13 comics to show you what love looks like before and after 30

In Pursuit of Happiness....Never ends well

When most of us think about what makes us happy, we tend to focus on the “things” in life that we crave or long to possess. These things may be concrete consumables or they may be intangible resources, such as “time,” “inner peace,” or “true love.”

It is easier for some of us to create a list of what we want the world to give us than it is to think in terms of what we can give back to the world.

We live in a world of instant feedback and conspicuous consumption. It may be experienced firsthand through the “Buy Now” button on Amazon’s website or Netflix bingeing or through an obsession with reading or creating online reviews of products, films, and life, in general. It seems a little odd that we trust strangers’ opinions when we already know how much we might disagree with our own BFFs about favorite products.

It is amazing how many “things” everyone seems to have in their lives – and how many more things we might desire because we believe that they can make us feel even better about ourselves in relation to how we think others feel about us.

Happiness is a state of being, not a pile of stuff.

The secret to happiness is actually a set of four factors that can easily be mastered by any of us, anywhere. The four practices that can change your life for good are friendliness, cheerfulness, compassion, and gratitude.

Friendliness

Some people can be described as “the type of person who’s never met a stranger.” These are people who meet the world with a pleasant temperament and an openness to new people and new experiences – regardless of who may be placed in their path on any given day.

Friendliness is about offering warmth and good humor to those around you.

It is about being willing to make the first move socially while recognizing that others may be a little slower to warm up. It’s about knowing that the reward for friendliness is not always immediately apparent.

Human beings are social creatures and being kind is a lot more likely to help you build your “tribe” than showing indifference or disinterest to the people that you might someday need for support or assistance.

Cheerfulness

There are plenty of old songs that encourage you to “put on a happy face” or “smile when your heart is breaking,” and, much more recently, Pharrell’s iconic  “Happy,” where I first heard the awesome simile about happiness feeling “like a room without a roof.”

Many of us may feel a little confused about why we are always encouraging people to “lie” to themselves and pretend to feel something they don’t. It is because researchers have found that being able to offer the world a sunny disposition, regardless of your inner mood state, actually encourages you to feel better physically!

Smiles are contagious, too, and if you can find the energy to offer your own smile to the people around you, even if you feel like your inner world is falling apart, you are going to feel magically better when our smile is returned.

In fact, being on the receiving end of someone else’s genuine smile has been proven to be emotionally and psychologically healing. Did you know that simply imagining that you are being smiled at by someone you love is just as powerfully healing as having that person present?

If you need one more reason to be cheerful, how about this...

Research has shown that when patients grimace or frown during medical treatments or procedures, they actually feel MORE PAIN than those who do not. Gritting your teeth and bearing it is not the best option. Letting yourself smile in the midst of struggle is what brings a change in perception and increases your ability to cope.

Be empathetic to those who are seeking assistance from you and offer them extra support by way of an encouraging smile. When you use your warm presence to help them get through difficult times, the pay-off can be huge! For both of you.

Compassion

Offering compassion to others is another charitable act that positively influences the giver. When we accept others’ shortcomings or cut others slack for their own wrongs or missteps, we are actually valuing humanity over someone else’s personal flaws.

Most of us are truly doing the best we can at any given moment. Sure, some days our “best” is far from “enough,” and there are days when we know that we are guilty of giving less where we probably should have tried harder to give more. No one is at 100 percent of their game every day. However, if you accept the shortfall of another, the windfall for you is a happier life. 

For those of you who believe that you always give 100 percent, I challenge you to prove this to yourself by giving others a little compassion when they don’t measure up to your own high standards. That’s what someone who truly gives 100 percent would do, no doubt.

Bring a sense of gratitude to your life

Whatever you have in life and wherever you are, you can always find some reason to be grateful. For instance, today you may be feeling a little anxious, but you showed up – that’s something we all are grateful for.

Acknowledging your own good fortune – no matter how seemingly slight or minimal at the moment – can actually enhance your overall wellbeing.

Researchers have found that being truly grateful for what you have in life can yield some pretty important physical benefits:

• You sleep better and enjoy better relationships! Those are pretty important benefits for graduate students, for sure. And for adults, in general, I expect.

• Not only that, but researchers have also found that a person’s level of gratitude is inversely proportional to their level of depressed feelings or sadness.

• So, the more grateful you are in life, the better the chances are that you will actually enjoy what you have!

Why Bother Being Happy?

• Happy people enjoy less stressful lives.

• Happy people actually live longer, too.

• Happy people are protected against some forms of chronic illnesses.
• Meet the world with a positive attitude
• Smile at and befriend others
• Cut us all a little slack, and
• Be consciously grateful for all that you do have rather than worrying about why you do not.

