Saturday, April 30, 2011

Obama shines at White House correspondents' dinner


The White House Correspondents' Dinner is, for the media, a thoroughly self-aggrandizing affair, a disgustingly smarmy occasion for self-important media insiders to hobnob even more openly with the people they cover. (Consider Politico's obsessive coverage.) Nonetheless, it can also be the scene of some fairly remarkable speaking-truth-to-power comedy. (Think back to Colbert's hilarious appearance in 2006.) 

A lot depends on who's there and who's telling the jokes. At the 2011 event last night, SNL's Seth Meyers was funny, if not quite Colbert-level poignant, and President Obama got in some great zingers. For example:

-- "Donald Trump is here tonight. Now, I know that he's taken some flak lately but no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the Donald. And that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter, like, 'Did we fake the moon landing?' 'What really happened in Roswell?' And 'Where are Biggie and Tupac?'"

-- "Michele Bachmann is here. She is thinking about running for president, which is weird because I hear she was born in Canada. Yes, Michele, this is how it starts."

The man can tell a joke. Though it certainly helps that his opponents are such easy targets.

10 Permainan Klasik Khas Indonesia Yang Mulai Dilupakan


Permainan - permainan klasik dari Indonesia inimungkin akan mengingatkan pada masa - masa kecil anda yang manis, permainan yang banyak melibatkan kegiatan fisik ini sekarang sudah sangat jarang dimainkan anak jaman sekarang, tergantikan dengan PS, Game Onilne dan Aktifitas digital lainnya ... berikut 10 permainan klasik khas Indonesia

1 TAP BENTENG

adalah permainan yang dimainkan oleh dua grup, masing - masing terdiri dari 4 sampai dengan 8 orang. Masing - masing grup memilih suatu tempat sebagai markas, biasanya sebuah tiang, batu atau pilar sebagai 'benteng'.
Tujuan utama permainan ini adalah untuk menyerang dan mengambil alih 'benteng' lawan dengan menyentuh tiang atau pilar yang telah dipilih oleh lawan dan meneriakkan kata benteng. Kemenangan juga bisa diraih dengan 'menawan' seluruh anggota lawan dengan menyentuh tubuh mereka. Untuk menentukan siapa yang berhak menjadi 'penawan' dan yang 'tertawan' ditentukan dari waktu terakhir saat si 'penawan' atau 'tertawan' menyentuh 'benteng' mereka masing - masing.

2* CONGKLAK
Congklak adalah suatu permainan tradisional yang dikenal dengan berbagai macam nama di seluruh Indonesia. Biasanya dalam permainan, sejenis cangkang kerang digunakan sebagai biji congklak dan jika tidak ada, kadangkala digunakan juga biji-bijian dari tumbuh-tumbuhan.
Permainan congklak dilakukan oleh dua orang. Dalam permainan mereka menggunakan papan yang dinamakan papan congklak dan 98 (14 x 7) buah biji yang dinamakan biji congklak atau buah congklak. Umumnya papan congklak terbuat dari kayu dan plastik, sedangkan bijinya terbuat dari cangkang kerang, biji-bijian, batu-batuan, kelereng atau plastik. Pada papan congklak terdapat 16 buah lobang yang terdiri atas 14 lobang kecil yang saling berhadapan dan 2 lobang besar di kedua sisinya. Setiap 7 lobang kecil di sisi pemain dan lobang besar di sisi kananya dianggap sebagai milik sang pemain.

Pada awal permainan setiap lobang kecil diisi dengan tujuh buah biji. Dua orang pemain yang berhadapan, salah seorang yang memulai dapat memilih lobang yang akan diambil dan meletakkan satu ke lobang di sebelah kanannya dan seterusnya. Bila biji habis di lobang kecil yang berisi biji lainnya, ia dapat mengambil biji-biji tersebut dan melanjutkan mengisi, bisa habis di lobang besar miliknya maka ia dapat melanjutkan dengan memilih lobang kecil di sisinya. bila habis di lubang kecil di sisinya maka ia berhenti dan mengambil seluruh biji di sisi yang berhadapan. Tetapi bila berhenti di lobang kosong di sisi lawan maka ia berhenti dan tidak mendapatkan apa-apa.

Permainan dianggap selesai bila sudah tidak ada biji lagi yang dapat dimabil (seluruh biji ada di lobang besar kedua pemain). Pemenangnya adalah yang mendapatkan biji terbanyak.

3* DOR TAP

Dor Tap merupakan permainan yang mirip dengan Petak Umpet namun dimainkan oleh 2 kelompok. Kelompok yang lebih dulu berhasil menyebut nama lawan yang bersembunyi dapat diartikan bahwa lawan tersebut terkena tembakan. Permainan berakhir jika salah satu kelompok sudah habis tertembak.

4* GALASIN

Galah Asin atau di daerah lain disebut Galasin atau Gobak Sodor adalah sejenis permainan daerah dari Indonesia. Permainan ini adalah sebuah permainan grup yang terdiri dari dua grup, di mana masing-masing tim terdiri dari 3 - 5 orang. Inti permainannya adalah menghadang lawan agar tidak bisa lolos melewati garis ke baris terakhir secara bolak-balik, dan untuk meraih kemenangan seluruh anggota grup harus secara lengkap melakukan proses bolak-balik dalam area lapangan yang telah ditentukan.

