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How does Switzerland keep inflation low?

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In the Alpine country it is just over 3%, and in the Eurozone – 9%

High inflation is the most serious problem in a number of countries on the Old Continent, and in the Eurozone alone it is almost 9 percent. However, there is one country in Europe with relatively low inflation. This is Switzerland.

With inflation in the country just above 3 percent, prices in Switzerland remain relatively stable. According to experts, one of the reasons is the stability of the Swiss franc, which ensures stable purchasing power.

Another very important factor is electricity prices. While in Germany it marked a growth of 22%, in Switzerland the increase was only a little over 3%. According to experts, this is due to the relatively closed electricity market in the country. With the help of various technologies, they manage to satisfy the needs of the population and businesses for most of the year. This is also the reason why the shocks in the world markets are not so strongly felt.

Pricing in the country is also important for low inflation. When determining the final price, the main weight in many cases is the labor involved, and not the price of the raw materials and products.

An example can be given with bread, because with it labor is the main weight in pricing in Switzerland.

According to the data, an average kilogram of bread in Switzerland costs 5.5 euros in euros, and 2.4 euros in Germany. How does the mechanism work if the price of flour has increased by 10 cents.

An equal increase in flour of 10 cents will lead to a 2% increase in the price of bread in Switzerland and 4% in Germany. If Bulgaria is included in the table, the percentage will be even higher here because of the lower cost of labor.

Another distinctive feature of the Swiss is the special attention to their native production. It provides for the import of products from abroad only if they do not represent direct competition for local producers. Switzerland also has mechanisms in place so that even if imported goods come from countries with higher inflation, it will not be felt in the country.

Prunes protect against many diseases

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Check out some of the benefits of prunes:

1. The ingredients sorbitol and isatin regulate the functions of the digestive system and are used as an effective remedy against constipation.

2. The high vitamin C content in prunes helps the body fight infection, inflammation and free radicals.

3. Prunes are good for the eyes and vision as they help to maintain the good condition of the eye membranes.

4. Studies have linked consumption of prunes to protection against certain types of cancer – such as breast cancer and lung cancer.

5. They help maintain heart health. The high content of antioxidants helps to eliminate free radicals and lowers cholesterol.

6. Plums are a natural laxative.

7. They support the correct absorption of iron by the body.

8. They help to remove toxins from the body and thus help to reduce weight in a natural way.

9. Prunes protect against macular degeneration.

10. They have a low glycemic index, making them a great food for diabetics as they help regulate blood sugar levels.

11. They strengthen the immune system and protect against colds and infections.

12. Vitamin E and beta carotene in plums protect the skin from aging – they help reduce wrinkles and improve skin elasticity.

13. Eating plums helps protect against sun damage.

14. Magnesium in plums is useful for muscle and nerve development

15. Plums contain a large amount of folic acid and calcium, which helps its absorption. Folic acid is especially useful for pregnant women and helps the fetus to develop properly.

16. Prunes have a diuretic and purifying effect, which is why they are often included in detoxification regimens.

Losing weight

Prunes are useful for losing weight, although the calorie content is quite high, it has a pronounced laxative and diuretic effect. Therefore, the use of the product helps to remove toxins, excess fluids and toxic substances from the body. This is the benefit of prunes in the diet, it does not burn fat per se, but prevents their accumulation.

In order for the benefit of dried plums to manifest itself in full force and there was no harm, it is necessary to follow some rules. It is desirable to eat dried fruits in the morning, the daily norm should not exceed 100 g. It is also not recommended to combine dried fruits with other laxative products – this can lead to diarrhea, which will harm the body.

Are prunes allowed for nursing mothers

As for the benefits and harms of prunes for the health of nursing mothers, then during breastfeeding the product should be abandoned completely. The substances present in healthy dried fruits will enter the baby’s body through breast milk and cause indigestion, which will definitely harm.

Is it possible to eat prunes with diabetes

The glycemic index of dried fruits is only 29 units. This is a very low indicator, therefore prunes do not cause changes in blood sugar levels. At the same time, the benefits of prunes are in the increased fiber content of the product, the fruits help to cleanse the body, improve digestion and prevent constipation. Thus, with diabetes, dried fruits do not harm, but only benefit. But, of course, the amount of the product should be controlled – 3-4 pieces of fruit per day will be enough for diabetics in their pure form or as part of other meals.

How to choose the right prunes when buying

If there is no free time to prepare prunes, you can buy it, but when choosing, you must adhere to several rules.

• Good dried fruits should have a rich and uniform black color, without reddish and rusty spots.

• The skin of prunes should be smooth, firm and shiny.

• If you gently squeeze the prunes in your fingers, no pits should remain from pressing, the pulp inside the dried fruit should still retain its elasticity.