If you’re hanging around waiting for the world to make you happy, it simply isn’t going to happen.

Plus, you are a lot more fun to be around if you’re feeling good about life! And your family and friends can certainly appreciate that!

You don’t have to win the lottery, earn a 4.0 GPA, find true love, beat Bowser to save Peach, or live a perfect life to find happiness.

You just need to do 4 things:

1. Meet the world with a positive attitude
2. Smile at and befriend others
3. Cut us all a little slack, and
4. Be consciously grateful for all that you do have rather than worrying about why you do not.

I can pretty much guarantee that instilling these 4 practices into your daily life can leave you feeling happy – maybe even like a room without a roof!

6 Signs that your lungs are in trouble

Chest pain, prolonged breathlessness and chronic cough are some of the common symptoms of lung damage.

But how can you know that your lungs are in danger?

While we consciously take care of most of the organs, we seldom do anything to care for our lungs. Isn’t it wrong to take for granted the organ that is responsible for supplying oxygen to the blood cells? Any infection or injury to the lungs not only affects our breathing but can also increase the risk of various respiratory tract diseases like asthma and tuberculosis. Dr Gyanendra Agrawal, Consultant, Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine, Jaypee Hospital, Noida, shares a few key signs that indicate your lungs are in danger and that you need to consult a respiratory specialist.

1. Prolonged breathlessness: Whether climbing stairs or performing day-to-day chores, if you feel breathless after physical exertion, it could be a cause of concern. Also, if you find it difficult to run or suffer from breathlessness most of the time, even when lying on a bed, then it is a sign of lung problem. Prolonged breathlessness can be a sign of many respiratory ailments, it can be due to bronchitis, asthma, COPD or cardiac ailments (in severe cases).

2. Excessive mucus production: We usually ignore a productive cough or a cough with sputum. However, if you suffer from productive cough for more than three months, then consult your doctor as it could be a sign of chronic bronchitis. If this is coupled with wheezing or shortness of breath, then it could be a sign of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Hence, if you have been coughing for long, consult your doctor immediately.

3. Blood in the sputum: Another key symptom that indicates lung disease is the presence of blood in the sputum. While changes in the colour of the sputum or mucus can reveal a lot about the health, right from bacterial infection to pneumonia, presence of blood can be a sign of tuberculosis. If you suffer from prolonged cough, low-grade fever and have found streaks of blood in the sputum, get tested for tuberculosis.

4. Chest pain: You are wrong if you thought that chest pain always signifies heart attack as there’s more to chest pain than a heart attack. If you experience a sharp shooting pain in the chest when you breathe, cough or sneeze, it can be due to a lung infection caused by bacteria or virus. In rare cases, it can signify a blood clot in the arteries of the lungs, blocking blood flow to the lungs, knows as pulmonary embolism. Find out the causes of chest pain and deal with it accordingly.

5. Wheezing: A whistling or rattling sound in the lungs or wheezing is undoubtedly a symptom of decreased lung function. It indicates that the lungs are finding it difficult to breathe due to narrowing of the airways or arterial block due to foreign particles. In most cases, wheezing is associated with inflammation due to asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, allergic reaction or physical obstruction caused due to a tumour or a foreign particle.

6. Chronic cough: Last but the most important sign that the lungs are in danger is a chronic cough. While a cough is a common occurrence due to a viral infection or common cold, it should start to improve after two –three weeks. However, if it fails to do so and lasts for more than eight weeks, then it is a sign of concern. This is the time you should go to a respiratory specialist and get tested to diagnose the underlying cause of the condition. Some of the common causes of a chronic cough include bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia and tuberculosis.

Why people with anger problems are poor at social interactions

People with anger issues tend to misunderstand the intentions of other people and they also do not take in all the data from a social interaction, such as body language, because of decreased connectivity between regions of the brain that process a social situation, a study says.

People with intermittent explosive disorder (IED), or impulsive aggression, have a weakened connection between regions of the brain associated with sensory input, language processing and social interaction, the findings showed.

In a new study published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, the scientists showed that white matter in a region of the brain called the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) has less integrity and density in people with anger issues than in healthy individuals and those with other psychiatric disorders.

The SLF connects the brain's frontal lobe--responsible for decision-making, emotion and understanding consequences of actions--with the parietal lobe, which processes language and sensory input.

"It's like an information superhighway connecting the frontal cortex to the parietal lobes," said lead author of the study Royce Lee, Associate Professor at University of Chicago in the US.

"We think that points to social cognition as an important area to think about for people with anger problems," Lee said.

Lee and his colleagues, including senior author Emil Coccaro, MD, Ellen C. Manning Professor and Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at Chicago.

