Sagaing Eathquake for Myanmar Nov 11,2012

USGS Works Toward Seismic Safety in Burma

Geophysicists’ visit lays a foundation for future collaboration between the United States and Government of Burma aimed at mitigating earthquake risk

October 29, 2012 at 12:59 pm By Susan Hough, Brian Heidel and Mark Petersen

The country of Burma straddles a complex and highly active earthquake zone — the junction between the Himalayan front to the northwest of the country and, to the south/southeast, the subduction zone responsible for the enormous magnitude-9.3 Sumatra earthquake and ensuing tsunami of 2004. A record of damage to ancient and beautiful pagodas throughout Burma’s cities and countryside attests to the past occurrence of major earthquakes. Few of these damaging earthquakes, however, have occurred during the 20^th century. There is an urgent need for steps to mitigate earthquake risk in Burma, as it is not a question of “if” future large earthquakes will occur, but rather “when.” With our knowledge of earthquakes, it is certain that significant earthquake disasters will occur in the country’s future, and earthquake hazards remain poorly characterized. Exacerbating the concern, southern Burma, including the country’s most populous city, Rangoon, sits on the Irrawaddy Delta, underlain by a thick blanket of soft sediments that would significantly amplify earthquake shaking.

The Schwedagon pagoda, Burma’s most revered shrine, has been damaged multiple times by earthquakes throughout its long history.

As Burma’s government moves forward with political and economic reform, it has also shown greater openness to working with U.S. government agencies on a variety of issues. The U.S. Geological Survey is using this opportunity to work with seismology and disaster management experts to help design a long-term disaster risk reduction program for Burma that will assess seismic hazard and take steps to reduce risk. As a first step to launching this project, USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) sponsored an initial visit May 21-25, 2012, by USGS research geophysicists Susan Hough and Mark Petersen and USAID/OFDA regional adviser Brian Heidel.

The U.S. government team met with counterparts from the Burmese government, including the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology and the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief, and Resettlement, as well as United Nations agencies and nongovernmental organizations such as the Myanmar Earthquake Commission and the Myanmar Engineering Society. The visit culminated with a lively half-day Earthquake Preparedness Planning workshop that was well-attended by key staff from all of the above-mentioned groups.

The May 2012 visit focused on an assessment of needs and gaps in current earthquake risk-assessment programs. Through meetings and site visits, the U.S. team identified high-priority future program activities that will be addressed by future USAID/OFDA-supported USGS missions. Most importantly, the visit laid a foundation for future collaboration between the United States and Government of Burma aimed at mitigating earthquake risk. As Burma enters a new period of economic expansion and potentially rapid construction growth, these steps will be of vital importance to help ensure that the earthquake resilience of Burma’s future development will match the enormous resilience of its people.

Strong quake in Myanmar on 11-November-2012

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurred on the Sagaing fault in Myanmar on November 11, 2012. The Sagaing fault is a major fault in Southeast Asia between the India and Sunda (Eurasia) plates. This strike-slip fault (side-to-side motion) is part of a broad zone of deformation that includes the India-Asia collision zone to the north and extension of the Andaman Sea to the south.

Many large earthquakes occurred on this 1200km-long fault during the 20th century: in August 1929 (M ~7), May 1930 (M 7.2), December 1930 (M 7.3), September 1946 (M 7.3 and M 7.6), July 1956 (M 7) and January 1991 (M 6.9). As a result, scientists of the Myanmar Earthquake Committee (MEC) and the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) have collaborated intensively in the past few years to study the Sagaing fault and install GPS stations in the country.

The November 11 earthquake and its four aftershocks (with magnitudes ranging from M 5 to M 5.8) occurred north of the city of Mandalay, along a stretch of the Sagaing fault that had a big earthquake in 1946. EOS director Kerry Sieh notes: “the section from Mandalay northward has experienced several other big earthquakes in the past century, whereas the section further south, which includes Nay Pyi Daw, the country’s capital, has not”. Although the segment of the Sagaing fault from Mandalay to Nay Pyi Daw has not ruptured in the recent past, this does not mean that there is no seismic hazard in that particular region.

Myanmar scientists are already planning a field expedition to document the surface rupture of the November 11 earthquake. Finding the surface rupture is of major importance to fully understand the fault’s behaviour. The search may be difficult as this part of the fault is parallel to the Irrawaddy River and the rupture is possibly in an area where the Sagaing fault is a network of smaller faults. Researchers will also use satellite imagery to try to trace the surface rupture remotely.

Research on the active faulting of this region will be presented at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco on December 7, 2012. (AGU schedule: The coseismic slip of the 2011 Tarlay earthquake in eastern Myanmar: constraints from InSAR and field investigations. Yu Wang; Yunung N. Lin; Soe Thura Tun; Saw Ngwe Khaing; Mark Simons; Kerry E. Sieh, Session T52A-04, 11:05 am)

References: 

Wang, Y., K. Sieh, et al. (2011). "Earthquakes and slip rate of the southern Sagaing fault: insights from an offset ancient fort wall, lower Burma (Myanmar)." Geophysical Journal International 185(1): 49-64.

