Smile and say cheese…American cheese!  

Hey, great to see you today. Pour some freshly brewed Arabica into your mug and snag a virtual cheese Danish. Speaking of cheese, you may have read about it in the papers but in case you missed it…

According to reliable Canadian authorities, two police constables helped smuggle more than $200,000 worth of cheaper U.S. cheeses and other foods across the border from Buffalo to sell to pizzerias and restaurants.

The Niagara Regional Police Service reportedly said that the pair were arrested and charged, along with a third man. Charges against the three, all from Fort Erie, Ontario, include smuggling and other customs violations.

Constables Scott Heron, 39, and Casey Langelaan, 48, were suspended in June amid the investigation. Langelaan was subsequently fired.

The cheese-smuggling operation emerged from the April arrest of another NRPS constable in Buffalo on charges of trying to smuggle more than $1 million in anabolic steroids and other drugs into Canada, the CBC reported earlier this week.

The police service says "the network" bought cases of cheese and foods on the U.S. side of the border, then drove them into Canada without declaring the goods or paying duty. The products were then sold at discounts to pizza parlors and other restaurants in southern Ontario, netting the smugglers a profit of about $165,000.

Dairy regulations and import controls on U.S. products can mean Canadian cheese costs up to three times south of the border.

Another cheesy story, eh. Sure maybe cheese from the USA is cheaper and in pizza it really doesn’t make a hoot of difference with all the other flavours competing for taste bud recognition but it should be a matter of national pride, eh. Southwestern Ontario has some formidable cheeses in places like Ingersoll

and six more cheesemakers in the Niagara Region alone. But then again when you’re in the highly competitive fast food business, I guess every buck counts! 

Oh, and the Ontario Milk Marketing Board - don't get me started on that one! We lived across from a dairy farmer trying to eke out a living. By law he had to see all of the milk he produced to the OMMB and he had a quota. If one month his cows happened to produce more than his quota, he was not allowed to sell or even give away the excess. He had to throw it out. People are starving in the world. Why couldn't we ship it to them, eh? I'm sure the OMMB would come up with a reason...valid or not.

See ya, eh!

Bob

If the Mountain won't come to Dasrath, he'll move it!

A totally splendid good day to you my friend and may the elephants that pass your abode not tromp on your begonias. Let the brown nectar of the Gods generously fill your mug while you munch on a chuphati or curry samosa and whilst I tell you about Dasrath.

Dasrath Manjhi, a landless farmer from India, made history after he spent over two decades chiselling away at a mountain with rudimentary tools, in order to create a road for his community, when the Government refused to.

If you’re looking for some motivation, stories don’t get much more inspirational than that of Dasrath Manjhi. 53 years ago, he set out to carve a 1mk-long path through a rocky hillside, all by himself, in order to make it easier for his fellow villagers to access schools, markets and neighboring villagers.

“This hill had given us trouble and grief for centuries. The people had asked the government many times to make a proper road through the hill, but nobody paid any attention. So I just decided I would do it all by myself,” Manjhi told Indian newspaper Tehelka, in 2007, a shortly before succumbing to the cancer that was plaguing him. 

With just his chisel, hammer and shovel, this legendary man turned what was once a precarious one-foot-wide passage into a 360 ft-long, 30ft-wide road accessible by bicycle and motorcycle. The hill kept the region’s villages in isolation, forcing people to trek through dangerous terrain for hours just to reach their lands or the nearest market town. Children had to walk eight kilometers to reach school, but thanks to Dasrath Manjhi’s handmade road, that distance has been reduced to three kilometers, and people from over 60 villages now use it every day.

I would think his karma has taken an upswing wouldn’t you?

“Hey, Dassy.”

“What?”

“Have you finished the road yet?”

“Can you see your goats on the other side yet?”

“Ah…no.”

“Then I haven’t bloody well finished cutting the mountain out of the way, have I, you nincompoop of a goatherd!”

“No problem, Dassy. I’ll come back tomorrow…”

See ya, eh!

Bob

Comment from Doug in Bangkok:

 

Hey Bob! What about those pesky cheese smugglers in Canada? Sounds right up your gastronomic street on your return, eh?

ATB

Doug 

 

Bob's response:

 

Watch for my cheesy post tomorrow, Doug!

Japanese Company Creates Mind-Controlled Cat Tails for Humans

Aha! I thought that was you. My neurosensitive ears read the vibrations of your fingertips as they grappled with the mouse and closed in on the click button that brought you here today. So, now that you’re here – and by the way, it’s grand to see you – pour yourself a mugga and read the vibes of those mountain-sized mega-muffins on your way over here to the VIP table so I can tell you about the latest fashion ‘must have’.

Neurowear, is a Japanese company that produces, among other things, brainwave-controlled cat ears. Well, you will be delighted to know that they have just released a fluffy mind-controlled tail to go with them.

Much like their Necomimi cat ears, Shippo, the new tail developed by Neurowear is able to read your emotions and reflect your mood by wagging itself. Depending on how your heart beats and the extent to which alpha and beta brainwaves are activated, the tail moves from side to side or top to bottom at different intensities.

The feline accessory also communicates with an app that records your mood and broadcasts it out via your social network, so anyone can know when you’re happy, sad and even in love. There is even a database of places other people wearing these wacky cat tails found relaxing, so you can check them out whenever you’re looking to find some peace and quiet.

Isn’t technology wonderful? I didn’t know I even needed these, eh. Now that I’ve heard about them, I’m sure I don’t need them. But don’t let that discourage you, Neurowear guys. Keep at it and eventually you may come up with something useful such as figuring out how I can download that piping hot pizza I just ordered online!

See ya!
Bob

PS: See how much interesting stuff you get to read about in my blog? Better than the boring dailies, eh…higher prices, pension cuts, government bailout, tax hike, China declares that every island in the world is its sovereign property, political row over, another earthquake in…, a filmmaker whose brother’s mistress-in-law’s uncle’s estranged wife’s second cousin once accidentally gestured to her children and the gesture was misinterpreted by a passing fanatic which has sparked riots in 2498 cities and villages around the world… have another coffee, eh!

Chinese Hospitals Introduce Automatic Sperm Extractors

Hey there! I was wondering when you would click by today. As usual, your timing is spot-on. Madge just refreshed the coffee pot (We replace it ever 19 minutes and 39 seconds). Fill ‘er up and chow down on a virtual low-fat doughnut. Boy, have I got a dandy new invention to tell you about.

No, this is not a joke, it’s not fake, Chinese hospitals really are using automatic sperm extractors for the most serious medical purposes. I thought this was something you’d want to know about.

