TOP TEN SCARY GIRLFRIEND BEHAVIOURS

TOP TEN SCARY GIRLFRIEND BEHAVIOURS
From AskMen.com…

10. She knows things about you that you haven’t told her.
9. She introduces herself to your family & friends behind your back
8. She responds to messages on your behalf.
7. She has all your passwords without you having given them to her.
6. She shows up in places unexpectedly.
5. She made a key to your house without asking.
4. She stops taking birth control without telling you.
3. She gets physical when arguing.
2. She threatens to hurt or kill herself.
1. She won’t let you break up with her.

Protea's Cricket World Cup Squad...

The Protea squad for the cricket world cup happening this year:

• Graeme Smith (Captain)
• Hashim Amla
• Johan Botha
• AB de Villiers
• JP Duminy
• Faf du Plessis
• Colin Ingram
• Jacques Kallis
• Morne Morkel
• Wayne Parnell
• Robbin Peterson
• Dale Steyn
• Imran Tahir
• Lonwabo Tsotsobe
• Morne van Wyk (wicket keeper).

No Mark Boucher and No Albie Morkel, could this spell trouble?

Bored at work...?

HERE'S A COUPLE OF LINKS TO KEEP YOU OCCUPIED COURTESY OF TIME.COM AND MY PERSONAL CHOICE OR TWO INCLUDING:

http://rwrant.co.za/
http://www.stumbleupon.com

People ride an escalator outside a railway station in Tachikawa, western Tokyo, November 30, 2010.

REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

Start the month right with a fresh batch of links.

College Conundrum: High-school seniors often agonize about getting into their top university. But does it really matter where you go to college? (New York Times)

Grand Geezers: The world is obsessed with youth. But with age comes wisdom, and this 80 Over 80 list showcases very influential octogenarians. (Slate)

Military Messages: Soldiers sometimes decorate their helmets with handwritten messages. Some are inspirational, while others are stunningly pessimistic. (LIFE)

Dizzying Dish: What's it like to eat bear meat? One writer tried it, and it's apparently quite tasty. (The Atlantic)

Plane Great: Booking a flight home for the holidays? Check out the highest and lowest-rated airlines, as voted by 8,000 people. (Zagat)

Festive Flashes: Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time for your neighbors to put up obnoxious holiday lights. To save yourself the effort, watch this compilation of 100 lit-up houses in 2 minutes. (The Daily What)

Techy Tots: They're calling it "social media for toddlers," and it uses blocks to signal short, Twitter-like messages. We're surprised toddlers hadn't been tweeting already. (Fast Company)

Elsewhere on TIME.com: Tonight marks the first night of Hanukkah. See the top 10 things you didn't know about the Jewish holiday.

Must See: Walter C. May's girlfriend moved across the country for graduate school. To prove his long-distance love, May recorded a video. But he won't send it to her directly — he wants her to stumble across it herself. (via Gizmodo)

Golden Globe Winners 2011!

This is a complete list of the 2011 Golden Globe Award Winners:

Golden Globe Award Category	Golden Globe Award Winner
Best Motion Picture – Drama	The Social Network
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy	The Kids Are All Right
Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama – Actor	Colin Firth – The King’s Speech as King George VI
Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama – Actress	Natalie Portman – Black Swan as Nina Sayers
Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy – Actor	Paul Giamatti – Barney’s Version as Barney Panofsky
Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy – Actress	Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right as Nic
Best Supporting Actor	Christian Bale – The Fighter as Dicky Eklund
Best Supporting Actress	Melissa Leo – The Fighter as Alice Eklund
Best Director	David Fincher – The Social Network
Best Screenplay	Aaron Sorkin – The Social Network
Best Original Score	Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross – The Social Network
Best Original Song	“You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” – Burlesque
Best Animated Feature Film	Toy Story 3
Best Foreign Language Film	In a Better World (Denmark)
Best TV Series – Drama	Boardwalk Empire
Best TV Series – Musical or Comedy	Glee
Best Performance in a TV Series – Drama – Actor	Steve Buscemi – Boardwalk Empire as Nucky Thompson
Best Performance in a TV Series – Drama – Actress	Katey Sagal – Sons of Anarchy as Gemma Teller Morrow
Best Performance in a TV Series – Musical or Comedy – Actor	Jim Parsons – The Big Bang Theory as Sheldon Cooper
Best performance in a Mini-series or TV film – Actor	Al Pacino – You Don’t Know Jack as Jack Kevorkian
Best performance in a Mini-series or TV film – Actress	Claire Danes – Temple Grandin as Temple Grandin
Best supporting performance in a series, Mini-series or TV film – Actor	Chris Colfer – Glee as Kurt Hummel
Best supporting performance in a series, Mini-series or TV film – Actress	Jane Lynch - Glee as Sue Sylvester
Best mini-series or TV film	Carlos

There is hope for South Africa!

More youngsters apply to be pilots and engineers

Katharine Child(EWN Reporter) |

The Defence Force on Sunday said its new recruits have the maths and science results to become engineers and pilots.

Defense Minister Lindiwe Sisulu welcomed over 4,200 new members into the force on Sudnay at the Thaba Tshwane Military Sports Ground, north of Pretoria.

The new soldiers are mostly from the matric class of 2010. Just over 3,000 will be joining the army but others will be trained in the navy and as engineers and pilots.

The SANDF’s Ndivhuwo Mabaya said the new members are well qualified.

“We have more 200 applications of young people who want to be pilots. More than 50 of them have Bs and Cs and more than 10 of the have As,” said Mabaya.

Ways to stop smoking!

