Yoga Shown Effective for Treating Chronic Neck Pain

G'day! How're you faring today? No neck pain? Wish I could say that. Six weeks now and the dang thing won't go away! Fill your mug and snag one of those delectable virtual treats while I tell you about how, in case you also have neck pain or know someone who does, a certain type of yoga may help. 

According to published estimates, some 20 percent of the population suffers from chronic neck pain caused by a variety of structural dysfunctions in the neck, resulting in impaired quality of life and lost work time. A German study published in The Journal of Pain showed that yoga appears to be an effective treatment for neck pain and provides added benefits of improved psychological well being and quality of life.

The mainstay of conservative treatment for neck pain is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication, and the evidence of its effectiveness is contradictory while side effects, such as nausea and dizziness, are well known. One type of yoga, called Iyengar yoga, has been shown effective in other pain syndromes, including low back pain. This activity uses supportive props and the sequences of postures can be tailored to address an individual's medical problem. No randomized controlled clinical trials have been published to assess the efficacy of lyengar yoga for adults with chronic neck pain.

Researchers at Charité-University Medical Center in Berlin and other sites in Germany and Austria studied 77 volunteer patients. Thirty-eight were assigned to the yoga group and 39 to a group treated with exercise. Unfortunately, the dropout rate was higher than anticipated as 24 subjects withdrew or were lost to follow-up. This reduced the study sample to 25 patients in the yoga group and 28 in self-care exercise. They were asked to complete a standardized questionnaire at the outset of the study, after four weeks, and after ten weeks.

The findings showed there was a significant and clinically important reduction in pain intensity in the yoga group. The authors reasoned that yoga might enhance both the toning of muscles and releasing of muscle tension. Relaxation responses, therefore, could reduce stress related muscle tension and modify neurobiological pain perception. They concluded, based on the study data, that lyengar yoga can be a safe and effective treatment option for chronic neck pain. The study results are consistent with the demonstrated benefits of yoga for treating low back pain.

Y'know, I tried yoga a year or so ago and all I got was more pain. Guess I need to give it another try and get past that stage.

See ya, eh!

Bob

There's a vampire on the loose...apparently

Hey there! Hope it's a good day for you. Fill your mug and latch onto a virtual doughnut, why don't'cha? Say...do you believe in  vampires... "Twilight" not withstanding? Well, whether you believe in them or not...others do...

Locals in the Bajina Basta municipality, western Serbia, are freaking out after the local council has issued a warning about the famous vampire Sava Savanovic being on the loose and thirsty for blood.

Sava Savanovic is a popular figure of Serbian folklore, known as the first vampire in Serbia. According to legend, he lived in an old watermill on the nearby Rogačica river, where he killed and drank the blood of peasants who came to mill their grains.

Scary stories like this are not uncommon, but the people of Zarozje village, where the mill is located, actually believe their local vampire is real. They had no problem living near it, as Savanovic hasn’t hurt any of them for centuries, but now that his home has collapsed, they fear he may take revenge on them. "People are worried, everybody knows the legend of this vampire and the thought that he is now homeless and looking for somewhere else and possibly other victims is terrifying people. We are all frightened," mayor Miodrag Vujetic told the press.

Hey, not to worry, eh. Just keep that garland of fresh garlic around your neck and you'll be fine!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Brain scientists in recent years have discovered a number of surprising ways that the brain influences our overall health, as well as how our behavior influences the health of our brain. And unlike in the days of old — when scientists believed the brain was “fixed” after childhood, only to start an inexorable decline in the middle to later years — today, research is showing that the brain is perfectly capable of changing, healing and “rewiring” itself to an unexpected degree.
It turns out that the age of your brain may be a lesser influence on its structure than what you do with it. Pursuits that require intense mental focus, like language learning, “switch on” the nucleus basalis, the control mechanism for neuroplasticity.
In short, neuroplasticity means you have some control over your cranial fitness. While brain function naturally deteriorates somewhat as you age (though not nearly as much as you might think), various strategic approaches can create new neural pathways and strengthen existing ones as long as you live. What’s more, these efforts to build a better brain can deliver lasting rewards for your overall health.
Here are just a few of neuroscience’s most empowering recent discoveries.


Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/6-surprising-things-that-affect-your-brain.html#ixzz2DW1gKFtx

Brain scientists in recent years have discovered a number of surprising ways that the brain influences our overall health, as well as how our behavior influences the health of our brain. And unlike in the days of old — when scientists believed the brain was “fixed” after childhood, only to start an inexorable decline in the middle to later years — today, research is showing that the brain is perfectly capable of changing, healing and “rewiring” itself to an unexpected degree.
It turns out that the age of your brain may be a lesser influence on its structure than what you do with it. Pursuits that require intense mental focus, like language learning, “switch on” the nucleus basalis, the control mechanism for neuroplasticity.
In short, neuroplasticity means you have some control over your cranial fitness. While brain function naturally deteriorates somewhat as you age (though not nearly as much as you might think), various strategic approaches can create new neural pathways and strengthen existing ones as long as you live. What’s more, these efforts to build a better brain can deliver lasting rewards for your overall health.
Here are just a few of neuroscience’s most empowering recent discoveries.


Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/6-surprising-things-that-affect-your-brain.html#ixzz2DW1gKFtx

6 Surprising Things That Affect Your Brain

• Megan, selected from Experience Life
• November 26, 2012
• 5:02 pm
• 206 comments

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Brain scientists in recent years have discovered a number of surprising ways that the brain influences our overall health, as well as how our behavior influences the health of our brain. And unlike in the days of old — when scientists believed the brain was “fixed” after childhood, only to start an inexorable decline in the middle to later years — today, research is showing that the brain is perfectly capable of changing, healing and “rewiring” itself to an unexpected degree.
It turns out that the age of your brain may be a lesser influence on its structure than what you do with it. Pursuits that require intense mental focus, like language learning, “switch on” the nucleus basalis, the control mechanism for neuroplasticity.
In short, neuroplasticity means you have some control over your cranial fitness. While brain function naturally deteriorates somewhat as you age (though not nearly as much as you might think), various strategic approaches can create new neural pathways and strengthen existing ones as long as you live. What’s more, these efforts to build a better brain can deliver lasting rewards for your overall health.
Here are just a few of neuroscience’s most empowering recent discoveries.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/6-surprising-things-that-affect-your-brain.html#ixzz2DW1XOgGN

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/6-surprising-things-that-affect-your-brain.html#ixzz2DW1XOgGN

Fart By Mail – A Stinky Mail Service for the Adventurous

 Hi ya! Wassup? Ticking right along? Help yourself to a mug of Arabica and a virtual doughnut. Then let me tell you about an unusual Christmas gift you can give to someone who..well... I'm sure you can think of someone.

Fart By Mail, a California-based mail order service started by Zach Friedberg, offers people the chance to send friends or enemies stinky greetings that actually “smell like real poo”.

Holidays are just around the corner, and if you’re looking for a really original way to send your season’s greetings, you might want to check out Fart By Mail. This unusual mailing service delivers audio greeting cards with your custom message, the hilarious sound of a fart, and a nice heinous odor to go with it.

Sure, there are nice Hallmark greetings cards out there to choose from, but how many of them smell like passing wind? The stinky greeting cards are sealed in a clear polyethylene envelope  with a warning that the recipient check the back of the envelope for more information on what they are holding.

But, if you really want to surprise them, you can go for the “Stealth” option, to have Fart By Mail remove any warnings on the package. Sending one of these stinky cards will set you back just $8.99 (with free shipping in the USA), a small price for such a cool service, if you ask me.

Now there's an idea, eh? I can hear the wheels turning as you think of how many of these you'll need to order in time for Christmas...

See ya, eh!

Bob

Did I Say That Out Loud?

Hello there! How're you doing today? Fair to middling? Coffee's sitting in the pot waiting for you right next to the virtual treats...an extra special assortment for you! Hey...we all say things we regret from time to time, right? Well listen to what happened to this guy...

By 2009, James Washington believed he had gotten away with a 1995 murder, but then he had a heart attack, and on his deathbed, in a fit of remorse, he confessed to a confidant. ("I have to get something off my conscience," he told a guard in the jailhouse where he was serving time for a lesser, unrelated offense.)

However, Washington miraculously recovered from the heart attack and tried to take back his confession, but prosecutors in Nashville, Tenn., were unfazed. They used it to augment the sparse evidence from 1995, and in October 2012 the now-healthier Washington was convicted of the murder and sentenced to 51 more years in prison. 

Now that's an oops if I ever heard one, wouldn't you agree? 

See ya, eh!

Bob 

Earth's 'Hum' Helps Probe Planet's Interior

Hi ya! Keeping out of mischief. hmmm? Wait...don't tell me! Too much information! Fill your coffee mug and grab one of those hum...mungous muffins, why don't'cha? Say...did you know that the Earth hums? Apparently it does.

The hum, called seismic noise, is generated by sources such as storm-driven ocean waves and is detectable everywhere on Earth. It could help scientists analyze the innards of the planet worldwide.

Traditionally, researchers peer into the interior of the Earth by analyzing seismic waves generated by earthquakes. The way seismic waves zip through the planet depends on physical properties of the Earth's innards, such as rock composition, temperature and pressure. As such, the way the waves behave offers useful clues about details of Earth's geology that are otherwise largely hidden from view.
With these waves, seismologists produce images in a way similar to medical imaging.

The problem with this strategy is that it depends on earthquakes. Large earthquakes are rare. Quakes also mostly recur in specific places, which leads to some areas being imaged well but leaving others relatively obscure. In addition to seismic waves from earthquakes, the interior of the Earth is pervaded by seismic noise, a collective hum resulting from the bombardment of Earth's surface by a variety of sources, such as the swelling of oceans during storms. Seismic noise was regarded as useless and even problematic since it hides slight earthquake signals.

However, in recent years, by analyzing large amounts of seismic data collected over time, investigators successfully followed ambient seismic noise waves as they rippled across Earth's surface. Now scientists reveal they can also use ambient noise to image Earth's deep interior. The advantage of this strategy is that "ambient noise imaging can be applied in regions without earthquakes.

Using this data, the researchers imaged the transition zone separating the upper and lower layers of the Earth's mantle, the main layer just below Earth's crust. The top of the mantle was about 9 miles (15 kilometers) thick and 255 miles (410 km) from the Earth's surface, while its bottom was about 2.5 miles (4 km) thick and 410 miles (660 km) from the Earth's surface. The differences between top and bottom are due to changes in crystal structure resulting from how pressure varies according to depth.

Scientists hope that ultimately, ambient seismic noise will also probe all the way down to the core-mantle boundary. Personally, all I need to know is that this spinning, orbitting planet of ours causes gravity and that keeps us from flying off into deep, dark space. Though the more we know about what happens down in the core, the better equipped we might be to deal with anything Earth throws at us...and it sure does throw some nasty things our way, doesn't it?