Automatic sperm extractors are being introduced in a Nanjing hospital. The news hit Weibo, China’s largest social platform and it spread like wildfire. It contained some photos of the unusual machine, and a brief description of its functions. Apparently, the “massage pipe” in front of the device can be adjusted according to the height of its user, and the speed, frequency, amplitude and temperature at which it operates can also be set according to personal preference.

When turned on, the screen of the extractor starts playing movies with surround sound to get the user in the right mood. The entry also said “now you can make that money standing up”, referring to the usage of the extractor for sperm bank donations, but the director of the urology department at Zhengzhou Central Hospital was quick to dismiss this rumour. Apparently, the machine is only used by infertility patients who are finding it difficult to retrieve sperm the old fashioned way. (Uh-huh!)

Yeah… wait until they figure out how many kazillions they can make by selling the machines to bars around the world. Whoa… I don’t think I’ll follow this line of reasoning much farther. No…I’m just going to sit here, drink my coffee, participate in a personal muffin munch, turn on my mental imagery and have a good snicker or two.

See ya, eh!

Bob

Onion as Weather Forecaster

It’s a grand day, isn’t it? Not here of course. We keep getting rainstorm after rainstorm and already have much flooding in the north and east of Thailand. It’s already a metre (3 feet or so) deep in some towns and slowly flowing south and west towards Bangkok. Anyway, fill your mug and then fill your other mug with a virtual muffin or pastry. Y’know…people always talk about the weather but Ken Peters has a somewhat unusual way of telling if it’s going to rain or not.

When Ken Peters predicts the coming year’s precipitation, he’s moved to tears. That’s because he uses an onion for his prognostication. He divides the onion into sections, puts salt on each section and then “reads” the prediction for upcoming moisture.

Peters has performed the annual ritual for 15 years. He started the event when he farmed near Wagner and has continued it since he retired and moved to Scotland in 2006.

 “The lady who got me started said you set up an onion on Christmas Eve, around 4 p.m.,” he said. “You put salt on the onion (sections), then go to church or just let it set for a couple of hours. Then you look at the onion.”

He prefers a larger onion to provide adequately sized sections for the “forecast.”
“It should be a South Dakota onion. It can be any color onion — white, yellow, purple,” he said.

Once the onion has been chosen, Peters cuts his “patient” vertically down the middle. Peters divides the onion into a dozen parts, with each representing a month. He spreads the sections onto a tray.

“You put the two outside, largest sections in opposite corners of the tray. One represents January, and the other one December,” he said. “You keep doing that until you have three rows, with the corresponding sections facing each other.”

Each section forms a cup, with Peters placing a half-teaspoon or teaspoon of table salt in each cup. When it comes to finding out the onion’s forecast, Peters literally peels away each layer.

“You want to leave intact the onion skin that divides each section,” he said. “If the onion skin is off, then the salt gets directly on the onion.”

After two hours, Peters checks the salt on each section. If the salt remains dry, the corresponding month will see below-normal precipitation. If the salt becomes wet and cakes into a small ball, that month will see above-normal moisture.

Peters admits the onion isn’t scientific, but he can’t explain the results.

“You would think it should be right about 50 percent of the time,” he said. “But when I look back over the years, it’s been 75 to 80 percent accurate. There must be some merit.”

Well if you ask me, this is scientific enough that the Thai government in Bangkok ought to be using it to predict how much rain they are going to get and make it an integral part of their flood prevention plan. We're dry enough here but elsewhere it's shaping up to be another flooded fall. I just hope it doesn’t hit the airport until after our flight out on November 2nd. Where'd I put my rubber duck?

See ya, eh!

Bob

Time Travel and Grammar

Hi ya. Are you a bit tense right now...as in present tense? Never mind. Help yourself to a delightfully perky mug of Arabica and a virtual treat while I totally de-tensify your mind, okay? Take a big slug of your coffee before I turn you over to Douglas Adams for his spot-on review. Ready? Here goes...

"One of the major problems encountered in time travel is not that of becoming your own father or mother. There is no problem in becoming your own father or mother that a broad-minded and well-adjusted family can't cope with. There is no problem with changing the course of history—the course of history does not change because it all fits together like a jigsaw. All the important changes have happened before the things they were supposed to change and it all sorts itself out in the end.

The major problem is simply one of grammar, and the main work to consult in this matter is Dr. Dan Streetmentioner's Time Traveler's Handbook of 1001 Tense Formations. It will tell you, for instance, how to describe something that was about to happen to you in the past before you avoided it by time-jumping forward two days in order to avoid it. The event will be described differently according to whether you are talking about it from the standpoint of your own natural time, from a time in the further future, or a time in the further past and is further complicated by the possibility of conducting conversations while you are actually travelling from one time to another with the intention of becoming your own mother or father.

Most readers get as far as the Future Semiconditionally Modified Subinverted Plagal Past Subjunctive Intentional before giving up; and in fact in later additions of the book all pages beyond this point have been left blank to save on printing costs.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy skips lightly over this tangle of academic abstraction, pausing only to note that the term "Future Perfect" has been abandoned since it was discovered not to be.”
― Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

Don't see where I could add anything to that except a reference to the song "I am my own Grandpa"...but I won't sing it for you as long as I can have another virtual doughnut! Remember...the future lies ahead?

See ya, eh!

Bob

Request for Assistance - Strictly Confidential

Well, hi there! Thanks for clicking by today. Coffee's hot and there's a new tray of virtual muffins, doughnuts and assorted pastries for your pleasure. Say...I don't know how this fellow found me but I wanted to share his letter with you. It claims to be from Dr. Bakare Tunde - yup, that's his picture above. Dr. Tunde is a Nigerian Pentecostal pastor and political activist. He has received national and international attention for his televangelism, which has sometimes been critical of the Nigerian government.

You don't suppose he'd send this letter to just anyone, would he? He obviously needs my help in a bad way. Well actually it's his cousin who needs help. Read this and see if you aren't touched by it...

Dear Mr. Sir,

I am Dr. Bakare Tunde, the cousin of Nigerian Astronaut, Air Force Major Abacha Tunde. He was the first African in space when he made a secret flight to the Salyut 6 space station in 1979. He was on a later Soviet space flight, Soyuz T-16Z to the secret Soviet military space station Salyut 8T in 1989. He was stranded there in 1990 when the Soviet Union was dissolved. His other Soviet crew members returned to earth on the Soyuz T-16Z, but his place was taken up by return cargo.

There have been occasional Progrez supply flights to keep him going since that time. He is in good humor, but wants to come home.

In the 14-years since he has been on the station, he has accumulated flight pay and interest amounting to almost $15,000,000 American Dollars. This is held in a trust at the Lagos National Savings and Trust Association. If we can obtain access to this money, we can place a down payment with the Russian Space Authorities for a Soyuz return flight to bring him back to Earth. I am told this will cost $3,000,000 American Dollars. In order to access the his trust fund we need your assistance.

