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Thursday, May 17, 2012

CRAZY: Caught On Tape Officer vs GANGSTA Thug In FIGHT BRAWL

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

5 Gorgeous Climbing Vines to Plant for a Flowing, Bohemian-Chic Container Garden

By: Mairi Beautyman

There is something magical about a climbing vine in a garden. Vines seem to have a mind of their own and go completely wild with just a little bit of love. Something about this makes them symbolize a freestyle bohemia that is much more desireable to me than a few straight-laced plants properly lined up in a row, like a bunch of buttoned up soldiers.
And just because you are limited to a balcony or a small outdoor space doesn't mean you need to miss out.
The five vines here, from flowering to fruit baring, are all suitable for container gardens -- all you need is a big pot and something for it to climb up, generally a few sticks of bamboo will do. For more artful climbing, you can look into twining, netting or strings, or a trellis.

1. Black Eyed Susan Vine

The fast-growing Black Eyed Susan Vine (also called the Thunbergia or Clock Vine) adds a little drama with its solid black eye, framed by sunny yellow, white, or bold orange flowers.
They're easy to grow from seed, prefer full sun, and grow 6 to 8 feet tall. (870 Milligram PacketFerry-Morse 1779 Black-Eyed Susan Annual Flower Seeds, Vine (870 Milligram Packet), $.65 at

2. Sweet Lace Grape Vine

As the enthusiastic Patti Moreno points out in this video, Sweet Lace Grapes orVitis Vinifera are a hearty addition to a container garden with the added bonus of a harvest -- which you can use for wine, jams, and jellies.
She says:
Sweet Lace Grapes are the perfect grape vine to grow in a container on a patio -- they're small, they're compact, even though they can grow to be between 20-40 feet. Keep it pruned if you don't want it to go that crazy or make sure you give it a vertical support, or plant it up against a lattice fence, or over an arbor.
($2 for 50 seeds on Amazon)

3. Heavenly Blue Morning Glory

Rowdy Rider/Flickr/CC BY 2.0
Best in full sun, the Heavenly Blue Morning Glory blooms all summer long -- up to 10 weeks -- and can grow an ambitious 12 feet high. (I once had a neighbor two floors down that missed out on most of his blooms...which climbed out of the shade to my apartment).
Morning Glories come in several color options, but the contrast of the blue and white here is particularly stunning.($4.92 for 150 seeds on Amazon)

4. Clematis Konigskind Climador

Alexandre Dulaunoy/Flickr/CC BY 2.0
Boasting clusters of lovely violet-blue blossoms, the Clematis Climador (also known as Konigskind )’ is a relatively new addition to the perennial container garden market, meaning it is bred to be in a pot, with a long blooming period.
One of the best new clematis to grow in containers is Clematis Konigskind ‘Climador’. This perennial has 5-inch-diameter, purple-blue, ruffled flowers that bloom for up to four months on vines that only grow 4 to 5 feet long. This clematis is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9, although the container should be protected over the winter in cold areas.
($15 for the vine on

5. Sweet Pea Vine

Wikipedia/CC BY 3.0
The small blossoms of the perennial Sweet Pea vine or Lathyrus latifolusactually look like dozens of tiny orchids (about 1 inch in diameter). But unlike orchids, they are ready to face the elements of your balcony or terrace.
Contrary to the Clematis, the sweet pea vine is no new kid on the block., "It is an heirloom vine, which Thomas Jefferson grew, enjoyed, and called 'everlasting pea' in his day."
For more Sweet Pea tips, check out Success with Sweet Peas on ($3 for one seed pack with three colors; minimum order three at

Device Turns Your Sneaker into a Portable Cell Phone Charger

By: Megan Treacy

We write a lot about solar powered gadgets and chargers, but the reality is there is also a ton of power to harness from our own bodies. Piezoelectric chargers pop up every now and then but this one seems especially promising.
At the first ever Kenyan Science Technology and Innovation Week, 24-year-old inventor Anthony Mutua showed off a technology that uses your shoe to charge your cell phone or other gadgets while you walk. We most often hear of kinetic energy harvesters embedded in sidewalks, floors or revolving doors, but this idea lets you take that energy harvesting wherever you go.
As CNET reports, Mutua inserted a very thin "crystal chip" in a sneaker that generates energy as the sole bends. The device connects to your phone via a long cable so you can charge your phone in your pocket while you stroll, or alternatively, the device can store power for charging your phone when you arrive at your destination. It can also power multiple gadgets at a time, but you'd probably have to go on a long run to generate enough power for that. Another great reason to exercise though, right?
The device can be used in any type of shoe and can be transferred from one shoe to another depending on which pair you want to wear that day.
Kenya's National Council of Science and Technology funded the project with $6,000 so far. Mutua has already patented the technology and there are plans to start commercially producing it soon at a price of $46, including a 2.5 year warranty.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Hot Sauce Ingredient Reduces 'Beer Belly' Fat as a Weight-Loss Surgery Alternative

ScienceDaily (May 9, 2012) — According to research from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), the ingredient that gives hot sauce its heat could play a role in the future of weight loss.

