How to Build a Hobbit House for £150( $250)

Blimey! I wondered what that cacaphony was and it was you spiraling down out of cyberspace. Mind the coffeepot when you land, eh! I'm really glad you dropped in. Coffee's freshly roasted and brewed and the selection of virtual treats is in its usual splendour so help yourself. Y'know, Nong and I are waiting for The Hobbit to come to the bank of theatres near us. I believe it is in 3-D and we are both anxious to see it. I remember reading Tolkein's book many years ago. Speaking of hobbits...

At a time when housing rates are hitting the roof, an English farmer has built a house for almost nothing. 59-year-old Michael Buck spent a measly £150($250) to construct a small, yet cozy house in the garden of his Oxfordshire home in England.

The former art teacher drew plans for the house on the back of an envelope. He didn’t need any special planning permissions since it was classified as a summer home. Buck spent two years gathering natural and reclaimed materials for construction. It took him eight months to construct it with his bare hands; he didn’t use any power tools at all.

To make the base, he learned the ancient technique of cobbing from a book. The technique comes from prehistoric times and involves a mixture of sand, clay, water and earth. Clay based subsoil is mixed with sand, straw and water and then ladled onto a stone foundation. Workers and oxen then trample upon the mixture – a process known as cobbing. The layers of cob gradually build up and harden over time.

For the 300 sq. ft. floor space, Buck rescued the floorboards from a neighbor’s unused skip. He retrieved the windscreen of an old lorry and converted the glass into windows. The walls are painted with a mixture of chalk and plant resin. The roof is a simple wooden frame thatched with straw from nearby fields.

Talk about a D-I-Y! So there you go, eh. Get yourself a piece of cheap land somewhere (if there is such a thing anymore) and get to it... or build one in your backyard. Ours, well, I'm not sure it's big enough. Garden shed, maybe but a Hobbit House? Nah. Still...I think it is a marvelous project. Teachers... there's an excellent combined History and Science project for you!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Holiday Fat-Fighting Secret

Well, hey there! Great to see you drop out of cyberspace and land right next to the coffee pot and tray of virtual treats. While you're over there, fill your mug and drop a mega muffin onto your plate...then mosey over here to the table and I'll tell you the latest from my pal, Dr. Al (Sears). He has some good advice on how to fight fat over the holidays - not an easy task, eh! Listen up...

Dear Bob,

Here’s something to remember before the holiday “eating season” begins. This is very important, but nobody seems to know it…

You can cut calories and still gain weight. You can work out until you pass out and still have that spare tire.

The truth is, we don’t get fat because we eat too much. And it’s not because we’re lazy.

Staying slim boils down to this: Hormones make you fat.

But today I’m going to show you how to beat them with a few eating tricks, and some powerful nutrients I use at my Wellness Center to help control hormonal fat storage.

Case in point: the hormone insulin is your number one fat builder. It tells your body to pack on the pounds.

You produce a storm of insulin when you eat foods that are high on the Glycemic Index. As a general rule of thumb, carbs are the foods highest on the GI.

It surprises my patients when I tell them what the highest GI food is that the clinic has ever tested.

Care to guess?

It’s corn bread, a holiday favorite. Every time you take a bite of corn bread, insulin pours into your blood. And it tells your body to store the calories as fat. (We don't get much corn bread up here in Canada. No grits. No hush puppies [except the shoes] although I will admit that, strange as it sounds, I did eat some collard greens last night...mixed in with my Thai fried rice.)

All that blood sugar means you have to produce insulin to process it. Eventually, your body gets tired and stops responding, which is called insulin resistance.

Blood sugar that your body can’t or won’t process gets stored as fat. So it’s foods with excess carbohydrates that can make you fat.

I take this a step further with my patients. The idea is to eat foods that don’t spike your blood sugar, and to also let your blood sugar come back down after eating. You don’t want your insulin to stay elevated for too long.

This means eating foods with a low Glycemic Load (GL).

The GL is simply a number you get when you multiply a food’s Glycemic Index (GI) rating by the total amount of carbohydrate in each serving you eat.

That makes it much more practical for your everyday life because the GL tells you how fattening a food is. It’s a fresh way to look at everyday foods. Some GL ratings may surprise you – especially foods like watermelon … high GI, but low GL.

I consider foods with a Glycemic Load under 10 as good choices. They are a green light. Foods that fall between 10 and 20 on the GL scale are more like a yellow light: not bad, but proceed with caution.

Foods above 20 are a red light. They will not only make you gain weight but keep you from dropping weight, just like Howard Stern is experiencing. Eat those foods sparingly and try to eat protein instead. Protein has a GL of zero.

