If you're already in here, well, okay













Love hurts...

















Leave it to professionals only





















Go as you wish, come as you like...













Use me, Abuse me...














Graduals can sneak up on you, too...

Hey, remember Grey’s Anatomy? That show with the doctors and Patrick Dempsey and that one anorexic chick who looks about 30 years to old to be an intern? I guess it’s still on TV, it’s just that nobody’s watching it.

Grey’s audience was down 23% this year, and it dropped out of the top 10. The season finale last week averaged 14.8 million viewers, an all-time low for the series. Granted, these are still HUGE numbers (for comparison, Gossip Girl only averages 2.2 million viewers) , but they’re nothing compared to where the show used to be.

Why did you guys stop watching Grey’s?

Lindsay walked the red carpet solo at the Dolce and Gabbana party at Cannes.

Well, I suppose she did bring her legs. Do those things have their own table? Man. A skirt that short makes it tricky to tape your flask to your inner thigh. But I suppose there’s still plenty of room in there for a couple of baggies of cocaine.

I was really hoping she’d show up hand-in-hand with Samantha. Oh well. Maybe next time.

Oh, and she was also wearing a ring on her ring finger. It doesn’t look much like an engagement ring to me, but I suppose it’s my duty to bring it to you. Heh heh. I said doody.

---

And in these new pictures it doesn’t look like the Hollywood star cares what anybody thinks about her increasingly close friendship with SAMANTHA RONSON.

The snaps - taken at P DIDDY'S exclusive yacht party - will certainly add fuel to the fire of Internet bloggers who claim the pair are lesbian lovers.

In one shot Lindsay nuzzles the DJ’s neck, while in another they’re holding hands leaving at 5.30am.

Hand in hand ... stars

A fellow guest said: “They looked like proper lovebirds.

“And they didn’t care who saw them draped over each other.

“If they are together then it’s a nice vision of their love.”

Rumours that Lindsay and Samantha – little sister of MARK RONSON – were lovers started last year.

Leaked messages from lesbian Sam’s MySpace showed the Mean Girls actress liked to call herself Lindsay Ronson.

It's also claimed Lindz wrote her a message saying: “Babe, if I don’t have you in my life then I should just go die.

“I want to marry you and have children with you.”

However last week Lindsay’s mum and sister firmly denied she fancied girls.

Launching their new reality TV show, DINA said: “Samantha's an amazing girl.

“They're best friends. They're just friends.

"It's so silly. We actually laugh about it now. It really does hurt... but you develop a thick skin. You have to ignore it."

In Samantha Ronson’s right hand: a pack of Marlboro Reds.

In Samantha Ronson’s left hand: Lindsay Lohan’s hand.

At a party on Diddy’s yacht in Cannes.

They are honestly so cute together. I really find myself rooting for these two. Lindsay just seems so happy when she’s around Samantha.

I love how, in her latest quote to make the Internet rounds, Kirsten Dunst not only admits to using drugs and recommends that the whole world use drugs, but also totally calls out Carl Sagan on his drug use. Like, really, Kirsten? That’s how we’re going to justify our drug use? By throwing a dead, world-renowned astronomer under the bus? She must have been high. Here’s the quote:

“I drink moderately, I’ve tried drugs. I do like weed. I have a different outlook on marijuana than America does. My best friend Sasha’s dad was Carl Sagan, the astronomer. He was the biggest pot smoker in the world and he was a genius.

I’ve never been a major smoker, but I think America’s view on weed is ridiculous. I mean - are you kidding me? If everyone smoked weed, the world would be a better place.

I’m not talking about being stoned all day, though. I think if it’s not used properly, it can hamper your creativity and close you up inside.”

Either that or she never knows when she’ll need pepper flakes.

P/S: No wonder ...No wonder....

This year’s American Idol finale was watched by more viewer’s than last year’s Jordin Sparks vs. that beatbox kid finale- at least, the last five minutes of the broadcast. In what many are calling an upset victory, former bartender and crossword puzzle enthusiast David Cook beat the odds-on favorite David Archuleta for the crown.

