WONDERS IN WATERMELON

It is a good supplement in diet of a diabetic patient because of its low sugar content.It is also good for weight control. Watermelon is rich in L-citrulline, an effective precursor of L-arginine. This study was conducted to determine whether dietary supplementation with watermelon pomace juice could ameliorate the metabolic syndrome in the Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rat, an animal model of noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Nine-week-old ZDF rats were assigned randomly to receive drinking water containing 0% (control) or 0.2% L-arginine (as 0.24% L-arginine-HCl), 63% watermelon pomace juice, 0.01% lycopene, or 0.05% citrus pectin (n = 6 per treatment). At the end of the 4-wk supplementation period, blood samples, aortic rings, and hearts were obtained for biochemical and physiological analyses. Feed or energy intakes did not differ among the 5 groups of rats. However, dietary supplementation with watermelon pomace juice or L-arginine increased serum concentrations of arginine; reduced fat accretion; lowered serum concentrations of glucose, free fatty acids, homocysteine, and dimethylarginines; enhanced GTP cyclohydrolase-I activity and tetrahydrobiopterin concentrations in the heart; and improved acetylcholine-induced vascular relaxation. Compared with the control, dietary supplementation with lycopene or citrus pectin did not affect any measured parameter. These results provide the first evidence to our knowledge for a beneficial effect of watermelon pomace juice as a functional food for increasing arginine availability, reducing serum concentrations of cardiovascular risk factors, improving glycemic control, and ameliorating vascular dysfunction in obese animals with type-II diabetes.

PRESSURE MANAGEMENT TIP

Say Cheese Smiling is a two-way mechanism. We do it when we’re relaxed and happy, but doing it can also make us feel relaxed and happy.

PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS TIP

PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS:Be on time for ALL your appointments. If you schedule a meeting, set a time to visit with a client, or tell a friend you'll meet them for a working breakfast you have to be there at the time you set or you will lose their respect. If your dispatcher tells a client the serviceman will be there at 1pm, make sure he is. It's just common courtesy, but it will really help your business.

TERROR IS OVER AT KENYAN MALL

The 4-day siege at Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya is finally over. Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta addressed the nation a few hours ago, saying they have defeated the terrorists and arrested eleven of them. The president said three floors of the mall collapsed during clearing efforts and trapped some people. He said Kenyan forces killed 5 terrorists and are currently sweeping the mall for explosives. Mr Kenyatta said 61 civilians and 6 soldiers were killed in the deadly mall slaughter that started on Saturday, and carried out by Al Qaeda linked militant group, Al Shabaab. Almost 200 people were injured while 65 people are still unaccounted for. The Kenyan president said he can't confirm the nationality of the terrorist. He also declared three days of mourning.

4 YR OLD BOY CONFRONTS KENYAN GUNMAN 'you are a very wicked man he says

A four-year-old British boy caught up in the Kenya mall massacre showed astonishing bravery by confronting a marauding gunman who ended up begging for his forgiveness, UK Daily Mail reports.
Elliot Prior, from Windsor, Berkshire, told one of the terrorists that he was a 'very bad man' as he protected his mother, Amber, who had been shot in the leg, and six-year-old sister Amelie. Incredibly, the attacker took pity on the family and bizarrely handed the children Mars bars before telling them: 'Please forgive me, we are not monsters.'
His story emerged as sporadic gunfire continued to ring out from inside the mall early today as Kenyan security forces battled Al Qaeda-linked terrorists into a fourth day.
Despite Kenyan police assurances that they had taken control of the building, a security expert with contacts inside the mall said at least 10 hostages were still being held by a band of attackers, possibly as many as 13.
(Picture above) 4 year old Elliot and his sister Amelie hold Mars bars next to a dead body outside the Westgate mall after being given the chocolate by a gunman who spared their lives.



Kenya's foreign minister Amina Mohamed said 'two or three' Americans and one British woman were among those who attacked the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi.
His mother, Amber, told of her family’s terrifying escape from Al Shabaab terrorists who butchered 62 people in the Nairobi shopping centre.
The film producer had been queuing to buy milk in Nairobi's Westgate Shopping Centre when the militants struck.
She hid under a cold meat counter in the Nakumatt supermarket for an hour-and-a-half with her children beneath her before terrorists finally found them and shot her in the thigh.



Elliot's uncle, Alex Coutts, told The Sun: 'They had a lucky escape. The terrorists said if any of the kids were alive in the supermarket they could leave. 'Amber made the decision to stand up and say "yes".'
'Then Elliot started arguing with them and called them bad men. He was very brave.'

After discovering the advertising producer was of French origin, the men began to plead with her and claimed that the Muslim faith ‘was not a bad one’.‘He told me I had to change my religion to Islam and said “do you forgive us? Do you forgive us?’, the mother told The Independent.
‘Naturally, I was going to say whatever they wanted and they let us go’.

Bizarrely, the terrorists handed the children Mars bars before they fled with two other children, including a 12-year-old boy who had at first refused to leave his dead mother.

The fate of 20 others who had taken refuge under the meat counter is unknown.
The family’s escape is particularly astonishing in light of the indiscriminate slaughter of men, women and children throughout the mall after Al Shabaab launched their assault on Saturday.

CHUCK COLLINS NEEDS OUR HELP

One of Nigeria's top fashion designers, Chuks Collins is suffering from kidney failure. Chuks, who is only 29, had an accident sometime last year that wasn't properly treated. He injured his leg and head in the accident and unfortunately the tissues in his leg didn't heal properly which caused cellulitis. The cellulitis caused renal disease which affected his kidneys. Chuks has been going for dialysis since July this year. His doctors told him recently that the lifespan of the kidney functioning in his body is just two weeks. Chuks needs a kidney transplant ASAP and has decided to reach out to the public for help. He needs N8million. Please anything you can donate will be greatly appreciated.

His account details:
Chuks Collins - Zenith Bank - 2005872433. God bless

PRESSURE MANAGEMENT TIP

Take a short walk. If you’re at work,  take a bathroom break or get a glass of water. Do something that changes your focus. When you come back to the problem, chances are it won’t seem nearly as insurmountable.