Zuma Fact: #47: Older Brothers are Smarter!

Research that scientists from the University of Oslo did, and which included more than two hundred and fifty thousand young men, showed that the IQ of older brothers in comparison with younger,  is higher, on average, two and a half points.

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10 Methods of Self-Defense against Depression!

Because of economic crisis, people have more reason to be depressed and less money for treatment of depression. Costs for medication and therapy are very high, even if they are covered with social insurance.

There are many things you can do yourself to help yourself feeling better, and they do not cost a dime. Here are ten ways of self-help.



1. Do not blame yourself

This is the most important thing you can do, to beat the depression. Feelings of guilt can only be a barrier on your way to recovery. Dealing with depression requires a practical, proactive approach and patience. You must be able to treat depression just as any other diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

2. Talk about it

It is not easy, but telling people about your condition is much better than keeping it secret. Of course, not all of them will understand you and be supportive. Because, if you have a headache, anyone who had it, will understand, but with a mental illness it is not so. But even if one does not fully understand what you are going through, from friends, family and other people you trust you can get emotional support and help to find the best option for treatment. Do not allow yourself to isolate.

3. Exercise regularly

This may be the last thing you do when you are depressed, but running or going to the gym can actually make you feel better. In one study, patients that regularly exercised on a treadmill or bike, in 12 weeks reduced the severity of symptoms by nearly 50 percent.

4. Postpone important decisions

Depression can affect judgment, so it is wise to postpone important decisions about relationships or career until you feel better. One of the symptoms of depression is a negative prognosis for many things that are happening in your life. It changes your view on almost everything, and you may not even be aware of it. If there is some important decision you must make, do not be impulsive. Before making a decision, consult the people around you whom you trust, such as, family, friends or even a therapist.

5. Stay healthy

If you feel depressed, lack of care about your overall health may worsen symptoms of depression. The relationship between depression and illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease is similar to the phenomenon: what is older - the chicken or the egg.  Studies show that depression can worsen these diseases and vice versa. People who have diabetes are more likely to be depressed, and there is evidence that heart disease contributes to depression, especially after heart attack.

6. Maintain a daily routine

Keeping up regular routines is very important for people who struggle with depression. Try to perform all your daily activities at the same time. Routines can help you to avoid staying in the house, the so-called pajama syndrome, which can make things worse. With routine, you show yourself and others that, if you are able to get through the day, you are able to recover.

7. Eat healthy

Everything you eat affects the brain, so if you feel depressed, it is important to eat healthy and have a balanced diet rich in grains, fruits, vegetables and proteins. Food will not do a miracle in the fight against depression, but some foods can affect your mood more than others can. For example, carbohydrates and foods that contain vitamin D increase the level of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is associated with mood. And some researches suggest that omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and fish oil, help in fight against depression.

8. Avoid alcohol and drugs

Although it may be tempting to drink or use drugs, do not do that. People who suffer from depression and anxiety often turn to alcohol and drugs to relieve symptoms, but this strategy is detrimental in the long run. Alcohol and drugs affect the brain, which can cause problems in relationships, at work, as well as in other aspects of life.

9. Try to sleep well

Depression and lack of sleep often go hand in hand. Insomnia is common thing, and in many people the lack of sleep worsens mood. This does not apply to everyone, because, lack of sleep is in some people is uplifting the mood, but not in the long run. It can also trigger mania in people with bipolar disorder. Much remains unknown about the relationship between depression and sleep, because everyone has different needs when it comes to sleep, but experts recommend enough sleep and maintaining a regular schedule of sleep and wakefulness.

10. No overload

Following a strict schedule can be a trigger for depression. If you struggle with depression, it is important not to overload and not to accept more obligations than you can handle. If you have complicated tasks at work or at home, take breaks. And remember that it's OK to slow down a little because maybe you can not do everything with a hundred percent capacity. If you really can not work, you must be compassionate with yourself. You deserve a break because you are sick.

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Zuma Fact: #46: Common (European) Tree Frogs!

The usual skin color of common (European) tree frogs or Hyla arborea, is green, but under certain conditions, these frogs are changing color. During overcast, rainy days, it is grayish or blue.

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The Best Gay Football Club in the World!

British Stonewall F.C. exists almost twenty years. It is considered as the most successful team in the world in which only gays are allowed to play. The road to success was difficult. The team came together in 1991, by responding to a classified ad in gay magazine.

The British managed to combine two things that sometimes sound incompatible - football and homosexuals. Stonewall F.C. is the most successful football club in the world in which homosexual players play, exclusively, and it exists for almost twenty years.

The road to success was difficult, with insults and discrimination all the way. It all began in 1991, when in certain London’s men gay magazine, an ad was published: "I'm looking for like-minded people with whom I could play football."  Although the author himself did not believe that so many gay men who wanted to play football will answer to his ad, this short article marked the beginning of establishing a football club for those of different sexual orientations. Just a few days after the publication, a dozen young men began to train on the court, in the eastern part of London.

Some of them have, for the first time, ran after the ball, but most of them have already, in the past, played this sport – of course, before the public acknowledgment of their sexual orientation.

- It was difficult in the beginning... We have all been, several times, faced with offensive chants at the expense of homosexuals, which are heard from the football stands and which, unfortunately, are an integral part of fan culture, so, it was extremely difficult for us. We had to, literally, rise above ourselves and gather enormous courage, to be able to play on a football field - recalls Eric Armanazi, the present coach and goalkeeper of Stonewall F.C. 

Their fears were not unjustified. Only two years earlier, near their club, in a garage, Justin Fashanu hung himself – he is, until now, the only professional footballer who, in public, spoke openly about his homosexual orientation. But, the pressure, insults, discrimination and death threats, which, after his public appearances, followed, nonetheless, made him do what he did.

- During training, we often talked about it. Most of us feared for our own lives, although, in fact, we were not famous nor popular - Armanazi says, and adds that, on the start of every game they perceived humiliation of all kinds: and from the audience and from the rival team. Even the referees often judged openly at their expense.

But the courage and persistence have paid off in the end. Ten years ago, Stonewall F.C. started playing in the Middlesex County Premier Division and since then it is playing in the league just below semi-professional clubs.  They have won numerous championships, and this year in Cologne they won, for the third time, the “Gay Games", and thus, they became, the most successful gay football club in the world. Among their sponsors is an English bank Barclays, and of this financial support even a large number of English professional clubs is dreaming.

- Despite success, we are still subjected to prejudice and abuse. Football was, and still is, a typical "male" sport, reserved exclusively for heterosexuals.  The media themselves play important role in this – says Eric, and adds that homophobia is one of the rare types of discrimination in the UK that is still "normal."

Changes

They still curse them, but it is much better situation than 10 years ago.

Coach and goalkeeper of this gay team, Eric Armanazi, says that, when we compare the situation today with the one 10 or 20 years before, the difference is like heaven and earth.

The society has changed, opened, and although there is still much that is wrong, a great progress is been made.  Today, on the stadium, we can still hear the offensive words and insults at the expense of homosexuals, but it is not like before. And, if a player of the opposing team, during a match, offends us with a sentence like: "Get up, faggot!", after the game he apologizes, while before it would have been unthinkable – Armanazi said.

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Zuma Fact: #45: Joe DiMaggio and Red Roses!

 

Joe DiMaggio (1914-1999), famous baseball player and one of the husbands of actress Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962), besides paying for the funeral of his former wife, he arranged that, for the next twenty years, three times a week, florist deliver red roses on her grave.

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