Permainan ini biasanya dimainkan di lapangan bulu tangkis dengan acuan garis-garis yang ada atau bisa juga dengan menggunakan lapangan segiempat dengan ukuran 9 x 4 m yang dibagi menjadi 6 bagian. Garis batas dari setiap bagian biasanya diberi tanda dengan kapur. Anggota grup yang mendapat giliran untuk menjaga lapangan ini terbagi dua, yaitu anggota grup yang menjaga garis batas horisontal dan garis batas vertikal. Bagi anggota grup yang mendapatkan tugas untuk menjaga garis batas horisontal, maka mereka akan berusaha untuk menghalangi lawan mereka yang juga berusaha untuk melewati garis batas yang sudah ditentukan sebagai garis batas bebas. Bagi anggota grup yang mendapatkan tugas untuk menjaga garis batas vertikal (umumnya hanya satu orang), maka orang ini mempunyai akses untuk keseluruhan garis batas vertikal yang terletak di tengah lapangan. Permainan ini sangat mengasyikkan sekaligus sangat sulit karena setiap orang harus selalu berjaga dan berlari secepat mungkin jika diperlukan untuk meraih kemenangan.

5* GASING


Gasing adalah mainan yang bisa berputar pada poros dan berkesetimbangan pada suatu titik. Gasing merupakan mainan tertua yang ditemukan di berbagai situs arkeologi dan masih bisa dikenali. Selain merupakan mainan anak-anak dan orang dewasa, gasing juga digunakan untuk berjudi dan ramalan nasib.

Sebagian besar gasing dibuat dari kayu, walaupun sering dibuat dari plastik, atau bahan-bahan lain. Kayu diukir dan dibentuk hingga menjadi bagian badan gasing. Tali gasing umumnya dibuat dari nilon, sedangkan tali gasing tradisional dibuat dari kulit pohon. Panjang tali gasing berbeda-beda bergantung pada panjang lengan orang yang memainkan.

6* KASTI

Kasti atau Gebokan merupakan sejenis olahraga bola. Permainan yang dilakukan 2 kelompok ini menggunakan bola tenis sebagai alat untuk menembak lawan dan tumpukan batu untuk disusun. Siapapun yang berhasil menumpuk batu tersebut dengan cepat tanpa terkena pukulan bola adalah kelompok yang memenangkan permainan. Pada awal permainan, ditentukan dahulu kelompok mana yang akan menjadi penjaga awal dan kelompok yang dikejar dengan suit. Kelompok yang menjadi penjaga harus segera menangkap bola secepatnya setelah tumpukan batu rubuh oleh kelompok yang dikejar. Apabila bola berhasil menyentuh lawan, maka kelompok yang anggotanya tersentuh bola menjadi penjaga tumpukan batu. Kerjasama antaranggota kelompok sangat dibutuhkan seperti halnya olahraga softball atau baseball.

7* LAYANG-LAYANG

Permainan layang-layang, juga dikenali dengan nama wau merupakan satu aktivititas menerbangkan layang-layang tersebut di udara. Pada musim kemarau di Indonesia anak-anak selalu bermain layang-layang karena anginnya besar.

8* PETAK UMPET

Dimulai dengan Hompimpa untuk menentukan siapa yang menjadi "kucing" (berperan sebagai pencari teman-temannya yang bersembunyi). Si kucing ini nantinya akan memejamkan mata atau berbalik sambil berhitung sampai 25, biasanya dia menghadap tembok, pohon atau apasaja supaya dia tidak melihat teman-temannya bergerak untuk bersembunyi. Setelah hitungan sepuluh, mulailah ia beraksi mencari teman-temannya tersebut.
Jika ia menemukan temannya, ia akan menyebut nama temannya yang dia temukan tersebut. Yang seru adalah, ketika ia mencari ia biasanya harus meninggalkan tempatnya (base?). Tempat tersebut jika disentuh oleh teman lainnya yang bersembunyi maka batallah semua teman-teman yang ditemukan, artinya ia harus mengulang lagi, di mana-teman-teman yang sudah ketemu dibebaskan dan akan bersembunyi lagi. Lalu si kucing akan menghitung dan mencari lagi.
Permainan selesai setelah semua teman ditemukan. Dan yang pertama ditemukanlah yang menjadi kucing berikutnya.
Ada satu istilah lagi dalam permainan ini, yaitu 'kebakaran' yang dimaksud di sini adalah bila teman kucing yang bersembunyi ketahuan oleh si kucing disebabkan diberitahu oleh teman kucing yang telah ditemukan lebih dulu dari persembunyiannya. [ Permainan kesukaan ane nih gan ,,apalagi kalo main nya bareng sama cewe ,,wkwkkww ngumpet ber 2 ]

9* YOYO

Yo-yo adalah suatu permainan yang tersusun dari dua cakram berukuran sama (biasanya terbuat dari plastik, kayu, atau logam) yang dihubungkan dengan suatu sumbu, di mana tergulung tali yang digunakan. Satu ujung tali terikat pada sumbu, sedangkan satu ujung lainnya bebas dan biasanya diberi kaitan. Permainan yo-yo adalah salah satu permainan yang populer di banyak bagian dunia. Walaupun secara umum dianggap permainan anak-anak, tidak sedikit orang dewasa yang memiliki kemampuan profesional dalam memainkan yo-yo.