There are also a few nutrients that can help you improve your body’s use of insulin and make you more sensitive to it so it works better:

1) Banaba leaf tea is something they traditionally brew in Bali to help regulate blood sugar.

Medical scientists believe that banaba leaf’s beneficial effects on blood sugar are due to its high concentration of corosolic acid. It mimics insulin by moving sugar out of your bloodstream and into your cells.

And numerous scientific studies have proven banaba leaf’s effectiveness. It lowers blood sugar and there are no side effects.¹ 50 mg of banaba leaf extract with 1-2 percent corosolic acid will help you control your blood sugar.

2) L-carnitine can improve insulin sensitivity in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

The problem is your body can’t make enough l-carnitine on its own from eating meat. So I recommend supplementing with a gram a day in the liquid form. It’s more absorbable compared to the powders and capsules. Make sure you choose a supplement that uses naturally occurring l-carnitine.

3) Chromium is another important mineral to help control and rebuild your sensitivity to insulin.

Without enough chromium in your body, insulin just doesn’t work properly.

Chromium is in many foods including brewer’s yeast, meats, potato skins, cheeses, molasses, and fresh fruits and vegetables.

Despite the wide availability of chromium from food sources, research shows that 90 percent of American adults have a chromium-deficient diet.

But you can’t take just any chromium as a supplement. Some types may actually do more harm than good. And research shows that it needs niacin to be effective.

Look for chromium polynicotinate, or niacin-bound chromium, which is safe and effective as a dietary supplement. Take 400 mcg a day.

To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD

So don't peel off the best part of your potatoes. Leave the skins on and get your chromium, eh! Pour some molasses on top; add a little brewer's yeast then let it sit a couple of weeks. Zowie! You'll either get molasses-flavoured vodka or a soggy mess of nothing!

See ya, eh!

Bob

China’s Best Mao Zedong Impersonator Is Actually a Woman

Well, a splendid good day to you. Thanks for clicking by today. How're you doing? Well, I trust. Help yourself to a mug of Joe and a Chinese doughnut. Better have two otherwise you'll be hungry again in  an hour. Speaking of Chinese...

57-year-old Chen Yan used to be an average, run-of-the-mill homemaker. The only noticeable thing about her: her striking resemblance to Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong. Chen was teased mercilessly for this as a child, reducing her to tears. 

But in 2006 she made a decision that would completely change her life –  to embrace herself and her appearance. Chen is now a full time Mao impersonator, an extremely popular one.

Impersonating Chairman Mao isn’t exactly a piece of cake. It’s a demanding and controversial job, because female impersonators of Mao aren’t very common in China. To look the part, Chen has to touch up her face, wear a Zhongshan suit and arrange her hair like Mao’s trademark style. She has to walk on specially made 26cm stilts, camouflaged to look like a larger shoe size. 

A typical performance is about 40 minutes long – Chen waves to the crowds, smokes and stares solemnly into the distance. Judging by audience reactions, she does a damn good job of it. It’s almost impossible to tell there’s a woman behind the costume.

Me? I've tried impersonating a rich guy. The only thing missing is the money! Ah well, can't win them all, can you?

See ya, eh!

Bob

Coffee With Bob Goes Viral!

Well, there you are. I was beginning to wonder... though I know you try to get by the blog as often as you can. It's always a pleasure to have you click by. Hey... some great news (for me, anyway) but let's get you a nice refreshing mug of coffee and a virtual no-fat treat first. 

And now the news! My Coffee With Bob blog is being featured on Feedspot (click the link to see what they are all about) so now folks around the world who subscribe to Feedspot can read my blog. 

In fact, they also picked up another of my blogs - Teach Overseas. 

I have a new blog as well that I will tell them about so perhaps they can feature that one for me as well. I love the attention!  My new blog is called Insights Thailand. (Gives me something to do in the few minutes I have between my other blogs, painting, writing, house renovations, online school and the multitudinous other things that occupy my day!) 

Don't forget to check out Feedspot!

See ya, eh!

Bob

PS: Looks as though I  have to add snow shovelling to that list as of today. Good exercise and it will be good thinking time, eh! (Yeah right!)

Everybody Needs a Hug!

Hey there! Great to see you. Thanks for clicking by today. Snuggle up to the coffeepot (careful! It's hot!) and pour yourself a mugful. While you're at it, massage a virtual doughnut or muffin onto your plate. Say...do you like hugs? Who doesn't, eh?

After its launch was delayed for a month by the Madison, Wis., city attorney, the Snuggle House was cleared and scheduled to open on Nov. 15 to provide in-bed, pajama-clad "intimate, non-sexual touching" for $60 an hour. 