Hurukawa, N. and P. Maung Maung (2011). "Two seismic gaps on the Sagaing Fault, Myanmar, derived from relocation of historical earthquakes since 1918." Geophys. Res. Lett. 38(1): L01310.

Wells, D. L. C., Kevin J. (1994). "New Empirical Relationships among Magnitude, Rupture Length, Rupture Width, Rupture Area, and Surface Displacement." Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 84(4): 974-1002.

Figure 1: Neotectonic map of the region (click map for high-resolution version)

The map on the left shows the main tectonic features around the Sagaing fault.

The map on the right shows major earthquakes since the 18th century. The coloured patches show estimated rupture patches of older earthquakes, while the "beach-ball" symbols show earthquakes recorded by seismometers in modern times. The "beach ball" represents a focal mechanism, which shows an estimate of motion along the earthquake fault. To learn more about focal mechanism, see http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/topics/beachball.php

Credits: Wang Yu et al, 2012. Figure yet unpublished.

Figure 2: Neotectonic map, zoom on Sagaing fault (click map for high-resolution version)

Red lines show the active faults mapped with satellite data (90-m SRTM and 15-m ASTER). Green dots show the relocated epicentres of the Sagaing fault earthquakes throughout the 20th century (Hurukawa, N., and P. Maung Maung, 2011). Grey boxes show the approximate rupture patch of each earthquake, based on the relationship between earthquake magnitude and the surface rupture length (Wells and Coppersmith, 1994). Seismic intensity records were also used to locate the possible rupture area of these historical events (e.g, May-1912, Aug-1929, May-1930, Dec-1930). Red dots are the major cities in Myanmar.

The November 11, 2012 earthquake occurred on a section of the fault that possibly ruptured previously in September 1946. The November 11, 2012 earthquake is shown by the orange "beach ball" symbol, which represents the Central Moment Tensor (CMT) Mwc solution from U.S Geological Survey. The fault-plane solution agrees well with the Sagaing fault orientation mapped with satellite imagery.

NTf: NanTing fault; LHf: Lashio fault; NPf: Nampawng fault.

Credits: Wang Yu et al, 2012

9_wang2011-GJI

 Other want to seen Myanmar Earthquakes history....
- Myanmar earthquake of March 24, 2011 - Magnitude 6.8
- Male (မလယ္) Earthquake (11-11-2012), Myanmar
- Historical Earthquakes of Myanmar!