Consequently, my colleagues and I are willing to transfer the total amount to your account or subsequent disbursement, since we as civil servants are prohibited by the Code of Conduct Bureau (Civil Service Laws) from opening and/ or operating foreign accounts in our names.

Needless to say, the trust reposed on you at this juncture is enormous. In return, we have agreed to offer you 20 percent of the transferred sum, while 10 percent shall be set aside for incidental expenses (internal and external) between the parties in the course of the transaction. You will be mandated to remit the balance 70 percent to other accounts in due course.

Kindly expedite action as we are behind schedule to enable us include downpayment in this financial quarter.

Please acknowledge the receipt of this message via my direct number 234 (0) 9-234-2220 only.

Yours Sincerely,

Dr. Bakare Tunde

Boy, we learn something everyday, don't we? I wasn't aware that Nigeria had Astronauts but then what do I know, eh?

Wait...let's back up a little. He was stranded in the space station in 1990 but he went up there in 1989. Dr. Tunde says he's been there 14 years. This is 2012 and according to my reckoning that would be 23 years, wouldn't it? Oh, I know...some emails take longer to arrive than others, huh? Now, where did I put my bank book? I may need a new one to hold the full 15,000,000 USD. Of course, I have to give back 70% of that but $4,500,000 (20% plus 10% expenses) will still buy a lot of coffee, eh? Even if you drink it at Starbucks!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Steve Jobs Reincarnated!

A salubrious day to you! Wonderful to see you. I hope your day is just tickety-boo. Coffee's fresh. Virtual treats are as scrumptilicious as always so go for it! Hey, most of us were saddened when Steve Jobs passed away not so long ago. Well there's good news!

An abbot at the Wat Phra Dhammakaya Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand, reported that Steve Jobs is doing well now as a "mid-level angel." He was reincarnated as "a half-Witthayathorn, half-Yak," which the Bangkok Post took to mean that Jobs continues to be a "giant" and a seeker of scientific knowledge and apparently resides in a "parallel universe" near his former office in Cupertino, Calif. [Bangkok Post via CNBC, 8-24-2012]

See...see... I told you there were parallel universes... and reincarnation. I'll bet you Steve is working on a new I-Door that will soon connect our universe to his. Be a believer! It's going to happen! Steve is like Larry the Cable Guy. He knows how to "Git-r-done!"

Watch for an I-Door opening soon near you! Of course, there will be a slight charge to use it.

See ya, eh!

Bob

Japan's Red Snow

Hi ya! Great to see you today! Wassup? You're timing is impeccable. Coffee's fresh or maybe you'd like to try some Iron Buddha tea for a change. That's a new tray of virtual goodies in front of you, too, so dig in!

We watched an interesting program on Japanese TV last night. There's an area in Northern Japan where the winters last more than half of the year. In one area there are many small lakes and in the spring, the melting snow on the lakes turns red. Scientists wanted to find out why so they took a team to the area while the snow was still white. They sunk a two-metre transparent hollow tube in the snow. When they pulled it back up, the snow on the bottom half-metre was various shades of red - deepening as it got to the bottom. So the iron was coming up from the lakebeds. Because of it's volcanic proximity, Japan has many hot springs and the water is often different colours depending on the element in the water.

Using a special field microscope, they put some of the red snow under it and discovered miniscule creatues known as water fleas living in the frozen snow. These creatures are quite transparent and the scientists could see that they has ingested some of the red snow. It turned out to be a nutrient base for them.

Back in their lab, the team analyzed the snow and found that the red colour was due to iron and its reaction with oxygen - thus iron oxide or rust. They also made a startling discovery. In a drop of the heavy red snow, there were many living organizms. These were thriving because of the iron. They did not need oxygen as we know it to live!

Let me repeat that. They did not need oxygen to live! Whoa! That puts a whole new spin on our search for other life forms, wouldn't you say? Now, we should not only be looking for other oxygen-breathing critters like us but life that can live because of iron and/or perhaps other elements. Of course, there is an oxygen component in iron oxide but it just shows that because of what we find in inner space, we need to expand our thinking when it comes to outer space.

Oh and watch out for red snowballs this winter. With the iron in them, they've got to hurt!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Reincarnation in Early Christianity

Praise the coffee and pass the doughnuts! Hey, how're you this fine day, eh? Hangin' in there? You know me, right. I'm a total bookworm. Always have my nose buried in a book and have been known to have several on the go at any one time.

I just finished a book called The Judas Script. It was about the finding of a scroll not unlike the Dead Sea Scrolls only this one (in the story) was authenticated as having actually been written by Jesus. What was written, if released to the world, would have had disasterous effects on the Catholic Church. Whoa, eh! That aside, one thing mentioned in the book was that Jesus was a member of the Essenes. The Essenes were (originally) a Jewish sect that shunned city life, preferring to live in small villages or even way out in the harsh desert with only palm trees for companions.

With all due respect to what was said yesterday in my 'Chinese Whispers' post about not always remembering things accurately, I do remember reading that the Essenes believed in reincarnation and that reincarnation was, in fact, a part of early Christian beliefs. Therefore, if Jesus was an Essene, then by extrapolation, he would have believed in reincarnation. Which makes sense.

It was the Emperor Justinian in the sixth century who finally had reincarnation removed from Christian beliefs (some say it was his wife who disagreed with the concept). He had a disagreement with Pope Vigilius and ended up having the Pope thrown in jail. The fact that the doctrine of reincarnation had been a part of Christian theology for over 500 years did not sway the Emperor.

Recently, I also read that the Catholic Church has come out saying that (Vol.11,p.311 under “Origen”, and Vol.4, p.308-309 under “Councils of Constantinople”) at least on technical grounds, that there is no barrier to belief in reincarnation nor pre-existence for Catholic Christians..."

So next time you say, "Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle!" think again. You very well may be... next time around! Meanwhile, have another banana...I mean muffin! See ya, eh!

Bob

Chinese Whispers

P-s-s-s-t...how's it going, eh? Whisper in my ear. Then help yourself to some coffee and a virtual treat before someone else grabs the exact one you have your eye one. I hate that, don't you? Hey...remember the Chinese Whispers game where people take turns whispering a message into the ear of the next person in line? By the time the last person speaks it out loud, the message has radically changed. It's been altered with each retelling. You may know it as the Telephone Game or other name.

Turns out your memory is a lot like that game, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

Every time you remember an event from the past, your brain networks change in ways that can alter the later recall of the event. Thus, the next time you remember it, you might recall not the original event but what you remembered the previous time. The Northwestern study is the first to show this.

"A memory is not simply an image produced by time traveling back to the original event. Your memory of an event can grow less precise even to the point of being totally false with each retrieval."

