Rare Parrot Flower

The uniqueness and beauty of this rare flower grown in Thailand will literally leave you speechless...



Scientific Name: Impatiens Psittacina
Thai Name: Dork Nok Khaew
Size: Plant grows to app. 6 feet (1.8) meters
Leaf : Broad, sharply pointed, to 2 1/2 inches (6 cm)
Flower size: App. 2 inches (5cm)
Stem thickness: To 1/2 inch (1.5cm)
Bloom season: October/November in Thailand
Growing conditions: Tropical, humid, moist
* This is a protected plant specie which is illegal to export.

See other Wordless Wednesday entries HERE.

Useful Softwares

I have recently joined the multimedia ministry in our church, and it has been a fun and fulfilling experience so far. I have always had a knack for techie stuff and I find pleasure in learning new things especially along the lines of new technology and internet/computer know-hows.

While browsing the Net to look for multimedia resources (I'll save this for another post and share with you very helpful multimedia related links next time), I came across two very useful softwares which you might be interested in downloading (free trial versions, clicking on name will take you to the download page link):

Camtasia Studio
Do you have powerpoint presentations which you would like to convert into a video file without losing the animations? Camstasia does this with its screen capture feature. Anything you play or do on your PC screen - a movie file, photo slideshow, even your internet browsing activity, can be recorded by Camtasia. Cool, huh!

AVS Video Converter
AVS Media has many products but this is the one most helpful for me. This video converter enables you to convert any media file into your desired format, e.g. flv to avi, mpeg to wmv, strip audio from video file and convert to mp3, etc.), and you can even edit the videos before your conversion. I usually download videos I like from YouTube with Firefox's DownloadHelper plug-in and they usually come in flv (flash) video format, with AVS I can easily convert flv to the accepted format required by some media presentation software I use (like Easy Worship for church).

There are many more very handy softwares out there, and in my future posts I'll share and recommend to you my tried and tested ones.

Salads - An Effective Nutrient Booster

Did you know that salads can effectively boost four vital nutrients every person needs?

People across the world are trying to eat healthy, and salads are a big part of that equation.

In a recent issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, a study of more than 9,000 women and 8,000 men found that those who eat salads and raw vegetables have higher intakes and better blood levels of four nutrients: vitamins A and C, folate and the phytochemicals or plant nutrients called carateneoids. These nutrients are tied to reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes.

So, make sure to include salads in your regular food intake.

Sailing Out

Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore. - Andre Gide

Swine Flu

Swine Flu -- you've seen it on the news' headlines, people everywhere have become panicky about it, and countries all over the world are taking all necessary precautions so as to avoid getting hit by it, but what exactly is this disease and how can one detect it and take careful measures against it? The first step to prevention is arming ourselves with the proper knowledge about Swine Flu and share these information to others as well.

Here's a very concise and helpful article I found on Gulf News recently which everyone needs to be aware about so we can guard ourselves better against this endemic disease:

SWINE FLU AND SAFETY MEASURES

What is it? It is a virus that mutated from pigs and transmitted to some humans

Which places have been affected? Mexico City, California, Texas, Philippines, South Korea, Hong Kong, China, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Egypt, Israel, Kuwait, Spain, France, Thailand, Cuba, Arizona, India, Taiwan.

Is there a cure? The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website states that there is no vaccine to specifically protect humans from swine flu, only to protect pigs. Although GlaxoSmithKline Plc's flu treatment Relenza and Roche Holding AG's Tamiflu appear effective against the strains of the virus the CDC has tested.

What are authorities doing to contain the virus? The World Health Organization went on high alert, dispatching top experts to the United States and Mexico. The CDC has also set up emergency operation centres.

Signs and symptoms
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
Sudden dizziness
Confusion
Severe or persistent vomiting
Fever with a rash (among children)
Bluish skin color (among children)

Easy ways to protect against infection
Little can be done to prevent an outbreak of flu from spreading, health experts caution, but they say common sense measures can help individuals protect themselves. Practice the following:
- Wash your hands frequently
- Cover your cough or your sneeze
- Use alcohol-based gel or foam hand sanitizers
- If you have flu-like symptoms, stay away from work or public transportation
- Social distancing. Stay away from people who might be infected