Yo-yo dimainkan dengan dengan mengaitkan ujung bebas tali pada jari tengah, memegang yo-yo, dan melemparkannya ke bawah dengan gerakan yang mulus. Sewaktu tali terulur pada sumbu, efek giroskopik akan terjadi, yang memberikan waktu untuk melakukan beberapa gerakan. Dengan menggerakkan pergelangan tangan, yo-yo dapat dikembalikan ke tangan pemain, di mana tali akan kembali tergulung dalam celah sumbu

10* BALAP KARUNG

Balap karung adalah salah satu lomba tradisional yang populer pada hari kemerdekaan Indonesia. Sejumlah peserta diwajibkan memasukkan bagian bawah badannya ke dalam karung kemudian berlomba sampai ke garis akhir.
Meskipun sering mendapat kritikan karena dianggap memacu semangat persaingan yang tidak sehat dan sebagai kegiatan hura-hura, balap karung tetap banyak ditemui, seperti juga lomba panjat pinang, sandal bakiak, dan makan kerupuk.
Sumber :  

Suku-Suku di Dunia yang Memiliki Sihir Paling Kuat

1. Gypsy



Kata Gypsy adalah berasal dari lepasan Mesir, tetapi paling baik diterapkan untuk dipahami adalah Gypsy sebagai pengembara, ras misterius, tersebar di seluruh Eropa dan bagian Asia, Afrika, dan Amerika.

Sebenarnya suku Gypsy adalah orang yang tidak mempunyai rumah permanen, atau disebut nomaden. Tetapi jika saja kita mempermalukan mereka, maka mereka pun tidak segan-segan mengeluarkan kata-kata berbau kematian kepada kita.

Sihir :
Mungkin Lamia merupakan sihir paling buruk yang digunakan orang Gypsy. Biasanya sihir ini digunakan untuk hukuman.

Cara kerjanya adalah dengan mengambil sesuatu milik kita, entah kancing, pena, dll, dan mengucapkan mantra kepada benda tersebut. Lamia mengambil jiwanya setelah beberapa hari, dan membawanya ke siksaan tak berujung. Satu hal yang perlu diingat, jangan tertipu oleh dandanan mereka.



2. Indian


Suku Indian adalah historis suku, bangsa, atau kelompok lain atau komunitas masyarakat adat di Amerika. Beberapa suku Indian diakui di tingkat negara bagian dengan menggunakan prosedur yang didefinisikan oleh berbagai negara, tanpa memperhatikan pengakuan federal.

Suku-suku lain yang tidak dikenal karena mereka sudah tidak ada lagi sebagai suatu kelompok yang terorganisir atau karena mereka belum menyelesaikan proses sertifikasi yang didirikan oleh badan pemerintah yang bersangkutan.


Sihir :
Sihir terjahat masyarakat pedalaman Amerika ini adalah Na Munda. Ini berbeda dengan voodoo yang ada di Haiti. Biasanya suku Indian melakukan sihir ini dengan memanggil arwah dengan menggunakan badan mereka dengan nyanyian atau mantra dan tarian-tarian khusus.

Sihir ini akan menyebabkan kematian tanpa bekas. Belakangan ini, sihir ini juga digunakan untuk menyembuhkan dan peramalan.



3. Bulgarian Mystery


Bulgarian Mystery merupakan kumpulan orang dari Bulgaria yang memiliki sihir tingkat tinggi jarak jauh. Sihir ini digunakan untuk perebutan wilayah pada zaman pembagian daerah di Eropa Timur.


Sihir :
Sihir paling mengerikan masyarakat Bulgaria adalah nyanyian. Malka Moma yang dinyanyikan dengan nada tinggi merupakan sihir yang unik dan berbeda dari suku lainnya.

Tetapi, sekarang sihir ini sudah tidak ada lagi. Sekarang sudah dijadikan budaya masyarakat Bulgaria dalam menyanyi, karna sihir ini termaksud sihir nyanyian yang indah.



4. Kiyuku


Kiyuku adalah nama dari sebuah suku di Afrika, merupakan pecahan dari Murci dan Dassanech. Kiyuku mencari tempat dengan cara berpindah-pindah dari kawasan Afrika sampai ke Ethiopia.

Sihir :
Sihir yang dimiliki adalah Kiyuku Dancer atau tarian Kiyuku. Masyarakat setempat sendiri belum mengetauhi dengan jelas apa yang dimaksud dengan tarian tersebut.

Ada yang bilang menurunkan hujan, santet, bahkan ada beberapa yang mengatakan orang-orang ini dapat mengubah gurun menjadi salju



5. Mayan


Mayan merupakan kumpulan orang-orang luar biasa yang berada di pedalaman hutan Mexico dan Guatemala. Merupakan suku yang paling modern pada zaman tersebut karena sudah dapat menghitung kalender bintang, dan merupakan ahli matematika.


Sihir :
Jangan berpikir bahwa Maya hanya suku yang mempunyai kemampuan berhitung saja, Toltec adalah nama, atau julukan kepada tetua Maya, atau bisa disebut orang bijak.

Mereka memiliki kemampuan dapat memanggil hujan, kekuatan dalam perang, dan memunculkan matahari dengan melakukan sesembahan berupa jantung manusia yang tidak lain berasal dari suku mereka atau musuh. Suku inilah yang memerangi bangsa Indian.



6. Maasai


Maasai merupakan suku yang berasal dari Kenya. Arrogant, Fearless, dan Free, merupakan julukan yang cocok bagi mereka. Selama 100 tahun, Maasai tidak mengambil atau terpaku kepada aturan, damai dalam berperang, uang untuk hidup, dsb.


