I'm sure like most of you, I get scores of spam and hoax emails, which I try to ignore. When, however, they are related to health issues, I try to research the information for validity (and usually fail to find 'evidence'). This article then, piqued my interest...
Unfounded health scares have been with us for a long time, from a panic over chemicals on cranberries in the 50s to the hysteria over Alar on apples in the late 1980s. Here's a list of the ones we considered most ridiculous in 2007:
Scare #1: There's deadly lead in lipstick. Not true -- the tiny amounts are harmless.
Scare #2: Fluoridated water jeopardizes your health. Nope -- it promotes dental health.
Scare #3: Red meat and processed meat increase cancer risk. Hogwash -- the studies involved people eating huge amounts and leading very sedentary lives. Meat is fine in a balanced diet.
Scare #4: The chemicals used to make Teflon cause low-birth-weight babies. No way -- the variations in weight in the studies are too small to draw such conclusions.
Scare #5: Nitrites in cured meat cause lung disease. Baloney -- super-high exposure of rats to a related chemical may cause cancer, but that's not relevant to us.
Scare #6: Roses contain toxic pesticides. Here's a better idea -- stop and smell the roses.
Scare #7: Rubber duckies are toxic to kids because of chemicals called phthalates. Another attempt to get attention by frightening parents.
Scare #8: Vaccines cause autism. Nope -- many studies have shown small traces of vaccine preservative aren't harmful to kids.
Scare #9: Office printers are as hazardous as secondhand smoke. No, no, no -- they're only comparable in that you can arbitrarily lump smoke and printer particles together as "pollution."
Scare #10: Water bottles cause cancer. Drink up -- virtually no trace of the relevant chemicals leaches into your water.
For details on these and other nonsensical scares, visit our site: www.acsh.org and until then, the American Council on Science and Health advises you to remain calm and skeptical.
Posted 02/29/2008 by The Medscape Journal of Medicine.
Presenter: Elizabeth M. Whelan, ScD, MS, MPH of the American Council on Science and Health.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
The Wonders of Baking Soda
Recently I went on a search for how to clean my very wiffy Birkenstocks, which I wear almost exclusively November-April, and came across a Q&A Forum that advised to:
make a thick paste of baking soda and (a little) water, smear over the liner, let dry, rinse off and dry again. It worked a dream!
So, after my friend KGB nearly went A over T last night on my slippery walkway, thought I see what I could find as a "natural" solution. I came across this this gem
http://www.waukeshacounty.gov/WorkArea/downloadasset.aspx?id=4742 and used the "Drain Cleaner" option. Again, great results.
My only gripe? I can only find Bicarb/Baking Soda in small packets and would like a couple of kilos under my sink!
make a thick paste of baking soda and (a little) water, smear over the liner, let dry, rinse off and dry again. It worked a dream!
So, after my friend KGB nearly went A over T last night on my slippery walkway, thought I see what I could find as a "natural" solution. I came across this this gem
http://www.waukeshacounty.gov/WorkArea/downloadasset.aspx?id=4742 and used the "Drain Cleaner" option. Again, great results.
My only gripe? I can only find Bicarb/Baking Soda in small packets and would like a couple of kilos under my sink!
Friday, April 25, 2008
ANZAC Day
Lest we forget ...
The Anzac on the Wall
I wanderer thru a country town, 'cos I had some time to spare,
And went into an antique shop to see what was in there.
Old Bikes and pumps and kero lamps, but hidden by it all,
A photo of a soldier boy - an Anzac on the Wall.
'The Anzac have a name?' I asked. The old man answered 'No,.
The ones who could have told me mate, have passed on long ago.
The old man kept on talking and, according to his tale,
The photo was unwanted junk bought from a clearance sale.
'I asked around,' the old man said, 'but no one knows his face,
He's been on that wall twenty years... deserves a better place.
For some one must have loved him, so it seems a shame somehow.'
I nodded in agreement and then said, 'I'll take him now.'
My nameless digger's photo, well it was a sorry sight
A cracked glass pane and a broken frame - I had to make it right
To prise the photo from its frame I took care just in case,
Cause only sticky paper held the cardboard back in place.
I peeled away the faded screed and much to my surprise,
Two letters and a telegram appeared before my eyes
The first reveals my Anzac's name, and regiment of course
John Mathew Francis Stuart - of Australia 's own Light Horse.
This letter written from the front... my interest now was keen
This note was dated August seventh 1917
'Dear Mum, I'm at Khalasa Springs not far from the Red Sea
They say it's in the Bible - looks like a Billabong to me.