For the study, the researchers used diffusion tensor imaging, a form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that measures the volume and density of white matter connective tissue in the brain.

Connectivity is a critical issue because the brains of people with psychiatric disorders usually show very few physical differences from healthy individuals.

"It's not so much how the brain is structured, but the way these regions are connected to each other," Lee said.

Signs He Is Too Demanding

Some insecure men are too demanding. A relationship with them would soon make you run to the psychiatrist. But in the initial stages, you would feel that you're really lucky as you might think that you are being loved intensely.

Demanding relationships are draining. It isn't possible for anyone to give more than expected in a relationship. But some men do have unrealistic expectations. Generally, men who have shades of narcissistic delusions tend to have the feeling of ownership towards their partners. Such men believe that their partners are their property and they think that the sole objective of the partner must be to satisfy them and keep them happy all the time.

It is better to runaway from such a relationship because sooner or later it gets taxing emotionally and physically.

Sign#1

He wants you by his side all the time. In the beginning, you think that he is craving for your presence so much that he is not able to live without you even for a moment. But in fact, it is a disorder that he is suffering from.

Sign#2

He bombards you with his texts. To occupy your mind all the time, he keeps sending you romantic texts and this would make you fall in his trap.

Sign #3

He gets addicted to your presence. He finds it tough to allow you to go and do anything else.

Sign #4 

He shows too much of affection. He constantly kisses you, hugs you, holds your hands and cuddles up to show his affection. He irritates you with his so-called love. But after a few days, you will get bored of all his gestures of affection.

Sign #5 

He never allows you to go out with your friends. He restricts your movements and never allows you to go out alone. He feels attached. He never gives space. And he cries if you don't listen to him. That's his emotional blackmail.

Sign #6 

He suspects your relationship with your colleagues. He thinks that you are sleeping around with them.

Sign #7 

He demands your attention all the time and calls it love. If you don't give enough attention, he would keep eating your head saying that you aren't caring for him truly.

10 Animals on the verge of extinction

Would you believe that out of 50 billion animal and plant species that ever existed on earth, only 50 million survive today—that means one in a thousand, Here is a list of animals that might become extinct during our lifetime itself.

Slowly and gradually there have been number of animals that have already vanished while some of the other popular ones have come at the verge of extinction.

Animals are a beautiful creation of nature. It is sorry state when any news approaches regarding species of animals and birds vanishing slowly. When talking about the term, “endangered”, it makes you remind of the lovely plants and animals that are slowly dying out. Some reports also suggest that all the species that are present on earth are considered to be endangered because of the serious environmental threat that is growing at an alarming rate

Scientists and conservationists warn that the animals and plants that are currently disappearing rapidly from the natural ecosystem due to some or the other major reason and the rate of extinction is a major cause for concern. Scientifically, it has been said that if the rate of disappearing remains the same then chances are that more and more species will end up being extinct, as all animals and plants are somehow linked in an ecosystem.

People today are aware about various species that are getting extinct but it is very important to understand the reasons behind them getting disappeared.

1. Siberian Tigers

With the Chinese and Korean populations nearly extinct, Siberian Tigers are considered to be Critically Endangered. Less than 200 are left on earth. It has also been estimated that tigers have lessened to an extent of 7 percent on the earth. Tigers were once considered as most dangerous animals and have been chosen as national symbols for many countries.

2. Ivory Billed Woodpecker

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is or was one of the largest woodpeckers in the world, at roughly 20 inches in length and 30 inches in wingspan. This top ranking endangered species (possibly extinct already), used to live in Southern part of US as well as Cuba. Due to habitat destruction, and to a lesser extent hunting, its numbers have dwindled to the point where it is uncertain whether any remain. There are various resources which state that the last time when ivory billed woodpecker was sighted was in year 2004. 

3. Blue Poison Dart Frog

The blue poison dart frog is one of the most brilliantly colored animals on the planet. Humans harness the poison as a potential ingredient in painkillers and the indigenous Chocó peoples of Columbia dab it on blowgun darts for hunting. The tiny frogs inhabit South American rainforest, which is disappearing at a rate of four football fields per minute.

4. Greater Bamboo Lemur

The Greater Bamboo Lemur, which is about the size of a cat, had been thought to be extinct until a survey in 1986 found a few survivors along with a completely new species, the golden bamboo lemur, and resulted in the development of Madagascar's Ranomafana National Park. It is said that lemurs Madagascar was once the special hometown for a large number of lemurs but as on date, they are available only in fewer numbers.