More than 40 million people tuned into to watch the results of the David vs. David battle on American Idol Wednesday night.

The rest of the two-hour show saw an audience of 31.6 million.

(This year’s finale also beat 2007’s Jordin Sparks vs. Blake Lewis showdown, which 30 million turned in to watch.)

In a surprise victory, rocker David Cook beat baby-faced David Archuleta for the title — despite Simon Cowell predicting it would go the other way.

But Archuleta told Usmagazine.com after the show that he “was pretty sure Cook was going to win anyway!”

“You know, he’s such a great guy,” Archuleta, 17, added. “I’m so glad that people really appreciate what he’d been doing because he put a lot of work into this.”

After Wednesday night’s teary announcement that Cook had won (watch the video here), the Missouri native was at a loss for words.

“This is amazing — thank you!” he said.

[From Us Weekly]

Archuleta was heavily touted and featured prominently by the show’s producers and editors from his very first audition. Many felt he was the judges’ “Chosen one,” and that the competition was kind of pointless, since he was such a shoo-in. But the voters proved the producers and the judges wrong - David Cook won by 12 million votes. Not since Carrie Underwood's victory has there been such a landslide. Archuleta gave his best performances on the Tuesday night broadcast, making it clear that he was in it to win- but in the end it was David Cook’s rocker edge and ability to mix up the arrangements on some very popular songs that gave him the win. Archuleta was gracious, however, to his rival.

David Archuleta says he wasn’t shocked when his name wasn’t called on Wednesday’s American Idol finale.

“Oh, I was pretty sure Cook was going to win anyway!” he told Usmagazine.com after the show. “You know, he’s such a great guy. I’m so glad that people really appreciate what he’d been doing because he put a lot of work into this.

“He’s been my role model,” Archuleta added. “Just a great person to look up to. He’s been my big brother through this.”

After Cook won, “I just said I’m so proud of him, that he’d earned it,” Archuleta said.

What did Cook say to him?

“He just said, ‘I love you,’” Archuleta said.

Awww. Ain’t that sweet? As for Archuleta’s stage dad from hell, David said his father was proud of him. Because if he didn’t he would probably be locked in the basement until the American Idol tour starts.

Archuleta also said his father, Jeff — who has been portrayed by some media outlets as a demanding stage dad — was pleased with his second place finish.

“My dad just let me know he’s so proud of me,” he said. “He’s really happy too.

“He was just always there to remind me what music meant, the real depth to music and what it does to reach people’s lives,” he added. “And my whole family has helped me stay who I am, helped me not change through this.”

Archuleta - who will perform in the Idol tour this summer - said he thanks “all the fans who helped me make it this far. I didn’t think I’d even make it past the first round! This has been such a blessing.”

All in all, I’m glad it’s over. There were a few spectacular train wreck performances (mostly by Paula Abdul), and some clearly talented contestants, in addition to the final two, including Syesha Mercado, the third place finalist, and the oft-bashed but supremely talented Carly Smithson. But don’t expect me to buy tickets to the concert. That’s where I draw the line, people

Does her nose always look that awful?

How could I have missed a thing like that?

I think that’s her new perfume, Covet, she’s holding, but I can’t be sure, as my eyes can only move so far away from her nose before being dragged back by its sheer gravitational pull.

Maybe I should get my computer monitor checked? I mean, is that what her nose has always looked like?

Eww!

Look who’s not a baby anymore!

Celine Dion hangs out with her son, Rene-Charles, in Paris today. Her husband was there, too, but he’s boring and he started dating her when she was like 12 so we don’t like to talk about him.

Rene-Charles is seven years old already!

And apparently he’s growing more punk-rock by the day.

And what is it with celebrities being unwilling to cut their sons’ hair? Celine, why does your seven-year-old son look like he belongs in Metallica?