Sihir :
Maasai tidak berdasarkan kepada sihir dan guna-guna. Mereka cenderung berdoa dan memiliki dewa yang bernama Enkai. Tidak heran kenapa suku Maasai dinamakan “Warriors”. Konon dengan bantuan dari Enkai, mereka dapat berlari secepat singa dan juga menjadi kebal.

Sumber :
apakabardunia.com

Hot Senate races in 2012

By Richard K. Barry

If we are counting correctly, the next general election in the United States will take place in about eighteen months on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Between now and then there will be a great many nomination races not only to see who the Republicans put up against President Obama but also for House and Senate seats in both parties.

And then comes the general election itself, which will determine the composition of the executive and legislative branches of our government. In other words, many, many contests to think about.

It's occurred to us here at The Reaction that it might be useful to begin wrapping our heads around some of the more important or, to put it differently, more hotly-contested races.

As a starting point, we thought we would look at the United States Senate, which, as any grade school child knows, elects a third of its membership of 100 every two years, who then get to serve six-year terms. In other words, those 33 who will be elected on November 6, 2012 will serve from January 3, 2013 to January 2, 2019.

At the moment, Democrats control the Upper House by a margin of 53-47, which means that the GOP would need to win 3 or 4 seats to take control, depending on who wins the White House because the President of the Senate, who is also Vice President of the United States, gets to break a tie.

Unless something changes, Democrats are expected to have 23 seats up for election, which include two independents, who caucus with the Democrats, while the Republicans have only 10 seats up for election.

Predicting what things will look like in a year and a half can be dodgy business, but the simple fact that far more Democratic seats need to be contested might suggest that there is greater potential for Republicans to win back the Senate. It may also be true that some Senate seats currently held by Democrats are in states which are more traditionally Republican.

In any case, our goal here is to have a look at some of these races to see how things are developing and to provide some background to educate ourselves and to perhaps solicit some comments from those who may be closer, both geographically and in terms of intimate knowledge, to some of these races. That would be fine too.

Just to have a starting point, here are 17 of the 33 Senate races that could bare some scrutiny, either because they could flip to the other party or because they could be seriously contested in nomination battles. Others, of course, may be interesting for all sorts of reasons.

Listed is the incumbent and his or her status:

Republicans who are retiring (or have resigned):
Republicans who are running again:

Democrats who are retiring:
Democrats who are running again:
So, that'll keep us busy for a while and along the way we fully expect to get to some of the more interesting House and gubernatorial races -- in fact, we've already started. It will be, we are sure, a very interesting year and a half.

(Cross-posted to Lippmann's Ghost)

Popshot Compilation 15 (Cum Swap Special Edition)

Popshot Compilation 14 (Feeding Frenzy vs Peter North Special Edition)

Popshot Compilation 12 (Ideepthroat Special Edition)



Popshot Compilation 11

Retro Cumshot Compilation # 180

500 retro cumshots in 1 hour... EPIC!

Just Cumshots! Facials & Oral Creampies

Friday, April 29, 2011

WARNING! Cewek Jangan Lakukan Ini Ketika Di KAMPUS

Jangan pernah melakukan garuk2 dikampus apa dikantor... sapa tau temen anda sedang mengamati


Inilah cewek yang ga nahan kepengen garuk2
gatel ihhhhhhh..... tadi eike lupa cebok....


kue apem ane baunya kaya apa ya? kok baunya kaya kue basi + terasi....
Spoiler for sedot duluuu nyumiee:


makdjang.......!!!!!!!! ketauan eikeeeeeee
baunya apek apa amis neng?

Elephant Dung #28: Is NY-26 the new NY-23?

Tracking the GOP Civil War

By Michael J.W. Stickings

(For an explanation of this ongoing series, see
here. For previous entries, see here.)

Earlier today, R.K. Barry posted on the goings on in NY-23, the district that in 2009 saw one of the very first Tea Party uprisings.

As you may recall, Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman emerged to challenge moderate Republican Dede Scozzafava in a special election to replace John McHugh, who resigned to become secretary of the Army. With lackluster backing from the party that nominated her and some high-profile Republicans switching their support to Hoffman, Scozzafava pulled out of the race, endorsing Democrat Bill Owens, who ended up winning the seat narrowly over Hoffman. Owens won again in 2012, even more narrowly over Republican Matthew Doheney. But it was Hoffman who made the difference. He took just enough support away from Doheney to allow Owens to pull it out.

Well, what happened in NY-23 may also be happening in NY-26, where a rich Teabagger, Jack Davis, is dividing Republican/conservative support just the way Hoffman did. The seat is currently vacant, following the resignation of Republican Chris Lee (of Craigslist scandal fame) earlier this year, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo called a special election for May 24.

There's little doubt that it's a Republican seat to lose. Republican Jane Corwin is ahead in the polls, but not by much. Democrat Kathy Hochul is just a few points behind. But Davis is running a strong third, and he's clearly draining support from Corwin. If his support holds up, Hochul could squeak through. Indeed, what should be a slam dunk for the Republicans has been turned into a toss-up by Davis, and the only way the Democrat can win is if the Republican/conservative vote is split, if Davis, like Hoffman, makes just enough of a difference.