See ya, eh!

Bob

Bob's Coffee Fashion Statement

Hey! How's it going?  Ready for a mugga coffee and a virtual treat? I'll bet you are! Me, too! Y'know, we hear about this fashion trend and that one but it seems to me that us real coffee drinkers of the world get bypassed. Well, I'm about to put a stop to that once and for all.

"So how did this momentous event come about, eh, Bob?"

I'm glad you asked. See...we'll be moving into new digs as of this coming Saturday, the oneth of December and the good folks who own the building, Dave and Sheila are close to my age (39 + Tax...lots of tax!). They are good friends with the couple who live next door and apparently the 'boys' gather (can two people gather?) for coffee at the neighbours' every day at 10:00 in the morning...and I've been invited to join the gathering. So there was the problem, eh! How was I to get from here to there?  Walking's the obvious answer since it's right next door but what about my coffee mug? Seems a little like begging to be walking over there with 'mug in hand' so to speak so I thought I'd better come up with a fashion alternative:

Have Mug - Will Travel!

Of course I could go over without a mug but that wouldn't give me the opportunity to promote my blog, now would it?  So there you are and here I am.

See ya, eh!

Bob

Chinese Motorway Built Around House Because Residents Refuse to Move

G'Day to you! You're looking good today! Pour some freshly roasted and brewed coffee into your outheld mug and tickle your palate with a scrumptious virtual muffin. Boy, do I have a doozie for you today...A half-demolished building stands in the middle of a new motorway in in the city of Wenling, China’s Zhejiang province, after its elderly residents refused to move.

Talk about an accident waiting to happen… Cars travelling at high speeds in the Chinese city of Wenling have to go around a building located right in the middle of a newly-built motorway. Luo Baogen and his wife refused to relocate, because they believed the compensation offered for relocating was not enough to cover the costs of rebuilding. So even though all their neighbors took the government’s deal, they stayed behind in the empty building. To ensure the structural integrity of the building, adjacent rooms in the building have been left intact.

During most of the Communist era, private ownership of property was abolished, so it was easy to relocate people, but nowadays the new laws make it illegal to demolish a building until an agreement is reached with all its owners.

Although the five-storey structure was affected by all the heavy machinery operating in the area during the construction of the motorway, the old Chinese couple have no intention of moving away. Luckily for them, traffic is pretty light, because the new road has not yet been officially opened, but once that happens, the noise alone will probably be too hard to bare, not to mention the danger of crossing the street.

From the picture, it appears they plan to have the motorway go around both sides of the house. Why not just divert the motorway around the back of the house so the old folks can live out their remaining days without having to cross a busy highway everytime they want to leave the building? Makes sense to me but then remember...Western logic does not always apply in Asia!

See ya, eh!

Bob

One for the Textbooks

Hi ya! How're you faring? Getting ready for a great weekend? In Canada it's Grey Cup weekend and the Toronto Argos are in it! We're digging out out sweaters though. Temperature yesterday was 11C. Today it's dropped to 3C and we've already seen some snow flurries. Goes with the territory. Anyway...pour yourself a refreshingly steamy mug of Arabica and nudge one of those virtual treats onto your plate. Y'know...being an educator, I am always interested in stories with an educational twist. Well here's a twist for you.

John Kallam graduated with a BA in criminology and entered the US Army. He served for 20 years beginning in the late 1930s. He was an investigator during the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals and stayed in Germany for many years organizing civilian police forces in the post-war era. He also wrote numerous books on criminal justice. He retired from military service in the late 1950s at the rank of full colonel.

Returning to Fresno, California, he began teaching criminology at what was then Fresno State College (later to become the California State University, Fresno). His work was well respected, but after about ten years of service, he was called to see the president of the college.

He was informed that he could no longer teach with just a bachelor’s degree. Times were changing, he was told, and the school demanded that faculty members hold a graduate degree. Merely having 20 years of distinguished experience was no longer considered sufficient qualification to teach. All new faculty were being required to hold a doctorate, it was explained, and the school was actually doing him a favour by letting him keep his job by getting ‘only’ a master’s degree.

So John enrolled in a summer program at an out of State College. Three months of intensive seminars and then nine months of home study would get him his MA.

On the first day of class, the instructor was taking roll. He stopped when he read John’s name. “Are you related to the John Kallam who wrote the textbook we’ll be using?” he asked.

“I am the John Kallam who wrote the textbook you’re using,” came the dry response.

Can't you just see the expression on the face of the instructor?

See ya, eh!

Bob

Japan Develops Shock-Absorbing Electric Car Covered in Airbags

Well now...there you are. I was beginning to worry. Nah...I knew you'd be here for a great mug of coffee and a virtual treat. Say...your car has airbags, right? Well here's a different way to think about airbags. I knew you'd want to know about this...

Hiroshima University-affiliated startup business Humanix has recently revealed a three-wheel electric vehicle, called iSAVE YOU, which is covered in covered with an airbag-like cushion material that springs back to its original form after absorbing impacts.

You hear that, auto-makers around the world? You’re doing it wrong, airbags go on the OUTSIDE of the not the inside! At least according to Japanese company Humanix, whose golf-cart-like vehicle, iSAVE YOU, is covered in airbags.