Ali Tavakkoli, MD, BWH Department of Surgery, and his team have published a study investigating whether two surgeries called vagal de-afferentation-which uses capsaicin, the component responsible for the chili pepper's burning sensation-and vagatomy can achieve weight loss and reduce the risk of obesity-related diseases with fewer side effects when compared to today's bariatric surgical options.
Vagotomy involves removing the vagus nerve, which sends information between the gut and the brain. Vagal de-afferentation also involves the vagus nerve. But rather than removing the nerve completely, surgeons use capsaicin to destroy only certain nerve fibers.

How Hot Chili Peppers Trick Your Brain

Written by: yvonne.mcarthur

Chilli PeppersPhoto: Paola Frogheri
Cooking up delicious spicy food can come at a price... a price many of us have paid! If you've ever cut up some jalapeños and scraped out the seeds with your bare hands, you know the symptoms: excruciating pain. This pain is caused by an oil-soluble substance called capsaicin (pronounced cap-say-sin). Capsaicin is the active component found in all hot peppers. It's what makes them so delicious to eat (provided you can take the heat) and causes the burning pain on your skin. The good news is that capsaicin doesn't actually cause any tissue damage. This may be of little comfort to you if your handsfeel burnt and the only way to sleep is by clutching an ice pack. But if we dig a little deeper, we'll discover a fascinating world involving neurotransmitters, pain signals, and a brain tricked into thinking your skin is engulfed in flames.

Fruits- Vegetables - PepperPhoto: Marius Iordache
When you eat or touch hot chilis, capsaicin particles penetrate your skin, move through the tissue, and trigger deeper nerves. Here's where it gets a bit technical. Capsaicin acts like a neurotransmitter and binds to a receptor called VR1 (vanilloid receptor one), forcing it to deform. Usually, the VR1 only changes shape at temperatures at or above 42ºC (108ºF). When it deforms, it releases charged particles called ions into the nerve cell, transmitting a signal through the nerves to the brain. The signal itself is the same as what VR1 would send if it were sensing heat. The brain doesn't know the difference, so you experience the same pain from chili peppers as you would from a burn.

Green CapsicumPhoto: Leon Brooks
Now this is where it gets really interesting. Scientists have figured out how to turn capsaicin, that little tastebud trickster, into a hero. Pain-triggering capsaicin can be utilized to combat muscle and joint pain as well as the chronic pain of diseases such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. This doesn't seem to make any sense, especially if you recently got some habanero juice under your fingernails!

First, you need to know that physicians differentiate between two kinds of pain, good pain and bad pain. Good pain is the fast and sharp pain which keeps us from hurting ourselves – for example, when we touch a burning pan and jerk away. Bad pain is chronic or long-term pain which builds slowly and takes a while to go away. It travels through nerves which are less insulated than the good pain ones, and thus, slower. The pain itself is caused by a protein called Substance P. Substance P is a neurotransmitter that signals bad pain and stimulates inflammation.

Splash of Chili PepperPhoto: Kyle May
When capsaicin triggers the nerves, it causes all the bad pain neurotransmitters (Substance P) to be delivered to or dumped off on other pain nerves. The Substance P supply is quickly depleted, leaving the nerves with no way to send a bad pain signal until they make more Substance P molecules — and no Substance P means no chronic pain!

So in a nutshell, capsaicin topical cream works over 1 to 4 weeks, continually depleting the Substance P supply, and thus reducing chronic pain. The disadvantage is that the patients have to endure the burning sensation caused by capsaicin until their pain threshold rises enough for them to no longer feel it. This takes time, but it's worth it, and eventually the patients are left with a lot less pain. Pretty cool, right?

