Me thinks that all humans are equal but evidently some are more equal and others are first among equals. Had it not been so, why the secret phobias of celebrities are getting so much of attention and while I have so many phobias, I am not even being sympathized with. Scarlett Johansson fears cockroaches and so do I. But she gets publicity and the money. I get neither.

Nicole Kidman is afraid is afraid of butterflies. I will give this one a pass – I am man enough not to be afraid of butterflies. Jennifer Aniston has been terrified of flying while Jennifer Love Hewitt is afraid of elevators. Wow! that means there is a good chance of them leaning over me if I were there with one Jennifer flying and the other one in the elevator! Nice thought.

Meanwhile, American actress Lynda Carter speaks about her booze battle and how it had affected her life. Carter, who had played the role of Wonder Woman, revealed that she had become an alcoholic after appearing as the super-hero in the iconic 1970s TV show. I did not appear in any street play even but have been enjoying (?) booze every night since I was fifteen and I am openly talking about it now. Any takers?

Talking about hot and famous Angelina Jolie, her latest tattoos have been inspired by none other than Sir Winston Churchill,and two temporary tattoos that the actress sports on her arm. I have a host of tattoos on my arms, legs, chest and some unmentionable areas. Why don’t you just check it out. Free burger guaranteed!

Ans this one takes the cake.

A hair extension that fell off British supermodel Kate Moss’ head has sold for 805 euros on auction website eBay. Moss’ blonde hair extension had come off as she was leaving the Berlin club, where a party to celebrate the launch of her new perfume, Velvet Hour had been held.

If I could sell hundred such hair extensions every month, I’d be making a cool 80,000 Euros per month without doing anything. I will hold frequent  “My Hair Special” parties and give a couple of bunches for charity. I could even sell my real hair for financing the Mars or Venus expedition or discovery of new energy sources. But let me just say here that I love my hairs more than anything even if that “anything” is much needed money.

If anyone of you has something in common with a celebrity and would like to mention it, please go ahead to write in the comments below. We will provide you much needed space. Who knows what you might get!

“This joy at having fathered LSD was tarnished when LSD was swept up in the huge wave of an inebriant mania” Albert Hofmann wrote in his book LSD: My Problem Child. He died on 29th April and was 102 years old.

It is a common perception that LSD was invented by mistake but Albert Hofmann denies it vehemently. He says, “Time and again I hear or read that LSD was discovered by accident. This is only partly true. LSD came into being within a systematic research program, and the “accident” did not occur until much later: when LSD was already five years old, I happened to experience its unforeseeable effects in my own body—or rather, in my own mind.

While researching lysergic acid derivatives, Hofmann first synthesized LSD-25 in 1938. It was set aside for five years, until April 16, 1943, when Hofmann decided to take another look at it. While re-synthesizing the LSD, he accidentally consumed a small sample and serendipitously discovered its powerful effects. Three days later, on April 19, Hofmann deliberately consumed 250 micrograms of LSD before his bicycle ride home. This was followed by a series of self-experiments conducted by Hofmann and his colleagues. This is how LSD came into being.

His foundation homepage www.hofmann.org reads” It saddens us to confirm that Dr. Albert Hofmann passed away at his home in Burg outside of Basel, Switzerland today, April 29 2008 at the age of 102 years. Dr. Hofmann was at his home with two of his care takers, he passed away at 9am local time. Dr Hofmann follows his late wife Anita, who passed away this past December.”

Syphilis is a STD or sexually transmitted disease caused by the Treponema pallidum spirochete. It occurs mostly by way of sexual contact. The signs and symptoms of syphilis are numerous; before the advent of serological testing, precise diagnosis was very difficult. In fact, the disease was dubbed the “Great Imitator” because it was often confused with other diseases, particularly in its tertiary stage.

Basic Syphilis can be easily treated with antibiotics including penicillin. The oldest and still most effective method is an intramuscular injection of benzathine penicillin. However, the more severe manifestation includes “neurosyphilis. In a study of untreated syphilis, 10% of patients developed cardiovascular syphilis, 16% had gumma formation, and 7% had neurosyphilis. So all ye sexually active man and women, stay away from unknown partners and be cautious while having a sexual relationship. It is not AIDS but can be equally painful and life threatening.