Researchers from the University of Hiroshima formed the venture company to sell their innovative creation for 790,000 yen ($9,740 USD). Professor Tsutomu, president of Humanix, told Japanese magazine Sponichi Annex that “the car will be perfect for our rapidly aging society and that there are already many requests for it from the elderly and disabled.” Especially aging golfers!

The cushions covering the vehicle are made of a tent fabric and sponge, and will absorb shock waves in case of an impact, protecting both the passengers and pedestrians. The iSAVE YOU can run up to 30 km on a single charge and and can be recharged from any regular household electrical outlet.

For some reason my evil mind conjures up a highway Bumper Cars game! And for you aging golfers, how about Bumper Car golf? Fore!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Woman Allergic to Modern Technology Lives in a Faraday Cage!

Hi there! How's it going? Pour yourself a freshly perked mug of coffee and toss one of those virtual treats onto your plate. Did you bring your mobile phone with you? Of course you did. We never go anywhere without them, do we? Remember when microwave ovens first came out and there was a hew and cry about the deadly effects radiating from them? Then, along came mobile / cell phones and we heard the same bleeting from the doom and gloom merchants. Now we have wi-fi. There's no escaping the rays...and it affects some people to the extreme.

51-year-old Velma Lyrae, from London, England, spends up to 18 hours a day in her homemade Faraday cage, because she is allergic to electromagnetic fields. When she goes out she has to wear a special scarf that shields her from electromagnetic waves.

The Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome (EHS) sufferer says her problems began in her teenage years, after she suffered a shock when she touched the switch of an electric fire in her bathroom. At first the symptoms were barely noticeable, and at one point she even worked as a secretary for a number of companies, where she had to use a computer. “Even back then I could feel a huge agitation when using the computer, but I thought it was just because I didn’t have the technological skills,” Velma remembers.

Although it is believed that previous shocks make people more susceptible, the rare condition really started to affect her after the introduction of 3G technology. Nowadays she has unbearable head and nerve pain, memory loss, tinnitus, heart palpitations, vertigo and aching joints every time she’s close to technology, so she spends most of her days in a Faraday cage she built herself, reading, writing and sleeping.

“We desperately need a white zone — an area where there’s little or no emissions — where we can go to relax and recuperate,” Lyrae says, but the problem is EHS is currently only recognized as a medical condition in Sweden and Spain. She’s been to physicians countless times, asking for tests, but every time she was told there are people out there with bigger problems than hers.

Talking about Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome, Dr. Erica Mallery-Blythe said: “Adults and children today are exposed to very high levels of electromagnetic fields (EMF) that no life on the planet has ever witnessed before. It is no surprise that the numbers of those with EHS and other conditions linked with EMF exposure are rising.”

Independent experts say that in five years time 50% of the world's population could be affected at current exposure levels. Mind you, a long time ago, before the advent of cars a la 'the horseless carriage', there was a study done showing that at then current levels of horse ownership, the world would soon be four feet deep in horseshit. Thank goodness that didn't happen, eh! It would have made getting anywhere rather slow and plodding, don't'cha think?

Velma Lyrae is not the only person who has gone to extreme lengths to protect herself from the grueling symptoms of EHS. Two French women who suffer from the same problem with electromagnetic waves moved into a cave to escape the effects.

So...if you've been experiencing problems like the ones Velma is having, see your doctor (and take a copy of my blogpost with you in case he doesn't believe you).

See ya, eh!

Bob 

 

Do I Look Dead to You?

Hi ya! How's it going? Pour some dark nectar into your mug and munch on a virtual chupati  while I tell you about the ordeal of Asharfi Devi. 

India's notorious bureaucracy records deaths particularly ineptly, to the advantage of men seeking an alternative to divorce. They find it easier merely to swear out a death certificate on one wife so they can marry another, but that means the first wife will face years, and maybe decades, of campaigning to convince officials that she is not dead. 

BBC News chronicled the plight of Ms. Asharfi Devi, now 64, in September as she was finally declared "alive" after being deserted by her husband at age 23 and ruled dead at age 40. 

After Devi finally earned a hearing and brought relatives and evidence to the village council, deliberations took eight more months. Notwithstanding the ruling, the husband stuck to his story.

"Hello. My name is Asharfi Devi."
"It cannot be for you are dead."
"Do I look dead to you?"
"What you look like to me is not important. It says here on your death certificate that you are dead."
"I don't care what your erroneous paper says. I am very much alive!"
"So you say! Papers never lie! I am totally flummoxed as to why you dead women don't understand that?" 
"You want to be flummoxed? Come over to this side of the counter and I'll show you flummoxed...and you won't be able to walk upright for a week!"

See ya, eh!

Bob       

Grandpa the Internet Fashion Star!

Hi ya! Hope you're having a salubrious day. You're timing, as usual, is impeccable. Coffee's fresh...virtual treats sit in all their glory awaiting your pleasure. Go for it! Hey...you know how much I like to keep you abreast of what's happening out there, eh. Well, here's a grandpa in girl's clothes story and the power of the Internet. Holy doodle!

Photos of a 72-year-old Chinese man modelling stylish clothes for young women have recently went viral online, after his granddaughter posted them on China’s largest retail website. What started out as a silly joke turned into a massive advertising campaign for her store.

Liu Xianping, a grandfather from China, is the first elderly male model who reached Internet stardom for modelling girls’ clothes. Liu, 72, has been posing for his granddaughter’s female fashion store on Tmall and although the garments are designed for sweet and cute teen girls, featuring rosy shades, laces and ribbons, he totally pulled it off. His confidence in front of the camera, his slim physique and pair of long skinny legs have apparently gained the admiration of millions and made some girls green with envy.