The findings have implications for witnesses giving testimony in criminal trials, Bridge noted. "Maybe a witness remembers something fairly accurately the first time because his memories aren't that distorted," she said. "After that it keeps going downhill."

The published study reports on Bridge's work with 12 participants, but she has run several variations of the study with a total of 70 people. "Every single person has shown this effect," she said. "It's really huge."

"When someone tells me they are sure they remember exactly the way something happened, I just laugh," Bridge said.

The reason for the distortion, Bridge said, is the fact that human memories are always adapting.

"Memories aren't static," she noted. "If you remember something in the context of a new environment and time, or if you are even in a different mood, your memories might integrate the new information."

"This study shows how memories normally change over time, sometimes becoming distorted," Paller noted. "When you think back to an event that happened to you long ago -- say your first day at school -- you actually may be recalling information you retrieved about that event at some later time, not the original event."

I remember it as though it was yesterday...or the day before...

See ya, eh!

Bob

Is She Really 70?

Well, there you are. I thought it was you with your finger poised on the click button. I'm glad you stopped by. It's always a pleasure to see you - even if it is only virtually. Help yourself to a regenerating, rehydrating, refreshing mug of coffee and a virtual goodie while I tell you about 70 year-old Annette. You wouldn't know her age to look at her. Annette Larkins doesn't look a day over 40, thanks to the diet and lifestyle she maintains. She looks so young that people mistake her to be the daughter, when she's out with her husband of 54 years, but I suppose he isn't complaining.

Mrs. Larkins says the secret to her beauty lies in the raw vegan diet, consisting of organic vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts grown in her own garden, she calls the ‘fountain of youth'. The woman doesn't touch anything that has been cooked. And another strange thing she does is collect rainwater, to keep her garden blossoming, but also to drink. But the resident of Miami-Dade County, Florida, didn't always have such a healthy lifestyle. In fact, she consumed meat regularly, as her husband used to own a meat factory way back in the 1960s. It was then that she decided to change her eating habits forever. And what a great decision that was. I mean, just look at her!

Hope I look that good when I'm 70. Wait a second! I am ...and I don't. But I am what I am and that's all there is to it. Gotta get back on the exercise bike. Then a glass of rainwater and a veggie burger (with hot sauce)!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Saudi City of Women!

Good day to you! Hope you're having a good one. Fill your mug with some delightfully refreshing Arabica juiice and grab a virtual treat, why don't'cha? Say...we hear periodically about employment rates being up or down or we need to get more women working or whatever. Well, the Saudis are tachling the more women working issue in a different way..and one they can afford.

A Saudi Arabian agency is raising the equivalent of about $130 million to break ground in 2013 on an entire city to be managed and staffed by female employees, with three more such cities being contemplated. Raising women's employment rate is a goal of the kingdom, where until last year, nearly all jobs were held by foreigners and Saudi males, including jobs as sales clerks in women's lingerie shops. [The Guardian (London), 8-12-2012]

Part of the problem they have given themselves is the strict Sharia laws they have about women. Many husbands don't want their wives to work outside of the home. They need to relax that a bit if they want to boost women's employment rates, eh. Don't hold your breath.

I saw a TV program recently where it was stated that most young Saudi men don't want to work either. Most haven't had to in the past. When they do apply for jobs, they expect huge salaries and little work to do. Even then, they leave shortly after they start. Too much like work! That is why Saudi employers prefer to hire foreign workers. They are cheaper to hire and actually like to work. Imagine that!

See ya, eh!

Bob


Comment from Douglas in Bangkok:

No Bob! The British government has most definitely got itself into a heap of trouble.

The new breadwinner in the UK

Allo! Allo! How's it going? Pour yourself a perky mug of coffee and avail yourself of a delicious virtual treat or two while I tell you how some folks in the UK are working the system to the max...

Here’s how a doctor explains it:

A woman in her late 20's came to the hospital today with her 8th pregnancy.

She said to me "My mum told me that I am the breadwinner for the family."


I asked her to explain. She said that she can make babies and babies get money from the State for the family.

It goes like this:
The Grandma calls the Department for work and pensions, and states that the unemployed daughter is not capable of caring for all of her kids.

DWP agrees, and tells her the children will need to go into foster care.

The Grandma then volunteers to be the foster parent, and receives a cheque for £700 per child each month.
Total yearly income:
£58,800 soon to become £67200 when the 8th one is born, tax-free and nobody has to go to work!
In fact, they get more if there is no husband/father/man in the home! The brother does not count.
Not to mention free dental treatment, free housing, free council tax, free school dinners, free tuition fees at college or Uni, free eyecare and glasses, free prescriptions and various other benefits...

Total value of all benefits combined probably approaching £100,000 per annum which would require an income of around £148,000 to create. That's about my salary as a senior consultant with years of experience and surgical skills in a central London teaching hospital.

Indeed, Grandma was correct that her fertile daughter is the "breadwinner" for the family.

This is how the politicians spend our taxes. When this generous programme was invented in the '60s, the Great Society architects forgot to craft an end date and now we are hopelessly overrun with people who vote only for those who will continue to keep them on the dole.

No wonder our country is broke!

Worse, our Muslim brothers have been paying attention, and by mandating that each Muslim family have eleven children, they will soon replace the voting bloc above and can be running this country.

Are we alarmed yet? Is anybody listening?

Don't forget to pay your taxes!! There are a lot of “breadwinners” depending on you!

I say! It seems as though the British government has got itself in a bit of a muddle, what?

See ya, eh!

Bob

How Much Is That Guy in the Window?

Bonjour! Comment ca va? Help yourself to a virtual French pastry and a fresh espresso. Now here's an interesting marketing ploy. French dating site Adopte Un Mec (Adopt a Guy) has recently opened a pop-up boutique in the heart of the Paris fashion district, where women can actually-window-shop for a date. Real men are displayed in glass containers that look like Ken doll boxes and have names like ”Mr. Muscle” and “The Rocker.”

Can you imagine going shopping for fashionable clothes and instead coming home with a hot date? It can happen if you happen to pass by the Adopt-a-Guy shop on Rue de La Bonheur (Street of Happiness), in Paris. This unique pop-up boutique has eligible bachelors displayed in the windows for women “clients” to admire. They are actually there only for promotional purposes, and are not really available for purchase, but the website that came up with this quirky idea really was built on the idea of putting women in the driver’s seat.

Both men and women can register, but only the ladies are allowed to send messages. It was created this way so female users could avoid the “the constant bombardment of unwanted advances from men” and “hold the power of communication so they can focus on the men they desire.” Guys can only post their photos online and wait to be contacted. The site actually wants women to feel like they’re shopping for men, and the home page actually says “There are 0 men in your cart.” Business is booming and Adopte Un Mec has over 300 million page views per month.