This is the new show that I’m a little bit obsessed with, and I desperately need someone to talk to about it and none of my real-life friends watch it. So I’m gonna try with you guys.

It’s a reality show on TLC, on Monday nights, but reruns show up all the time.

Here’s the basics: Jon & Kate got married. Jon & Kate had twin girls, Cara and Madelyn. And then they decided to try for just one more, and ended up with sextuplets, three girls and three boys. So now Jon & Kate have eight children. The twin girls are seven years old and the babies are 3 1/2. And the show is about their life.

At first I started watching it because I was like “Awww, babies! Babies are cute!” And the babies are cute, and it’s fascinating to watch how intelligent and aware and communicative children are at just 3 years old, but what got me hooked is the relationship between Kate and Jon.

I mean, is it just me, or does Jon absolutely hate Kate? I mean, Kate, while doing her very best to be a good mother, is totally neurotic and overbearing and controlling and just plain old mean to Jon. She corrects his grammar constantly, tells him how stupid and inconsiderate he is, and at one point even yells at him for breathing too loud. And Jon kind of takes it in stride because he loves his kids, but I think somewhere deep down he really just wants to murder Kate and dump her body in a river, and frankly I don’t blame him. But it’s hilarious to watch.

Is anyone else picking this up, or is this just how all married couples with children interact? If so, maybe marriage and children are overrated …

First, let me tell you that this community I live in has a quiet policy that "requires residents to abide by a strict noise policy." but the neighbors next door are the most inconsiderate pieces of shit on the face of the earth.

They pound the bass of their stereos through the walls, stand in the hallway at 2:00 in the morning talking, and echoing their kackeling obnoxious laughs throughout (in which 7 different apartments are affected by). They even leave their door WIDE OPENED while their TV is blaring.

When it comes to parking outside, they park within a 1 foot distance of another car, not giving a shit... like it's completely OK. Even worse, they park on the yellow lines which causes LESS parking spots to be available because cars can't fit. It throws the whole order off so there are big gaps, and small gaps. Gaps not big enough for a car to fit, but big enough to be a waste of space.

Don't people realize that their actions affect others around them? How fucking inconsiderate and incompetent must a person BE to not realize this simple truth? No respect. These people are the reason serial killers exist.

Those stupid loud scatterbrained bitches that HAVE to make themselves the center of attention wherever they go by talking loud and doing whatever they have to do to draw attention. Like, talking across a packed room full of people from one side to the other just to ask some meaningless pointless question like "how are you John?... Good? Oh, that's good... How's your sister doing? That's cool..." Drives me fucking crazy! Why can't they just stop being public sluts for 2 seconds.

This is also equivalent to the alleged class clown who tries to be funny every second in class. After the first day it gets old and you just want to sneak up behind him after some stupid outburst and wrap the rope around his neck. Yeah, it's OK to be funny... but come on. When you try so hard everyday, it crosses the line and you just start looking pathetic. Plus, you just get really annoying so if you are one of these two people, do the world a favor and go kill yourself.

p/s: Stupid People Piss Me Off!

The stupidest comment that I have heard to date is "I have a college Degree!" This fuck up moronic dumbass would always say "I have a College Degree!" Whenever he would make a mistake instead of owning up and correcting it he would just say "I have a College Degree! For example if you said "This order is wrong. This product is defective. The customer asked if you could fix this." You would not recieve an appropriate response instead you would get "I have a College Degree." What the fuck! What the hell does a College Degree have to do with you fucking shit up ass wipe? Just fix your damn mistake, learn from it, and move on. It's almost as if he was aware that he was a total fuck up, naw he was pretty spaced out. I think he thought that by saying he had a College Degree this comment would make everything okay, and everyone would just bow down and back off. Silly ass fuck up! It just made him look even more pathetic, and who gives a shit if you have a piece of paper yet you don't have the mental capacity to back it up. Everyone was wrong in this psycho's eyes, and any help offered to him was wasted. Don't bother trying to help this pitiful mother fucker because not only would you get "I have a College Degree!", but a "I have friends that went to College, and they have College Degrees!" He was eventually fired because he continued to make the same mistakes over and over in spite of his College Degree defense. Needless to say that this pathetic waste of space is 30+ years old lives at home with his mother, has no car, no girlfriend, has nothing.