Myanmar earthquake of March 24, 2011 - Magnitude 6.8

Myanmar earthquake of March 24, 2011 - Magnitude 6.8 When continents collide, there are far-reaching consequences. A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck eastern Myanmar, near the border with Thailand and Laos, at a depth of 10 km, at 20:25 local time (13:55 UTC) on Thursday, March 24th, 2011. As of Sunday, March 27, the death toll had reached 104. There is no evidence that this earthquake is related to recent earthquakes in Japan. Rather, the earthquake in Myanmar occurred on an active fault that is part of a broad zone of deformation resulting from the collision of the Indian subcontinent with the Eurasian landmass. The most dramatic manifestations of the collision of India with Asia are the Himalaya, the tallest mountain range in the world, and the Tibetan Plateau, the tallest and largest plateau in the world. However, the effects don't stop there; this collision has been forcing blocks of the Eurasian landmass toward the east-southeast for over 35 million years. Thus active earthquake faults riddle not only the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau, but also regions far to the north and east, toward Mongolia and Beijing, and also to the southeast, through Sichuan and Yunnan into Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. (Figures 1 and 2). Figure 1. Map of the regional tectonic setting of the March 24th Tarlay (Myanmar) earthquake (Figure modified from Tapponnier and others, 1982). The red dot within the white square shows the location of the earthquake. The white square outlines the area shown in Figure 3. Figure 2. Animation showing the tectonic evolution of India and Asia over the past 50 million years. (Produced in 2002 by Prof. Paul Tapponnier and a team from the French Centre National de la Recherch Scientifique for the exhibition "Himalaya-Tibet: Le Choc de Continent" at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris. Based on the work published in Replumaz and Tapponnier, 2003.) Zooming closer in to eastern Myanmar and northern Thailand and Laos, we find the crust* of the Earth behaving a bit like a stack of books that is toppling over on a shelf (Figures 3, 4, and 5). Unlike subduction zones where one plate dives under another, in this region the rocks on either side of the earthquake faults are sliding side-to-side as India continues is northward voyage. Side-to-side motion along two major earthquake faults, the Sagaing Fault in Myanmar and the Red River fault in Vietnam and Yunnan (Figure 1), is accomodating both of the northward motion of India and the southeasterly motion of China. In between these two major faults, the Earth's crust is broken into a series of blocks that are slowly rotating clockwise as a result. The edges of the blocks themselves are faults; it appears that the March 24th earthquake occurred on one of these faults, the Nan Ma fault (as mapped by Le Dain and others, 1984, and Lacassin and others, 1998; Figure 4). Figure 3. (Click the image for a higher-resolution version.) Location map of Tarlay (Myanmar) earthquake of March 24th. The northward motion of India, shown as the largest white arrow at about 40 millimetres per year, is causing motion on the Sagaing and Red River Faults (this relative motion is shown by the smaller white arrows). The motion on these major faults is driving motion on a series of faults in between, including the Nan Ma fault where the earthquake occurred. An analogy of this fault motion is shown in Figure 5. The white square indicates the area shown in Figure 4. Figure modified from Tapponnier and others (2001). Figure 4. (Click the image for a higher-resolution version). Map of the local tectonic setting of the March 24th Mong Hpayak (Myanmar) earthquake. The earthquake epicentre is shown by the red star; the portion of the Nam Ma fault that is likely to have slipped in the earthquake is shown by the red line. The two white arrows show where the Mekong River has been offset (shifted) by 12 km over the past few million years by motion on the Nan Ma Fault. The areas shaded in yellow are extensional sedimentary basins. Figure 5. Analogy of the style of deformation in the region around the March 24th Tarlay (Myanmar) earthquake. Motion along the major Sagaing and Red River faults has caused the crust in between to deform as rotating blocks, as when a row of books topples over to the side on a shelf. A series of left-lateral faults slip in between the blocks; the Nan Ma Fault is one of these faults. This mechanism is aptly called "bookshelf faulting." For reference, the Sagaing Fault runs roughly north-south. Over the past few million years, motion on the Nan Ma Fault has offset (shifted) the Mekong River by 12 kilometres (Figure 4, between the two white arrows; see Lacassin and others, 1998). This 12-km offset would not have occurred smoothly, nor all at once, but rather in a series of small jumps as earthquakes periodically caused the rocks to shift. Imagine travelling in a boat down the Mekong River as you approach this fault from the north; once you reach the fault, you would turn left to follow the river. For this reason, we call these kinds of faults "left-lateral" faults, meaning that if you stand on one side of the fault, it looks like land on the other side has shifted to the left. Based on inital estimates of the earthquake location, it appears likely that the earthquake was caused by motion on the western segment of the Nan Ma Fault. The direction of motion inferred from seismograph readings is also consistent with the left-lateral motion that is typical of this fault. We do not yet know how much the rocks may have slipped in the March 24th earthquake, nor do we know for sure whether the fault actually broke to the surface. Other earthquakes on similar faults at similarly shallow depths (10 km) and similar magnitude (6.8) are typically accompanied by a couple of metres of slip at the surface over a segment of the fault a few tens of kilometres long. Field study at the site of this earthquake would shed important new light on the nature of this earthquake. There is no evidence to connect earthquakes that occur far apart on the Earth, such as this earthquake and the Tohoku (Japan) earthquake of March 11th. There are cases, however, of earthquakes on one portion of a fault increasing the stresses on other portions of the fault and on closely neighbouring faults. This earthquake in Myanmar likely increased stresses on the eastern part of the Nan Ma Fault. Unfortunately, we don't have enough information about these faults to say whether the earthquake hazard has changed in neighbouring areas. Scientists from the Earth Observatory of Singapore are currently undertaking projects, both at a regional scale and in western Myanmar, Nepal, India/Bangladesh, and China, to learn more about the earthquake faults associated with the great collision of India and Asia. These faults have been much less well-studied than faults in areas such as Japan and California, yet can be at least as devastating, as the 2008 Wenquan (Sichuan) earthquake (Figure 3) showed all too clearly. Figure 6: Left lateral offset of paddy boundaries caused by slippage of the Nam Ma fault during the earthquake of March 24th. Photo courtesy of Soe Thura Tun of the Myanmar Earthquake Committee. * It is actually the lithosphere of the Earth that is involved in fault and plate motions, which includes the crust and the very uppermost part of the mantle. We use the term "crust" in this article because it is more widely understood. References: Lacassin, R., Replumaz, A., Leloup, P. H., 1998, Hairpin river loops and slip-sense inversion on southeast Asian strike-slip faults, Geology, 26, 703. Le Dain, A. Y., Tapponier, P., and Molnar, P., 1984, Active faults and tectonics of Burma and surrounding regions, Journal of Geophysical Research, 89, 453. Replumaz A. and P. Tapponnier, Reconstruction of the deformed Collision Zone between India and Asia by backward Motion of Lithospheric Blocks, Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 108, N°B6, 2285, 2003. Tapponnier, P., Peltzer, G., Le Dain, A. Y., Armijo, R., and Cobbold, P., 1982, Propagating extrusion tectonics in Asia: New insights from simple experiments with plasticine, Geology, 10, 611. Tapponnier P. , Xu Zhiqin, F. Roger, B. Meyer, N. Arnaud, G. Wittlinger, Yang Jingsui, Oblique, Stepwise Rise and Growth of the Tibet Plateau, Science, vol 294, pp. 1671-1677, 2001 Contributors: Text: Jamie McCaughey, Prof. Paul Tapponnier Figures: Yves Descatoire (Fig. 3 and 4), Liow Hon Sang (Fig. 5), Prof. Paul Tapponnier, Soe Thura Tun of the Myanmar Earthquake Committee (Fig. 6) [This article published 25-March-2011, 10:51 UTC; updated 28-March-2011]