Hey, like, Amsterdam has had similar windows for decades...except that you can buy (rent) the women displayed therein.

See ya, eh!

Bob

Magma Pooling Beneath Infamous Greek Volcano

Whoa! She's gonna blow...one of these days. Hey, how's it going anyway? Keeping your head above water? That's a good thing as Martha would say, eh? Pour yourself a deep, dark mug of molten java and grab one of those volcano-sized muffins to accompany it. Speaking of molten...Molten rock is apparently pooling beneath Greece's Santorini volcano, the site of one of the largest eruptions in the past 10,000 years. That eruption, which took place about 3,600 years ago, wiped out the Minoan civilization of the Greek islands and may have spawned the legend of the lost city of Atlantis.

In the past 1.5 years, the magma chamber beneath the volcanic island has ballooned by as much as 350 million cubic feet (20 million cubic meters), or up to 15 times the size of London's Olympic Stadium. This giant mass of magma has caused the island to rise by as much as 5.5 inches (14 centimeters), according to a new study published yesterday (Sept. 9) in the journal Nature Geoscience.

This research follows reports earlier in the year of renewed earthquake activity beneath the volcano after it had been silent for the past 25 years. The reports have spurred concerns the volcano could erupt in the near future, but when that might happen is still unclear, researchers said in a statement.

"Before this work, we didn't really know how the volcano behaved during the periods of time between eruptions," David Pyle, an Oxford University researcher and study co-author, told OurAmazingPlanet. "Now, it looks as though the magma chambers beneath volcanoes like Santorini grow in spurts."

When the volcano erupted in approximately 1620 B.C., it created tsunamis 40 feet (12 meters) tall that destroyed much of the civilization flourishing in and around the Aegean Sea. Much of the previous island of Santorini was destroyed or submerged. From the air, the resulting caldera, or volcanic crater, appears as a small cluster within the bigger collection of Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.

Earlier this year, global positioning system (GPS) sensors placed on the caldera detected renewed movement, measuring a series of small earthquakes. Seismic activity can trigger eruptions and are often a clue that a volcano may be preparing an outburst in the near future. But the connection is far from well-understood; and in the past few months, seismic activity has dropped off once again, according to the statement.

If the volcano did erupt, it wouldn't be likely to create nearly as much havoc is it did in the time of the Minoans, since it is much smaller today than it was in the past. But it's still important to keep an eye on the volcano, the researchers warn. [History's 10 Biggest Eruptions]

"Although Santorini is well known for its large explosive eruptions, these probably only happen every 20,000 years or so," Pyle said.

There has been much speculation as to whether the Santorini eruption inspired the legend of Atlantis, which Plato said drowned in the ocean. Although some experts think the legend of Atlantis was just invented, others say the explosion might have given rise to the tale of a lost empire by helping to wipe out the real-life Minoan civilization that once thrived in the Mediterranean.

Atlantis, eh? Buried under a sheet of molten rock. Could be? Doubt if we'll ever know. Anyway, I doubt if I'll be anywhere near Santorini during this life...unless my research assistant ever returns with th ename and address of a 'mor doo' - a fortuneteller who knows next week's lottery numbers. Until then...

See ya, eh!

Bob

Studies Show Microwaves Drastically Reduce Nutrients In Food

Ahh...the ever-presdent microwave. What would we do without it? Probably live longer! Hey, how're you doing today? Pour yourself a mug of fresh coffee and take a firm hold of one of those virtual treats. Those're fresh out of the oven - not a microwave oven, I might add. Did you know that microwaves were a by-product of the development of radar?

New studies show that, despite earlier claims, mocrowaving food does kill of many of the nutrients our bodies would otherewise ingest. Occasionally rehearing food is not too bad but what about a steady diet of eating foods cooked at such a high heat? Do the sensitive compounds in food, such as amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and phytonutrients change? It appears so. Read on to follow the scientific literature surrounding the depletion of our soil, foods, and health as a result of modern farming, food processing, microwave cooking, and not eating enough fresh, natural, uncooked, organic whole foods.

Three recent studies of historical food composition have shown 5-40% declines in some of the minerals in fresh produce, and another study found a similar decline in our protein sources.
A 1999 Scandinavian study of the cooking of asparagus spears found that microwaving caused a reduction in vitamins.
In a study of garlic, as little as 60 seconds of microwave heating was enough to inactivate its allinase, garlic’s principle active ingredient against cancer.

An earlier study found that broccoli “zapped” in the microwave with a little water lost up to 97% of its beneficial antioxidants. By comparison, steamed broccoli lost 11% or fewer of its antioxidants. There were also reductions in phenolic compounds and glucosinolates, but mineral levels remained intact.

A recent Australian study showed that microwaves cause a higher degree of “protein unfolding” than conventional heating.

Also, microwaving fatty foods in plastic containers leads to the release of dioxins (known carcinogens) and other toxins into your food. Common microwavable foods include pizzas, chips, and popcorn. Chemicals released include polyethylene terpthalate (PET), benzene, toluene, and xylene.

Additionally, microwaving creates new compounds that are not found in humans or in nature, called radiolytic compounds. We don’t yet know what these compounds are doing to your body, but they are not health-promoting.

Eating fresh, uncooked, or minimally heated fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices are the basis of an Eating for Health meal plan. With whole grains and legumes, cooking them on a stove top by boiling and simmering them until just tender is advised.

For flesh foods, steaming, sautéing, baking, or blending into slow cooked crock pot soups and stews is advised. Dairy products, such as raw milk cheese, from goats, cows, or sheep, are most nutrient-rich when unheated. Raw, organic cheese is best added to salads or warm grains, legumes, or vegetables without heating the dish in a high heat oven, broiler, or microwave oven.

So there you go. Cut a hole in the top of your micro and turn it into an aquarium. Don't plug it in, though or you'll get nuked fish!

See ya, eh!

Bob

China’s Rich Can Hire Body Doubles to Serve Their Prison Time

Ni Hao! How's it going, eh? Keeping out of mischief? Wait...I don't really want to know! Pour yourself some Iron Buddha Tea and help yourself to a mooncake. With six you get eggroll!

To many this may sound shocking, but reality is often different in other parts of the world. The practice of hiring body doubles to serve jail time in the place of rich and powerful individuals is well-documented in China. So if you think your country’s legal system leaves a little bit to be desired, try this on for size...

Apparently, China’s wealthy can get away with just about anything, even serving jail time, as long as they’re willing to part with a small fraction of their fortune. That’s not very surprising considering that even in some Western countries where the legal system is considered impartial, the rich and famous are often shown leniency. Only in China, the so-called “1%” has a different way of dealing with unpleasant situations, like serving time in prison. Instead of wasting their time behind bars, they just pay stand-ins who, for the right sum are willing to take their place. Yes, apparently that’s possible.