How to store prunes

You can store dried fruit both at room temperature and in the refrigerator. But in both cases, it is important to keep the product in dry, sealed containers to avoid the harmful growth of molds. On average, at room temperature, the fruits retain their beneficial properties for six months, and in the refrigerator – up to one year.

What are the benefits to the body when we eat spicy food?

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The benefits of chili for heart and brain health

Helps to lose weight (as part of a weight loss diet). And perhaps for this reason he is a faithful ally of our heart. In addition to being considered by many to be a treat for the palate, chili can be considered a serious option for protecting cardiovascular health. Various studies prove it. Therefore, even in a Mediterranean diet, chili pepper seems to play an important preventive role.

The properties of hot peppers

Frequent consumption of hot peppers reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular causes. A fact that the researchers observed regardless of the overall quality of the diet followed by each of the people observed. The outcome was also measured among those who generally followed a non-Mediterranean diet. A sign that, in all likelihood, “regular consumption of chili peppers can be considered beneficial to our health.” According to several published studies, chili peppers have antibacterial and vasodilating effects. But not only. It would also help keep cholesterol and blood pressure under control. And based on the conclusions of a study published in 2017 in the International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition, it would be an element that you should never deprive yourself of during a weight loss diet (thanks to its potential positive effect on metabolism ). It contains elements that together could explain the reduction in cardiovascular risk. The benefits of chili derive from a combination of antioxidant substances present in it: vitamin C, carotenoids, polyphenols. But the main credit goes to capsaicin, the main molecule found in hot peppers and responsible for their spiciness.

Spicy is great, with tons of health benefits, but it’s not for everyone.

Although it has many beneficial properties, chili should be avoided in some cases. Those who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoidal syndrome, peptic ulcers, and acute inflammatory bowel disease know this well. One of the first restrictions placed on their diet is precisely the exclusion of spicy foods and spices in general. In addition, hot pepper should not be used when preparing dishes for allergy sufferers and children: their digestive system is too delicate and can be irritated. Caution is advised when consuming hot dishes in pregnant women.

Spicy foods are one of those things that we either love or hate. There is often no middle ground between them. Like many things you eat, hot sauce can have a big impact on your body and health. See how it affects your general condition:

You may feel pain in your tongue

If you’ve ever eaten a very spicy chili pepper, you know that you can feel a burning pain. This is due to capsaicin binding to receptors on your tongue that sense temperature and indicate pain. Don’t worry, this is only temporary.

Your temperature rises

Whenever you eat something spicy, like hot sauce, your body undergoes thermogenesis, the process by which your internal temperature rises. This makes you sweat, your face may turn red, because the smallest blood vessels in the body dilate.

Your mood is lifted

Shortly after your tongue starts to feel the burn, your nervous system, responding to the cry for help it’s getting from the rest of your body, releases endorphins that boost your mood. This helps the body more easily overcome the pain of burning in its mouth.

Your heart will start beating faster

 Spicy increases the amount of blood flowing to the stomach, which causes the heart rate to increase and increases blood circulation throughout the body. This is in response to the heat you just absorbed.

You may get heartburn

If you are prone to heartburn, one of the things you should avoid eating is spicy foods. The initial sensation is not actually nausea, but the capsaicin that binds to receptors in the esophagus, causing heartburn. Just in case, keep antacids handy.

Seasonal allergies will dissipate

In an interview with HuffPost, Dr. Clifford W. Bassett says that the capsaicin in cayenne and chili peppers will help get rid of runny noses caused by allergies. So eat some chili the next time they call and see how it affects you.

Note: The article is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation or substitute for consultation with a specialist.

Artemis I Path to the Pad: The Most Powerful Rocket NASA Has Ever Built

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Artemis I Path to the Pad: The Most Powerful Rocket NASA Has Ever Built

Have you ever wondered what it takes to assemble the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built? Watch documentary footage of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s transformation into the over-300-foot-tall launch vehicle that will return humanity to the Moon.

Starting with manufacturing and ending with stacking operations inside NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building, this is only the beginning of SLS’s path to the launch pad.

Video Transcript:

NASA is preparing for a journey back to the Moon, and after that, we’re setting our sights on Mars.


To get there, we need tons of rocket power, coming from our Space Launch System.

When it comes to how much power this thing can push out, this thing is massive. It’s going to be mesmerizing to stand next to this massive vehicle.

The immensity of it, knowing that this thing is going to be propelling a rocket into space and around the moon.

Hang on, it’s probably best to start back at the beginning.


It all started in Promontory, Utah, where Northrop Grumman manufactured each of the segments that make up the rocket’s boosters.