"So many people," said assistant manager Emily Noon, "don't have a significant other in their lives" and "just need to be held" (including, she said, the elderly and hospice patients, who are part of the target clientele). 

The city's delay was, a spokesman said, to assure that Snuggle House had protocols for dealing with "risky" situations in which a customer refuses to take "no sex" for an answer. (Snuggle House has prominent surveillance cameras and panic buttons for the staff.)

I lived in Thailand for a long time and that's one thing that I think is missing from Thai society. No hugs. What? It's true. That's don't shake hands. They 'wai' (hands held up with palms together in a prayer-like manner) so no touching there. Friends and family don't hug when they meet. I did my best to correct the situation as much as I could but, you know, one guy can only do so much, eh (wink! wink!).

Personally, I am all in favour of hugs. They make me feel good. How about you?

See ya, eh!

Bob

The Cotton Ball Diet

Hi ya! How're you doing today? Need to shed a few pounds to prepare for holiday feasting? Yeah... me, too. I have a new diet to tell you about - that you DON'T want to try. First though, wander over to the coffeepot and fill your mug. On your way back, nudge a virtual treat or two onto your plate.  Y'know, I thought he Tapeworm diet was as bad as weight loss fads could get, but I was mistaken. Desperate dieters keep coming up with new, innovative methods to shed pounds. The latest trend is to eat cotton balls soaked in orange juice, lemonade or smoothies.

It’s all over the internet. Chat rooms, YouTube videos and blogs are describing to young women how the cotton ball diet is done. The trend is said to have caught on after model Bria Murphy (Eddie Murphy’s daughter) admitted to seeing models subjecting themselves to this diet. “I’ve heard of people eating the cotton balls with the orange juice. They dip it in the orange juice and then they eat the cotton balls to help them feel full,” Murphy told her interviewer on Good Morning America.

The idea behind the cotton ball diet is to feel full without having to gain weight. Some practitioners stick to just eating cotton all day. Others chow down on these fillers before a meal, so they can eat less. Dieters are able to swallow as many as five juice-dipped balls in one sitting, before they feel completely full.

No sirree! Not for me. Right now I'm on a no bread diet. That's a tough one for me being a breadoholic and loving to bake as well and with the holidays coming up. Holy Tamales (Can't eat those either)! Such stamina, eh! Believe it or not, I do have willpower...though won'tpower would be a better term. Haven't had a slice of bread, chocolate chip cookie, biscuit slathered in butter, piece of apple pie with ice cream, jam tart, almond croissant, cheese danish, et al for about a week now. Trouble is, I accidentally broke our bathroom scale last week (No, I didn't step on it and push it beyond the max!). It's a long story but it's not working so I don't know how much I've lost so far. I'll keep you posted. Without bread, I do feel less lethargic in the evenings. That much I can tell you.

Anyway, they can keep their cotton balls diet. Even with our stomach acids working overtime, it's got to be dangerous to eat cotton, don't'cha think? I don't want any part of it and sure don't recommend it to anyone. Melon balls are okay! 

See ya, eh!

Bob

Woman Gets Platinum Jewel Implanted in Her Eye

Well, hey! How're you doing? Got an eye-opener for you today but first things first, eh. Fill that mug you're holding with some perky arabica bean juice and snag a virtual doughnut or two. Why the heck not! Now..what was I about to tell you? Oh yeah, the eye opener...

Lucy Luckayanko is perhaps the only New Yorker to have an eye-stud. She spent $3,000 on a one-minute procedure to have a heart-shaped piece of platinum inserted into the white of her right eyeball.

Harvard and NYU-trained Dr. Chynn performed the procedure. Interestingly, he has been here in my blog before. He made news last August as a love-crazed doctor desperate to find his soul-mate. He spent thousands of dollars on high-end matchmaking services and charity donations in exchange for dates. When nothing worked out, he began to offer free cosmetic procedures to anyone who would introduce him to the girl of his dreams. Going by this, I don’t know if Lucy has had to pay for her treatment or got it free in exchange for setting up Dr. Chynn on a date. In any case, she went ahead with it and now she looks like she has a piece of dirt stuck in her eye forever.

Doctors have done this procedure several times in Europe and Los Angeles, but this was New York’s first. To perform it, Dr. Chynn first injected an anesthetic into Lucy’s eye. Then he made a tiny incision to “try to divide a pocket in between the sclera (the white part) and the conjunctiva (the clear part)” of her eye. Using forceps, he placed the 3.5mm platinum stud in a drop of water on Lucy’s eye membrane. Since the stud is so small, it had to be floated into position. It was all over in a matter of minutes and Lucy went home with her new bejeweled eye soon after.

