Eiffel turns 120 !!

Eiffel tower is the global icon of France. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel is the architect of this wonderful monument. It’s the most visited monument in the world. The Eiffel Tower has welcomed 243 million visitors up to December 31, 2008. In 2002 Eiffel received its 200,000,000th guest of all-time. Eiffel Tower has 3 levels and its height is 324 meter. Eiffel’s total weight is 10,100 tons and it has 1665 steps. Eiffel Tower was built between1887 to 1889 (2 years, 2 months and 5 days), as the entrance arch for the celebration of the French revolution.

Eiffel Tower was actually built to stand for 20 years. At the time the tower was built many people were shocked by its daring shape. Eiffel was criticized for the design and accused of trying to create something artistic, or inartistic according to the viewer, without regard to engineering. But the tower proved valuable for communication purposes as military used it during the First battle of the Marne, and therefore it became a victory statue of that battle, and was allowed to remain.

Upon the Nazi occupation of Paris in 1940, the lift cables were cut by the French so that Adolph Hitler would have to climb the steps of the tower. The parts to repair them were impossible to obtain because of the war. In 1940 German soldiers had to climb to the top to hoist the swastika, but the flag was too large, it blew away just a few hours later, and it was replaced by a smaller one. When visiting Paris, Hitler chose to stay on the ground. It was said that Hitler conquered France, but did not conquer the Eiffel Tower.

Since 2004 The Eiffel Tower has hosted an ice skating rink on the first floor during the winter period. The Eiffel Tower lights up every evening from sunset. In 2004 – January 24 the Eiffel Tower Celebrated the Chinese New Year in Red! And the Tower Turns Blue for the 20th Anniversary of Europe Day on 9 May 2006.

Big Blue!!!

The largest living animal? The biggest creature that has ever lived? It is far bigger than the biggest dinosaurs huge that it would take about 30 African elephants to counterbalance a single adult-Even its tongue weight four tones and its cavernous throat can hold the equivalent of eight small cars. Guess what is it? Ha-ha no doubt it is BLUE WHALE.

Blue whales are the largest animal known either living or extinct. The blue whale is found mostly in cold and temperate waters. It prefers deeper ocean waters to coastal waters. About six meters long at birth, they grow rapidly-at peak rates they can gain up to three kilos in an hour and consume up to 90 kilos a day of fat rich breast milk to reach up to 30 meters on maturity. Their social groupings are usually small, involving only pairs or a few individuals. They have no vocal cords, so their repetitive moaning, rumbling calls are made by vibrating nasal air sacs- a bit like the sound made when humans snore or blow their noses. Their calls are of such low frequency that they’re mostly inaudible to human ears, but they can reach 188 decibels and can be detected up to 400 kilometers away. So the blue whale is the loudest animal on earth!! Blue whales can live up to 70 years.

Blue whales are only eating very tiny things, no bigger than your pinky finger. Their favorite food is krill, (a type of shrimp-like marine invertebrate animal). An adult Blue Whale can eat up to 40 million krill in a day. The whales always feed in the areas with the highest concentration of krill, sometimes eating up to 3,600 kg (8,000 lb) of krill in a single day. Large scale commercial krill harvesting would deplete their sole food supply. Most krill is processed to produce fish food for use in aquariums; other uses include livestock or pet foods.
The Blue Whales is the largest animal ever to have existed. Blue Whales are difficult to weigh because of their size. Most Blue Whales killed by whalers were not weighed whole, but cut up into manageable pieces first. This caused an underestimate of the total weight of the whale, due to the loss of blood and other fluids.

Blue whales are still highly vulnerable. For centuries whales have been hunted for meat and as a source of valuable raw materials. A single blue whale could yield up to 120 barrels of whale oil, which was used in lamps and for making candles, among other uses. Blue whales are also threatened by pollution and global warming, the degradation of their habitat. They are exposed to contaminants, such as pesticides and industrial chemicals that end up in the ocean. Scientists are trying to find out how climate change might affect blue whales.

Pre-whaling, it’s estimated that there were more than 250,000 blue whales around the world. But between the 1860s and the 1960s, 90 percent were killed. The slaughter peaked in the 1930-31 season, when nearly 30,000 whales were killed. In the 1960s, the International Whaling Commission banned all hunting of blue whales. But blue whale meat still occasionally appears in some fish markets internationally. Today, it’s believed that there are around 10,000 to 25,000 blue whales on the planet.

A cup of Green Tea

Green tea is a wonderful beverage with potential health benefits. Green tea is a type of tea made solely with the leaves and leaf buds, which has undergone minimal Oxidation during processing. Green tea leaves steamed and dried without fermenting. Green tea leaves are picked and then immediately fired, a tea processing term which means the leaves are either steamed or heated. The tea leaves are then dried and prepared for either sale or further processing. High quality green tea is pale yellowish-green in color and has a delicate taste.

Green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years. Green tea is naturally rich in antioxidants. These antioxidant properties and help our body to fight various disease conditions. The antioxidants acts as free radical scavengers and keeps our system free of damaging free radicals. Green tea is good for your teeth, hair, and now an effective preventive thing against cancer! Drinking green tea reduced the risk of cancer by nearly sixty percent.

Clinical studies suggest that green tea extract may boost metabolism and help burn fat. One study confirmed that the combination of green tea and caffeine improved weight loss and maintenance in overweight and moderately obese individuals. Green tea may also be useful in inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis. Green tea may also be effective in treating genital warts and preventing symptoms of colds and influenza.

My most enjoyed green tea is Kahwah. It is a traditional and popular refreshing beverage, originates from Kashmir. Kahwa is a popular refreshing beverage. It provides instant relief from headache. And another favorite Tea is Iced Green Tea. It provides me with immense energy and how my day takes off. I prepared like this. Remove tea bag and cool in refrigerator. Add a fruit juice of your choice; sweeten with honey or sugar desired and mix well. And serve in cocktail glasses over ice and garnish with a spring of mint on the top.

The only negative side effect from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee. There are no known scientific reports on the pediatric use of green tea, so it is not recommended for children. For adults, maximum two to three cups of green tea per day is recommended. People with heart problems, kidney disorders should not take green tea. Pregnant and breast-feeding women should also avoid green tea.