Motivational facts-Wheelchair bound bodybuilder

Once a promising football athlete, a near fatal traffic accident in 1998 changed Wheelchair Bodybuilder Champion Nick Scott's life. He was diagnosed as paraplegic, and was told that it would be physically impossible to ever walk again. Paraplegia is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. It is usually the result of spinal cord injury or a congenital condition which affects the neural elements of the spinal canal.

Nick says, 'What's the one thing you gain from losing everything? Perspective. At that point, it wasn't about if my glass was half empty or half full, I am just grateful I have a glass.'

Weightlifting gave him something to strive for, to succeed in, and in doing so benefited him more then he could have ever imagined. Over the next few years he focused intensely on strength training and conditioning his body, and in doing so began to regain some of the sensation in his lower back and legs.

At first, bench pressing kept him motivated because he felt he couldn't do anything else and he wanted to be stronger than everyone. He desired to win bench press competitions in high school, which lead to bench press competitions out of high school and he just kept striving for more.

Then after graduating college he went to Florida and competed for the first time in the 2006 Wheelchair Nationals.

'We each have a story to tell, and if we choose to, the right and responsibility to use for good what we learn through overcoming our weaknesses and developing our strengths and abilities.'
- Nick Scott

Bizarre facts-Natural Harvest

Natural Harvest: A Collection Of Semen-Based Recipes

Fotie Photenhauer, author of Natural Harvest, describes this book as:

Semen is not only nutritious, but it also has a wonderful texture and amazing cooking properties. Like fine wine and cheeses, the taste of semen is complex and dynamic. Semen is inexpensive to produce and is commonly available in many, if not most, homes and restaurants. Despite all of these positive qualities, semen remains neglected as a food.

This book hopes to change that. Once you overcome any initial hesitation, you will be surprised to learn how wonderful semen is in the kitchen. Semen is an exciting ingredient that can give every dish you make an interesting twist. If you are a passionate cook and are not afraid to experiment with new ingredients - you will love this cook book!

Amazing pictures-Shoal of Sardines

These breathtaking images show a vast school of sardines in the Philippines. The magnificent spectacle, known as a 'sardine run' sees the silver fish swimming in formation to create a shimmering wall in their annual migration.

The shoal was spotted off the coast of Pescador Island. It occurs in the region from May through to July when billions of sardines spawn in the cool waters of southern Africa and move north along the east coast and into the Indian Ocean.

Photographer Nadya Kulagina said: 'We were exploring the abundance of marine life - frog fish, moray eels, octopi, sea snakes when suddenly the sky grew dark as if overcast with unexpected clouds. 'I looked up and there were thousands, no millions of sardines moving as one organism. Their moving mass was blocking the sun turning day into night.'

'We would swim into the shoal and lose track of reality not being able to tell which way was the sky or the seabed,' explained Nadya. 'The shoal was so powerful it kept pulling us down and further off course. I was trying hard not to lose sense of direction'.

Amazing artwork with paper and scissors

Hina Aoyama, who hails from Yokohama, Japan, has an amazing talent for creating designs using just paper and a pair of scissors, and of course - a lot of hard work. The artist who currently lives in Paris, is known for her very fragile work of art, be it paper butterflies or flowery lace letters.

According to her, one job can take several hours to an entire week depending on the kind of work involved. She cuts her paper drawings, and glues them to fabric or glass. Such delicate work requires the hands of a child but Hina has created the most fragile of designs with her adult hands. Given below are pictures of some of the wonderful work that she has been doing.

Interesting facts-Queen Victoria building, Sydney

The Queen Victoria Building, now affectionately known as the QVB, was designed by George McRae and completed in 1898, replacing the original Sydney markets on the site. Built as a monument to the long reigning monarch, construction took place in dire times, as Sydney was in a severe recession. The elaborate Romanesque architecture was specially planned for the grand building so the Government could employ many out-of-work craftsmen - stonemasons, plasterers, and stained window artists - in a worthwhile project. Originally, a concert hall, coffee shops, offices, showrooms, warehouses and a wide variety of tradespeople, such as tailors, mercers, hairdressers and florists, were accommodated.

Inspirational facts-75 year old female bodybuilder

If you are feeling too lazy and thinking of skipping your workout session, then take a look at this amazing woman for motivation.

Ernestine Shepherd, of Maryland, started weight training at 71 and has not stopped since. Now she is 75. She is the Guinness Book of World Record holder for the oldest bodybuilder and attributes consistent physical activity, including a daily 10-mile early morning run, and a healthy diet to her success.

When she was 56, she and her sister attended a picnic where they wore bathing suits, but after seeing how badly she looked in her outfit she decided to begin exercising.

You can see the results!

Amazing pictures-Monkey orchid

Nature doesn’t need an audience. These wonderful orchids come from the south-eastern Ecuadorian and Peruvian cloud forests from elevations of 1000 to 2000 meters and as such not many people throughout history got to see them. However, thanks to intrepid collectors we do get to see this wonderful Monkey Orchid.

Its scientific name is Dracula simia, the last part nodding towards the fact that this remarkable orchid bears more than a passing resemblance to a monkey’s face – although we won’t go as far as to be species specific on this one. The Dracula (genus) part of its name refers to the strange characteristic of the two long spurs of the sepals, reminiscent of the fangs of a certain Transylvanian count of film and fiction fame.

The orchid was only named in 1978 by the botanist Luer but is in a family containing over 120 species mostly found in Ecuador. Up in the cloud mountains the monkey orchid can flower at any time – it is not season specific. It scent resembles that of a ripe orange.

The examples seen here are all cultivated – though it remains very rare in ‘captivity’. For that reason don’t make a dash down to your local horticulturalist. Yet for those lucky enough to have one, if kept quite cool and in partial shade and it can thrive and flower. Like all orchids, however, it needs a lot of care and patience.