What's interesting, though, is that Davis is an ex-Democrat. He even ran for the seat as a Democrat in 2006 and 2008, losing both times. And his views are hardly mainstream (conservative) Republican. He's opposed to the Republicans' budget proposals and is generally isolationist/protectionist. In that latter regard, he's more Buchananite paleo-conservative than business-oriented Republican. He appears to be a right-wing populist, and is certainly trying to appeal to the Tea Party, but he's certainly less of a Teabagger than Hoffman. And, indeed, the Tea Party itself is split between Corwin, something of a Scozzafava-like moderate, and Davis.

It looks to be a brutal campaign, with the right bitterly divided. The district may be Republican enough that Corwin can pull it out, but it's certainly going to be a lot closer than it otherwise should have been. And, once again, we see conservatives turning a safe Republican seat into an opportunity for the Democrats, and all because the Tea Party and its allies on the right are waging a campaign to control the Republican Party by narrowing its ideological scope and purging it of insufficiently conservative (in Tea Party terms) elements. So determined are they, so convinced of their righteousness, that they're apparently willing to commit political suicide in the process.

We'll have to see if NY-26 is indeed the new NY-23. I suspect that Davis has peaked and that Corwin, who has some Tea Party support, will pull it out. But what's going on there is instructive, and what we're seeing is a preview of much more to come in 2012.

♣ 10 Fakta Unik Tentang Pilek

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzXYmZ5gnezI5Ot0eA3fUzBiP0FA5oelkEsoCTDgrIAPP9PcU5UcPuCW6K_RgiGSy4YZWa8bcbiUVYGLonI38rk2QZFdSq9o-WQz8DiyMVSuq0xo9EXL26pvLmLV4Xed4CxWIw7NVYyyv/s200/flu.jpg
1. Pilek membutuhkan waktu sekitar 48 jam untuk menginfeksi dan membuat Anda sakit.
Jika hidung meler, tenggorokan gatal, pikirkan kembali 48 jam ke belakang. Kemungkinannya virus pilek sudah memasuki tubuh Anda. Para ahli mengatakan virus pilek membutuhkan waktu sekitar dua hari untuk menanamkan ke dalam lapisan sel-sel dan menghasilkan gejala. Kadang pilek dan flu susah dibedakan. Ron Eccles, BSc, PhD, DSC, Direktur Common Cold Centre di Universitas Cardiff di Inggris menyatakan virus pilek biasanya tak menyebabkan demam pada orang dewasa. Sedangkan demam dan batuk adalah tanda utama influenza.

2. Senjata terbaik melawan pilek adalah olah raga.
Bukan obat ataupun suplemen vitamin, tapi olah raga. Peneliti Appalachian State University telah mempelajari bagaimana sistem kekebalan tubuh dan virus dipengaruhi oleh olah raga. Para peneliti mengatakan jika ingin benar-benar menangkal flu musim dingin ini, cara terbaik adalah 30 menit berjalan kaki cepat 5 kali per minggu. "Latihan ringan ini baik karena memindahkan darah ke seluruh tubuh dan juga menggerakkan sel darah putih untuk mencari infeksi," kata Dr Eccles.

3. Kurang tidur salah satu penyebabnya
Berapa banyak yang tidur Anda semalam? "Kalau kurang dari tujuh jam, Anda tiga kali lebih mungkin untuk pilek," kata peneliti di Carnegie Mellon University. Gunakan waktu tidur dengan efisien. Peserta studi yang menghabiskan kurang dari 92 persen waktu tidur mereka setidaknya lima kali lebih besar kemungkinan terkena pilek.

4. Jus jeruk tak menangkal pilek
Lebih dari 30 studi yang dilakukan oleh para peneliti di Australian National University dan University of Helsinki mengatakan bahwa untuk sebagian besar orang, vitamin C tidak mencegah atau menyembuhkan gejala flu.

5. Bunga Echinacea bisa membantu melawan virus pilek
Tumbuhan dengan bunga warna ungu ini bisa membantu meningkatkan sistem kekebalan tubuh. Sehingga bisa melawan virus flu dan pilek. Peneliti dari Universitas Connecticut mempelajari lebih dari 1.600 orang yang menggunakan bunga ini. Mereka melaporkan, Echinacea bisa mengurangi kemungkinan terkena pilek hingga 50 persen dan mengurangi durasi sakit pilek sekitar 1,4 hari.

6. Virus pilek bisa membuat gemuk
Peneliti di Rady Children's Hospital di San Diego menemukan anak-anak yang telah terinfeksi oleh 36 adenovirus, virus flu biasa yang menyebabkan gejala pilek kadang-kadang juga terkena masalah pencernaan. Berat badan mereka 50 pon lebih berat dari anak-anak yang belum terinfeksi virus ini. Namun virus ini bukan penyebab utama masalah berat badan .

7. Minuman panas dapat membantu menghilangkan gejala virus pilek
Menurut sebuah penelitian yang diterbitkan dalam edisi terbaru dari Rhinology jurnal, peneliti di Inggris mengatakan menyeruput minuman panas dapat memberikan bantuan langsung dan berkelanjutan dari gejala terburuk dari flu, seperti batuk, bersin, pilek, sakit tenggorokan dan kelelahan.

8. Bahan dalam ASI dapat mengobati pilek
Ternyata bahan dalam air susu ibu yang bisa mengobati pilek. Bahan itu adalah monolaurin, turunan dari asam laurat. "Ini asam lemak yang ditemukan secara alami dalam ASI," jelas Tom Bayne, DC, praktisi dengan ChicagoHealers.com. Monolaurin juga diketahui bisa mengurangi gejala flu dan kelelahan.

