are allowed to show their emotions, to express their emotions. They probably have lesser ulcers, fewer heart attacks because they express themselves. They let out their internal tensions. So from that point of view women do not necessarily have a higher threshold. On the other hand men tend to suppress their feelings. But this is an extreme example because women experience just as much tension.

The whole system of achieving, pushing, preparing for success which starts from childhood up to the best years of a person’s adult life is obviously tailor-made for ulcers, high blood pressure, worry, etc.

Being tense is always related to being afraid. Being afraid, that is, of letting go of something. If we were not afraid of these things, we would be able to do it and do it better. We would not be pursuing the ends; we would rather be doing as if it would be an end .in itself. We would enjoy doing it, and without being afraid. So fear is almost experienced as a strong tension.

What is the way to handle stress and strain? Is it to tackle the problem by grappling with the bull by its horns? Is it to walk away and forget about it, let the problem solve itself?

To use a forced solution is to cause an unfavorable side effect. You cannot walk away from a problem because it will not disappear. The way to handle stress is to comprehend it at its root, to be able to know how to get rid of it permanently — the physical, emotional, mental and generalized tensions.

Is there such a thing as certain character types being able to cope with pressures and stresses better than others?

It all depends on what you mean by character types. If you say that a person who is excessively emotional can cope better with tension, he could if he is living in a society that was emotional but if you are emotional and you live in a society that is intellectual, you don’t fit nicely, then it would be very difficult to cope there.

What are a few simple methods of handling tension?

The fundamental attitude of handling tension is exactly the opposite of the attitude that we have in front of most activities we do in our lives. Most things we do we do because we force ourselves. Most people think, “I have to relax.” And they try hard to relax. But the attitude that we suggest in relaxation is one of letting go. It is one of being gentle with oneself. It is the only solution that has no side effects that loses tension permanently.

Further Readings:

• Why is Leisure Important
• Why Does One Need To Relax?

Until recently, fiber was considered a necessary part of everyone’s diet mainly because it promoted intestinal regularity. Lack of enough fiber could cause constipation — nothing more. But medical researchers have begun to find additional important reasons for including in everyday meals enough foods that are high in fiber. Recent evidence points to the possibility that a low-fiber diet may be a factor in the high incidence of certain illnesses, among them cancer of the colon, in highly developed countries like the United States.

What is the medical evidence?

Of the illnesses now associated with low-fiber diet, evidence relating it to cancer of the colon is the best documented. A British study found this type of cancer to be extremely rare among rural Africans who eat large amounts of unrefined (whole grain) cereals and grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables—all high-fiber foods. Others in the same country who eat the traditional Western diet, which is high in meat and refined flours and sugars, all low in fiber have a higher incidence of the disease. The study’s conclusion: Because low-fiber foods move so slowly through the digestive system, any cancer-causing agents have a longer time to react with the colon—and to cause cancer.

Is there a connection between fiber and heart disease?

The evidence connecting fiber and heart disease is less direct but nonetheless attracting medical attention. High blood-cholesterol levels have been related to a high incidence of heart disease. Since it is also known that a high-fiber diet increase excretion of cholesterol from the body, the possible conclusion is that any diet reducing cholesterol levels should also help prevent heart disease. In any case, high-fiber foods, which are all from vegetable sources, are low in fat, and many are also low in calories. Presumably, the more you eat of these foods, the less you’ll be indulging in the high-fat or high-calorie foods that contribute to overweight which in turn, could result in the increased likelihood of heart disease.

High-fiber foods also may be helpful in forestalling gallbladder ailments by helping to metabolize the bile salts needed to digest fat. It has been shown; too, that fiber in the diet, by speeding the normal emptying of the colon, alleviates the symptoms of diverticulitis, an abnormality in the intestinal tract.

What are the high-fiber foods?

While there is no cause-and-effect evidence that high-fiber foods can actually prevent or cure these serious illnesses, the research now at hand makes a convincing argument for including adequate foods in your everyday meal planning.

• Breads and cereals made with whole grains and bran.
• Vegetables with crunchy texture when eaten raw or cooked till tender-crisp—corn, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.
• Tuberous root vegetables like beets, carrots, sweet potatoes.
• Fruits and vegetables with edible tough skins and seeds such as blackberries tomatoes, summer squash, potatoes.
• Legumes like green beans, peas, dry beans, lentils.
• Nuts and seeds of all kinds.
• Popcorn.

How much fiber do you need?

There is no definite rule, but try each day to have about eight servings of foods that contain some fiber—that is, most fruits and vegetables as well as wholegrain breads and cereals. One easy way to be sure you’re getting enough is to eat a normal well-balanced diet and include a daily serving of cereal.

And start a collection of recipes that give you a chance to use the high-fiber foods in appealing new ways.

Further Readings:

• Why Does One Need High-Fiber Food
• How to Lessen Your Stress by Eating Healthy Foods