"Yaw, yo' talking to me momma?!"
"I won't let you drink my milk, teddy bear.."

"My momma won't let me marry you goatty, let's just run away from this cruel world"

Brunette: "Do yaw think the train will stop?"
Blonde: "Im not sure but it's worth a try"

OWN your classmates ;) *wiNks*

Bertha: "Im the future pornstar..wee' wee'"

They also known as "Westlife"

Why men have two hands ;0 ~huhu~

Old woman: "No matter what they say, smoking is my life..got lighter yaw'?""

Retard Truck!

I promise this video will make your stress go away :)

** Brilliant answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions!!

Why did God make mothers?

1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.

2. Mostly to clean the house.

3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?

1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.

2. Magic plus super powers, and a lot of stirring.

3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?

1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.

2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other Mom?

1. We're related.

2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's Moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your Mom?

1. My Mom has always been my Mom and none of that other stuff.

2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.

3. They say she used to be nice.

What did Mom need to know about Dad before she married him?

1. His last name.

2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?

3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your Mom marry your Dad?

1. My Dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.

2. She got too old to do anything else with him.

3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?

1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because Dad's such a goof ball.

2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.

3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.

What's the difference between Moms and Dads?

1. Moms work at work and work at home, and Dads just go to work at work.

2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.

3. Dads are taller and stronger, but Moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.

4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your Mom do in her spare time?

1. Mothers don't do spare time.

2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your Mom perfect?

1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.

2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.

2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.

3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Don't Lose Your Cool

Don't blow your top. Remain calm and think your way through a problem.

When things don't go your way, no matter how trivial, how do you react? Do you lose your cool and explode? You know, it's that out-of-control feeling that seems to well up inside and then—kaboom.

This kind of psychological stress is bad in more ways than one. First, it's not good for your health; it's associated with heart disease and depression. And when it comes to work and personal goals, you're probably not moving forward as easily as you'd like.

Granted, some people come out of the womb cool and collected. They're the ones who never snap—nothing seems to irritate or flap them. (Don't you just hate such people?) So how can we be more like them?

Learning how to let things roll right off your back and mastering control can change everything for you. According to Redford and Virginia Williams, authors of In Control, such positive behaviors can be learned.

Clear thinking is the first step to stopping your outbursts. If you stop and think before you act, your life will be more in control—in your control. Whether your facing an overbearing colleague or a delayed flight, keeping your cool and reacting thoughtfully can be your new M.O. Here are a few ways to tackle your next disaster:

Looking Glass

Self-awareness will improve clarity and help you see yourself. How do you really feel when a friend doesn't call you back? Instead of losing your cool or stuffing your feelings, take a look at the situation. You may find that it's not about you at all.

Self-Regulation

Do you think and speak negative thoughts? Then cut it out! Negative inner dialogue will get you nowhere. Try distracting yourself with positive thoughts about loved ones, a vacation spot or an enjoyable activity. Also, relaxation exercises such as deep breathing or meditating can help.

Communicate?

Open up and put your ideas on the table. Chances are others will find what you have to say engaging. In addition to speaking up more, listen to others as well. This will help you exchange ideas and points of view.

Be Proactive

Find and implement reasonable problem-solving solutions rather than sitting idly and stewing over a bad day. Define your problem, remember your goals and think about how to really get there. If you are always late for work, for example, then get up 10 minutes earlier.

The Art of Persuasion

People who rise to high places don't crack under pressure, they coolly think about the situation at hand. And they employ skills that work such as persuasiveness, conflict management and taking a leadership position.