Luxury and Opulence now for your Mobile Device

The world of luxury now has limitless possibilities. From the outrageous to the necessary, there is a swanky version of nearly every commodity found across the globe today. We bring you a few exclusive mobile phones and phone accessories which are guaranteed to up your chic quotient.

 Swarovski Crystal Studded iPhone 5 Case

The frenzy and excitement of the iPhone 5's launch has infected luxury design houses as well. Following Gresso's launch of beautiful iPhone 5 accessories, Crystal Rocked - another luxury phone accessory manufacturer, has launched similar Swarovski studded phone covers. Available in 12 exciting colours, these covers are embedded with more than 1300-cut Swarovski crystals. The hard-shelled plastic cases are chromed as well to add an extra layer of protection to your sleek iPhone. Another unique feature of these covers is that they do not add much weight to your phone but give it a stylish, elegant look without weighing it down.
Image Via Crystal Rocked


Vertu's Constellation Blue Collection

Over the years, Vertu has been known for bringing forth the finest mobile phone technology in an innovative luxurious avatar. The new models - Neon and Constellation Blue are no different. Designed in collaboration with Lapo Elkann, this phone has the same contours made popular by Vertu phones in the past. The phones use two toned hand-made leather for their exterior, and feature ultra-exclusive sapphire keys. Emphasisng the exclusivity of this product, only 100 such phones will be available for luxury phone lovers.

 

Image Via Vertu

Roberto Cavalli and Puro's collaborative iPhone Covers



Anything designed by Roberto Cavalli promises to be beautifully designed and executed. Making a bold foray into the world of mobile phone accessories, Roberto Cavalli has launched the 'Lock your Love' collection. This edgy collection features iPad and iPhone covers inspired by the nuances of our everyday lives and the world around us. The collection has been launched as a collaborative effort with Puro, an Italian company which specialises in accessories for the consumer electronic market.

Image Via Puro



Amosu Couture's Swarovski encrusted Samsung Galaxy S3

 

Android fans now have a reason to rejoice as well, renowned luxury brand Amosu Couture has launched a Swarovski edition for the Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone. Encrusted with nearly five hundred Swarovski crystals, the phone which already has a vast fan following has been adapted for people with discerning tastes as well. To make sure that your phone is truly unique, Amosu couture has offered buyers the option of encrusting the phone with their name or logos. To ensure full protection, each handset comes along with an exclusive calf leather case, courtesy Amosu couture.

Image Via Amosu Couture

Gold & Co's 24 karat Gold Plated iPhone 5

Since its release in September, the iPhone 5 has been receiving a lot of praise for its sleek, lightweight design as well as its fast processors. The London-based Gold & Co has now taken the shock value of this phone to a whole new level. Earlier in September, this company launched the 24-karat, gold-plated Rose Gold and Gold iPhone 5. Each individually numbered phone will come along with a custom-made wooden box, and a certificate of authenticity. If every one around you is carrying an iPhone, Gold & Co ensures that your phone is not only exclusive but also unique and opulent.
Image Via Gold & Co

ALSO SEE: This iPhone 5 Case Costs Rs 54 lakh

Ref:luxpresso

Ten Different Permutations Of Ethyl Alcohal The Hight Cost Of Gratting Hight!

Many like to tilt one back now and again — or again and again. And the price of alcohol, in its various guises, ranges from free jailhouse hooch to holy shit! For the budget-conscious boozer there’s a certain cost-benefit analysis to purchasing your tipple of choice. For the uber-rich, getting lit never cost so much.


Is it worth the price, or a case of fools and their money?



So we’re talking wine, Bourbon, Scotch, beer, Cognac, you name it. Some in the list are artifacts of history, some are still being made, and some are just plain kitsch.

Ten different permutations of ethyl alcohol; the high cost of getting high:

10. $100 Market Price — $7,686 for One Bottle of Beer
It stands to reason that the working man’s Champagne is the only product on this list that the working man can afford. But at $100 a bottle, Sam Adams’s “Utopias” is too rich for my blood alcohol level. It does come bottled in a cute, brewing-kettle shaped bottle, and with an alcohol content of 25% by volume (strongest beer in the world), it gives a bit of bang for the buck.