And most importantly, his granddaughter’s store sales have ...wait for it...increased 5 times since his pictures went viral. Marketing through the Internet is doing amazing things for people and sometimes, as in this one...totally by accident.

See ya, eh!

Bob

Using Gamers to Solve World Problems

Hi ya! How's it going, eh?  My question for the day is..do you like playing computer games? The trend is unstoppable. Well fill your mug and grab onto a virtual treat while I tell you how a young scientist puts the growing power of these gamers to good use. (If memory serves, I did a post on this a year or so ago but the concept is amazing!)

Adrien Treuille has always been interested in crowds...how they move...patterns of crown behaviour and he uses the power of crowds of people, particularly gamers, to solve scientific problems. This young professor creates simulations of physical processes ranging from the flow of people in a crowd to the motion of proteins in a cell. And while his models are stunningly realistic, what's truly amazing is that they run not on supercomputers but on ordinary PCs. "I want to place curling smoke in the palm of your hand," he says.

To make this possible, Treuille, an assistant professor of computer science, streamlines the mathematical representation of a scenario, removing unlikely outcomes. For example, he says, a full simulation of how a shirt might be folded would include fantastic origami-style shapes. In most cases, a simulation would need to cover only ordinary creases.

Treuille's simulations have attracted commercial interest. For example, ESPN used his techniques to simulate the airflow around NASCAR vehicles on live TV. And Electronic Arts has licensed his crowd-simulation techniques for its games, where they're replacing more processing-intensive artificial-intelligence methods.

But Treuille's work has applications beyond entertainment. He and colleague Seth Cooper designed a downloadable game called Foldit that allows players to fold and tug on simulations of known proteins to design new molecules. More than 90,000 users have registered and played since the game's launch in May 2008. Treuille wonders if someone--perhaps even an amateur--might someday use Foldit to discover a protein that cures cancer.

Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University and Stanford University are attempting to harness the wisdom of crowds with the creation of an online video game that challenges players to design new ways to fold RNA molecules.

The scientists hope to uncover fundamental principles underlying one of life’s building blocks, and they believe that the free game will also serve as a training ground for a cadre of citizen-experts who will help generate a new storehouse of biological knowledge. The process may also aid researchers in building more powerful automated algorithms for biological discovery.

The game, EteRNA, is accessible at eterna.cmu.edu/content/EteRNA. It allows non-biologists to design complex new ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules, as well as to receive quick feedback on the biological function of their designs.

In a way, EteRNA is a successor to Foldit, a popular Internet-based video game that proved that the pattern matching skills of amateurs could outperform some of the best protein-folding algorithms designed by scientists.

Dr. Treuille says he harnesses the power of thousands of gamers and uses their energy level and inter-communications (through chat) to solve real life problems.

Now there is one imaginative guy!

See ya, eh!

Bob

World’s Worst Hotel

Well, hi there! How're you doing? Help yourself to a delicious mug of coffee and a delectable Apple Dutchie while I tell you about the Hotel from Hell!  Hey...we've all stayed in places we'd never go back to, right? What’s the worst hotel you’ve ever stayed in? Never mind, it couldn’t have been any worse than the Hans Brinker Budget Hostel in Amsterdam, which actually prides itself on being the “world’s worst hotel”.

While most other hotels go out of their way to convince potential clients they have the cleanest rooms, the most comfortable beds and the most incredible views, the Hans Brinker hostel lets everyone know just how awful their accommodations are. Some of their most popular advertising slogans include: "It can’t get any worse. But we’ll do our best" or “Improve your immune system – stay at Hans Brinker!” 

Pretty funny stuff and although a lot of people who stayed there confirm it’s pretty much all true, it apparently just adds to the charm of the place. Despite management’s best efforts to warn guests about the rudimentary facilities of their establishment, most of the hotel’s 511 beds in 127 rooms are occupied these days. Of course, the fact that no room costs more than €25 ($32) can be considered an incentive.

So what it comes down to is budget versus comfort and convenience. Plus, think of the experience! You'll be able to tell all your grandchildren about the time you stayed in the "Hotel from Hell!"

I'm working on a package deal for CWB readers. Let me know if I can put you down for a couple tickets, eh!

See ya in Amsterdam?

Bob

 

 

Busted by Facebook Post!

Hey there! You're just in time for a fresh mug of Arabica and a virtual treat. Help yourself! Say...you may have read about Rashia Wilson on Facebook...if'n fact you're one of their kazillion readers. Rashia Wilson's life had spectators. For more than a year, investigators watched her.

They read her Facebook posts, including this one on May 22:
"I'm Rashia, the queen of IRS tax fraud. … I'm a millionaire for the record. So if you think that indicting me will be easy, it won't. I promise you. I won't do no time, dumb b------."

U.S. Marshals arrested Wilson on a weapons charge brought by IRS-Criminal Investigations. In an affidavit, IRS-CI special agent Gary W. Smedley said investigators found a .22-caliber Walther beneath Wilson's mattress, a cellphone photo of her with a pink firearm and a Facebook image of her with the Taurus at Shooting Sports Inc.

Wilson, 26, who has prior felony convictions for grand theft and burglary, is not permitted to own a gun, said Smedley, who testified at a preliminary hearing Friday afternoon.


It quickly turned to tax fraud when private defense attorney Timothy J. Fitzgerald asked that Wilson be allowed to post bail, a move opposed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara C. Sweeney.