'My Kathy wrote I'm in her prayers... she's still my bride to be
I just cant wait to see you both, you're all the world to me.
And Mum you'll soon meet Bluey, last month they shipped him out
I told him to call on you when he's up and about.'
'That bluey is a larrikin, and we all thought it funny
He lobbed a Turkish hand grenade into the Co's dunny.
I told you how he dragged me wounded, in from no man's land
He stopped the bleeding closed the wound with only his bare hand.'
'Then he copped it at the front from some stray shrapnel blast
It was my turn to drag him in and I thought he wouldn't last.
He woke up in hospital, and nearly lost his mind
Cause out there on the battlefield he'd left one leg behind.'
'He's been in a bad way Mum, he knows he'll ride no more
Like me he loves a horse's back, he was a champ before.
So Please Mum can you take him in, he's been like my own brother
Raised in a Queensland orphanage he' s never known a mother.'
But Struth, I miss Australia Mum, and in my mind each day
I am a mountain cattleman on high plains far away.
I'm mustering white-faced cattle, with no camel's hump in sight
And I waltz my Matilda by a campfire every night
I wonder who rides Billy, I heard the pub burnt down
I'll always love you and please say hooroo to all in town'.
The second letter I could see, was in a lady's hand
An answer to her soldier son there in a foreign land.
Her copperplate was perfect, the pages neat and clean
It bore the date, November 3rd 1917.
'T'was hard enough to lose your Dad, without you at the war
I'd hoped you would be home by now - each day I miss you more'
'Your Kathy calls around a lot since you have been away
To share with me her hopes and dreams about your wedding day.
And Bluey has arrived - and what a godsend he has been
We talked and laughed for days about the things you've done and seen'
'He really is a comfort, and works hard around the farm,
I read the same hope in his eyes that you won't come to harm.
Mc Connell's kids rode Billy, but suddenly that changed.
We had a violent lightning storm, and it was really strange.'
'Last Wednesday, just on midnight, not a single cloud in sight,
It raged for several minutes, it gave us all a fright.
It really spooked your Billy - and he screamed and bucked and reared
And then he rushed the sliprail fence, which by a foot he cleared'
'They brought him back next afternoon, but something's changed I fear
It's like the day you brought him home, for no one can get near.
Remember when you caught him with his black and flowing mane?
Now Horse breakers fear the beast that only you can tame,'
'That's why we need you home son' - then the flow of ink went dry-
This letter was unfinished, and I couldn't work out why.
Until I started reading, the letter number three
A yellow telegram delivered news of tragedy,
Her son killed in action - oh - what pain that must have been
The Same date as her letter - 3rd November 17
This letter which was never sent, became then one of three
She sealed behind the photo's face - the face she longed to see.
And John's home town's old timers - children when he went to war
Would say no greater cattleman had left the town before.
They knew his widowed mother well - and with respect did tell
How when she lost her only boy she lost her mind as well.
She could not face the awful truth, to strangers she would speak
'My Johnny's at the war you know, he's coming home next week.'
They all remembered Bluey he stayed on to the end.
A younger man with wooden leg became her closest friend.
And he would go and find her when she wandered old and weak
And always softly say 'yes dear - John will be home next week.'
Then when she died Bluey moved on, to Queensland some did say.
I tried to find out where he went, but don't know to this day.
And Kathy never wed - a lonely spinster some found odd.
She wouldn't set foot in a church - she'd turned her back on God.
John's mother left no Will I learned on my detective trail.
This explains my photo's journey, of that clearance sale.
So I continued digging, cause I wanted to know more.
I found John's name with thousands, in the records of the war.
His last ride proved his courage - a ride you will acclaim
The Light Horse Charge at Beersheba of everlasting fame.
That last day in October back in 1917
At 4pm our brave boys fell - that sad fact I did glean.
That's when John's life was sacrificed, the record's crystal clear
But 4pm in Beersheba is midnight over here......
So as John's gallant sprit rose to cross the great divide,
Were lightning bolts back home, a signal from the other side?
Is that why Billy bolted and went racing as in pain?
Because he'd never feel his master on his back again?
Was it coincidental? same time - same day - same date?
Some proof of numerology, or just a quirk of fate?
I think it's more than that you know, as I've heard wiser men,
Acknowledge there are many things that go beyond our ken
Where craggy peaks guard secrets neath dark skies torn asunder,
Where hoofbeats are companions to the rolling waves of thunder
Where lightning cracks like 303's and ricochets again
Where howling moaning gusts of wind sound just like dying men
Some Mountain cattlemen have sworn on lonely alpine track,
They've glimpsed a huge black stallion - Light Horseman on his back.