Psst... when it's time for me to kick the bucket, I'm going to get a stand-in...actually a lie-in, I guess, because I'm having too much fun living! I wonder if you can get insurance for that?

See ya, eh!

Bob

PS: Did you know that today is International Fortune Cookie Day?

Computers and the Speed of Light

Hey...great to see you! Glad you could stop by. Madge just brewed us a new pot of coffee all the while juggling a tray of oven-fresh virtual treats in her other hand. Say...you know how computers have been getting faster and faster, eh? Well hold onto your hat because you ain't seen nothing yet!

An optical switch developed at the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) spurs the prospective integration of photonics and electronics. What, isn’t electronics good enough? Well, nothing travels faster than light, and in the effort to speed up the processing and transmission of information, the combined use of light parcels (photons) along with electricity parcels (electrons) is desirable for developing a workable opto-electronic protocol.

The JQI (*) switch can steer a beam of light from one direction to another in only 120 picoseconds (120 trillionths of a second), requiring very little power, only about 90 attojoules (90 x 10-18 joules). At the wavelength used, in the near infrared (921 nm), this amounts to about 140 photons. Whatever that means, eh?

I could have gone into a full-blown explanation but between you and me, I'd just as soon sit here chatting with you while munching on a double low-fat muffin! If things get any faster, we'll be there before we leave! Now that actually happens if, say you leave Japan at noon headed for Toronto. Thanks to the time zones and international date line, you'd be in Toronto before you left Japan. Go figure, eh!

See ya, eh!

Bob

'Lost Renoir' Found At Flea Market

Hi there! Glad you were able to find time to click by today. Pour yourself a mug of freshly brewed Arabica and sink your teeth into one of those virtual treats on the tray over there. Wait! Take it off the tray first! I like flea markets, don't you? Darn right! You never know what kind of bargain you are going to find. Chances are you'll find a whole lot of things you didn't know you needed till you saw them. May you someday be as lucky as this lady...

A painting believed to be an original Renoir has been discovered at a flea market in the US state of Virginia. Experts think the work of art is the Paysage Bords De Seine, one of the artist's river scenes painted along the Seine in Paris.

The woman who found it bought it for $7.

The painting is now set to be auctioned later this month and is expected to fetch more than $100,000 (£60,000).

A Renoir plaque on the frame prompted the woman to have it analysed.

Anne Craner - director of fine arts at the auctioneers Potomack, based in Virginia - said: "The lady brought it in; she was very excited, but she didn't know. She opened up the bag and straight away it just looked right.

"I mean it's the colour, it's the vibrant colour, it's the pinks and the purples. Renoir is known for his rapid brush strokes. And colour is really important with Renoir."

Wasn't it Renoir who was deemed to be 'in Seine'? (Ouch!)

See ya, eh!

Bob

Top Cars for Senior Drivers

Hey there! Great to see you today. Wassup? Motor over to the coffee pot and fill 'er up! Grab a treat on your way over here and plunk yourself down. While we're on the subject of 'filling 'er up...here's some interesting stats on senior drivers. We're living longer, which is putting a huge strain on pension plans and because we're living longer, we're also driving longer... and that may or my not be a problem.

Older adults who continue to drive into their 80s have a more than five-fold risk of getting into a fatal accident than middle-aged motorists, according to a new Consumer Reports analysis.

Age-related declines in sight, reflexes and mental acuity can make the task of driving more difficult and dangerous for an elderly person. Many provinces and states have implemented special requirements for seniors seeking to renew their driver's licenses, including additional road tests and driver's education courses.

To an aging adult, a car represents a source of much-needed mobility in a world where grocery stores, doctor's offices and shopping centers often aren't within walking distance. Most seniors are understandably reluctant to relinquish the keys to such a vital piece of freedom.

Companies are beginning to include extra features in vehicles aimed at keeping older adults behind the wheel longer. Features like large buttons, backup cameras, and programs that will notify a driver if they've veered out of their lane are becoming commonplace in many recently-made automobiles.

In their investigation, Consumer Reports included a list of cars recommended for older drivers. These automobiles were chosen based on how they scored in assessments of visibility, controls, driving position, comfort and access.

Their list of senior-friendly vehicles includes:

1. Subaru: Impreza (2012), Legacy (2010-2013), Outback (2010-2013), and Forrester (2009-2012)

2. Mercury: Sable (2008-2009)

3. Infiniti: M (2006-2010)

4. Hyundai: Azera (2006-2011) and Genesis (2009-2012)

5. Toyota: Avalon (2005-2012), Camry (2007-2012), Highlander (2004-2012), and RAV4 (2006-2012)

6. Honda: Accord V6 (2006-2007) and Accord (2008-2012)

7. Nissan: Altima (2010-2012)

8. Volkswagen: Tiguan (2009-2012)

9. Ford: Taurus (2008-2009)

10. Lexus: RX (2006-2009)

11. Acura: RDX (2013)

Yep! Covers the field nicely. Reckon that'll stop any of the major car manufacturers from complaining, eh.

"Grandad, I'm glad you answered your cellphone. Are you driving on the highway right now?"

"Yep!"

Well, be careful. I just saw on the news that there's one fool out there driving the wrong way on the highway."

"One? There are hundreds of them!"

See ya, eh!

Bob

Buckwheat: Another 'Superfood'

Hi Ya! How's life treating you today? Fill your mug and wash down that virtual treat you've got your eye on over on the tray of delicious, nutritious goodies. Speaking of nutrition...you like buckwheat pancakes, right? Most people see 'wheat' and assume it is wheat...but it's not. Buckwheat is a seed - not a grain. It is from a plant that is related to the rhubarb family. Buckwheat is really nutritious - another 'superfood'! Read on, eh...

1. It is low on the glycemic index , preventing rapid spikes in blood sugar which causes inflammation, mood swings, and weight gain.

2. Buckwheat has more protein than corn, millet, rice, or wheat and is high in the amino acids lysine and arginine, both of which tend to be deficient in grains and are essential for a healthy heart and strong immunity to illness .

3. It is naturally gluten-free , making it an excellent option for celiacs, those with gluten allergies, or anyone trying to avoid gluten.

4. Because of its amino acid content, it can boost the protein content of beans and grains eaten in the same day.

5. Buckwheat is unsurpassed in its ability to normalize cholesterol levels .

6. In addition to being low glycemic, its protein and fiber content help normalize blood sugar levels, a benefit to diabetics and anyone trying to lose weight . Research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showed that a single dose of buckwheat seed extract lowered blood glucose levels by 12-19% within 90-120 minutes.