The prosecutor read Wilson's tax-fraud millionaire Facebook post aloud in court. She said Wilson may well have been involved in the theft of $1 million.

"Ms. Wilson is clearly very skilled at identity theft," Sweeney said. She told Magistrate Judge Thomas G. Wilson that defendant Wilson had been throwing around a "staggering" amount of money and had talked about getting out of town.

Investigators found evidence at Wilson's home that fraudulent tax returns may have been filed within the past week, Sweeney said. Printouts of medical records, dated Sept. 14, contained notations that appeared to be about tax filings.

The search Wednesday turned up thousands of ID numbers and 40 reloadable debit cards. The gun charge against Wilson arose after a two-year, multiagency investigation of tax fraud in Tampa, which drew on the efforts of the Tampa Police Department, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Secret Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

She has been arrested 40 times since age 12, but has never gone to state prison.

The judge denied bail. Wilson left in shackles.

Whoa! Now there's one naughty lady!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Drunken Doughnuts!

Hi ya! It's Friday! Don't forget to read my T.G.I.F. blog. What? You don't get it? We can fix that real quick, eh! Drop me a note and I'll add you to my subscriber list! Now, before you forget, pour yourself a remarkably perky mug of coffee and help yourself to a drunken...oops, I mean a virtual treat! But speaking of drunken treats,  Zac Young, a contestant on Top Chef: Just Desserts and the executive pastry chef at Flex Mussels, has moved doughnuts from coffee break to cocktail hour.

Following a pop-up in New York City's Grand Central Station this winter, Young is offering his alcohol-fueled "drunken doughnuts" on a secret menu at both Flex Mussels locations. The donuts are filled with adults-only custards inspired by popular cocktails such as Margaritas and White Russians.

But you don't have to be in New York to try this boozy comfort food: Young has shared the recipe for his newest creation. The "White Lightning" is a Liquid Lightning energy drink and vodka cocktail in donut form. Make them at home for a fun late-night alternative to that cup o' joe.

Ingredients

Starter:

2 cups Warm Water

2 tablespoons Active Dry Yeast

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

Donuts:

10 ounces Unsalted Butter

cups Sugar

6 Eggs

1/4 cup Vanilla Extract

8 cups All-Purpose Flour

1/4 cup Salt

Filling:

600 grams white chocolate

100 grams corn syrup

150 grams heavy cream

100 grams Grey Goose vodka

250 grams Liquid Lightning

of salt

Preparation

1.Starter: Dissolve yeast in water then whisk in flour. Cover with plastic and let double in volume in a warm place.

2.Doughnuts: Using a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time followed by vanilla. Stir in flour and salt until mealy (not a dough)

3.Stir in starter

4.Switch to the hook attachment and mix to a firm ball

5.Place in oiled bowl and let rise till doubled

6.Cut into 2 inch rounds and place on floured sheet trays

7.Let rise another hour

8.Fry at 350 degrees, flipping once

9.Let cool slightly

10.Using a pastry bag, pipe the filling into each doughnut

11.Filling: Melt the white chocolate

12.In a separate pot, pour corn syrup and cream and bring to a boil

13.Slowly mix the corn syrup/cream blend into the melted white chocolate to make a perfect emulsion

14.Add a pinch of salt

15.With a hand mixer or a food processor, add the vodka and Liquid Lightning

16.Place plastic on top of curd to prevent skin from forming

17.Refrigerate overnight or at least six hours

18.The filling may seem a bit liquid, but the chocolate will firm up over night

Don't forget to upload me a couple, okay?

See ya, eh!

Bob

50% Discount on Getting into Heaven!

Well, hi ya! How're you faring today, eh? Holding your own? Don't do it in public or you'll get arrested! Pour yourself a perk-me-up and snaggle (My fingers typed 'shaggle' for some reason...oh well) one of those delectable virtual muffins. Believe it or not there are people out there who actually believe they can buy their way into Heaven. (Of course...keep those donations coming and get your absolutions periodically and Bob's Your Uncle...in some religions). But now...A Russian coupon site is offering a 50% discount on indulgences offered by the Catholic Church, and so far over 100 people bought the coupon. The funny thing is Russia is an Orthodox country…

What’s the price of redemption, fellow sinners? Well, according to this offer posted on Russian site Kupon Klub, it’s just 500 rubles ($16). Come on, you have to admit that’s a bargain!

But, truth be told, it’s 50% off thanks to the kindness of an Italian Catholic church that has offered to pray for the forgiveness of your sins at half price. All someone has to do is buy this holy coupon and send its unique number to an email address mentioned on site. No matter how much you’ve sinned over the years, you can buy just one coupon for yourself, but you can get as many as you want to have your loved-ones’ sins forgiven as well.

The organizers of this bizarre campaign believe the number of sold coupons will be in the millions, but with 37 days to go to expiry, only 110 people have bough the discounted indulgence vouchers. That’s right, 110 people believe paying $15 for a coupon will open their way into Heaven.

Now hold it right there already. Yours truly (being a bonafide ordained minister with Universal Ministries and founder of Interfaith Academy) has a special offer for you. This is a pre-Christmas, post-Diwali and right in time for the US Thanksgiving celebration offer. For a donation of any size, I promise to intercede on your behalf to ensure you a place in heaven (or other alternate dimension of your choosing).

It'll be a while before I get my Prayer Line set up but donations to our HELP FUND (Health - Education - Love - Pride) to help the needy in Thailand can be sent to http://interfaith-academy.org/helpfund.html

See ya, eh!