Yes Sceptics say, it's swirling clouds just forming apparitions
Oh no, my friend you can't dismiss all this as superstition.
The desert of Beersheba - or windswept Aussie range,
John Stuart rides on forever there - Now I don't find that all strange.
Now some gaze upon this photo, and they often question me
And I tell them a small white lie, and say he's family.
'You must be proud of him.' they say - I tell them, one and all,
That's why he takes - the pride of place - my Anzac on the Wall.
(attributed to "Dave")
The Anzac on the Wall
I wanderer thru a country town, 'cos I had some time to spare,
And went into an antique shop to see what was in there.
Old Bikes and pumps and kero lamps, but hidden by it all,
A photo of a soldier boy - an Anzac on the Wall.
'The Anzac have a name?' I asked. The old man answered 'No,.
The ones who could have told me mate, have passed on long ago.
The old man kept on talking and, according to his tale,
The photo was unwanted junk bought from a clearance sale.
'I asked around,' the old man said, 'but no one knows his face,
He's been on that wall twenty years... deserves a better place.
For some one must have loved him, so it seems a shame somehow.'
I nodded in agreement and then said, 'I'll take him now.'
My nameless digger's photo, well it was a sorry sight
A cracked glass pane and a broken frame - I had to make it right
To prise the photo from its frame I took care just in case,
Cause only sticky paper held the cardboard back in place.
I peeled away the faded screed and much to my surprise,
Two letters and a telegram appeared before my eyes
The first reveals my Anzac's name, and regiment of course
John Mathew Francis Stuart - of Australia 's own Light Horse.
This letter written from the front... my interest now was keen
This note was dated August seventh 1917
'Dear Mum, I'm at Khalasa Springs not far from the Red Sea
They say it's in the Bible - looks like a Billabong to me.
'My Kathy wrote I'm in her prayers... she's still my bride to be
I just cant wait to see you both, you're all the world to me.
And Mum you'll soon meet Bluey, last month they shipped him out
I told him to call on you when he's up and about.'
'That bluey is a larrikin, and we all thought it funny
He lobbed a Turkish hand grenade into the Co's dunny.
I told you how he dragged me wounded, in from no man's land
He stopped the bleeding closed the wound with only his bare hand.'
'Then he copped it at the front from some stray shrapnel blast
It was my turn to drag him in and I thought he wouldn't last.
He woke up in hospital, and nearly lost his mind
Cause out there on the battlefield he'd left one leg behind.'
'He's been in a bad way Mum, he knows he'll ride no more
Like me he loves a horse's back, he was a champ before.
So Please Mum can you take him in, he's been like my own brother
Raised in a Queensland orphanage he' s never known a mother.'
But Struth, I miss Australia Mum, and in my mind each day
I am a mountain cattleman on high plains far away.
I'm mustering white-faced cattle, with no camel's hump in sight
And I waltz my Matilda by a campfire every night
I wonder who rides Billy, I heard the pub burnt down
I'll always love you and please say hooroo to all in town'.
The second letter I could see, was in a lady's hand
An answer to her soldier son there in a foreign land.
Her copperplate was perfect, the pages neat and clean
It bore the date, November 3rd 1917.
'T'was hard enough to lose your Dad, without you at the war
I'd hoped you would be home by now - each day I miss you more'
'Your Kathy calls around a lot since you have been away
To share with me her hopes and dreams about your wedding day.
And Bluey has arrived - and what a godsend he has been
We talked and laughed for days about the things you've done and seen'
'He really is a comfort, and works hard around the farm,
I read the same hope in his eyes that you won't come to harm.
Mc Connell's kids rode Billy, but suddenly that changed.
We had a violent lightning storm, and it was really strange.'
'Last Wednesday, just on midnight, not a single cloud in sight,
It raged for several minutes, it gave us all a fright.
It really spooked your Billy - and he screamed and bucked and reared
And then he rushed the sliprail fence, which by a foot he cleared'
'They brought him back next afternoon, but something's changed I fear
It's like the day you brought him home, for no one can get near.
Remember when you caught him with his black and flowing mane?
Now Horse breakers fear the beast that only you can tame,'
'That's why we need you home son' - then the flow of ink went dry-
This letter was unfinished, and I couldn't work out why.