7. Buckwheat has been shown to work in the same way as hypertension drugs , reducing levels of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), reducing hypertension without the nasty drug side-effects.

8. It is a good source of tryptophan which helps ensure a sound night's sleep .

9. It is high in rutin, a natural flavonoid that helps to extend the activity of vitamin C and other antioxidant nutrients.

10. One cup of cooked buckwheat contains about 86 milligrams of magnesium—which boosts heart and muscle health and is necessary for the proper functioning of hundreds of enzymes in the body and therefore hundreds of processes.

11. A study published in the Journal of Gastroenterology showed that a diet high in insoluble fiber like that found in buckwheat can help women avoid gallstones .

12. One cup of cooked buckwheat contains almost 20% of your required daily intake of fiber. Diets high in fiber have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of colon cancer .

Some easy ways to include buckwheat in your diet:

1. Use buckwheat flour along with your flour of choice to make pancakes, bread, muffins, and other baked goods.

2. A traditional preparation of kasha (roasted whole buckwheat) is in a stock of onions, parsley, and olive oil.

3. Cook on its own or with equal parts of oats (gluten-free oats if you want a gluten-free breakfast) and top with berries as a hot breakfast cereal.

4. Add cooked buckwheat to soups or stews to add flavor and nutrition.

5. Try a salad with chopped chicken, peas, pumpkin seeds, and scallions tossed with cooked buckwheat.

6. Buckwheat noodles are an option when you are making an Asian noodle dish.

Super people need super food so 'buck' up, eh!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Real-Life Shrek and Fiona Have Their Very Own Fairy Tale Castle

Hey...did you book your flight to Oz yet? Pour yourself some Arabica juice, grab a scrumptious virtual treat and tell me about it. Meanwhile, here's a real live fairy tale...

A Ukrainian couple from the village of Akimova, in the Zaporozhye region have spent 10 years building their own fairy tale castle. And because of their resemblance to the popular animation characters, they are known as Shrek and Fiona by the locals. I can see the resemblance!

Anatoly and Larisa Galitsky love children, so one day they decided to built a castle-themed cafe where they could come and play in a fairy tale setting. The courtyard was supposed to be full of swings and carousels for the kids to enjoy, while the castle interior was designed to look like what they read in popular stories.

But alas, the real world has its own villains, and in the Galitskys’ case it was the local sanitation department who just wouldn’t authorize the build of a public cafe on the site of an old landfill. After several attempts to convince the authorities to approve their project, Anatoly finally decided to give up and make his castle into a unique residence.

The real-life Shrek drew up the plans himself, and after 10 long years, he and his beloved Fiona finally have a castle to call their own. The entire structure covers an area of 300 square meters, has three large halls, a bedroom and a huge kitchen. The three stone walls also house a bathhouse and a garage. Of the castle’s six pointy towers, only one is actually hollow, the rest are just for show.

Probably would have been a good idea to check with the authorities 'before'starting to build, eh. Just a thought. Good intentions, though.


See ya, eh!

Bob

 

Anti-Venom Running Low For Deadliest Spider

Well, hi ya! Wonderful to see you. Thanks for clicking by. Coffee's fresh...virtual treats are delightfully delectable so go for it! No spiders were harmed in the making of these treats! Me? I don't much care for spiders, thank you very much. Sometime ago, I read a statement that "You are seldom, if ever, more than three feet away from a spider." Kind of disconcerting to arachnaphobians, eh! I'd definitely have to agree with tah statement here in Thailand. In case you're looking for an adventure on your next holiday, skip on down to OZ and join in the fun!

A funnel-web spider bite can kill a human in just hours if the anti-venom is not injected into the victim but supplies in Australia are running at less than 50%.

Now experts who milk the poison from the spiders to create anti-venom are appealing to the Australian public to catch the deadly creatures so they can increase stocks. Life-saving anti-venom is in short supply for the treatment of bites from the world's deadliest spider.

Spider keeper Julie Mendezona, from the Australian Reptile Park, said: "Usually we are the ones saying to people if you see a dangerous animal leave it alone and it will leave you alone and you won't have any run-ins.

"But it is really important that we turn to the community to actually obtain our funnel-webs. It's the most productive way for us to get these animals."

The venom is taken from the spiders by delicately stroking their fangs and collecting the tiny droplets of deadly poison. It is then sent away to a laboratory and turned into the anti-venom.

Just one dose of anti-venom takes around 70 milkings from a spider. The males are six times more deadly than the females and are therefore more sought after.

The funnel-webs live on the eastern seaboard of Australia and if disturbed in gardens or backyards will attack unsuspecting victims.

Pensioner John Gambrill, who lives near Newcastle in New South Wales (NSW), was bitten on the wrist while doing some gardening.

He said "Everything sort of happened all at once and I thought, this is not good.

"I just didn't know how bad it was going to get. I had perspiration coming out of me everywhere, I had the shakes, I felt a bit faint.

"The ambulance got here in about five or 10 minutes and they wouldn't let me walk out of the house, putting me on a stretcher instead. The paramedics even brought the spider to hospital with me so the doctors could identify it and give me the right treatment."

He was treated and put under observation before being released some hours later.

Young children can suffer especially badly if bitten. Dr Naren Gunja from the NSW Poisons Information Centre has treated a number of children and says the symptoms can be terrifying. He said: "You have profuse sweating, frothing at the mouth, salivation. Then that can lead to having neurological and respiratory failure. Ultimately you can potentially die within hours of a bite."

Dozens of Australians are bitten by funnel-webs every year but thankfully since the anti-venom was introduced in the early 1980s there have been no deaths. The spiders like moist, humid conditions and because recent weather has not been so suitable for their reproduction the zoo has fewer specimens than normal. So now it is asking the Australian public to face its fear, and rather than killing any funnel-webs, catch them and take them to the zoo so they can be used to potentially save lives.

Gee...golly... I wish I could help out guys but looking at my calendar, wow...not sure I'd be able to make it until...let me see...hmmm... how does never sound?

See ya, eh!

Bob

Record-Breaking Burger

A salubrious day to you! Did you bring your appetite with you today? Fill your mug and snag a virtual treat or two to munch on while I tell you about the biggest burger ever!

An American casino has claimed a new world record for the biggest ever burger. The mammoth bacon cheeseburger was cooked up and served by the Black Bear Casino Resort near Carlton in Minnesota.

It is 10 feet (three metres) in diameter and weighs 2,014 pounds (914kg or 143 stone).

Guinness World Records representative Philip Robertson was there to verify the record for the biggest ever burger. He called the feat a result of "remarkable teamwork" and said the burger "actually tastes really good".

The burger is heavier than a Smart car, which weighs in at about 1,600 pounds, or 730kg. A Duluth News Tribune report says the previous mark was a mere 881 pounds (400kg).