After a 10-day, cross-country journey, the booster segments were delivered to Kennedy Space Center’s Rotation, Processing, and Surge Facility, or RPSF. If this all sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the same facility that was used to process shuttle booster segments, which all came from Utah.

Then, they’re ready to go into the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, where the rest of the motor segments are assembled and stacked on top of the mobile launcher.

The one thing about this vehicle, of course, it’s produced all across the country. The components all come here. They may be built around the country, but they all come together right here in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

Our SLS rocket will generate 8.8 million pounds of thrust to break through Earth’s gravitational pull. That’s more power than the Space Shuttle and the Saturn V rocket used.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems are responsible for assembling the boosters that will house the majority of that power. The twin solid rocket boosters, made up of 10 total motor segments, will stand nearly 17 stories tall when fully stacked.

First, teams inspect and prep the hardware. Next, they’re ready to start stacking the segments – a process that takes time, patience, and a steady hand.

Once we have everything done in High Bay 4, we pick up the segment with a 325 foot crane, pick it up over the 16th-floor crossover to where you see it now, and we begin stacking the segments. Each segment we lift over the 16th-floor crossover and stack it. Once we stack it, we put it on top of the segment below, and we put about 177 pins all the way around the whole thing to attach each segment.



And, the pressure to perform the operation flawlessly can test the team’s nerves.

There’s a tremendous responsibility involved with processing flight hardware like this. It’s nerve-racking at times, but it’s exciting. There’s zero appetite for risk in a program like this.

We have a bunch of shuttle guys that are here to show us along the way. If we get stuck, they’re there to guide us. At the beginning of stacking, it was very of nerve-racking. With each segment that we stacked, a little bit of the nerve comes off. By the third or fourth one, it’s easy-peasy. We’re pushing through, all the jitters are gone, and we’re just excited to get finished with it.

With all 10 booster segments now fully stacked on the mobile launcher, there’s just one final piece of the puzzle to round out the power needed to get SLS off the ground and send it to space: core stage.


After a 900-mile voyage aboard NASA’s Pegasus barge, the SLS core stage – the
largest rocket stage NASA has ever built – has made it to Kennedy Space Center.
Today is a huge day. This is the last piece of big hardware that we need for Artemis 1 hard processing. And we’ve just been waiting a long time for this part of the vehicle to arrive so that we can get going on the next steps of our stacking operations.

Standing an impressive 212 feet tall, and weighing a whopping 188,000 pounds, the core stage came all the way from Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The core stage went through round after round of rigorous testing, including what’s called its Green Run series, truly putting its performance to the test.

The series involved eight rounds that looked at systems individually before culminating in pure power. With over 700,000 gallons of propellant flowing through the core stage, and its RS-25 engines firing for eight minutes straight, the successful final test resulted in some big emotions from the team.

We cried, we laughed, and we cheered because it was so emotional to see
the years of culmination coming through.


And, that victory did not come without overcoming a few challenges, proving why at NASA we test as frequently and as hard as we do.

We actually did a one-minute test on the first hot-fire test and then we learned a lot from that. We understood the vehicle more, we made a few changes, and then we got back into our second hot-fire test.

There was a lot of joy and workmanship and ownership of being able to work that process and be able to get it done. When we went for the second hot fire, and we went for the 500 seconds, that was just pure exhilaration.

Following its arrival at Kennedy, teams moved the core stage into the VAB, where it was lifted by crane and placed in between the twin solid rocket boosters.



Serving as the backbone of the rocket, the core stage will provide more than 2 million pounds of thrust to help send the Orion spacecraft on its trip around the Moon.

Essentially, we have these two massive cranes that are located inside of the VAB, where we go ahead and we pick two points at the end of the core stage – one on the back portion of it and on the front portion of it – we lift it up to the point where we’re able to transition it from a horizontal position over into a vertical position, and then essentially bring it way up to the top of the Vehicle Assembly Building and cross it over into High Bay 3, in which we ensure that we don’t damage any part of the vehicle as it’s incoming into its position.

NASA’s largest rocket stage, now fully integrated with the twin boosters, is ready to get Orion off the Earth. But, it will take one more critical component to give the capsule that extra push it needs to journey tens of thousands of miles beyond the Moon.

With just a single RL10 engine, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, or ICPS, will provide over 20,000 pounds of thrust to send Orion on the ride of a lifetime.

To connect the ICPS with the rocket stack, teams next added the launch vehicle stage adapter to the core stage, followed by the ICPS.


The ICPS is the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and essentially, it’s somewhat of the upper stage of the entire SLS vehicle. And what that will do is propel the Orion capsule along with the service module over to its destination, which at this point in time will be the Moon.