Until I started reading, the letter number three
A yellow telegram delivered news of tragedy,
Her son killed in action - oh - what pain that must have been
The Same date as her letter - 3rd November 17
This letter which was never sent, became then one of three
She sealed behind the photo's face - the face she longed to see.
And John's home town's old timers - children when he went to war
Would say no greater cattleman had left the town before.
They knew his widowed mother well - and with respect did tell
How when she lost her only boy she lost her mind as well.
She could not face the awful truth, to strangers she would speak
'My Johnny's at the war you know, he's coming home next week.'
They all remembered Bluey he stayed on to the end.
A younger man with wooden leg became her closest friend.
And he would go and find her when she wandered old and weak
And always softly say 'yes dear - John will be home next week.'
Then when she died Bluey moved on, to Queensland some did say.
I tried to find out where he went, but don't know to this day.
And Kathy never wed - a lonely spinster some found odd.
She wouldn't set foot in a church - she'd turned her back on God.
John's mother left no Will I learned on my detective trail.
This explains my photo's journey, of that clearance sale.
So I continued digging, cause I wanted to know more.
I found John's name with thousands, in the records of the war.
His last ride proved his courage - a ride you will acclaim
The Light Horse Charge at Beersheba of everlasting fame.
That last day in October back in 1917
At 4pm our brave boys fell - that sad fact I did glean.
That's when John's life was sacrificed, the record's crystal clear
But 4pm in Beersheba is midnight over here......
So as John's gallant sprit rose to cross the great divide,
Were lightning bolts back home, a signal from the other side?
Is that why Billy bolted and went racing as in pain?
Because he'd never feel his master on his back again?
Was it coincidental? same time - same day - same date?
Some proof of numerology, or just a quirk of fate?
I think it's more than that you know, as I've heard wiser men,
Acknowledge there are many things that go beyond our ken
Where craggy peaks guard secrets neath dark skies torn asunder,
Where hoofbeats are companions to the rolling waves of thunder
Where lightning cracks like 303's and ricochets again
Where howling moaning gusts of wind sound just like dying men
Some Mountain cattlemen have sworn on lonely alpine track,
They've glimpsed a huge black stallion - Light Horseman on his back.
Yes Sceptics say, it's swirling clouds just forming apparitions
Oh no, my friend you can't dismiss all this as superstition.
The desert of Beersheba - or windswept Aussie range,
John Stuart rides on forever there - Now I don't find that all strange.
Now some gaze upon this photo, and they often question me
And I tell them a small white lie, and say he's family.
'You must be proud of him.' they say - I tell them, one and all,
That's why he takes - the pride of place - my Anzac on the Wall.
(attributed to "Dave")
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Earth Day - 22 April
On 22 April join people around the world by taking 2 minutes to focus on the feeling of appreciation and gratitude for our fabulous planet:
http://www.heartmath.org/million_hearts/
http://www.heartmath.org/million_hearts/
Saturday, April 5, 2008
ENERGY SLICE
Here's a quick 'treat' recipe, that's healthy for you:
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup unprocessed bran
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup wholemeal plain flour (or other flour if your allergic to wheat etc)
1/4 cup raw sugar (optional and not really needed)
1 cup of rolled oats
1/4 cup seasame seeds
1 cup of chopped nuts (pecan, walnut, brazil, almond - your favourite)
3/4 cup sultanas
1/2 cup butter (melted)
1 tablespoon honey
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
METHOD
Preheat oven to moderate (about 170C if fan-forced)
Lightly grease or line at 28cm x 18cm slice tin
Melt the butter and still in the honey
In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients
Pour in the butter & honey mix and the beaten eggs
Mix thoroughly
Press firmly into slice tin and cooked for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes the slice (I do 3 x 6)
Allow to cool fully before removing from tin
Store in airtight container (if you need, I swear it won't last long though!)
Enjoy
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup unprocessed bran
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup wholemeal plain flour (or other flour if your allergic to wheat etc)
1/4 cup raw sugar (optional and not really needed)
1 cup of rolled oats
1/4 cup seasame seeds
1 cup of chopped nuts (pecan, walnut, brazil, almond - your favourite)
3/4 cup sultanas
1/2 cup butter (melted)
1 tablespoon honey
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
METHOD
Preheat oven to moderate (about 170C if fan-forced)
Lightly grease or line at 28cm x 18cm slice tin
Melt the butter and still in the honey
In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients
Pour in the butter & honey mix and the beaten eggs
Mix thoroughly
Press firmly into slice tin and cooked for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes the slice (I do 3 x 6)
Allow to cool fully before removing from tin
Store in airtight container (if you need, I swear it won't last long though!)