Bob

Bright Tablets Help Bad Eyes Read Faster

Hey there! How's it going, eh? Help yourself to a mugga and a virtual muffin. You can see them next to the coffeepot. Y'know, we sometimes hear how staring at a computer screen is bad for our eyes - and with Thailand and other countries giving iPad clones to all school kids, that fear is bound to be on many people's minds. Well, not to worry...apparently. Far from ruining your eyes, digital screens can actually help people read better, especially those with bad vision.

Researchers from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey found that people with moderate vision loss could improve their reading speed when reading on a tablet versus on paper. And a backlit screen, such as the iPad's, provided even more benefit than an E Ink screen, as on the original Kindle. Their study, funded by the school, was presented at the just-concluded 116th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Moderate vision loss can come from diseases such as macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy, both of which damage the light-sensitive cells of the retina, in the back of the eye.  The result is fuzzy central vision, which makes near vision — what we use for reading — difficult.

Moderate vision loss can come from diseases such as macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy, both of which damage the light-sensitive cells of the retina, in the back of the eye.  The result is fuzzy central vision, which makes near vision — what we use for reading — difficult.

The study tested how quickly people with vision impairment read a book in print, on an original Kindle (no backlight) and on an iPad 2. People read the printed book at an average rate of 187 wpm. On the Kindle, people sped up to 196 wpm at 12-point font. With the Kindle app on an iPad 2 set at 12-point font, people hit 224 wpm. Finally, increasing the iPad's font size to 18 points allowed people to read slightly faster at 229 wpm.

The researchers said they believe the backlight helps overcome loss of contrast sensitivity — being able to see objects distinctly from their background and making out shades of gray. The backlit tablets create high contrast between the text and the background, and they shine light directly into the eye, which also helps people with macular degeneration.


Those who had the most problems seeing (vision of 20/40 or worse) reported the best increases in reading rate. On the other hand, those who had better vision (between 20/20 and 20/40) said they preferred reading on newspapers and other printed pages to reading on an electronic device, but even those readers showed some increase in their reading rate on the iPad.

Dr. Daniel Roth, the lead researcher, said that, although his team didn't test other backlit tablets, it's likely that Android tablets and other devices similar to the iPad would also help people with reading speed.

So if you've been holding off buying an iPad or clone because of possible eye damage, forget about it. Go out and buy it already...and don't forget...my birthday's coming up in January!

See ya, eh!

Bob

 

The Wisdom (?) of Solomon...

Well, there you are. I thought that was you with your digit poised over the click button. Coffee's freshly perked and those virtual treats are in their usual array of assorted wonderment. Now here's a story for you...Some people, such as Holly Solomon, take voting seriously. She ran down her husband because he didn't vote! That's serious in my books, eh!

Holly Solomon was arrested and charged with domestic violence and aggravated assault charges after she chased her 36-year-old husband in their Jeep SUV through a parking lot before pinning him between the SUV and a curb. (Must have been a high curb!) The husband was in critical condition.

Officials told the station that Solomon, 28, argued with her husband over his lack of political involvement and that she believed her family would suffer under a second term of President Barack Obama.

Not there's a marriage that'll last a lifetime, eh? Of course the lifetime may be kind of short if the husband keeps on pissing her off, eh! Should have voted, mate!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Caffeine May Perk Up Your View of the World

Absolutely! I know it does mine. Hey...thanks for clicking by today. You're just in time to improve your view of life around you with a tasty mug of roasted and brewed Arabica beans and a virtual treat. As I've noted in previous posts, it's apparently also effective in holding off Alzheimer's Disease and that alone should perk up anybody's worldview, eh!


Past research has found that people are faster and more accurate at recognizing positive words such as "happy" than negative words such as "mad," and similar effects are seen with pictures and sounds. This emotional bias is curious, given how people are equally good at remembering both positive and negative details of an event, such as words, pictures and sounds.

"What causes this difference?" said researcher Lars Kuchinke, an experimental psychologist at Ruhr University in Germany.

To see what triggers this positivity advantage, the researchers decided to experiment with caffeine. Caffeine helps lead to faster responses and fewer errors in simple mental tasks, and one might expect it would help people recognize both positive and negative words.

Scientists asked 66 volunteers to decide as fast and accurately as possible whether strings of letters they saw on computer screens were real words or not. Half the volunteers were given a lactose pill that had no effect on results, while the other half were given tablets containing 200 milligrams of caffeine 30 minutes before testing, equivalent to about two or three cups of coffee.

The investigators found volunteers who consumed caffeine tablets were more accurate by up to 7 percent at recognizing positive words than other words, with no effect seen when it came to emotionally neutral or negative words. This reveals that although caffeine improves some mental functions, "the present study shows that this may be specific for certain types of stimuli, like only positive words," Kuchinke said.

Prior studies have shown caffeine probably stimulates the central nervous system by increasing activity of the brain chemical dopamine, which is linked with rewards, creativity, impulsivity and addiction. Since caffeine seemed to boost the positivity advantage, these findings suggest the root of the positivity advantage may rest in dopamine.

Future research might see if brain scans can verify this link with dopamine, and might also test if caffeine helps people better recognize positive faces or pictures.

So what are you waiting for??? Have another mugga Joe!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Edible Deodorant Tastes Sweet, Makes You Smell Like Roses

Hey there! A treat to see you today! How's it going, eh? There's a fresh pot of coffee waiting for you right next to the tray of virtual goodies with that heavenly aroma. Speaking of aromas, there's nothing quite like standing on a bus or in an elevator next to someone with B. O. Phew! Well, now, they're making deodorant candy. Hey...it's about time!