Saying No

No one wants to be labeled a pushover, nor do they want to be confrontational. But how do you assert your needs without 1) collapsing into a pile of mush or 2) stepping on everyone's toes? There are ways to assert yourself in situations that don't suit you. You can say no by keeping it simple and including an explicit "no."

Empathize with Others

Everyone has a bad day. So be empathetic. This may help you reframe a person's bad behavior. And in the end, it's not about you.

10 Ways to Catch a Liar

J.J. Newberry was a trained federal agent, skilled in the art of deception detection. So when a witness to a shooting sat in front of him and tried to tell him that when she heard gunshots she didn't look, she just ran -- he knew she was lying.

How did Newberry reach this conclusion? The answer is by recognizing telltale signs that a person isn't being honest, like inconsistencies in a story, behavior that's different from a person's norm, or too much detail in an explanation.

While using these signs to catch a liar takes extensive training and practice, it's no longer only for authorities like Newberry. Now, the average person can become adept at identifying dishonesty, and it's not as hard as you might think. Experts tell WebMD the top 10 ways to let the truth be known.

Tip No. 1: Inconsistencies

"When you want to know if someone is lying, look for inconsistencies in what they are saying," says Newberry, who was a federal agent for 30 years and a police officer for five.

When the woman he was questioning said she ran and hid after hearing gunshots -- without looking -- Newberry saw the inconsistency immediately.

"There was something that just didn't fit," says Newberry. "She heard gunshots but she didn't look? I knew that was inconsistent with how a person would respond to a situation like that."

So when she wasn't paying attention, he banged on the table. She looked right at him.

"When a person hears a noise, it's a natural reaction to look toward it," Newberry tells WebMD. "I knew she heard those gunshots, looked in the direction from which they came, saw the shooter, and then ran."

Sure enough, he was right.

"Her story was just illogical," says Newberry. "And that's what you should look for when you're talking to someone who isn't being truthful. Are there inconsistencies that just don't fit?"

Tip No. 2: Ask the Unexpected

"About 4% of people are accomplished liars and they can do it well," says Newberry. "But because there are no Pinocchio responses to a lie, you have to catch them in it."

Sir Walter Scott put it best: "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!" But how can you a catch a person in his own web of lies?

"Watch them carefully," says Newberry. "And then when they don't expect it, ask them one question that they are not prepared to answer to trip them up."

Tip No. 3: Gauge Against a Baseline

"One of the most important indicators of dishonesty is changes in behavior," says Maureen O'Sullivan, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of San Francisco. "You want to pay attention to someone who is generally anxious, but now looks calm. Or, someone who is generally calm but now looks anxious."

The trick, explains O'Sullivan, is to gauge their behavior against a baseline. Is a person's behavior falling away from how they would normally act? If it is, that could mean that something is up.

Tip No. 4: Look for Insincere Emotions

"Most people can't fake smile," says O'Sullivan. "The timing will be wrong, it will be held too long, or it will be blended with other things. Maybe it will be a combination of an angry face with a smile; you can tell because their lips are smaller and less full than in a sincere smile."

These fake emotions are a good indicator that something has gone afoul.

Tip No. 5: Pay Attention to Gut Reactions

"People say, 'Oh, it was a gut reaction or women's intuition,' but what I think they are picking up on are the deviations of true emotions," O'Sullivan tells WebMD.

While an average person might not know what it is he's seeing when he thinks someone isn't being honest and attribute his suspicion to instinct, a scientist would be able to pinpoint it exactly -- which leads us to tip no. 6.

Tip No. 6: Watch for Microexpressions

When Joe Schmo has a gut feeling, Paul Ekman, a renowned expert in lie detection, sees microexpressions.

"A microexpression is a very brief expression, usually about a 25th of a second, that is always a concealed emotion," says Ekman, PhD, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California Medical School in San Francisco.