Spicy ColorsPhoto: S. Pisharam
But say you don't have arthritis, and fate dictates you get mixed up with some hot chili peppers and want the pain to end. Unfortunately, once the capsaicin has penetrated the skin, it's nearly impossible to get off. Capsaicin is pretty hardy anyway and can survive cooking, freezing and even the rigors of our intestines. That's right, beware of eating too much, or it just might burn on the way out. Prevention is the best defense. Wear gloves to cut up hot peppers, or cover your hands in oil before you cut. Then wash it off with soap and water, and rub lemon juice into the skin. If it's too late and you are already suffering the effects, try soaking your hands in oil, vinegar, or simply wait it out with an ice pack. Make sure you don't put anything hot on the skin, as that will further deform the vanilloid receptors.

Whether capsaicin is a villain or a hero to you, just remember that those jalapeños and habaneros have led to ground-breaking pain research. Whether all the technicalities make sense to you or not, or whether your interest in the spice is limited to a spicy curry, you've got to admit, these fiery peppers are more complicated and more valuable than you may have thought!

Sources: 12345

Hanging Plant Balcony Works Like a Drawbridge

By: Alex Davies

We've covered a lot of ways apartment dwellers can bring some greenery into their homes, many of them remarkably clever. Here's one more that fits that description: "Volet Végétal," French for "plant shutter," is a folding balcony for a garden, built right into the window.
Volet végétal is the work of design firm Barreau & Charbonnet, a submission for the upcoming exterior design expo in Paris, Jardins Jardin. It's a pretty simple design. A wooden frame holds three planters that are set up to rotate, so that when the frame goes from vertical to horizontal, the plants remain upright. A pulley system raises and lowers the setup.
It's a lovely way to get your plants plenty of sunlight, and make sure your neighbors and people in the street below know just how great a gardener you are.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

LaserSaber - A Radiant Saber pulsing with Laser Powered Energy!


Transforming its Spyder 3 model "portable laser" into a real-life lightsaber glowing sword made from energy that infringes on NO copyrights whatsoever, this 32" polycarb "blade" uses a magnetic gravity system to achieve smooth power-up and -down effects, and is real enough to "cause serious damage to people, pets, and property".

Saturday, May 5, 2012

10 Awesome Adam Yauch Rhymes: Beastie Boy MCA's Best Lyrics

by M. Tye Comer, N.Y.   |   May 04, 2012 3:15 EDT


Each of the Beastie Boys brandished a style of rapping that set him apart from the pack. But for many fans, it was the distinctive growl of MCA that consistently rose above the beats. From the trio's rough and rowdy early tracks to their refined and respected final cuts, Adam Yauch delivered his rhymes with a depth, grit and lyrical precision that was renowned and respected in rap and rock circles alike.

Throughout his life, Yauch evolved from a street-wise Brooklyn brawler into a peace-practicing Buddhist activist, and his enlightenment was reflected in the lyrics he committed to wax over the years. Check out 10 of MCA's most famous verses and pay homage to one of hip-hop's most cherished voices.

What MCA lyrics are your favorites? Let us know in the comments section below.

"No Sleep Til Brooklyn"

"Born and bred Brooklyn U.S.A./ They all me Adam Yauch but I'm M.C.A./ Like a lemon to a lime a lime to a lemon/ I sip the def ale with all the fly women"

"Paul Revere"

"Now my name is M.C.A. I've got a license to kill/ I think you know what time it is it's time to get ill/ Now what do we have here an outlaw and his beer/ I run this land, you understand I make myself clear."

"Shake Your Rump"

"A puppet on a string I'm paid to sing or rhyme/ Or do my thing I'm in a lava lamp inside my brain hotel/ I might be freakin' or peakin' but I rock well"

"Pass The Mic"


"So What'cha Want"

"Well I'm as cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce/ You've got the rhyme and reason but no cause/ Well if you're hot to trot you think you're slicker than grease/ I've got news for you crews you'll be sucking like a leech"

"Sure Shot"


"Root Down"

"Bob Marley was a prophet for the freedom fight/ 'If dancin' prays to the Lord then I shall feel alright'/ I'm feeling good to play a little music/ Tears running down my face 'cause I love to do it'


"Well I got to keep it going keep it going full steam/ Too sweet to be sour too nice to be mean/ On the tough guy style I'm not too keen/ To try to change the world I will plot and scheme"

"An Open Letter To NYC"

"Dear New York I hope you're doing well / I know a lot's happen and you've been through hell / So, we give thanks for providing a home / Through your gates at Ellis Island we passed in droves"

"Make Some Noise"
