Archive for January, 2008
- Three quarters of the earth’s surface is covered by water.
- Only 1 percent of the water on earth is drinkable, with 2 percent being frozen, and the remaining 97% of the earth’s water in the oceans.
- Three quarters of the fresh drinking water on earth is actually frozen in the polar ice caps.
- We may be able to live without food for a whole month, but we can only survive up to a week without drinking water.
- Showers, toilets and other bathroom facilities can use around 20 litres of water per minute.
- Your average dishwasher load uses around 100 litres of water per cycle.
- Your average washing machine load uses around 150 litres of water per cycle.
- On average, each person uses around 350 to 450 litres of water every day, including drinking, washing dishes, showering, flushing etc.
- The average person will use 8 litres of water to brush their teeth, 20 litres to flush a toilet, and between 100 and 250 litres during a shower.
- If every person in the USA saved 5 litres of water every day, it would total 350 billion litres of water per year.
- It takes about 4 litres of water to process a quarter pound ground beef hamburger.
- It takes almost 10 thousand litres of water to make four new car tires.
- Hippocrates, the Greek father of medicine, was the first person to recognize how important pure drinking water was when he told people in Greece to boil and strain the water before they drank it.
- Water had been treated very early on for smell and taste, but it wasn’t until the 1950’s that scientists suspected that drinking water could also carry disease, and began treating it so that it was safe to drink also.
- When you order a glass of water to drink in a restaurant, it takes another two glasses of water to properly clean the glass.
January 15th, 2008
Jumping Castles are large cold air inflatables that people (usually children) can enter and bounce around on. They have been marketed under a variety of names: Astrojump, moonwalk, bounce house, moon bounce, or jolly jump in the US, bouncy castles or inflatable castles in the UK and parts of Australia, and as jumping castles in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa. They are often in the shape of a castle but can be made into a variety of designs. The walls and floor are both bouncy, like a trampoline.
The original inflatable ride was designed in 1959 by John Scurlock. He was experimenting with inflatable covers for tennis courts when he noticed his employees enjoyed jumping on the covers. He started the Space Walk company to market them for children and called them Space Walks. He started out with a large air mattress. In 1967-1968, he decided to add walls. The windows were made of solid clear plastic and were enclosed like a bubble- one fan inflated the base while another inflated the bubble and circulated air for the riders.
Inflatable rides were also designed by university students in England around 1961 for a fundraising event.
The surfaces are typically composed of thick, strong PVC or vinyl and nylon, and the castle is inflated using an electric or petrol-powered blower. The principle is one of constant leakage, meaning small punctures are not a problem, although this means the fans need to be quite powerful; a medium-size “bouncy castle” requires a fan with a mechanical output of about two horsepower (consuming around 2 kW electrical power, allowing for the efficiency of the motor).
The term “moonwalk” has evolved as the generic term for enclosed inflatable trampolines in the US. Modern moonwalks in the US are typically supported by inflatable columns and enclosed with netting to allow air to pass through.The netting also allows for proper supervision as adults can see in from all sides.
UK and Australian bouncy castles have different specifications calling for fully inflated walls on 3 sides with an open front and foam “crash mats” to catch children who may jump or fall out of the structure.
Inflatables are most commonly rented for private functions, school and church festivals and village fetes. Although they are aimed at children, adult castles can be hired in the UK. Because of liability concerns moonwalks are rarely rented to adults in the US. They are often used to wrestle, bounce or rumble. Recently, a theatrical group has started performing Shakespearian tragedies on bouncy castles at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Hamlet in 2006, Macbeth in 2007).
The growth in popularity of standard moonwalks has led to an entire inflatable amusement industry which includes inflatable slides, obstacle courses, games, and more. Inflatables are ideal for portable amusements because they are relatively easy to transport and store but make a big impact when fully inflated.