I don't know about you but I am sure  that would drive me bonkers! I already have a spot in the back of my eye that moves as my eye does. It is like a mosquito flying just in front of my eye all the time...though it moves slower than a mossy does. Even so, during summer months, I may be seen to swat an invisible mossy every once in a while and some folks think I am crazier than I really am!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Dubai's Race to Be Number One

Hey there! How's it going? Glad you could take a few minutes to click by today. I appreciate it. The coffee's hot and there's a new tray of virtual doughnuts, muffins and assorted pastries to tempt you so... be a devil. Y'know, the Middle East has never been high on my list of places I want to visit - except possibly Egypt (which as we all know is in Africa, really). Friends of ours went to Dubai a couple years back and they thought it was great. So, when I saw this, I thought it might make an interesting post.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem is the man behind Dubai's transformation into a world business and financial center. He is the chairman of DP World. 

Among the oil-rich Persian Gulf region, Dubai is exceptional for being rather oil-poor. Over the course of several decades, Bin Sulayem has turned the sleepy port city of Dubai into a major container port, financial center, and real estate paradise that is home to many of the world's rich and famous. 

The result has been a flood of foreign investment into Dubai. Using that money he created a transportation network connecting shipping terminals around the world making Dubai the 3rd largest hub in the world. DP World today operates more than 60 terminals across 6 continents and is still growing and expanding. 

Dreaming of a return to the golden age when his people were world leaders in so many fields, Bin Sulayem aims to be No. 1 again. 

Ten million people visited Dubai last year - a number the government wants to see double by 2020.
Dubai International Airport however, cannot handle that increased capacity.So another airport has been built on the other side of town.The new airport will be the largest hub in the world.

 

Holy camel crap, eh! This is a place that is definitely on the move. It's expanding faster than my waistline at an all-you-can-eat buffet!

 

See ya, eh!

Bob

Why Do We Need Sleep?

Hey there! Glad you could drop by today. Hope your fall out of cyberspace didn't damage anything! Great to see you. Help yourself to a resoundingly refreshing mug of java and a virtual doughnut - absolutely no calories. I eat them all the time! Say, I don't know about you but I love my sleep time. I need my eight hours and I do my best to get it. How about you? Here's a message I just got from Dr. Al (Sears) about why we need sleep.

Dear Bob,

Sleep helps restore your brain. Without sleep, your brain function declines and ages faster.

The question has always been, why? But I just read a study that might give us a clue.

Scientists have recently discovered that your brain has a waste removal system they’re calling the glymphatic system. It gets rid of waste the same way your lymphatic system clears toxins through your liver.

The really interesting thing to me is that this system uses your glia cells and astrocytes, two types of brain cells.

What we’ve learned is that while you sleep, “water channels” that flow between your neurons expand to take away waste and buildup.

Without sleep, you can’t remove as much waste. Your brain then ages faster and deteriorates. That makes taking care of your glial cells important in preventing diseases like Alzheimer’s.

To make sure you get enough sleep, here are a couple of things I tell my patients:

1. Sleep in quiet and darkness: If you sleep with the TV or the light on, you are interfering with your brain’s natural sleep cycle and production of sleep hormones like melatonin. Turn it all off and sleep in total darkness. Even blocking the light from under a door or covering the blue glow from an electronic device could stop you from waking up.

2. Increase your thiamine intake: You might know it better as vitamin B1. It’s well known for supporting healthy circulation in the brain. But studies show thiamine improves sleep patterns when you have enough. The best food sources are organ meats, yeast, peas, pork, beans, and sunflower seeds. To regulate sleep, I recommend 40mg a day.

A good way to protect your glial cells so they can do their job of removing waste from your brain is with a plant compound called luteolin.

In one study, luteolin almost completely protected glial cells from free-radical damage and inflammation.² It also improves memory and helps ease depression.

You can get luteolin from eating celery, green peppers, the herb thyme, and in chamomile and yarrow teas. There’s also a unique source of luteolin… it’s from the resin bees use to make their honeycombs called propolis. You can find it in most health food stores.

However, sleep and nutrition are just two of the many effective ways you can defend your brain against time and illness. A good resource to discover many others is from one of our sponsors The Institute for Natural Healing.

This cutting-edge newsletter publisher goes beyond the limited scope of most health publications to provide you with the latest research and real solutions...

To Your Good Health,
  Al Sears, MD

By the way, napping in the afternoon is NOT recommended. If you must...limit it to 20 minutes. Better to get a full night's sleep.