So when a person is acting happy, but in actuality is really upset about something, for instance, his true emotion will be revealed in a subconscious flash of anger on his face. Whether the concealed emotion is fear, anger, happiness, or jealousy, that feeling will appear on the face in the blink of an eye. The trick is to see it.

"Almost everyone -- 99% of those we've tested in about 10,000 people -- won't see them," says Ekman. "But it can be taught."

In fact, in less than an hour, the average person can learn to see microexpressions.

Tip No. 7: Look for Contradictions

"The general rule is anything that a person does with their voice or their gesture that doesn't fit the words they are saying can indicate a lie," says Ekman. "For example, this is going to sound amazing, but it is true. Sometimes when people are lying and saying, 'Yes, she's the one that took the money,' they will without knowing it make a slight head shake 'no.' That's a gesture and it completely contradicts what they're saying in words."

These contradictions, explains Ekman, can be between the voice and the words, the gesture and the voice, the gesture and the words, or the face and the words.

"It's some aspect of demeanor that is contradicting another aspect," Ekman tells WebMD.

Tip No. 8: A Sense of Unease

"When someone isn't making eye contact and that's against how they normally act, it can mean they're not being honest," says Jenn Berman, PhD, a psychologist in private practice. "They look away, they're sweating, they look uneasy ... anything that isn't normal and indicates anxiety."

Tip No. 9: Too Much Detail

"When you say to someone, 'Oh, where were you?' and they say, 'I went to the store and I needed to get eggs and milk and sugar and I almost hit a dog so I had to go slow,' and on and on, they're giving you too much detail," says Berman.

Too much detail could mean they've put a lot of thought into how they're going to get out of a situation and they've crafted a complicated lie as a solution.

Tip No. 10: Don't Ignore the Truth

"It's more important to recognize when someone is telling the truth than telling a lie because people can look like they're lying but be telling truth," says Newberry.

While it sounds confusing, finding the truth buried under a lie can sometimes help find the answer to an important question: Why is a person lying?

These 10 truth tips, experts agree, all help detect deception. What they don't do is tell you why a person is lying and what the lie means.

"Microexpressions don't tell you the reason," says Ekman. "They just tell you what the concealed emotion is and that there is an emotion being concealed."

When you think someone is lying, you have to either know the person well enough to understand why he or she might lie, or be a people expert.

"You can see a microexpression, but you have to have more social-emotional intelligence on people to use it accurately," says O'Sullivan. "You have to be a good judge of people to understand what it means."

Extra Tip: Be Trusting

"In general we have a choice about which stance we take in life," says Ekman. "If we take a suspicious stance life is not going to be too pleasant, but we won't get misled very often. If we take a trusting stance, life is going to be a lot more pleasant but sometimes we are going to be taken in. As a parent or a friend, you're much better off being trusting rather than looking for lies all the time."

Interactive Tool: Are You Ready to Quit Smoking? - What does this tool measure?

Click here to find out whether you're ready to quit smoking.

This interactive tool measures your readiness to quit smoking. The tool uses the stages-of-change approach, which is based on research about how people typically make behavior changes. The approach suggests that to make positive change, people must go through distinct stages from not thinking about quitting to actually quitting. Based on your answers, this tool will identify the stage you are in and help you think about what to do next.

How do our eyes work?

There are two types of cells in our eyes sitting on a layer called the retina, that when subjected to light, send a signal to the brain that allow us to interpret what our eyes are telling us. Rods are sensitive to light intensity, whereas cones are sensitive to specific colours. Our eyes work much like a printer; printers use ink cartridges and we use cones to detect only three distinct colours: blue, green, and red. By using different combinations of these three colours, we can produce images of countless shades and colours. In the case of ‘red eye,’ most nocturnal animals have a layer in place behind the rods and cones that reflects the light back out. This provides a greater chance for the light in the eye to be absorbed by the different cells, meaning greater night vision. Humans don’t have this layer. Lights from a camera’s flash, however, are so bright that light reflects off our eyes anyway. The red colour comes from the blood vessels in our eyes that are reflecting the light.