But, before the spacecraft can be attached to the rocket, teams will conduct a series of tests to ensure all of SLS’s components communicate properly with one another, plus the ground systems equipment, the Launch Control System, and its software.

Adding to the challenge, those methods for testing have changed significantly since the days of the Apollo Program.

Initially built in the 1960s to house the assembly of the Saturn V, the largest rocket made by humans at the time for Apollo missions to the Moon, the VAB has undergone some major modifications to support several different kinds of rockets and spacecraft, whether they’re going into low-Earth orbit or venturing to deep space.

This high bay was Shuttle heritage. Before that it was Apollo heritage. There’s upgrades that are still occurring today to include upgrades that will support Artemis II and Artemis III.


When SLS blasts off from Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B, Orion isn’t the only thing it will be sending to space. Hitching a ride with Orion are tiny, shoe-box sized satellites – called CubeSats – that were loaded into the Orion stage adapter in Kennedy’s Space Station Processing Facility.

The extra room in the stage adapter provides a rare opportunity to send those CubeSats to deep space to conduct science and research of their own.

And, these CubeSats are on tap to study a range of topics – from the Moon, to asteroids, to the effect of space radiation on living organisms.

At this point, the stack is nearly complete – all that’s missing is the spacecraft itself, which has been in the Launch Abort System Facility getting outfitted with one of the spacecraft’s most crucial pieces.

The launch abort system is kind of that pointy solid rocket motor that’s at the top of Orion, and it’s there to protect the crew in the event of an emergency so it’s a very important system. Fully integrated with its launch abort system, the Orion spacecraft slowly makes its way to the VAB in the overnight hours.


Upon its arrival, teams carefully lift and lower it onto the Orion stage adapter. With this operation, stacking the most powerful rocket the world has ever seen is complete – and, what a sight to behold.

We’re trying to decide what does exploration look like in the future when we retire Shuttle? You know, what does our nation want to do? Where do we want to go? How do we want to explore?

To see it go from those days of words and ideas in people’s heads to the three programs we have today and the Artemis mission and all the hardware that’s been produced in factories ranging from, big aerospace companies to little mom and pop shops all over the country and the world, it’s unbelievable. I’m just really proud.

Before SLS and Orion can launch our nation into a new era of space exploration, a series of tests need to take place inside the VAB, validating the rocket and spacecraft as an integrated system and paving the way for one, final milestone: wet dress rehearsal.

The 322-foot-tall, fully integrated rocket will roll out to Launch Pad 39B for a full test, allowing the launch team to run through a full launch countdown but stopping just short of firing the engines.


I think we’re going to be so proud when it rolls out of the VAB. I will personally be probably crying a little bit because it’s such a big event. We worked so hard to get us to the day of rolling out. I’m probably going to be bawling when we launch it, see it through my tears, because it’s just a culmination of so much work from everybody.

We owe the advancement of science and research and technology to what we’re doing here. And, this is a big opportunity for us as a nation to reclaim our spot at the forefront of human space flight and exploration.

Artemis is going to be a major part of history. It most definitely is going to rock the space industry when it flies.

This program is going to go to the Moon. It’s going to go to Mars. We need that. This country needs that. This world needs that.

I’m so excited. It’s going to be a lot of work, a lot of work ahead of us, but Artemis I is going to surprise everybody.

Ukraine: More than one million tonnes of grain exported under Black Sea Grain Initiative

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Ukraine: More than one million tonnes of grain and food items exported under Black Sea deal
Exports of Ukrainian grain and other foodstuffs under a landmark agreement amid the ongoing war, have surpassed one million metric tonnes, the UN Coordinator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Amir Abdulla, reported on Saturday.

This “remarkable achievement” was made possible through the collective efforts and hard work of the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC), he said, referring to the Istanbul-based mechanism that monitors ships’ movements to ensure their compliance with the Initiative.

The JCC brings together representatives from Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye and the UN – the signatories of the landmark agreement.

An important initiative

Operations began on 1 August, and the JCC has already enabled dozens of voyages through the Black Sea. On Saturday, teams conducted the 100th inspection on board approved cargo vessels.  UN Secretary-General António Guterres oversaw the departure of two ships involved in the operation when he was in the region last week.

“As the world grapples with food insecurity and high prices, the importance of this Initiative is clear. As increased volumes of Ukraine’s agricultural production are now heading to market by sea, confidence has grown in the food and shipping industries, driving down prices and reducing risk,” said Mr. Abdulla.

He recalled that while the agreement covers commercial operations for the resumption of exports, the World Food Programme (WFP) has also been able to restart purchasing Ukrainian wheat for its humanitarian operations in countries such as Ethiopia and Yemen.