9. Rata-rata orang mendapat 200 pilek seumur hidupnya.
Dengan perkiraan usia mencapai 75 tahun, Anda mungkin menderita melalui 200 pilek. Dengan rata rata pertahun terserang dua kali. Sementara anak-anak biasanya mendapatkan antara empat dan delapan kali pilek per tahun.

10. Pilek tidak menular
Kebanyakan orang berpikir karena jabat tangan dengan orang sakit akan membuat mereka terserang flu dan pilek. Penelitian terbaru oleh Pusat Common Cold Universitas Cardiff menemukan bahwa ketika orang sehat dimasukkan ke dalam sebuah ruangan dengan penderita flu dan pilek, si sakit sulit untuk menyebarkan infeksi dari satu orang ke orang lain. Bahkan, virus pilek harus memiliki kondisi ideal untuk menginfeksi tubuh. "Pilek sangat tidak menular, dan pilek sebagian besar menular dari kontak berkepanjangan dan dekat," kata Dr Eccles
http://gokilsite.blogspot.com/2011/03/10-fakta-unik-tentang-pilek.html

♣ Fakta Menarik Tentang Permen Karet

Permen karet merupakan makanan yang sangat digemari masyarakat. Permen karet berasal dari Amerika, terbuat dari getah pohon atau damar gliserin yang ditambah larutan gula, peppermint dan bahan lainnya, kemudian diaduk dan dipress.

Nah, marilah kita menganalisa manfaat dan kerugian mengunyah permen karet.

Manfaat mengunyah permen karet:
1. Menyegarkan bau mulut, terutama bagi yang suka mengonsumsi makanan beraroma keras seperti bawang merah dan bawang putih. Permen karet sangat efektif untuk menetralisir bau tersebut.

2. Permen karet dapat melekat erat, sehingga dapat membersihkan sisa-sisa makanan pada permukaan gigi. Sering mengunyahnya dapat meningkatkan produksi air liur yang dapat membersihkan rongga mulut dan gigi dengan lebih baik, sehingga resiko terbentuknya plak-plak gigi dapat dikurangi.

3. Ketika mengunyah permen karet, rongga mulut berulang-ulang melakukan gerakan menggigit, ini memperlancar aliran darah di bagian wajah, dan juga melatih otot-otot untuk mengunyah dan menggigit.

Hasil penelitian seorang ahli dari Amerika, mengunyah permen karet setiap hari selama 15 menit dapat bermanfaat bagi kecantikan.

Kerugian mengunyah permen karet
1. Pada waktu mengunyah permen karet, gula tinggal di dalam rongga mulut dalam waktu lama, maka bakteri dalam rongga mulut akan merubah gula menjadi asam yang akan mengurai kalsium gigi (email gigi) sehingga menyebabkan kerusakan pada gigi.

Para ahli menganjurkan agar memilih permen karet xylitol sebagai pengganti gula, karena xylitol memiliki rasa dan nilai gizi yang sama dengan gula, namun tidak dapat difermentasi menjadi asam sehingga aman untuk gigi.

2. Hasil riset di Swiss menunjukan, sering mengunyah permen karet dapat merusak bahan tambalan gigi. Oleh sebab itu bagi seseorang yang menggunakan tambalan gigi dengan bahan air raksa sebaiknya jangan mengunyah permen karet.

Karena mengunyah permen karet dapat mengurai senyawa air raksa tersebut, yang dapat meningkatkan jumlah kandungan air raksa dalam darah dan air kemih. Kelebihan zat tersebut dapat berpe ngaruh negatif terhadap otak, susunan syaraf pusat dan ginjal.

3. Anak-anak yang mengunyah permen karet dalam waktu lama, kemungkinan besar akan mempunyai kebiasaan menggertakkan gigi pada saat tidur karena otot-otot mulut dalam keadaan tegang, sehingga dapat mempengaruhi kualitas tidur mereka.

Para ahli menyarankan agar anak-anak tidak mengunyah permen karet lebih dari 3-4 kali sehari dan tidak melampaui 10-15 menit.

4. Sering mengunyah permen karet bagi para remaja dapat berisiko memiliki bentuk wajah segi empat, karena otot-otot rahang mungkin terlalu terlatih sehingga sangat cepat pertumbuhannya.

Photo of the Day: Royal Wedding insanity 2


Following up on my PotD post from yesterday...

The wedding is done. Over. But it's been hard to escape it today.

Even in Canada...

We have a federal election on Monday and yet our media have been swept up in the insanity across the pond, and all because this country is too pathetically servile, too disrespectful of our liberty, to cast off the British Monarchy for good, to toss it in the dustbin of our history, where it belongs. Even our most prominent journalist, CBC news anchor Peter Mansbridge, has been reporting from London. I find it all utterly revolting.

You can find photos all over the place. (Or you can just turn on the TV.) But here's another pre-wedding one. The insanity is palpable.


(Photo from The Globe and Mail: "Royal fans wait outside Westminster Abbey Thursday. The marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton takes place Friday in London, England.)

I'm embarrassed today even to have anything to do with Britain, even though my family lives there and I'm a British (and Canadian) citizen. It's a wonderful place, in many ways, a country I love.

And yet...