However, $7,686 was paid at auction for the first bottle of Tutankhamun Ale. It was developed by Cambridge University scientists who gleaned the recipe from hieroglyphics and brewing dregs from the catacombs of one of Tut’s in-laws. The remaining lot of beer was sold for about $76 per bottle.



9. $350 Bourbon



Evan Williams 23 year old Bourbon tops the bourbon elite with a price tag of $350.

It is available only at the distillery.









8. $10,000 Cognac

The big Cognac houses always seem to one-up each other for the distinction of super-duper-ultra-deluxe-mega-killer-kick-A Cognac. The latest entry is Remy Martin’s venerable Louis XIII’s upscale “Black Pearl,” selling for over $10,000 a bottle. Unlike the regular Louis XIII bottling (about $1500), Black Pearl is blended from 1200 different eau-de-vie raging in age from 40 to 100 years. It’s so exclusive that it’s sold by invitation only. Lowlifes can’t even look at the product at their website without a password. (Oo la la!)





7. $14,730 Bottle of Champagne
Yes, I know Champagne is wine and I already have a wine category,

but it deserves a special category because it’s… well its Champagne!
In 2005, a Methuselah of 1990 Louis Roederer Cristal, fetched $14,730 at auction. A Methuselah (explanation) is a giant bottle of Champagne equal to eight regular sized (750ml) bottles.

So, really it was only like $1,841.25 a bottle. What a deal!





6. $54,000 Rum


Irie irie, mon! Jamaican rum for $54,000? Four bottles of this rum bottled in the 1940’s were discovered recently. Why it’s believed to be so valuable, I do not know. I didn’t think rum was trendy

enough to fetch this price. Maybe Bob Marley pickled something in it.







5. $75,000 Scotch Whisky


With a release price of $38,000, a bottle of The Macallan “Fine and Rare Collection,” 1926, was sold to a South Korean businessman in 2005 for $75,000. Unlike many other products on this list, this bottle is not a collectable for collection’s sake, nor an excuse for a lavish bottle. The money paid for this Scotch is money paid for the stuff in the bottle, and it‘s meant to be drunk. For these reasons, I elect The Macallan as the most expensive social lubricant on Earth. If you’d care to try it without investing in a whole bottle,

an Atlantic City casino sells a 2oz. pour for only $3,300!





4. $160,000 Bottle of Wine


At a 1985 Sotheby’s auction, a bottle of 1787 Chateau Lafite was purchased for $160,000. Even without adjusting for inflation, this still stands as the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold (or bought even). Why so much for an undrinkable bottle of rotted vinegar? This relic was in the proud possession

of Thomas Jefferson, whose initials are etched into the bottle.





3. $200,000 Bottle of Irish Whisky

Found in 2005, this century-old bottle is from Ireland’s Nun’s Island distillery (defunct since 1908). Attempts to locate a sample came to naught until a lady, unsolicited, walked into a liquor store with a bottle in hand. She thought it “might be worth something” and wanted to see if the proprietor knew what it might be worth. It’s worth something, but priced at over $200,000 it has yet to sell in over 2 years. When it sells, it will be by far the most expensive bottle of whisky or whiskey. Any takers?

2. $1,000,000+ Bottle of Vodka?

How crazy will the trendy, high-end vodka craze get? I’ve always been fairly certain vodka is all about a cool bottle and a hip name. Now I’m certain. “Diva” vodka seeks to trump all-comers — game, set, and burp. This triple distilled vodka, like many other vodkas, is also charcoal filtered. The charcoal in Diva’s case comes from a different array of carbon bonds; the vodka is filtered through crushed diamonds. But what really ups the price is the custom-made bottle. Inside each bottle is an array of real gemstones, the quantity and quality of which depend on how much you’re willing to pay. A high-end bottle of Diva (“low-end” being $3,700) will cost you more than a million dollars. Wanna do shots?

1. $1,500,000 Bottle of Tequila?

Tequila Ley .925 sells a 6 year old 100% Blue Agave Tequila in a pure platinum bottle for $225,000.

Yes, some sucker actually bought one. If you’re on a budget, you can get the half-gold,

half-platinum version for $150,000.
The company now produces a one million Euro bottle ($1.5 million USD) which is platinum encrusted with diamonds. They must be a bit hard-pressed to sell it, since they offer a one hundred thousand Euro finder’s fee if you can find a buyer. If the bottle sells, it’ll be the most expensive bottle of any alcohol. Curiously, the company is not too discriminating as to what goes in the bottle; they’ll fill it with some Cognac if you prefer.

BONUS: Most Expensive Bottle of Wine Never Sold?

In 1989, another of Thomas Jefferson’s Bordeaux’s (this time a 1787 Chateau Margaux) was taken to the Four Seasons restaurant in New York to show it off. Near the end of the evening, a waiter bumped the dinner table and upended the wine, resulting in a total loss. A total insured loss of $225,000. Cheers!

Ref:newvision2012.weebly

Top 10 Plants That Will Kill You!

Top 10 Plants That Will Kill You!