Let’s see what is Normal Syphilis disease like:

Primary syphilis is typically acquired via direct sexual contact with the infectious lesions of a person with syphilis. Approximately 10-90 days after the initial exposure (average 21 days), a skin lesion appears at the point of contact, which is usually the genitalia, but can be anywhere on the body. This lesion, called a chancre, is a firm, painless skin ulceration localized at the point of initial exposure to the spirochete, often on the penis, vagina or rectum.

Secondary syphilis occurs approximately 1-6 months (commonly 6 to 8 weeks) after the primary infection. There are many different manifestations of secondary disease. There may be a symmetrical reddish-pink non-itchy rash on the trunk and extremities.[20] The rash can involve the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. In moist areas of the body, the rash becomes flat broad whitish lesions known as condylomata lata. Mucous patches may also appear on the genitals or in the mouth.

Tertiary syphilis usually occurs 1-10 years after the initial infection, though in some cases it can take up to 50 years. This stage is characterized by the formation of gummas which are soft, tumor-like balls of inflammation known as granulomas.

Neurosyphilis refers to a site of infection involving the central nervous system (CNS). Neurosyphilis may occur at any stage of syphilis. Before the advent of antibiotics, it was typically seen in 25-35% of patients with syphilis. Neurosyphilis is now most common in patients with HIV infection. Reports of neurosyphilis in HIV-infected persons are similar to cases reported before the HIV pandemic. The precise extent and significance of neurologic involvement in HIV-infected patients with syphilis, reflected by either laboratory or clinical criteria, have not been well characterized. Furthermore, the alteration of host immunosuppression by antiretroviral therapy in recent years has further complicated such characterization.

Approximately 35% to 40% of persons with secondary syphilis have asymptomatic central nervous system (CNS) involvement, as demonstrated by any of these on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination:

* An abnormal leukocyte cell count, protein level, or glucose level
* Demonstrated reactivity to Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) antibody test

There are four clinical types of neurosyphilis:

* Asymptomatic neurosyphilis
* Meningovascular syphilis
* General paresis[23]
* Tabes dorsalis

The late forms of neurosyphilis (tabes dorsalis and general paresis) are seen much less frequently since the advent of antibiotics. The most common manifestations today are asymptomatic or symptomatic meningitis. Acute syphilitic meningitis usually occurs within the first year of infection; 10% of cases are diagnosed at the time of the secondary rash. Patients present with headache, meningeal irritation, and cranial nerve abnormalities, especially the optic nerve, facial nerve, and the vestibulocochlear nerve. Rarely, it affects the spine instead of the brain, causing focal muscle weakness or sensory loss.

Meningovascular syphilis occurs a few months to 10 years (average, 7 years) after the primary syphilis infection. Meningovascular syphilis can be associated with prodromal symptoms lasting weeks to months before focal deficits are identifiable. Prodromal symptoms include unilateral numbness, paresthesias, upper or lower extremity weakness, headache, vertigo, insomnia, and psychiatric abnormalities such as personality changes. The focal deficits initially are intermittent or progress slowly over a few days. However, it can also present as an infectious arteritis and cause an ischemic stroke, an outcome more commonly seen in younger patients. Angiography may be able to demonstrate areas of narrowing in the blood vessels or total occlusion.

General paresis, otherwise known as general paresis of the insane, is a severe manifestation of neurosyphilis. It is a chronic dementia which ultimately results in death in as little as 2-3 years. Patients generally have progressive personality changes, memory loss, and poor judgment. More rarely, they can have psychosis, depression, or mania. Imaging of the brain usually shows atrophy.

Sexy Miley Cyrus has done it again. The teen wonder knows how to be in news all the time. Whether she she shows her “leaked” sexy images with her boyfriend, writes her memoirs or shoots topless for vanity fair, she creates some or the other show. Check out her pictures here.

So the news of the day is Hannah Montana starlet Miley Cyrus has reportedly posed ‘topless’ for Vanity Fair magazine. Big Deal…you would say. But you have to get the perspective right here. She is only 15 and an idol teenage fans worldwide, and posing for a magazine almost nothing is not a good thing. Mama won’t like it honey! Rememebr Jamie Lynn Spears? She almost did the similar stuff, let the teenage fans down and suffered a setback.

In a statement published by People.com, Cyrus that “My goal in my music and my acting is always to make people happy. For Vanity Fair, I was so honored and thrilled to work with Annie. I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be ‘artistic’ and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed.” So our dearest and cutie pie Miley didn’t know that the photos will come out like they have now! Fair Enough. We believe you.