Popshot Compilation 10





The appalling bigotry of Sally Kern II


In March of 2008, I wrote about Sally Kern's ridiculous, bigoted claims that that homosexuality is "the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam, "that proponents of "the homosexual lifestyle" "want to get [children] into the government schools so they can indoctrinate them," and that "no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted for more than, you know, a few decades."

Well, the Oklahoma Republican was back at it on Wednesday, this time directing her bigotry at people of color:

The Republican-controlled Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a proposed constitutional amendment [on Wednesday] that would eliminate Affirmative Action in state government. The offical GOP reasoning for the change is that while "discrimination exists," "I don't think Affirmative Action has been as successful as we like to believe," the bill's sponsor, state Rep. T.W. Shannon (R), explained. But perpetual extremist state Rep. Sally Kern (R) offered her argument for ending the system that helps minorities advance: "blacks" simply don't work as hard as whites:

Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, said minorities earn less than white people because they don't work as hard and have less initiative.

"We have a high percentage of blacks in prison, and that's tragic, but are they in prison just because they are black or because they don't want to study as hard in school? I've taught school, and I saw a lot of people of color who didn't study hard because they said the government would take care of them."

There isn't really much that needs to be said about this. Such bigotry, I think, speaks for itself. It's an appalling example of an all-too-common form of somewhat indirect racism. Racists like Kern don't necessarily say that blacks and other "minorities" are sub-human and don't deserve equal rights, just that they're all or mostly (note the broad generalization) lazy, uneducated, and undeserving of government support -- and, worse, "lazy" can be understood as a euphemism for un-American and worse. It's a way of explaining, justifying, and ultimately perpetuating racial inequality.

As Steve Benen asks, "where does the Republican Party even find people like this? Is there a website where a party can order cartoonish racists to serve in state government?"

It apparently doesn't have to look too hard. Cartoonish racists are right at home in the GOP.

What's new in New York's 23rd Congressional District?


I was wondering today how things were going in the NY-23rd Congressional district. You may recall events in the district that took what probably should have been a safe GOP seat and handed it to the Democrats due to infighting between more mainstream Republicans and the Tea Party.

This started when Republican John M. McHugh resigned the seat on September 21, 2009 in order to become the Secretary of the Army. Thus a special election was required, which, under normal circumstances almost certainly would have been won by the Republican nominee, Dede Scozzafava, who had previously been a member of the New York State Assembly.

What made circumstances other than normal was that Scozzafava supported abortion rights and gay marriage and had other unseemly affiliations, as far as the emerging Tea Party movement was concerned.

Tim Pawlenty and Sarah Palin, among others, decided to put their weight behind some sad sack character who would run under the Conservative Party banner. I believe his name was Doug Hoffman, though as I recall he was a terrible political performer and has mercifully disappeared into political obscurity, but not before he could lend the Democrats a very useful helping hand.

Long story short, running as a third party candidate, Hoffman made it impossible for Scozzafava to win. Upon realizing this, and no doubt sick of being vilified by members of her own party, she dropped out and ending up endorsing the Democrat, Bill Owens (pictured above).

Owens not only won in 2009, but won again in 2010 when Hoffman, having failed to secure the Republican nomination ran (again) as a third party candidate allowing Owens another two-year term. Oddly, Hoffman dropped out late in the race, but too late to have his name removed from the ballot. In the end, Owens got about 48%, the nominated Republican (Matthew Doheny) got about 46% and our helpful friend Hoffman got 6%. That's what they call a spoiler. Yes indeed.

I think I've got the details mostly right and I only recount them because I see that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is already hard at work to reclaim the seat, as they may be able to do (assuming they don't blow their feet off again). Okay, I'm also recounting it because I'm really hoping that Republicans and the Tea Partiers amongst them dance the same dance all over America in 2012.

In total, the NRCC is targeting 23 Congressional districts with robo calls and even some television ads with the same basic message, which I found interesting and perhaps indicative of things to come. So, take heed.

Here's the script:

Hello, I'm calling from the National Republican Congressional Committee with an important alert about your Congressman Bill Owens. Thanks to Owens' addiction to spending, the federal government borrows $4 billion every day. That's given us fourteen trillion dollars in debt on the backs of our children and grandchildren. And Bill Owens is making it worse. He voted for another Pelosi budget that would strangle our economy with more spending, more debt and more borrowing from China. Call Congressman Owens and tell him to stop spending your money. Paid for by the National Republican Congressional Committee. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

And, if you insist, here's the ad:


The usual ham-fisted bullshit. My favorite part is the bit with the People's Republic of China and the big red curtain and the Statue of Liberty, that and the beautiful children we are condemning to lives of desperation. It almost brings a tear to my eye.

I didn't see any seniors in the clip who will live their "golden years" terrified that they won't be able to pay for their health care if the Republicans get their way. Maybe the next ad will cover all that.

Just to prove the game is on, a spokesperson for Congressman Owens responded by saying:

Now the Washington attack dogs are trying to distract voters from Rep. Owens' fight to protect Upstate seniors from the Ryan Budget, which would end Medicare as we know it and increase health care costs for the next generation of seniors.

Indeed.

(Cross-posted to Lippmann's Ghost.)

Rebels without a cause

By Capt. Fogg

To be honest, I've come to hate activists, even when I agree with them. The passion behind so many crusades has often rendered the crusaders irrational, intemperate and more than half blind. It prompts them to accept spurious facts and figures and sometimes to invent them and in too many cases there's a kind of regenerative feedback that mimics a PA system with too much gain. It begins to howl and screech. Whatever was said into the microphone and what the howling is about matters little, only the joy of crusading, which not only surpasseth understanding, but prevents it.

