What Makes People Tick?

Came across a November 2011 article by Amy Bloom on Oprah's website about self esteem and the way women view themselves and their bodies. As I agree with what the author has written I wanted to share the article and add some introductory comments of my own. Ms Bloom paints a realistic picture of why the women of today think as they do and how women can change these beliefs and opinions. As a woman born in Western Europe thirty years ago, I too faced peer pressure and pressure from myself through society and the world around me to 'look good' and change the body I was born with to suit society's and others' norms. Raised on a diet of Playboy Bunnies, Baywatch Babes, liposuction, fake tans and Photo-shopped magazine covers (just to name a few), it took me years to let go of the belief that I wasn't "good enough" or "desirable enough" to modern males simply because I did not and do not look like most models and actresses. Even writing thi...

According to a 22 July 2013 CNN article written by Daisy Carrington, seawater and solar power are helping to grow crops in the desert in Qatar. The first ever Sahara Forest Project launched in November 2012. According to the project's CEO Joakim Hague: "Our starting point was to take what we have enough of -- seawater, heat -- and use it to produce what we need more of -- water, energy and a sustainable production of food." CNN : Seawater and solar power grow crops in the desert

According to an 04 July 2013 article by Arion McNicoll , Google Maps now allows one to see the view from the top of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. One can also tour the inside of the building. McNicoll writes: "The images taken by Google allow users to navigate through the building, using Street View technology, which the company generally uses to map cities. Users can explore the structure from the opulent basement entrance hall to the highest occupied apartment in the world on the building's 163rd floor." The following info comes from the Burj Khalifa website : The Burj Khalifa (in English: Khalifa Tower) stands over 828 metres tall and has more than 160 stories. Work on the Tower began in 2004. By June 2006, level 50 was reached. Level 100 followed in January 2007 and in September of the same year, it reached Level 150. The official launch ceremony was in January 2010.   The video on Google Maps' YouTube channel embedded below ...

Very handy link to look up time zones.  Simply click on the picture of the continent, then choose the country you're after.  Love how simple this is!  Check out this link to go to greenwichmeantime.com.

I was very happy to learn today that French parliament has voted to approve same-sex marriage. It is about bloody time as far as I'm concerned! Check out the link to the Guardian article .

This blog has featured posts about Gobekli Tepe in Turkey before. As ancient locations go, this is one of the most fascinating sites in the entire world! While we don't browse the web daily looking for news on all topics that interest us, today's article falls right smack in the 'interesting news' category! Owen Jarus writes for NBC News: "Ancient blades made of volcanic rock that were discovered at what may be the world's oldest temple suggest that the site in Turkey was the hub of a pilgrimage  that attracted a cosmopolitan group of people some 11,000 years ago.  The researchers matched up about 130 of the blades, which would have been used as tools, with their source volcanoes, finding people would have come from far and wide to congregate at the ancient temple site, Gobekli Tepe, in southern Turkey. The blades are made of obsidian, a volcanic glass rich with silica, which forms when lava cools quickly." Source :   'World's Oldest temple...

Anne Rice's old house on 1239 First Street and the setting of Mayfair Manor Photo Source: Flickr Looking up information about the house writer Anne Rice uses as the site for the family mansion in her Mayfair Witches series, I came across a lot of interesting information about that particular house as well as about the Garden District area of New Orleans. As Victoriana Magazine's website puts it: One of the world's most dazzling residential neighborhoods – containing a time capsule of historic southern mansions – is located in the Louisiana city of New Orleans.  The Garden District, a large square area bounded by Jackson Avenue, Louisiana Avenue, Magazine St. and St. Charles Ave, is the live oak tree-lined "American" sector of this southern city. ... The architecture of these historic houses is a fusion of classic styles with influence of Spanish, French, Italianate and English, as well as Greek Revival. These stately homes represent some of the best...