5. Northern Right Whale

Nothern Right Whale, the most endangered of all the world’s whale species, numbers around 350 individuals that travel the Atlantic coasts of Canada and the US. During the whaling days of the 19th century, the right whale got its name because whalers considered it the “right” whale to kill, as it not only was full of valuable whale oil, but it floated after it was dead, which made it easy to handle and process. These whales are still living but there are various sources which say that they are continuously being hunted to the level of extinction.  

They are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973 and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Vessel strikes and entanglement in fixed fishing gear are the two greatest threats to their recovery.

6. Western Lowland Giorilla

Western lowland Gorillas or the Mountain Gorillas are among the most famous of all endangered animals. These majestic animals live in the tropical mountain forests in central Africa, but they are lately finding it very hard to survive, and a couple of years back they were brought at the brink of extinction. Forest loss is gradually destroying gorilla habitat and they are being hunted down to extinction. Large-scale farming and grazing is also shrinking forest areas that have been their natural habitat.  Zoos worldwide have a population of 550 western lowland gorillas and the Cincinnati Zoo leads the United States in western lowland gorilla births.

7. Polar Bear

The world’s largest terrestrial carnivore, Arctic polar bears are threatened by global warming. They must fast longer in the summer due to melting sea ice. In 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. As of May 14th 2008, the Polar Bear was listed on the ESA. The decision was crucial as 29.7 million acres of the Chukchi Sea, which supports polar bear populations, are set to be opened to oil and gas activities.

8. Leatherback Sea Turtle

Leatherback Turtle are the longest-living marine species to ever ply the world's oceans. They survived catastrophic asteroid impacts and outlived the dinosaurs. But this largest turtle in the world, is on the brink of extinction, and scientists question whether the animal will survive into the next decade. Over the last 22 years their numbers have declined in excess of 95 percent.

Large-scale hunting and poaching of sea turtle eggs has pushed this beautiful species to the verge of extinction.

9. Kakapo Parrot

Native of New Zealand, the ancient, flightless Kakapo is the world's rarest and strangest parrot. It does not fly and is a nocturnal bird, which makes it relatively easy to poaching by humans and other animals. There were only 62 left, when they were shifted to safe habitat, where their population is now growing slowly.

10. Chinese Giant Salamander

The Chinese Giant Salamander is the largest salamander in the world, reaching a length of 180 cm (6 ft), although it rarely – if ever – reaches that size today. Endemic to rocky mountain streams and lakes in China, it is considered critically endangered due to habitat loss, pollution, and over-collecting, as it is considered a delicacy and used in traditional Chinese medicine.

What are we doing to protect the Whales

Despite the 1986 IWC ban on commercial whaling, some countries refuse to end their whaling operations. Especially Japan, Norway and Iceland.

It is our global responsibility to protect whales for future generations. If whaling continues without a rigorous and robust management scheme, many whale species could become extinct within our lifetime. 

Despite the low number of many Whale populations, whaling continues. About 30,000 whales have been killed by commercial and ‘scientific’ whalers since 1986 when the IWC’s moratorium on commercial whaling came into effect. Alarmingly, the number of species hunted continues to grow, with Japan and Norway all having recently expanded their whaling programmes. The number of whales killed annually has increased from 556 in 1993 to over 1,853 in 2006.

Norway objected to the moratorium so is not legally bound by it, and resumed commercial whaling in 1993. Norway awards itself an annual quota of North Atlantic minke whales, set at over 1,000 whales for the 2007 season, and is considering killing even more in future. 

Japan agreed to the moratorium, but in 1987 began exploiting a loophole in the IWC Convention which permits lethal ‘scientific’ whaling, selling the majority of the produce. Japan’s expanding ‘scientific research’ programmes kill about 1,000 whales each year, including whales in the IWC’s Southern Ocean Sanctuary. 

Iceland resumed ‘scientific’ whaling in 2003, exploiting the same loophole as Japan, and intends to kill 200 minke whales in 2007. In defiance of the moratorium, Iceland resumed commercial whaling in 2006, planning to kill 39 whales, including nine ‘endangered’ fin whales in 2006/7.  Iceland’s action has been strongly condemned internationally, with 25 countries plus the European Commission – together representing over one billion people – issuing a formal protest.

Some the below images will make you sick to your guts and i only wonder are those humans or fucking devils in human skins, killing hundreds of whales every summer just because they consider it a part of their culture and history. 

Whaling in the Faroe islands in the North Atlantic has been practiced since about the time of the first Norse settlements on the islands. Animal-rights groups criticize the hunt as being cruel and unnecessary. As of the end of November 2008 the chief medical officers of the Faroe Islands have recommended that pilot whales no longer be considered fit for human consumption because of the level of mercury in the whales.

But these uncalled for killings continue and if something is not done to stop this idiocity soon. The only God help these poor creatures to see the light of the day in the Future.