Take genital mutilation, for instance. On the list of people I hate well in excess of my general contempt for humanity are those who painfully slice up young girls in a way that is intended to prevent them from enjoying sex as an adult. Yes, we have a constitutional ban on government interference with "free exercise" of religion, but we have a long standing interpretation of it that limits that free exercise to otherwise legal actions. We are, even so, usually able to make fair decisions because we distinguish between minor cosmetic surgery and malicious mutilation without a lot of hysteria. We can sometimes tell whether a comparison is ludicrous or not. We're able to take notice of the testimony of close to a billion males that it's not an impairment; unless we're prone to activism, that is.

Is circumcision, demanded by two of the major religious categories, really the kind of "mutilation" that falls outside of constitutional protection? To the activists of San Francisco, there are no uncertainties and certainly no distinction between something that is initially agonizing and a cruel lifelong impairment and something that isn't either. And let me be clear, this isn't a subject that will be illuminated by our traditional, left-right dichotomy. It simply doesn't matter whether it's liberals or Conservatives behind it; whether it's neither or both. I'd go so far as to say that the stated justifications for banning the circumcision of male babies is irrelevant to the passion for it and has too much to do with "aesthetics" to be more than an excuse. So I'm not going to indulge myself in modern fashion by invoking the traditional straw men ( and women of course) and restrict my contempt for people who need to have a cause and need it so much they aren't quite scrupulous about the high contrast, black and white scenarios they use in their passion plays.

If the crusade succeeds, much like the one that captured Jerusalem in 1099, the City by the bay will be as slippery a thing to hold on to. Jews and Muslims will simply use maternity facilities elsewhere or have the religious rite performed elsewhere. The Brit Milah, given in Gen. 17:10-14 to Abraham and in Lev. 12:3 is carried out on the eighth day. Muslims have a similar guideline. The law them would be only an inconvenience, like having to drive to the next town to purchase alcohol is in some places.

What then will it accomplish than, after all the sound and fury and obsession with penises wanes? Certainly nothing to stop what was intended to be stopped unless a further incursion by the dominant religion into the neighborhood of tolerance was part of the game all along.

(Cross posted from Human Voices)

Elephant Dung #27: Rand Paul takes aim at Donald Trump's questionable Republican cred

Tracking the GOP Civil War

By Michael J.W. Stickings

(For an explanation of this ongoing series, see here. For previous entries, see here.)

I'm not exactly a fan of Rand Paul, the Tea Party Republican senator from Kentucky. But I've got to hand it to him, he's a funny guy and he's got a knack for hilarious one-line swipes at fellow Republicans. Earlier this month, he took aim at Newt Gingrich. Yesterday, his target was Donald Trump:

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Thursday took a swipe at billionaire businessman Donald Trump, demanding to see his "Republican registration."

While speaking at a breakfast with New Hampshire Republicans one day after "The Donald" visited the Granite State, Paul riffed off the potential GOP presidential candidate's "birther" questions.

"I've come to New Hampshire today because I'm very concerned," said Paul, according to The New York Times. "I want to see the original long-form certificate of Donald Trump's Republican registration."

Paul's comments follow up on some GOP-aligned groups' effort to discredit Trump as a conservative. The free-market Club for Growth has accused Trump of being a liberal for his previous support of universal healthcare and his desire to raise tariffs on China.

It's hard to be a successful Republican when you've got both the Tea Party (via Rand Paul) and the Club for Growth aligned against you. Which is no doubt partly why Trump has so enthusiastically embraced the whole Birther thing and is now channelling his racism (what else is it?) into suggesting that Obama is an affirmative action case.

Now, is Trump a Republican? Yes, no doubt. His wealth-based sense of entitlement and megalomania would seem to indicate that he leans to the right, as would his pro-business (or, to be more precise, pro-Trump business) views. But his own political history is mixed. He has espoused various liberal positions over the years, and he was a registered Democrat for years. As he himself has acknowledged, if prior to his current courting of the Republican base, he's an independent, and he has voted for and financially supported both Democrats and Republicans.

None of this should disqualify Trump from being a Republican today, but of course the Republican Party, and in particular its powerful Tea Party wing, is all about party purification. They're the new Bolsheviks. If you're not Republican enough, Republican as they define it, they'll purge you from the party. We're seeing this happen again and again, with the Tea Party and others on the right challenging even established conservatives like Orrin Hatch, Richard Lugar, and John Boehner. The Republican Party is descending into madness, as I've said many times, and all this ongoing purge is accelerating that descent.

Trump has the media platform, not to mention the temperament, to fight back against those who would challenge him, including Paul. But Paul's onto something. Birtherism aside, Trump just isn't the sort of Republican, if truly Republican at all, to win over enough of the grassroots base to win the nomination, even if he manages to lure some of the party establishment (like Ralph Reed). He's got the anti-Obama attack going, and that's sustaining his popularity in the party, but were he to run that popularity would likely fracture once he was actually subjected to any sort of sustained scrutiny of his record. In that sense, he's got a Romney problem, and it's the sort of problem that's virtually insurmountable. Just ask Mitt.

And just ask Rand, who threw a pile of dung at the upstart Trump. If The Donald insists on remaining in the Republican spotlight, there will no doubt be much more to come.