“These are all important first steps but much more needs to be done,” he stressed. “Across the world, high prices in fuel and fertilizer, climate change and conflict are placing immense pressure on farmers and consumers alike and driving millions more into poverty and hunger.”

Silos still full

The Black Sea Grain Initiative has created some space in Ukrainian silos stocked with millions of tonnes of produce from previous harvests. Yet, much more grain needs to be exported to accommodate the new harvest, he added.

“Equally important and urgent is the export of fertilizer, including ammonia, under this Initiative, so that farmers across the world can continue food production for next year at an affordable cost,” said Mr. Abdulla.

He described the million tonnes that have been shipped so far as just a beginning.

“The world cannot afford to have food and fertilizer held up by anything. Every shipment cleared through this route helps to calm markets, boost food supplies and keep farmers producing.” 

The Science of Beards

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The Science of Beards



As World Beard Day (September 3) comes around again, and the planet gets ready to celebrate fabulous facial hair, here are a few things that scientists have discovered about beards.


Beards are undeniably manly

Multiple studies[1] have[2] found[3] that men look more masculine, dominant, aggressive, and strong when they wear a beard. Indeed, men also report feeling[4] more masculine when they have facial hair.

Research has also shown that men who choose to be bearded[5] tend to have higher testosterone levels than those who choose to be clean-shaven, and they are more likely to be hostile sexists,[6] in other words, to favor the patriarchy and male dominance, and to think that women belong in the kitchen. These men may be using beards (and muscles) to reinforce gender roles.


Beards may be used to intimidate rivals

In his 1970s book, “Evolution of human threat display organs,” Professor R. D. Guthrie theorized that beards could be used to intimidate male rivals by increasing perceptions of the size of the jaw and enhancing aggressive and threatening jaw-thrusting behaviors. Additionally, research has revealed that people can recognize expressions of anger faster[7] on a bearded face than on a clean-shaven face, but are slower to recognize expressions like happiness or sadness.

The knowledge that beards serve as a signal of formidability may help to explain why men like a beard on themselves, but not on other men.[8] They need not worry. Although some researchers[9] have suggested that beards evolved to protect a man’s face by absorbing and dispersing the force of any blows he might get on the chin, others[10] have found that bearded men are no more likely to win a fight than their clean-shaven peers.

Beards add maturity (and employability)

Beards often make men look older, more mature,[11] of higher social status,[12] and more credible.[13] This can be especially useful for job-seeking men who look young for their age.[14] In fact, while past research[15] has found that men with beards are less likely to be offered a job than their clean-shaven counterparts, times change, and more recent research[16] shows that men with beards are perceived as having more expertise than clean-shaven men and, as such, are more likely to be invited to a job interview.


Beards are especially useful to those working in advice-giving roles. In 2020, assistant professor of marketing Dr. Sarah Mittal was inspired to look into[17] beards by her husband, the boyish-faced co-owner of an IT company who didn’t think that his clients took him seriously without whiskers. In one experiment, she and her marketing colleague, David Silvera, asked 127 people to imagine that they were shopping for a tablet or laptop. Each person was shown a randomly selected image of a “salesman” with one of four types of facial hair — clean-shaven, a standard mustache, a handlebar mustache, or a full beard — and asked to rate the man’s expertise and trustworthiness. The bearded version was always rated the best: 11.6% higher for trustworthiness than the clean-shaven version, and 10.6% higher for expertise.

In another experiment, the researchers placed a Facebook ad for a real business and used a photo of either a bearded or a clean-shaven sales representative. The bearded representative produced a much higher click-through rate — 2.66% — than the clean-shaven version. Higher, indeed, than the industry averages of about 1.04% (technology) and 0.71% (industrial services). The study also revealed that customers view bearded salesmen as being more expert and trustworthy than their stubbled, mustached, or clean-shaven counterparts, regardless of the salesman’s age, race, ethnicity, attractiveness, or likability.

Beards may add sex appeal

Beards not only cover the signs of aging, but they also slow down the aging process in the skin by protecting the wearer from the sun.[18] As well as protecting men from wrinkles, age spots, and shaving-induced acne, beards can hide the signs of disease[19] and enhance the sex appeal of men with small, weak-looking jaws.[20]

Like most of our optional accessories, facial hair goes in and out of fashion. Although beards may have been incredibly unpopular[21] in the past, they are much more well-liked now. However, research on whether women find bearded men attractive is mixed. Some studies[22] suggest[11] that women find a face displaying the ability to grow facial hair more attractive than a face with a full beard, but that men with full beards are preferred for long-term relationships.[23] Some research[24] finds that women prefer men whose beardedness matches that of their fathers (and that homosexual men prefer men whose beardedness matches their own). In the end, what is appealing to one person is not to another.[25]

Population trends in facial hair have been shown to increase when there are more single men than single women, suggesting that beards are being used to display masculinity[26] to prospective mates. Some people[28] also believe that the recent rise in beardedness may be due to the tough financial conditions: men seeking to attract mates in today’s harsh economy may be dialing their masculinity up to 11. However, research[27] has also found that the more beards there are, the less attractive they become. The scientific term for this is “negative frequency-dependent sexual selection,” which, simply put, means that we tend to prefer mates who are rare or unique because they are thought to have a genetic advantage. In a society that has reached peak beard, one more man with facial hair is nothing to write home about.