Ok, I know I wasn’t supposed to do any more plant lists, but I couldn’t help myself.

By killer plants I do not mean as in Top 10 Carnivorous Plants, plants that kill little insects, and the occasional rat, but plants that are well known to kill people.

All plants contain some toxins as protection against predators.

We already know, from Top 10 Poisonous foods we love to eat, that even apple  seeds contain traces of cyanide. In this list we are going to look at some plants that contain such high doses, of toxins to which humans are sensitive, that some can kill you in a matter of hours.

In some cases, many animals have a much higher tolerance to the poison than humans, and all the plants on this list are known human killers.

It’s shocking to read this and recognize some of the plants that you grew up  playing around, knowing that just one bite could have killed you, and knowing just how curious children are.

Many of these plants’ main victims are children, as they often have bright fruit that look rather appetizing, and children have an even lower tolerance to the poison, so it takes a lot less to do the job.

Who knows, this information might come in handy someday.

Warning! 

10-White snakeroot

White snake root, also known as White Sanicle or Tall Boneset, is a highly poisonous plant,

native to North America. Their flowers are white and, after blooming, small fluffy

seeds blow away with the wind. This plant has a high % of the toxin tremetol,

which is not known for killing humans directly, but indirectly.

When the plant is eaten by cattle, the toxin is absorbed into their milk and meat.

When humans then, in turn, eat the beef or drink the milk, the toxin enters

the body and causes something called milk sickness, which is highly fatal.

Thousands of ignorant European settlers died from milk sickness in America

in the early 19th century. It is also believed that Abraham Lincoln’s mother,

Nancy Hanks, died from milk sickness.

9-Doll’s eyes

Doll’s eye, also known as White Baneberry, is a flowering plant native to Eastern and Northern North America. The Doll’s eyes comes from the striking fruit of the plant, which is a 1cm in diameter white berry with a black stigma scar, which looks very eye like. Although the whole plant has been declared toxic for human consumption, the most poisonous part is the concentrated toxins in the fruit, which have sadly claimed a number of children’s lives, as they also have a sweet taste. The berries contain a carcinogenic toxin, which has an almost immediate, sedative effect on human cardiac muscles and can easily cause a quick death.

8-Angel’s trumpets

Angel’s trumpets are flowering plants, native to the tropical regions of South America,

but found around the world. The name Angel’s trumpet comes from the pendulous

trumpet shaped flowers, covered in fine hairs, that hang from the tree.

Flowers come in a variety of sizes (14-50cm) and in a variety of colors, including white,

yellow, orange and pink. All parts of the plant contain toxins,

such as tropane alkaloids scopolamine and atropine.

The plant is sometimes turned into a tea and ingested as a hallucinogenic, recreational drug.

As levels of toxicity varies prom plant to plant,

and part to part, it is almost impossible to know how much toxins you have ingested.

As a result of this, many users have overdosed and died from it.

7-Strychnine tree

The Strychnine tree, better known as poison nut or Quaker Button, is a medium sized tree, native to India and South East Asia. The small seeds inside the trees’ green to orange fruit, is highly toxic, being filled with poisonous alkaloids’ Strychnine and Brucine. 30 mg of these toxins are enough to be fatal to an adult, and will lead to a painful death from violent convulsions due to simultaneous stimulation of sensory ganglia in the spine.

6-English Yew

The English Yew is native to Europe, Northern Africa and South West Asia. It is a small to medium tree that has seeds enclosed in a soft, red, berry like armor. The berry armor is the only part of the fruit that is not poisonous and this allows birds to eat the fruit and spread the seeds without ill effect. It takes a dose of about 50g to be fatal to a human. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, muscle tremors, convulsion, collapse and finally cardiac arrest. In cases of severe poisoning, death can set in so fast that the other symptoms are missed.

5-Water hemlock

Water hemlock, or poison parsnip, is a group of highly poisonous plants that is native to the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. The plants all have very distinctive small white or green flowers, arranged in an umbrella shape. Water hemlock is considered to be North America’s most poisonous plant as it is incredibly poisonous to humans. The plants contain a toxin named cicutoxin which causes seizures. This poison is found in all parts of the plant but is most concentrated in the roots, which is most potent in the spring. Besides the almost immediate seizures, other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pains, tremors and confusion. Death is usually caused by respiratory failure or ventricular fibrillation and can occur just a few hours after ingestion.

4-Wolfsbane

Wolfsbane, also known as leopard’s bane, woman’s bane or devils helmet, is a plant belonging to the buttercup family. These perennial plants are native to mountainous regions of the northern hemisphere. The plant contains very large quantities of a poison called alkaloid pseudaconitine, which used to be used by the Ainu people of Japan as poison for hunting, on the tips of their arrow heads. In cases of ingestion, symptoms, which include burning in the limbs and abdomen, sets in immediately. In cases of large doses, death can occur within 2-6 hours and 20ml is enough to kill an adult human.