Black Bear's burger included 60 pounds (27kg) of bacon, 50 pounds (23kg) of lettuce, 50 pounds (23kg) of sliced onions, 40 pounds (18kg) of pickles and 40 pounds (18kg) of cheese.

It took about four hours to cook the patty. A crane was used to flip it.

For some reason, reading about that burger reminded me of the questions asked by graduating students:

Engineering graduate: How does that work?

Science graduate: Why does that work?

Liberal Arts graduate: Do you want fries with that?

See ya, eh!

Bob

Man Builds Titanic Replica from Scrap

Hi ya! How's it going today, eh? I knew you'd be by today for a mug of freshly brewed Arabica and a virtual treat to sink your teeth in. Segue...speaking of sinking...

In what can only be described as a titanic effort, boat-model enthusiast Jason King, from England, has spent two and a half years building an exact 1:100 scale replica of the Titanic. The 40-year-old used all kinds of scrap materials, from old clockworks to broken VCRs and managed to finish his masterpiece on April 15, exactly 100 years after the real Titanic sunk.

Titanic buffs have built replicas of the famous boat before, but Jason King wanted his to be perfect, right down to the number of benches on its deck. To pull off his perfect 1:100 replica, the man actually bought 150 books on the Titanic and consulted every photo of the vessel he could find. Jason knew most people would never notice the tiny details, but he wanted to make sure no one could ever “pick holes in it”. So he painstakingly recreated every single part of the original Titanic to scale, right in hid home study.

Although he admits he had some model experience behind him, the Titanic project still took him two and a half years to complete. But that actually kept him out of his wife’s way, so that made her happy.

In fact, there's a rumour that his wife has already bought him a plot of land next door and wants him to build her a scale model of the City of London complete with every building!

See ya.

Bob

Overdose of Evidence

Well, hey there! Wonderful of you to click by and you're just in time. We have a fresh batch of European pastries straight out of the oven and the coffee's just finished perking. So go ahead and enjoy! Here's to your continued good health! While we're at it, let's toast the governments of the world for their decision making efforts. Sometimes they get it right, but then again...

In August, the US federal Drug Enforcement Administration dropped all charges against a doctor who has been at the centre of a prescription-drug fraud case because, said prosecutors, they have too much evidence against him and not enough space to store it.

The U.S. attorney in northern Iowa said her office needs to clear out the 400,000 paper documents and two terabytes of electronic data (the latter of which under current technology takes up little space but in DEA's antiquated computer system hogs 5 percent of the agency's worldwide electronic storage). Guess they've never heard of off-site storage and an external drive, eh!

The accused, Dr. Armando Angulo, has lived since 2004 in Panama, which will not extradite him. He remains under indictment on state charges in Florida. [Associated Press via Ames Tribune, 8-16-2012].

Let's see if I've got this straight. Las Vegas John, help me out here! The alleged naughty doctor could, if he had a mind to... which I doubt... travel back to the USA as long as he avoids the State of Florida, right? Presumably he holds US citizenship otherwise Homeland Security would have to clear him and that might be a little sticky.

See ya.

Bob

A Feast for Zombies: Gory Gourmet Food Truck Serves Fresh Brain Burgers

G'day to you! Thanks for clicking by today! You're just in time for a mug of coffee and a brain muffin...sorry, I meant bran muffin full of fruit that's good for your brain. Brainfood is one thing but...

London Chef Mark Jankel shocked everyone when he launched the Gory Gourmet, a special food truck that serves very literal brain food, including calf brain burgers, brain salad wrap or crispy chunks of brain.

Animal brain is a pretty common ingredient in the cuisine of many Asian countries, but in the Western world it has become somewhat of an oddity, with many referring to it as zombie food. Mark Jankel of Street Kitchen decided to use this fact as an opportunity to shock Londoners and create a very original publicity stunt.

On August 22nd he launched his Gory Gourmet food truck, which treats Londoners to dishes made from calf brain, pig feet or cow thyroid. Although created to celebrate the DVD and BluRay release of zombie thriller series The Walking Dead Season 2, the Gory Gourmet was actually a culinary success, with dozens of curious clients lining up to taste the bizarre treats. I think it’s fair to say this particular food truck caters to the the taste of customers both alive and undead.

Thanks but no thanks. I'll stick with the run of the mill everyday tasty stuff. Y'know...yesterday we were in a shopping mall and I said to Nong, "I have a craving for a hamburger". She went to the food court while I browsed around Burger King and McD...even KFC for their Zinger (spicy chicken) burger. Finally decided to forget about the grease and have a chicken caeser wrap and a cappuccino. It was good - brain food without the brains running out the bun, eh!

See ya.

Bob

Sleep may be crucial for forming long-term memory

Wake up! Reach for the coffee. Pour a slug down your gullet. Take a bite out of a virtual treat and say, "Ahhh...I needed that!" Feel better? Thought you would. Always follow doctor's orders. So...did you get a good night's sleep last night?

In a study published in the June 2011 issue of Science, University of Washington researchers worked with a special breed of fruit flies that could be induced to sleep on demand. Following a period of training, flies who then underwent 4 hours of induced sleep formed long-term memories of that training. Note that training alone was not enough to trigger memory consolidation—sleep was a necessary component. Flies who trained but did not sleep did not form long-term memories.

The University of Washington study makes fascinating observations about sleep's power to cause memory formation. But if you're wondering how much we can learn from fruits flies, then rest assured that many human studies also show that sleep improves memory and performance. Proper sleep is easy to incorporate into your lifestyle: consider getting a good night's rest after you've studied for a test, experienced a particularly cherished event, or learned a new name in Familiar Faces. Sleep may help these novel experiences stick with you.

Not only may sleep help your memory, but lack of sleep may also hurt your health. A 2010 study from Biological Psychiatry found that chronic insomnia may lead to loss of brain volume. Researchers used fMRI scans to examine the brains of 37 human subjects with and without chronic insomnia. Insomniacs had a smaller volumes of gray matter in three brain areas—and the more serious the insomnia, the greater the loss of volume. And a preliminary 2012 study from the Washington University School of Medicine found that poor sleep may be linked to brain plaques found in people with Alzheimer's.

Various studies make a good case for getting a good night's sleep whenever you can. But remember that while sleep may be beneficial, it's only part of the puzzle. Apart from nighttime memory consolidation, you can also work on improving your memory abilities by playing games such as Rotation Matrix (Luminosity.com). Or use both a good night's rest and a dose of Spatial Speed Match to stay alert during the day! Train now to get started.

Can't sleep? Instead of counting sheep, try counting fruit flies. They're the ones with the frilly cuffs and latest Gucci handbags.

See ya.

Bob