Beards are not popular with young children

Although research has revealed that people think that men with full beards look trustworthy[29] and good,[30] and that women think that they would make better fathers[22] than clean-shaven men, especially when they have children of their own,[31] children as young as 21 months seem to think that men with beards look strong but very unattractive,[32] and their dislike only grows stronger with age. However, around the age of puberty, their views changed and they start to like them more. Personal experience counts, too: children with bearded fathers generally judge facial hair more positively.



Still, to a child, a man with a beard is not to be trusted. Further research has shown that kids are more likely to pick a bearded man to help them with feats of strength, like fighting a dragon,[33] but prefer a clean-shaven ally when they need someone reliable to help them hide a treasure map.

Beards are good for your health

A well-groomed beard can provide a man with several health benefits. For a start, beards can fight allergies.[34] They also keep the wearer warm. So efficiently, in fact, that there is a theory[35] that male pattern baldness has developed among humans in an attempt to compensate for the growth of a beard by promoting heat loss through the scalp.

That said, beards tend to have a bad rep when it comes to cleanliness. According to one small 2019 study,[36] you can find more germs in a beard than in a dog’s fur. It pays to remember, however, that the vast majority of bacteria are not harmful, and quite a few are actually beneficial. In fact, research has found that beard bacteria could be developed into antibiotics,[37] something that would actually be very handy since our current stock is rapidly becoming ineffective.


Additionally, research[38] has also found that clean-shaven men are more than 10 percent more likely to be harboring colonies of Staphylococcus aureus — a bacterium that causes skin infections, respiratory infections, and food poisoning — on their faces than their whiskered counterparts, and more than three times as likely to be carrying MRSA around on their freshly shaven cheeks.

A recent survey[39] of 919 women found that those who were repulsed by creatures like lice and fleas were less likely to find bearded men attractive. Interestingly, however, those who were worried about picking up harmful bacteria or viruses were more likely to find bearded men attractive. The researchers surmised that facial hair was either being used as a marker of health by those women or that it covered up the areas of the face that could communicate ill health.

According to U.S. psychologist Robert Pellegrini, “Inside every clean-shaven man, there is a beard screaming to be let out.”[1] Those men who choose to listen to their inner beard can definitely look forward to a feeling of enhanced masculinity and fewer facial bacteria.

References:

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Pakistan: Deadly and devastating floods

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Pakistan: Deadly and devastating floods

The Minister of Climate Change, Sherry Rehman, who on Wednesday spoke of a disaster of “rare magnitude”, announced a state of emergency on Friday and appealed for international assistance.

Summer monsoons are a seasonal rainfall phenomenon that affects various countries in the Asian continent, including Pakistan. The rains last throughout the summer, often until September.

Since June, Pakistan has been affected by unusually heavy monsoon rains. More than 900 people have been killed and 33 million people have been “severely affected” by the flooding caused by the rains.

Monster floods have killed more than 900 people and affected more than 33 million people, the government announced Friday.
Nearly 220,000 homes have been completely destroyed, and 500,000 severely damaged, the national disaster management agency said.

There are numerous videos showing the extent of the phenomenon and the heavy flooding that accompanied it. Videos posted on social networks on Friday showed buildings, installed near rivers in flood, and bridges destroyed by the floods. The regions of Balochistan (West) and Sindh (South) are the most affected, although the torrential rains have affected almost the entire country.

EU allocates €1.8 million in humanitarian assistance for flood victims

The EU is providing €1,800,000 humanitarian aid to families affected by flash floods across large parts of Pakistan. The aid funding will assist affected people in some of the hardest-hit districts of Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said: “Unusually heavy monsoon rains led to deadly flash floods in Pakistan. While the assessment on the ground is ongoing, we expect more than one million people having lost their homes and in need of direct assistance.  The EU contribution underlines our commitment to the people of Pakistan and enables our partners to provide life-saving aid to those most affected.”  

The funding is allocated to EU humanitarian partners operating on the ground to meet immediate needs of flood stricken families, including through the provision of temporary emergency shelter, food and clean water, cash transfers and primary healthcare services. This latest funding comes in addition to last week’s allocation of €350,000 in aid to help people in Pakistan’s flood-affected province of Balochistan.