Deo Perfume Candy is a new product...an edible deodorant that makes you smell like fresh roses from a stunningly beautiful valley in Bulgaria.

Actually, the concept has been around for some time, but food company Beneo is finally introducing it on the US market, in the form of Deo Perfume Candy. Humans have known about the connection between what we eat and what we smell like for a while, but it was a group of Japanese researchers who discovered that eating geraniol makes people smell sweet.

There was even a chewing gum called Otoko Kaoru (“man scent”) launched years ago, but it didn’t really catch on and it was soon discontinued.

Now Beneo has teamed up with Bulgarian confectioner Alpi to create Deo, a special candy that will apparently turn you into a walking air-freshener for up to six hours.

“Geraniol is a natural antioxidant and its fragrance, once consumed as a candy, leaves the body through its pores, creating a naturally sweet smell that can last for hours,”. The company recommends one serving size for a person weighing 145 pounds.

Now this is what science should be all about, don't'cha think? Making products that benefit people...or those around them!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Red Dog Saloon’s Ultimate Hot Chicken Wing Challenge!

Hi ya! How're you doing? Coffee's hot and the virtual treats are up to their usual standard of scrumptillyiousousness. (Whoa...is that a real word?) Hey...do you like spicy chicken wings? I want to tell you about the Red Dog Saloon.

If you’re a fan of spicy food, you may want to try the Red Dog Saloon’s Viper Challenge – eat six chicken wings smothered in sauce made from Naga Viper chillies, known as the world’s hottest chili peppers, in ten minutes. Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it?

I mean how hard can it be to munch on six wings in 10 minutes, right?  These apparently are six little piece of Hell that will make you feel like you’re feasting on molten lava. The Red Dog Saloon, in London's Hoxton district, introduced its Viper Hot Chicken Wings Challenge in December 2011, and since then it’s really been separating the men from the boys (or the women from the girls?).

The requirements are pretty straightforward: in order to beat the challenge, a person has to eat six hot wings in ten minutes, and last an extra five minutes after taking the final bite without leaving the table or putting any other liquids or solids in their mouth.

It’s that Burn Time that really affects daredevils crazy enough to take on the Viper Challenge. Just to give you an idea of how hot a Naga Viper chili is, Tabasco sauce ranks about 5,000 units on the Scoville Scale, whereas the tiny pepper is ranked at 1,359,000 units. That’s 2,500 times hotter than a Jalapeno.

Yea, yea, yea...but what do I win, eh? Six more viperized chicken wings?

See ya, eh!

Bob

Do you take your father to be your lawfully wedded husband?

G'Day to you, eh! How's tricks? Yeah, I know... it's grammatically incorrect but that's the expression.  While you ponder that, pour yourself a mug of coffee and grab one of those virtual mega muffins and I'll tell you about a patrimist. (Hey. Bob, are you coining new words again?) 

Valerie Spruill from Doylestown, Ohio, discovered that her husband, Percy, was also her father, the Akron Beacon Journal reports. The 60-year-old woman learned the truth six years after Percy's death.
Here is what happened, according to the Beacon Journal.

Spruill was sent to live with her grandparents when she was just 3 months old. She was told that her grandfather was her father and that her mother was a "family friend." Her biological mother was a "night lady" who was jailed on sex charges in 1980. Her biological father was Percy Spruill, who was 15 when he met Valerie's mother. 

Valerie and Percy later married. Throughout their marriage, Valerie said she heard rumors that Percy was her father, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. In April 1998, Percy died at the age of 60. In 2004, an uncle told Valerie the rumors were true, and a DNA test confirmed it.

Whoa, eh! Remember the old song, "I am my own grandpa?" but like,when you hear rumours that your your husband may be your dad, wouldn't you, like, check it out? Have you heard of DNA? Help me out here, already!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Bulletproof Tattoos?

Hey there! Glad to see you come through the virtual portal today! Help yourself to a steamingly refreshing mug of coffee and snag a virtual muffin, doughnut or pastry. Y'know, it seems that tatoos are all the rage these days. Well, in Thailand, they have always had religious overtones.

Boonyong Luangjumpol, also known as Ajarn Ton, was recently arrested in Thailand’s Yanglad district after he allegedly gave local teens magic tattoos and told them they made them invincible. Unsurprisingly, they wanted to try out their ink armor and engaged in a series of brawls.
Sak Yant is an ancient type of Thai tattoo said to bestow the bearer with mystical powers.

It incorporates Buddhist prayers called Mantras or Katas that will invoke supernatural powers. These magic spells were originally inscribed on pieces of cloth, and centuries ago, Thai soldiers would wear Yant-printed jackets to offer them extra protection in battle.

After Buddhism was adopted as a religion in Thailand, it became common for devotees to have Sak Yant tattoos etched into their skin. Even today, many Thai men believe in their mystical powers, and have one or more tattoos inscribed on their bodies. There are also lots of stories of people sporting Sak Yant tattoos who were shot at close range without even having their skin pierced, or horrific car accidents from which tattoo bearers emerged unscathed.

These are the same gullible guys who wear three to five amulets around their neck for additional 'protection' then go out driving like maniacs convinced they are invincible...and if they kill anybody else, why...it was preordained anyway.

Yeah, right!

See ya, eh!

Bob