To Nap Or Not To Nap ?

Taking a nap can have many benefits – it can lessen fatigue and improve relaxation, it can improve alertness and mood, and it can refresh you, improving performance, reaction time and memory, while lowering confusion, and chances of having accidents.

Unless you are one of those people who simply cannot nap in the middle of the day, or if you find that a nap leaves you groggy and disoriented or that it interferes with your nighttime sleep, you should consider taking a nap in the afternoon.

Keep the nap short. The duration should ideally be between 10 and 30 minutes. A longer nap may mean grogginess.

Afternoons are best for taking naps – between 2 and 3 PM is possible. This will not interfere with night time sleep, and this is the time you are most likely to feel that post lunch lassitude. Of course one’s daily schedule and sleep patterns are the best determinants for when you should take that nap.

Take a nap in a quiet, dim and restful place, with a comfortable room temperature if possible.

After a nap, give yourself time to awaken fully before jumping into activity; particularly if that activity is the sort that requires any sharp reflexes of quick responses.

Gold Treasure, Roman Coins Revealed in U.K.

Fifty thousand Roman coins found in a field in Somerset, England, in 2010 (including the artifacts) amount to the largest hoard of coins discovered in a single vessel—and the second largest hoard of ancient coins ever found in Britain, according to British Museum experts.

The coins, along with recently discovered Iron Age gold jewelry—both found by amateur treasure hunters—will be acquired by museums, thanks to a series of grants and donations, officials recently announced. The coins will go to England's Museum of Somerset, which will put them on display after it reopens this summer.

The haul, most of which has been cleaned and restored, contains nearly 800 coins minted by Carausius, a Roman general who declared himself emperor of Britain in A.D. 286 and ruled for seven years before being assassinated by his treasurer.

During those seven years, Carausius spread his rule in part through propaganda—for example, by issuing high-quality silver coins bearing his likeness.

The find also contained coins showing Rome's mythical founders, Romulus and Remus, suckling a wolf—a scene never before found on Carausius coins. Carausius may have used the image to link himself with the historical Roman Empire.

"He was a great propagandist," British Museum archaeologist Sam Moorhead told National Geographic News. "He basically introduced that coin as soon as he came to the throne."

—Rachel Kaufman

A Cow That Jumps Like A Horse- 5 Images

"Luna" cow can jump like a horse? Well, that appears to be the case for "Luna," a Germany-residing cow who thinks she's a horse and behaves like one too.

Schoolgirl Regina Mayer, who lives on a farm in Laufen, Germany, didn't worry when her parents couldn't afford to buy her a horse - she just trained her cow to ride instead, reports USA Today.

The resourceful 15-year-old spent hours training Luna and the pair now go on long rides together. Luna can also jump over hurdles.

After hours of arduous training, the pair regularly embark on long rides through the southern German countryside and do jumps over a makeshift hurdle of beer crates and painted logs, USA Today reports.

"She thinks she's a horse," Regina joked. "When she wants to do something, she does it, when she doesn't, she doesn't. And she's often very headstrong but can also be really adorable."

At least she's cute to Regina. To her fellow bovines and real horses, the jury is still out, reports USA Today.

Regina said, "Cows don't like her. They're jealous because she always gets goodies."

And the horses? They either run away in fear or, more to the talented cow's liking, they hop the trail and ride along with Luna and Regina.

Capilano Suspension Bridge- 14 Images

Capilano Suspension Bridge is one of Vancouver, British Columbia's most popular tourist attractions. The reason is simple, there are so many things to see and do! Just minutes from the bustle of downtown Vancouver, the attractions at Capilano Suspension Bridge offers a unique mix of adventure, history and culture making this Vancouver tourist attraction a complete British Columbia experience and an essential on your list of things to do in Vancouver, BC.

Vancouver's oldest tourist attraction, originally built in 1889, stretches 450 feet (137m) across and 230 feet (70m) above Capilano River. Since then much has been added to the twenty-seven acre park. Of the many things to do, Treetops Adventure is the park's newest attraction - seven suspension bridges through the evergreens taking you up to 100 feet (30m) above the forest floor. Guided nature tours, the Kids' Rainforest Explorer program and Living Forest exhibit enhance this unique rainforest encounter. Enjoy musical entertainment and First Nations carving demonstrations. Take photos at the Totem Park and with the Capilano Tramps. Top it off with a visit to the gift shop full of quality merchandise from all over Canada and great homemade fudge! It's all in a day's fun at Capilano Suspension Bridge.

Spiderwebs in Pakistani trees after 2010 floods- 9 Images

An unexpected side-effect of the flooding in parts of Pakistan has been that millions of spiders climbed up into the trees to escape the rising flood waters.

Because of the scale of the flooding and the fact that the water has taken so long to recede, many trees have become cocooned in spiders webs. People in this part of Sindh have never seen this phenonemon before – but they also report that there are now less mosquitos than they would expect, given the amoungt of stagnant, standing water that is around.

It is thought that the mosquitos are getting caught in the spider’s web thus reducing the risk of malaria, which would be one blessing for the people of Sindh, facing so many other hardships after the floods.











Floods in Pakistan July/Aug 2010

Flood damage in Sukkur in northern Sindh. Photo taken by a DFID humanitarian advisor in the region. An area equivalent to the size of England has been flooded and more than 12.5 million people are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance.

Drinking Water With Meals- Good Or Bad For You?

There is one view that says drinking water with meals aid digestion, while another says that it hinders digestion. So what is the real truth about drinking water with meals – is it good for you or bad for you?

For digestion, food has be broken down and for this it has to be liquified and dissolved. This job is done firstly by saliva in the stomach and then by the digestive juices in the stomach. Drinking water with your meals is not really going to help in the process of digestion because the body is well able to secrete and reabsorb the fluids that it needs to do the job.

What water may do is, it may make it easier to swallow the food, however according to Dr. Braden Kuo, director of the GI Motility Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital, this impact is moderate to minimal.

Water doesn’t hinder digestion either, since there is no evidence to show that it dilutes digestive juices. Does it give a feeling of fullness though, making you eat less? Well it could work if you drink a great deal of water right before a meal, which may have the best chance of stretching the stomach and making you feel full.

Cute Finger Monkeys- 12 Images

You might be wondering what in the world a finger monkey is! In fact, its name itself gives it away! First, a finger monkey is a primate. Second, it gets the first part of its name due to it being finger size in length! If you haven’t seen it - well, you’ll have to just believe me! This cute little primate hugs and grips on to your finger so tight that it pulls your heartstrings and you wish you could take it home with you. Finger monkeys are, as a matter of fact, pygmy marmosets. They are also known by the names ‘Pocket Monkey’ and ‘Tiny Lion’. These primates belong to the family Callitrichidae, species Cebuella and genus C. pygmaea. They are native to rain-forests of Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia.

Creative Painted Dogs- 15 Images

Dogs Painted to Create Panda Dogs and Dog Tigers

The mysterious human desire to paint its pet dogs so that they look like other animals which are not dogs has reared its head once more, with a selection of painted dogs being displayed in China.

The painted dogs in question were on display in Zhengzhou, in eastern China's Henan Province, at what appears to have been a veritable festival of dog painting.

As well as the tiger-dog, there were a number of rather adorable fluffy panda-dogs being shown to the crowd.

Exactly why people are so keen on the trans-species decoration of their dogs is not especially clear, but the effort is appreciated. Except, perhaps, by the dogs.