Indian parliamentarians to seek Bharat Ratna for Dalai Lama

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Indian parliamentarians to seek Bharat Ratna for Dalai Lama
Tibetan MPs hosted a dinner reception at New Delhi for their Indian counterparts in December2021 (Photo/TPiE)
The Bharat Ratna (Jewel of India) is the highest civilian award of the Republic of India. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferred in recognition of "exceptional service/performance of the highest order", without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex

By  Shyamal Sinha

The All Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet (APIPFT) will urge the Indian government to confer the prestigious Bharat Ratna award for the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama, along with a Parliament session to be addressed by him. Sikkim Democratic Front’s Rajya Sabha MP Hishey Lachungpa proposed a petition by the MPs seeking the Bharat Ratna for Dalai Lama. The forum has decided to also urge all the MPs to address and resolve the ongoing issues faced by Tibetans living in India.

The forum met earlier this month where convener Sujeet Kumar expressed his objection to “the intervention of the Chinese Communist regime in the reincarnation of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama,” highlighting that only the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people have the right to choose in the matter. According to the minutes of the meeting acquired by the Indian Express, senior BJP leader and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi proposed a bill on the lines of the ‘Tibetan Policy Support Act’ that was passed in the US.

Most importantly, MP Kumar has prepared a Private Member’s Bill seeking a Tibet Policy Act, which requests the government to appoint a special coordinator within the Ministry of External Affairs for Tibet-related issues, in order to promote “substantive dialogue between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama and his representatives or democratically-elected leaders of the Tibetan community, among other things”, according to the Indian Express report.

The bill opposes any move made by the Chinese government to interfere in succession of any Buddhist leaders; the Tibetans are entitled to “select, educate, and venerate Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders in a manner inconsistent with Tibetan Buddhism in which the succession or identification of Tibetan Buddhist lamas, including the Dalai Lama.” The bill also seeks government funding, not less than 3 million, in the Union Budget to assist Tibetans with the democratic governance undertaking in India.

APIPFT was revived last year and attended a dinner hosted by the Dharamshala-based Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile in December, which the Chinese embassy denounced as colluding with “Tibetan independent forces”. At the Time, BJP MP Kumar responded by citing democratic values, “Let them react… The Chinese Embassy has no locus standi to oppose, because we are MPs in a democratic country. We have every right to pass resolutions and the Chinese Embassy does not have to tell us what to do.” The members of the forum also have plans to participate in the Tibetan Democracy Day celebrations next month.

The forum has 10 members consisting of lawmakers from India’s ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Janata Dal (United), among others.

Apart from the APIPFT, India’s former Union minister Chanderesh Kumari, former Himachal Chief Minister Shanta Kumar, Bihar Chief Minister Nitesh Kumar, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, the Tibet Support Group of Arunachal Pradesh, (TSGAP) Indian Parliamentary Forum of Tibet and the Rashtriya Syawamsevak Sangh (RSS) among others have all urged New Delhi to honour the Dalai Lama with Bharat Ratna.

To date, the highest civilian award in India has been conferred to only two non-Indians, Baloch leader Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan(1987) and Nelson Mandela(1990).

Orange has amazing benefits that we don’t even know about

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In a time of ocean voyages and rare medical advances, sailors feared scurvy, a disease that affected them most. Today we know that scurvy is nothing more than a vitamin C deficiency in our body and that if you just eat an orange a day, it can be cured.

Check out all the benefits that eating an orange a day can offer your body to keep you healthy:

1. Helps gut health

According to some studies, daily consumption of oranges can have a positive effect on our gut microbiota. It also causes a drop in glucose, insulin sensitivity and LDL (bad cholesterol). Orange juice acts as a prebiotic and promotes the growth of intestinal bacteria, which is important for our health.

2. It can help you lose weight

To achieve our weight loss goals, we need to exercise and eat a balanced diet, which means eating all the nutrients our bodies need to function properly. Fortunately for us, oranges are very rich in essential nutrients; by eating just one orange a day, we can cover some of them.

An average-sized orange provides the body with only 60 calories. The fruit also has 3 grams of fiber, which provides benefits such as better gut health, good cholesterol and a lower risk of heart disease, and it also slows down the way our body digests sugar. Fiber can also help us feel fuller for longer. A diet rich in it can help reduce appetite and calorie intake, leading to weight loss. When eating an orange, be sure to consume not only the juice, but also the orange peel, as this is where most of the fiber is found.

3. Assists your body in creating collagen.

One orange provides about 70 milligrams of vitamin C. This vital nutrient also has amazing benefits, such as improving iron absorption, fighting inflammation and lowering blood pressure, and it also helps build collagen in our bones.