Enjoy
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Kirribilli: my home
From the 25m pool deck, across the Olympic pool - close enough to the Harbour to touch
View from gym window, across pool to Harbour Bridge: Inspiration in a cup!
Looking across Sydney Harbour to Kirribilli
Mobile phone manners
Got this from Flying Solo (see link under 'Favourites') and wholeheartedly concur:
It’s my observation that shortly after the mobile phone was introduced to society, we rewrote the book on manners. Here are seven things about mobile phone manners that really set me off:
Checking for and responding to every call and text immediately doesn’t make you important and indispensable nor does it make you look important and indispensable. It does make you seem like a person who can’t stand to be on their own for five minutes. The off button is the most important feature of your phone – use it regularly.
It’s hard to believe, but there are some places where it is inappropriate to hear mobile phone rings/beeps and alerts. At the top of my list are restaurants, churches, movie theatres, restaurants, hospitals and did I mention – restaurants? Once again the key here is utilising the oft-forgotten off button or silent mode.
Don’t answer/make calls at the same time you are ordering your coffee or lunch. The person trying to take your order thinks you’re an idiot, and so does everyone else in the queue.
Texting has its benefits, but it’s not the medium for cancelling work meetings, social dates or relationships. It’s an easy out for those who can’t be bothered explaining themselves or having a difficult conversation. It is however, brilliant for confirming both work and social appointments
Ringtones – Anything sounding vaguely like an actual ring is acceptable. Most music clips don’t make the grade, only for the fact that the tinny quality of the phone detracts seriously from he enjoyment of the actual music. There’s no question that I would love to hear a three second riff from Rhianna’s latest (particularly but not limited to – Under my um-ber-ellaaaa, um-ber-ellaaaa , um-ber-ellaaaa) but the phone just doesn’t do it justice.
The obvious and clear exception to this is Who Let the Dogs Out, which should be installed as a default ring on all mobiles.
Under no circumstances should you use the speaker phone functionality when other people are within hearing distance. This is doubly important for any personal calls. There are no circumstances under which we want to know about the inner workings of your family feuds or current status of your relationships
Never drink and dial or drink and text – the risk of saying something you’ll regret, or something that is actually true but you never intended the other person to know – is extremely high.
Have you got any more unacceptable mobile phone manners to add?
Resource: http://www.flyingsolo.com.au/p258414457_Mobile-phone-manners.html
It’s my observation that shortly after the mobile phone was introduced to society, we rewrote the book on manners. Here are seven things about mobile phone manners that really set me off:
Checking for and responding to every call and text immediately doesn’t make you important and indispensable nor does it make you look important and indispensable. It does make you seem like a person who can’t stand to be on their own for five minutes. The off button is the most important feature of your phone – use it regularly.
It’s hard to believe, but there are some places where it is inappropriate to hear mobile phone rings/beeps and alerts. At the top of my list are restaurants, churches, movie theatres, restaurants, hospitals and did I mention – restaurants? Once again the key here is utilising the oft-forgotten off button or silent mode.
Don’t answer/make calls at the same time you are ordering your coffee or lunch. The person trying to take your order thinks you’re an idiot, and so does everyone else in the queue.
Texting has its benefits, but it’s not the medium for cancelling work meetings, social dates or relationships. It’s an easy out for those who can’t be bothered explaining themselves or having a difficult conversation. It is however, brilliant for confirming both work and social appointments
Ringtones – Anything sounding vaguely like an actual ring is acceptable. Most music clips don’t make the grade, only for the fact that the tinny quality of the phone detracts seriously from he enjoyment of the actual music. There’s no question that I would love to hear a three second riff from Rhianna’s latest (particularly but not limited to – Under my um-ber-ellaaaa, um-ber-ellaaaa , um-ber-ellaaaa) but the phone just doesn’t do it justice.
The obvious and clear exception to this is Who Let the Dogs Out, which should be installed as a default ring on all mobiles.
Under no circumstances should you use the speaker phone functionality when other people are within hearing distance. This is doubly important for any personal calls. There are no circumstances under which we want to know about the inner workings of your family feuds or current status of your relationships
Never drink and dial or drink and text – the risk of saying something you’ll regret, or something that is actually true but you never intended the other person to know – is extremely high.
Have you got any more unacceptable mobile phone manners to add?
Resource: http://www.flyingsolo.com.au/p258414457_Mobile-phone-manners.html
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