Interestingly, Wolfsbane is also mentioned in mythology and werewolf lore as being able to either repel the werewolves/lycanthropes, or to induce the wolf state regardless of the moon phase. Hence the name.

3-Rosary Pea

The Rosary Pea, also known as Crab’s eye or Jumbie bead, is a slender perennial climber that twines around trees, shrubs and hedges. The plant is native to Indonesia, but grows in most parts of the world. It is best known for its seeds, which are used as beads, and have a bright red to arrange color with a single black spot (not unlike an inverted black widow). The poison contained in the plant (abrin) is very similar to the poison ricin, found in some other poisonous plants. There is one main difference between these poisons, and that is that abrin is about 75 times stronger than ricin. This concludes that the lethal dose is much less, and in some cases as little as 3 micrograms can kill an adult human. Using seeds as beads even poses a huge threat, as people have been known to die, just from pricking

their fingers on the drill bits used to drill the tiny holes in the seeds.

2-Belladonna

Belladonna, also known as Devils berries, death cherries or deadly nightshade, is native to Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. It is also one of the world’s most poisonous plants as it contains Tropane alkaloids, some of which cause delirium and hallucinations. Other symptoms of Belladonna poisoning include loss of voice, dry mouth, headaches, breathing difficulty and convulsions. The whole plant is poisonous, but berries usually play the greatest risk, as they are sweet and tend to attract children. 10 – 20 berries can kill an adult, but it only takes 1 leaf (in which the poisons are

much more concentrated) to kill a full grown man.

Strangely, our very “intelligent” ancestors of the Elizabethan era (1500s) used Belladonna as part of their daily cosmetic routine. They used drops made from the plant as eye drops, to dilate their pupils, which was considered attractive and gave the user a dreamy look. Not being very knowledgeable at the time, the women also drank cyanide, or “bled” themselves to obtain a pale, translucent skin color, in addition to painting their faces white with a lead based paint called cerise.

1-Castor plants

Thinking back to the time your mother forced Castor oil down your throat, I bet you would never have guessed that it came from the most poisonous plant in the world (even if it did taste like it).

Castor plants are indigenous to the Mediterranean basin, eastern Africa and India, but are widely grown as an ornamental plant. A toxin called ricin is found throughout the plant, but is concentrated in the seeds/beans (which castor oil is made from). One raw seed is enough to kill a human in 2 days, which makes for a long, agonizing and unstoppable death. The first symptoms will be experienced within a few hours and will include a burning sensation in the throat & mouth, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea and vomiting. The process is unstoppable and the final cause of death will be dehydration.

Strangely, humans are the most sensitive to these seeds, as it takes 1-4 to kill a full grown human, 11 to kill a dog and a whopping 80 seeds to kill a duck.

The castor plant currently holds the Guinness World Record for most poisonous plant.

Ref:newvision2012.weebly

S'pore women fifth most unfaithful in the world

S'pore women fifth most unfaithful in the world, says Durex survey

Singapore women have been ranked the fifth most unfaithful in the world, according to a survey by condom maker Durex.

The objective of the study was to find out who the most unfaithful lovers in the world are.

The survey polled 29,000 women in 36 countries, and the women of Ghana came out tops. Sixty-two per cent of them admitted that they often cheated on their boyfriends and husbands.

In second place were Thai women (59 per cent), while Malaysian women were third (39 per cent). In fourth and fifth place were Russian (33 per cent) and Singapore (19 per cent) women respectively.

Results from the same survey showed that men from Singapore and Hong Kong are the most promiscuous in Asia, with an average of 16 bed partners in their lifetime.

Malaysian men apparently have sexual relations with an average of three women on a casual basis in their lifetime.
Ref;stomp

Nigerian women are the most unfaithful -Durex

Survey shows that 62 percent admitted to cheating on spouses

ARTICLE | DECEMBER 7, 2011 - 4:57PM | BY NKECHI OPURUM

A survey conducted by condom manufacturer, Durex, in which 29,000 people in 36 countries were interviewed has ranked Nigerian women as the most unfaithful in the world.

According to the survey, Thailand men are the most unfaithful in the world, with 54 percent of them admitting to cheating on their spouses.

South Korea came in second with 34 percent, while Malaysia ranked number three with 33 percent.

The survey revealed that the top two countries with cheating women are Nigeria, with 62 percent, and Thailand, 59 percent.

39 percent of Malaysian women also confessed to having betrayed their partners. Russian women came fourth at 33 percent while Singaporeans are fifth at 19 percent. 

Ref:dailytimes

10 mostunfaithful wives in the world

Recently in December of 2011, 29,000 people in 36 countries were interviewed by Durex, the condom manufacturer. They found that the following people were the most likely to cheat and commit adultery. All in all, 50-65% of husbands and 40-55% of wives have an affair before they are 40.