Collagen is a protein that our body produces. It provides structural support to tissues and aids in important processes such as tissue repair and immune response. As we age, collagen production slows down and elastin is lost, resulting in aging and our skin looking saggy and dry.

It’s not possible to completely stop collagen loss because it’s part of aging, but we can try to slow down the process, and eating an orange a day can make a difference.

4. May be helpful in maintaining good vision.

Researchers say that if you eat an orange a day, you’re more likely to have a 60% reduced risk of developing macular degeneration, an eye disease that can blur your central vision to the point where even glasses won’t help you. to see. This condition can form due to the natural aging process.

Vitamin C is very important for our vision as it contributes to healthy blood vessels in our eyes and can help fight cataracts. If we want to have good vision in the future, it might be a good idea to start monitoring our daily intake of vitamin C.

5. Protects important organs, such as the heart and brain

According to a study, normal levels of vitamin C in our blood are associated with improved focus, memory and attention. Oranges can help our minds stay sharp as we age, and one medium-sized orange provides the recommended daily intake of vitamin C that our bodies need to stay healthy. This essential vitamin is also a powerful antioxidant that fights free radicals that can cause damage to our brain cells.

A review of 10 studies found that consumption of orange juice may be helpful in improving certain risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This means that this delicious juice can help prevent heart disease, which is the number one cause of premature death.

Some symptoms of scurvy or vitamin C deficiency

Scurvy is a condition that is very rare because most of us get enough vitamin C from our daily diet, but it has happened before. Vitamin C helps our body produce collagen, and if not enough collagen is produced in our body, the tissue begins to break down.

Some of the symptoms of scurvy are fatigue, lethargy, anemia, gum disease, tooth loss, poor wound healing, depression, swelling and bone pain.

Photo by Pixabay:

Notes on the Council of Florence, 1438-39

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From Anonimous Byzantine Chronicle #104:

The translation is based on the edition of P. Schreiner – “Short Byzantine Chronicles” (Peter Schreiner. Die byzantinischen Kleinchroniken. Teil I-III. Wien. 1977-79) – item 1 p.661-663 (Greek text) and item 3 page 135 (German translation).

Manuscripts: Athen, Benaki-Museum, 19, 417V.

Editions: Lambros, Siloge Nr. 115 (S.156-157).

Text:

1. In the year 6946 — 1437 — December 21, arrived the Patriarch of Constantinople, Joseph1, of Modon, and 29 metropolitans and bishops, and with them also other priests from the clergy of “Holy Sophia”, abbots and laymen and despot Dimitar2. They all arrived with one imperial galley and 3 of the Pope’s. They stayed 14 days in Modon.

2. In the same month, on the 28th, the emperor Cyrus John3 came from Pylos with an army. And on January 3, the patriarch left and all the members of the synod went to Pylos, where Emperor John was.

3. In 1439, November 16, arrived in Modon on the ship Gabriel Barbarigo, Emperor John and all the members of the synod. And he moved the emperor and his brother by land to Mantene.

4. And on November 23, the same year, the Latin (Frankish)4 bishop with his priests celebrated mass. And the Roman5 bishop and clergy did not arrange any mass on that very day; the Latins (Franks) and the Romans make only a hug in the Latin meat. And on the 24th of this month, in the church of Saint John the Theologian, the Roman bishop Josephus, with the secular name Kontaratos, celebrated mass, and all the clergy and the whole city, who live inside and from the surrounding area, Latins and Romans. And they also took consecrated bread – the commandant of the fortress and all the servants and their wives, in the same way as the Romans.

5. The reconciliation of the churches took place in the year 14396, during the happy Pope of Rome, Eugenius.

6. The Patriarch of Constantinople died in Florence,

7. and Metropolitan of Sardis.

8. The Latins separated from us and were excommunicated in the year 62867.

Notes:

1. Patriarch Joseph II Shishman (1416-1439).

2. Brother of the Byzantine Emperor John VIII.

3. Emperor John VIII Paleologus (1425-1448).

4. In the Greek text the Latins are called Franks.

5. Schreiner has Roman, which creates some confusion. During the Middle Ages, foreign authors (including Bulgarian) usually called the Byzantines “Greeks”. The Byzantines themselves, who were considered the successors of the Eastern Roman Empire, were called Romans. To avoid confusion in the Bulgarian language, the Byzantines are usually referred to as Romai instead of Romans.

6. It is about the concluded ecclesiastical union of the Ferrero-Florentine Council (ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic church, 1438–45).

7. We are talking about the Great Schism that occurred in 1054, during which the Eastern and Western churches split.

Photo: Icon of the 70 Apostles