The infamous pirate patch wasn’t simply a scare tactic employed by pirates. They wore the patch in case they ever got attacked at night. The patch was employed to reduce the time it took the pirates’ eyes to adjust to the darkness on deck after being in a lit cabin below. Rods that are subject to high light environments can get exhausted. If suddenly the lights go out, your rods are tired and unable to respond to the low light conditions. The pirate patch ensured that the rods in one eye were spared the onslaught of light, and would be fully functioning under low light conditions. So when attacked at night, instead of waiting a minute or two for their eyes to adapt, pirates would simply run outside and switch the patch to the other eye. Then the eye that was being used was fully functioning and the pirates’ ability to see was normal.

How do allergies work?

Anaphylaxis, or an allergic reaction, is the accentuated response by a person’s immune system to a given substance. This substance can be anything from food, insect stings or bites, to various drugs. The body responds as if this substance (whether harmful or not) is a foreign invader. Upon the first exposure, there is generally a very minor visible response. However, your body is silently producing antibodies, little Y-shaped proteins that will react specifically with this substance should the body be exposed to it again. So when the unsuspecting person is subjected to the substance again, the antibodies bind to it and flag it for destruction using immune cells. Unfortunately, your body releases many chemicals as an attempt to destroy the noxious substance. Probably the most active of these substances is histamine. Histamine binds to smooth muscle in the respiratory and digestive tracts, causing cramping and difficulty breathing. It also opens up small capillary beds throughout the body resulting in water loss to the various tissues. If the pressure in the blood vessels falls enough, the blood supply to the brain can be jeopardized as the body goes into shock. The hypodermic needles that people who are prone to allergies carry contain epinephrine. This is the same drug our body releases when we are standing on the seven-metre diving board, or come face to face with a bear. Epinephrine counteracts the ill effects of histamine, allowing our body to begin to recover.

How does a hangover work?

Hangovers are our body’s way of saying, “Woah, what was that?” The headaches, nausea, and dehydration are all symptoms many of us have experienced, but how does the alcohol do all this? Upon ingestion, alcohol enters the bloodstream directly through the stomach and blocks the brain’s release of vasopressin. Vasopressin is a hormone that works at your kidneys to reabsorb water and prevent it from being sent to the bladder. Blocking this hormone causes us to urinate excessively and become dehydrated. To prevent more water loss, the saliva in your mouth the next morning is notably dry. The headaches are cause by your brain actually shrinking due to water loss, causing the brain to pull on connective tissue holding it to the skull. Different alcohols are actually more adept at causing hangovers. Red wine and dark liquors such as brandy, whiskey, and tequila contain higher concentrations of congeners (by-products of alcohol production), and cause worse hangovers than white wines or light liquors such as vodka or gin. The real reason beer should not be consumed immediately after liquor is the carbonation hastens its absorption, resulting in even higher blood alcohol concentration, eventually overloading our body’s ability to cope with it. The alcohol stimulates acid secretion in the stomach up to a point where damage will be incurred unless it is excreted by vomiting.

Alcohol is metabolized by enzymes into the noxious substance acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is converted to acetate via the enzyme glutathione, which is rich in the amino acid cystein. However, when large amounts of alcohol are consumed, the livers supply of glutathione runs scarce and acetaldehyde remains in the body for a longer period of time, causing the hangover effects.

Hangover remedies: Eggs: rich in cystein that could help mop up some left over toxins. Bananas: rich in electrolytes such as potassium that are lost in the urine. Water: try adding some salt or sugar to aid in its absorption.

How can we cope with cold weather?