January 8th, 2008
The human body on average is over 70% water. Other vital organs and systems have an even higher concentration: the brain is over 75%, the blood over 80%, and the liver is an amazing 96% water. To a large degree, we are what we drink.To understand the importance of water in the body, one needs to first understand that water (H2O) plays a role in nearly every chemical reaction in the body. Aside from aiding in digestion and absorption of food, water regulates body temperature and blood circulation, carries nutrients to cells, and removes toxins and other wastes. Water also cushions joints and protects tissues and organs, including the spinal cord, from shock and damage. When water is pure enough, it also acts as an electronegative enhancer (described more fully in our article on detoxification.) Conversely, lack of water (dehydration) can be the cause of many ailments. Chronic dehydration may cause or aggravate many problems in the body, including hypertension, asthma, allergies, and migraine headaches, to name just a few.
It is estimated that over 80% of our population suffers energy loss due to minor dehydration. Our energy level is greatly affected by the amount of water we drink. It has been medically proven that a drop of as little as 5% in body fluids will cause a 25% to 30% loss of energy in the average person… a 15% drop in body fluids causes death! Water is what our liver uses to metabolize fat into useable energy. Drinking more pure, healthy water will help metabolize and shed stored fat resulting in more energy and less fat.
All day, every day we lose this precious liquid from our bodies. When we breathe, we lose moisture to the air every time we exhale—as much as two cups a day. Furthermore, our bodies lose water through evaporation from the surface of our skin even without rigorous exercise, and of course we also pass water in our urine. During the course of an average day, a healthy adult can lose eight to 10 cups of water. Add exercise, and this number rises considerably. Many drinks like soda, coffee, and tea contain caffeine, which has a diuretic effect leading to increased loss of fluids through frequent urination.
The function of every cell in our body is controlled by electrical signals sent through our nervous system from the brain. Our nerves, in reality, are an elaborate system of tiny waterways. If the fluid inside our nerves thickens due to dehydration, or is contaminated with synthetic chemicals or toxic heavy metals like lead, the vital signals can get distorted. Many experts now believe that the distortion of these signals may be the root cause of many degenerative diseases and neurological illnesses including Attention Deficit Disorder, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, anxiety, depression, and even Alzheimer’s disease.
Considering the major role that water plays in the function of our brain and nervous system, its purity is possibly the most basic and essential key to healthy longevity. Proper digestion and nutrient absorption depend on healthy intake of water. In order for our body to get the nutritional value from our foods and supplements, we must consume plenty of pure water. Since sugars and carbohydrates are absorbed more rapidly, even a slight degree of dehydration can have a big impact on the amount of nutrition we derive from the foods we eat.
Detoxification is probably the single most important component to long-term health… and one that relies almost exclusively on an adequate intake of pure water. Water is our body’s primary means of flushing out toxins; the key to disease prevention. In our industrialized “chemical society” we are exposed to literally hundreds of harmful substances daily. Our air, our foods, and everything we touch… contain traces of harmful chemicals. Unfortunately we can’t keep toxins from getting into our body, but we can help our body to get rid of them by drinking plenty of pure water. The more pure water we drink… the more we allow our body to purify itself.
The quality of the water we drink is equally as important as the amount. If water already contains chlorine and other chemical contaminants it has less ability to carry toxins out of our body. If we consume water containing traces of synthetic chemicals, we force our liver and kidneys to be the filter, ultimately damaging or destroying two of our most vital organs. With an abundant intake of pure, healthy water we allow our body to perform all the healing processes that it is naturally capable of.
January 8th, 2008
With the many different types of conference calling available, how to place a conference call depends heavily upon the type of calland the conference calling company you are using. If you only need to have an audio conference, the options are very broad
January 8th, 2008
A conference call is simply a means of communication between two or more participants in an open conversation on a particular topic. Conference calls can vary in type and are most commonly conducted via the telephone, although in recent times with faster connection speeds and broadband internet, there has been a sharp increase in video conferencing and web conferences.
One commonality between the different types of conferencing is that they are all set up by a moderator or someone who is in charge of the call. Normally this involves organising a time for all interested parties to connect to the conference call via the phone, video conference software or the internet, and making sure everyone involved has their say on the topic at hand.
Although it is possible to initiate conference calling through a standard phone line (normally at an extra cost from your provider) an increasingly popular way to connect with your colleagues is via a third party provider. These conference calling companies can provide you with exactly the right tools often at a very competitive price. Some of the more well known companies include (but are definitely not limited to):
- Skype.com
- Packet8.com
- AT&T Conference Calling
- MCI
- Verizon
January 8th, 2008
