Merry Christmas

Christmas (meaning Christ's mass) is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ and a widely observed holiday, celebrated generally on December 25 by over a billion people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it closes the Advent season and initiates the twelve days of Christmastide. Christmas is a civil holiday in many of the world's nations, is celebrated by an increasing number of non-Christians, and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season.

WorldRareCollection wishes all its members and friends a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season.

Top 5 HIV Myths Busted

The word HIV still causes unease among a lot of us. There are a lot of myths and misconceptions around this infection; including the one that it is not safe to share food with someone who has contracted the virus.

According to Dr Shivi Jaggi, a sexologist, one of the causes of HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus is unprotected sex. “It gradually destroys the immunity of your body, but a person infected with HIV can lead a normal life,” he says. So, Let's take a look at few HIV myths which are busted. 

Myth 1: HIV is the same as AIDS

HIV is not the same as AIDS! Period. HIV can lead to AIDS or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. A person could get or become more susceptible to AIDS only when their immunity is lowered. “However, proper precautions and medication can delay or even prevent an HIV positive person from getting AIDS,” says Dr Jaggi.

Myth 2: I am faithful to my partner, I cannot get HIV 

The HIV virus can be transmitted through other mediums like use of infected needles, transfusion of infected blood, unprotected oral sex, anal sex, etc. “Being monogamous does not necessarily make you safe,” says Mumbai-based sexologist, Dr Ketan Parmar. However, it can reduce your chances of getting infected 

Myth 3: People with HIV cannot hug or share food

HIV can be contracted through unprotected sex with an infected or multiple partners, sharing needles, transfusion of infected blood and unprotected oral and anal sex. Your saliva contains very minute traces of the virus which means kissing cannot transmit the virus. "Unless one of the person has cuts or sores in their mouth," says Dr Parmar. Sharing food, and utensils does not put you at risk . 

Myth 4: Women infected with HIV cannot have children 

Women who are infected by the HIV virus are afraid they might pass on the infection to the infant. “But with antiretroviral therapy, the chances of transmitting from mother to child is very low,” says Mumbai-based gynaecologist Rishma Dhillon Pai. This gives many women a chance to conceive in spite of being infected. The medication should be taken through pregnancy and after, as recommended by your doctor. “If there are any complications, one may have to opt for a caesarean,” she says. Mothers should however avoid breast feeding as that could pass on the infection to the child.

Myth 5: You don’t need a condom for oral sex 

HIV can be contracted through oral sex. “If semen from an infected partner enters your mouth and you have cuts, sores or bleeding gums, you are at risk,” says Dr Jaggi. This could also mean that you could pass on the virus if you are infected. You could get infected with HIV through anal sex as well.

Some Facts

This is some good stuff I really needed to know...  

Maybe you knew some of this stuff already????

Stewardessesis the longest word 

typed with only the left hand. 

And 'lollipop'    is the longest word typed 

with your right hand.  

(Bet you tried this out mentally, didn't you?) 

  

No word in the English language rhymes with 

month , orange, silver, or purple. 

 

'Dreamt' is the only English word that ends in the letters 'mt'.   

(Are you doubting this?) 

our eyes 

are always the same size from birth, 

but our  and ears 

never stop growing. 

The sentence: 'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog' 

uses every letter of the alphabet.  

(Now, you KNOW you're going to try this out for accuracy, right?) 

The words 'racecar,'    'kayak'     and 'level'   are the same whether they are read left to right 

or right to left (palindromes).   

(Yep, I knew you were going to 'do' this one.)

There are only four words in the English language which end in 'dous':

tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous. 

(You're not possibly doubting this, are you ?)

There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order:

'abstemious' and 'facetious.' 

(Yes, admit it, you are going to say, a e i o u) 

TYPEWRITER

     

is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.  

(All you typists are going to test this out) 

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. 

   

A goldfish 

 
 has a memory span of three seconds 

(Some days that's about what my memory span is.) 

A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second. 

A shark   is the only fish that can blink with both eyes. 

A snail    can sleep for three years.   

(I know some people that could do this too.!) 

Almonds are a member of the peach 

 

family. 

An ostrich's eye

is bigger than its brain. 

(I know some people like that also .  Actually I know A LOT of people like this!)

Babies

are born without kneecaps.  

They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age. 

February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.  

In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated. 

If the population of China walked past you, 8 people wide, 

the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction. 

Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors 

Peanuts    are one of the ingredients of dynamite! 

Rubber bands  last longer when refrigerated. 

The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.  

  

The cruise liner, QE 2,

moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

The microwave

was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube

and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

(Good thing he did that.)

The winter of 1932 was so cold that  Niagara Falls

     

froze completely solid .

There are more chickens  than people in the world. 

Winston Churchill

was born in a ladies' room during a dance. 

Women blink  nearly twice as much as men. 

Now you know more than you did before!!

Spectacular New Floating Cycle Roundabout

For many Dutch people, their preferred mode of transportation is the bicycle. According to one estimate, every single day 14 million bicycle trips are made in Holland! Not surprisingly the country is well equipped with bicycle paths; bicycle traffic and safety is taken very seriously in the planning of infrastructure.

A magnificent example is the The Hovenring, a suspended bicycle path roundabout on the border between Eindhoven and Veldhoven. It is the first suspended bicycle roundabout in the world and was opened up for the public in June 2012 allowing bicycles to travel safely above the highly trafficked streets crossing below. Designed by ipv Delft, the bridge comprises a 70-metre high pylon, 24 steel cables and a circular bridge deck and is made out of circa 1.000 tons of steel.

 The Hovenring is a suspended bicycle path roundabout on the border between Eindhoven and Veldhoven in the Netherlands. It is the first suspended bicycle roundabout in the world.

Links - 1, 2