When we are exposed to cold temperatures, our body goes into a state of ‘life over limb.’ This means protecting vital organs such as the heart and brain. If circulation were to remain normal in a cold environment, as the blood flowed through the arms, hands, and feet, it would be exposed to the cold, decrease in temperature, and then head back to the heart. Cold blood is an issue as it is much thicker than warm blood, which makes circulation around the body more difficult. Cold blood can also cause hypothermia. In fact, hypothermia can occur if the core temperature of the body drops only three degrees. To avoid this, the body redirects most of the blood that would normally be sent to the periphery to the core instead. This has the effect of pooling the warm blood in the middle of the body, saving it from exposure to cold weather. The lack of blood to the fingers is what causes the numbing, weakening sensation. When muscles get cold, they actually lose some of their elasticity and ability to contract efficiently. Additionally, there is decreased delivery of oxygen (energy) to these muscles, which is normally supplied via the blood flowing by. If the cold becomes extreme, frostbite can occur. Blood flow is cut off almost completely, and the fluid that remains in the tissue actually begins to freeze. If prolonged, the lack of blood and oxygen to the area will result in the death of that tissue. Some populations that live in cold environments have adaptations that allow them to maintain their core temperatures while simultaneously keeping their limbs alive and in working order. Their bodies are capable of alternating periods of bloodflow with periods of occlusion (no bloodflow).

Why is hair on our head longer than on our arms?

There are two phases that your hair cycles through over time. The growth phase and the rest phase. During the growth phase new cells are formed within the follicle, which push older cells to the surface. This chain-link effect continues to eventually form the long strands of hair that we see. During the rest phase, however, the shaft of the hair strand breaks completely, the hair falls out, and a new hair has to start growing all over again. Hair on your arms is programmed to enter the rest phase every couple months, which means it never has enough time to grow very long before it falls out. Hair on your head, on the other hand, can grow for years at a time and thus become much longer. In animals that shed, all of the strands are coordinated so they enter the rest phase at the same time, causing the hair to fall off in clumps.

How do hiccups work?

Hiccups can last anywhere from a couple of minutes to a couple of years. The record for the world’s longest hiccup bout is 68 years. Most people hiccup about four times a minute. When we breathe, the diaphragm, a long thin muscle stretched out beneath our lungs, contracts downwards. This effectively decreases the pressure in the lungs and allows air to flow in (inhale). When we expire, the diaphragm relaxes back up, increasing the pressure in the lungs, which causes air to flow out (exhale). A hiccup is caused by an irritation of the nerve that controls the diaphragm. This source of irritation can range from eating a big meal to having a tumour, but the result is the same: the diaphragm contracts forcefully. This contraction causes the subject to take a breath that is much quicker and shorter than normal, which ends when the epiglottis closes (the epiglottis is a piece of soft tissue that stops food from going into your lungs when you swallow). This closing of the epiglottis is what causes the hiccup sound.

To get rid of the hiccups try holding your breath. This works because it throws off your normal respiratory cycle timing. Breathing into a paper bag and being startled work the same way. Oddly, often if you concentrate on trying to hiccup, the bout will cease. If you go see a doctor because of persistent hiccups, they may try massaging your carotid sinus (an artery in your neck) or performing a digital rectal massage to try and stimulate the nerves controlling glottis.

Height changes daily!

Did you know your height can vary up to a few millimetres throughout the day? You are tallest each morning when you roll out of bed. During the day as you stand and sit, you gradually compress the squishy, fluid-filled discs between your vertebrae. This results in a cumulative compression and net loss of height. If you partake in any heavy weight bearing activities such as running on hard surfaces during the day it is likely the vertebral compression will be more than usual. Each night as you lie down to sleep however, the load on your back is released and the discs become re-infused with fluid. It is also interesting that older adults will shrink less during the day than a young adult. This is because their discs are less elastic so the compression is more permanent. It is possible to re-grow yourself at various points throughout the day by going into the fetal position. This allows your back to stretch out, lessening the compressive effects.

There are 248 images from this event on WireImage right now. I swear to you that 239 of them are of Lindsay Lohan.

Below pics of people other than Lindsay

Rosario Dawson :)