The benefits of smoking cessation are clear: only 20 minutes after a smoker’s last cigarette, blood pressure and heart rate start to return to normal. Yet millions of smokers find it virtually impossible to quit.

Nicotine addiction is “highly underrated”, says Prof Chris Bolliger, pulmonary expert from the University of Stellenbosch's (US) Faculty of Health Sciences. To compound the difficulty in quitting, there are more factors involved than nicotine addiction.

It's also a long-term process. Research from the Boston University’s School of Dental Medicine indicates that most committed ex-smokers stick to their resolution after they’ve managed to abstain for at least one year. According to the study, only two to four percent of ex-smokers pick up the habit again each year after the initial two-year period.

The very best results, yet to be scientifically verified, indicate a maximum success rate of 50 percent after six months, an estimated 35 percent after one year, and an estimated 30 percent after two years.

Some of the options available that may lead to a long-term solution, include nicotine replacement therapy (gum, inhaler or patches), the drug Zyban, a combination of the above, the Smokenders programme, or quitting unassisted.

1. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
According to Prof Bolliger, any form of NRT increases the success rate of a smoking cessation programme. All the different types of NRT have been shown to be effective, with little or no side-effects.

NRT can be regarded as a temporary solution that helps smokers get past the first hurdle on their journey to long-term smoking cessation.

A tip: always carry a batch of gum or another type of NRT with you while you travel. "The urge could come at any time," says Bolliger.

2. Zyban alone
The antidepressant Zyban (bupropion) seems to increase levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain, leading to an enhanced feeling of pleasure. Buproprion seems also to prevent relapse, according to researchers from the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center.

The relapse-free period did not, however, persist: at the end of the first year, 55% of the Zyban group in the Mayo Clinic study were still smoke-free, but two years later, similar numbers of the Zyban and non-Zyban groups had relapsed.

Longer-term treatment of bupropion may prevent relapse, but more research on the long-term benefits of Zyban is necessary before definite conclusions can be drawn.

Zyban should not be used by:

• people with seizure disorders such as epilepsy,
• those who have shown an allergic response to bupropion,
• people with a current or prior diagnosis of bulimia, anorexia nervosa or bipolar disorder,
• people with a liver disorder,
• kidney problems,
• heart problems,
• hypertension,
• head injury,
• a brain or spinal column tumour,
• diabetes, or
• people using alcohol or benzodiazipine sleeping tablets.

Zyban is only available on prescription.

3. Combination therapy
Combination therapy, which involves counselling, the simultaneous administration of NRT (patches and/or gum) and/or the drug Zyban, seems to be an effective solution for many smokers. Preliminary research results indicate a 50 percent six-month success rate for combination therapy.

The dosage and usage of NRT and/or Zyban vary according to the individual. The usual recommendation is to take NRT and/or Zyban for three months – then you either make it or you don't. If you don't make it, it's not useful to try again immediately. Accept it and have another go in six months' time, is Bolliger’s advice.

Counselling forms an integral part of the Stop Project, a smoking cessation programme that is run at the University of Stellenbosch Faculty of Health Sciences.

4. Smokenders’ behavioural changes
Some experts do not regard NRT alone as a long-term solution, but as a temporary replacement. This replacement method doesn't address the core psychological factors involved in smoking addiction.

According to Mercia Axon, managing director of Smokenders, nicotine addiction, though real, has been blown out of proportion. The focus for long-term smoking cessation should be on behavioural changes. "Most smokers will recognise that the emotional bond with their cigarettes is the biggest issue. Our programme gives people a stress management tool and helps them to reconstruct their emotional support system," says Axon.

The international Smokenders group specifically deals with the emotional and psychological aspects involved in smoking. These factors are addressed during seven group sessions. Long-term success is linked to appropriate ways of managing emotions and stress – without cigarettes. The first six months is the most difficult period for many smokers. Clients who feel the urge to light up during this period should contact their counsellors immediately, Axon advises.

The group claims it has a 92% success rate after a one-year period and a 70% to 75% success rate after a period of five years.

Bolliger, however, queries the high success rates of some smoking cessation programmes. He speculates that inaccurate feedback from clients may be boosting the figures.

5. Kicking the habit on your own
Quitting all by yourself is not easy, but not impossible.

The biggest reason for relapse, in general, is that the quitter feels anxious about being without his cigarettes. Other reasons include missing the pleasure of smoking, feeling pressurised by family members or friends who smoke, or feeling addicted. The Boston research found certain lifestyle habits to be an indicator of likelihood of relapse: more than five alcoholic drinks or more than six cups of coffee daily.

Research suggests that stress management techniques, like exercise or yoga, can play an important role in long-term success, whether you want to stop by yourself or join a programme.

People who are committed to stop smoking should make it easier for themselves by monitoring their diets to prevent weight gain and cutting back on excess alcohol and caffeine intake to limit the risk of relapse.

"Whatever works, is fine," Bolliger says. "In the end, most people stop by themselves."

- (Carine Visagie, Health24, updated January 2009)

Times are changing!

Katy Perry Blackmail Photo!!

Katy Perry's hubby Russell Brand posted this not-so-flattering Twitpic of his beloved as a prank over the holiday weekend. But it may not be such a laughing matter to the Missus, who got the anti-glam snapshot pulled down pronto. Oops!

This is the kind of thing that might cause some fireworks between the "Firework" singer and her snarky husband. But lets hope it's just the sort of friction that makes the making up that much hotter.

HAVE YOU EVER GOTTEN HOLD OF A BLACKMAIL PHOTO AND USED IT? OR MAYBE SOMEONE GOT ONE OF YOU?