1. Nigerian women:

62% of Nigerian women are the most unfaithful. Recently Major Chitsiko, a soldier committed suicide after his wife cheated on his. The couple was estranged. Also in November 20011, Erelu Tola Solomon, a social elite in Lagos and Abuja, decided to ruin her 25 year marriage after having sex with a Lagos businessman.





2. Thai women:

59% of women living in Thailand admitted to cheating on their husbands. The rules seem more relaxed in Thailand then they are in the West. Many husbands even allow their wives to commit adultery.





3. British women:

A UNLV article on infidelity and extramarital affairs noted that Britain had cases at a rate of 42%,

The country experiences a high rate of women cheating.





4. Malaysian women:

33% of Malaysians are known to cheat. 39% of the Malaysian women, in particular, are known to betray their marriage vows. It was also revealed that Malaysian men had an average 3 sex partners.





5. Russian women:

33% of Russian women are known to be cheaters. Interestingly enough, the adulterer is not the one to blame in Russia. The finger is pointed towards the person who kindles the affair. The fingers also point to women and that has been a century old tradition for 100s of years.





6. Singaporean women:

Durex has established that 19% of women in Singapore are known to be unfaithful. Singapore men are known to have up to 16 sex partners, which explains why the country has 19% unfaithful women.





7. French women:

Women in France are 16.3% likely to commit adultery. Men are 22% likely. A Huffington Post article believes that France made adultery mandatory, given that 93% of the population is committing it.








8. American women:

14% of married women have admitted to having an affair once during their married life. 54% of the married men did not know about their spouses extramarital activities. This comes in a society where 50% believe that adultery is morally wrong. Interestingly enough 61% of Americans

believe that adultery should not be a crime.





9. Italian women:

The judicial system in Italy has decriminalized adultery for married women.

The women now can lie about having an affair to protect their honor.





10. Indian women:

Women are known to be adulterous in the country of India. India does not recognize the crime infidelity causes. This is probably the main reason why there is a huge a risk of HIV and AIDS.

Ref:newvision2012.weebly

Myanmar in Transition: Opportunities and Challenges

Myanmar in Transition: Opportunities and Challenges

Ref:Scribd

UNICEF's commitment to Myanmar's children

Never see than: More Video!

© UNICEF Myanmar/2004/Noorani

UNICEF has been working in Myanmar continuously since 1950. Despite difficult political and economic circumstances, UNICEF helped to successfully initiate programs to protect children against small pox, leprosy and yaws. Over time, UNICEF expanded its programs to support the development of rural health services, basic education for children, and community water supply and sanitation systems. More recently, UNICEF has supported HIV/AIDS prevention, early childhood development, and child protection programs. UNICEF also advocated for Myanmar's accession to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which the government ratified in the 1990s.

More recently, UNICEF has supported HIV/AIDS prevention, early childhood development, and child protection programs.

Today UNICEF supports some programs (such as immunization) throughout the country, while it supports other programs (such as malaria prevention) primarily in high-risk areas of Myanmar. Wherever it can, UNICEF supports an integrated package of health, education, water supply and sanitation interventions as it now does in 61 of Myanmar's most vulnerable townships. UNICEF has field officers positioned throughout the country to enhance implementation and ensure that the assistance it provides reaches those children and women for whom it is intended.

The overriding goal of UNICEF's current program in Myanmar is to protect and further children's rights to survival, development, protection and participation. Recognizing that the wellbeing of children is closely linked to the health and wellbeing of their mothers, UNICEF also works to help women in Myanmar realize these fundamental rights.

Myanmar -Monthly Humanitarian Update Dec and Jan 2012 FINAL-UN Ocha

Want to more read:Unicef Myanmar annual report!

A country of contrasts

© UNICEF Myanmar/2004/Noorani

Myanmar is one of Southeast Asia's largest nations, with a population of more than 52 million people. With 135 different ethnic groups calling Myanmar home, it is also one of the world's most diverse countries, with a rich history and panoply of cultural and religious traditions.

Myanmar is a geographically diverse country, boasting fertile tropical deltas in the south and a rugged landscape in the Himalayan foothills of the north. The country is situated along the Bay of Bengal, and shares borders with Bangladesh, China, India, the Lao PDR and Thailand.

Approximately 70% of Myanmar's people live in the countryside, and most rural families make their living from farming. While the country is rich in natural resources, the per capita gross national income has been estimated to be only US$ 220 a year.

Long standing conflicts have exacerbated the challenges that many families face. Public sector investments and expenditures in most program areas in which UNICEF works, such as education and health, are extremely low. Myanmar also receives very little overseas development assistance (ODA). Current internal and international investment levels are not sufficient to provide all of the nation's children with an education, healthcare and other basic social services.

Because of its size and diversity, there are disparities between children living in different areas of Myanmar in terms of access to basic health services, clean water and adequate sanitation facilities, malnutrition rates, primary school enrollment and completion rates, and protective services. UNICEF works with many partners to address these disparities and to try to provide basic services to all of the country's children.