See ya, eh!

Bob

How About $1,200 for a Pair of Socks!

Hi ya! How's life treating you today. Got your Christmas shopping all wrapped up yet? Wait... you haven't got my wish list! First though, fill your mug with some Arabica juice and snaggle one of those virtual treats, why don't'cha? Now, where was I...oh, yeah, my Christmas gift list. Nothing special for me this year, okay? Just a pair of socks...

German hosiery specialist FALKE recently launched the most expensive socks in the world as a part of their fall/winter collection. These socks will set you back $1,200, but they might just be worth all that moolah. Not only are these socks part of a very limited series of 10 pairs, but they are made from the rarest and most expensive wool in the world – Vicuna wool.

The Vicuna – the national animal of Peru – are distant cousins of the Llama and ancestors of the Alpaca. These unique creatures are endangered and live high up in the Andes, making it very difficult to obtain their wool. They cannot be domesticated, so all the wool is taken from wild animals that are caught and sheared once every two years. Each animal only produces about one pound of wool, making the fabric extremely rare.

Vicuna wool is the finest of all animal-derived fibers; it is just 12 micro-meters in diameter. Because it is so fine, it cannot even be dyed without being destroyed completely. So FALKE Vicuna socks are only available in one color – golden-brown – the natural color of the animal.

The luxury socks come in individual wooden presentation boxes. Along with the 10 pairs of socks, FALKE has also announced the launch of 20 Vicuna pullovers, with a choice of roll or v-necklines. Each pullover is priced at approx. $3,000, created from the same fabric.

Judging by the pictures, Vicuna socks really do look soft, rich and worth owning. The box packaging looks even more tempting. I’d buy them in a New York minute. If I had $1,200 to spare, that is.

Hey Santa...I've been good this year!

See ya, eh!

Bob

"Selfie' is the Word of the Year.

Hey! Hey! Wonderful to see you today. Thanks for dropping out of cyberspace. Lo and behold, you landed right next to the coffeepot. Good planning, eh! Now...hold your mobile phone up and take a picture of yourself pouring coffee into your mug. Then, another 'selfie' as you hoist a virtual megamuffin onto your plate. 

The word 'selfie' beat out such new terms as 'twerk', 'binge-watch' and 'showrooming' to earn the distinction of being named new word of the year 2013. The selfie - a self-picture - has grown in popularity over recent months as millions of people, including celebrities and even the Pope, have posted them online.

One of the most famous selfies this year was the Pope posing with teenagers at the Vatican. The picture went viral on social media and was widely speculated as being the first ever "Papal selfie".

An eye-brow raising selfie was taken by Samantha Cameron's sister on the morning of her wedding day, revealing David Cameron napping on a four-poster bed in the background.

Selfies hit the headlines this week when a woman from Plymouth claimed that a burglar had broken into her flat and taken a selfie on her phone. The woman subsequently realised she had invited the man in for coffee.

A number of spin-off terms are also in circulation, such as helfie (a picture of someone's hair), belfie (a picture of someone's behind), welfie (a picture of someone working out) and drelfie (a drunken selfie).

Judy Pearsall, editorial director for Oxford Dictionaries, said: "Using the Oxford Dictionaries language research programme, we can see a phenomenal upward trend in the use of selfie in 2013, and this helped to cement its selection as Word of the Year."

She added: "Social media sites helped to popularise the term, with the hashtag #selfie appearing on the photo-sharing website Flickr as early as 2004, but usage wasn't widespread until around 2012, when selfie was being used commonly in mainstream media sources."

The frequency of the word selfie in the English language has increased by 17,000% since this time last year, according to research conducted by Oxford Dictionaries editors.

This figure is calculated by Oxford Dictionaries using a research programme which collects around 150 million English words currently in use from around the web each month.

This software can be used to track the emergence of new words and monitor changes in geography, register, and frequency of use.

Selfie is under consideration for inclusion in the Oxford English Dictionary.

The shortlist for Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2013 included binge-watch (to watch multiple episodes of a television programme in rapid succession), showrooming (the practice of examining a product at a shop before buying it online at a lower price) and twerk (dancing in a sexually provocative manner by thrusting hip movements and adopting a low, squatting stance).

I have to admit it...I have taken the odd selfie or two. Good way to break the camera! Well, I mean, it's, like, so easy and well the subject is so...what can I say?

See ya, eh!

Bob

Are Our Brains Censoring What We See?

Hi there! Wonderful to see you today. Thanks for clicking by. Coffee's fresh and the virtual treats are aromatically teasing so help yourself. Say...did you know that your brain sees a lot more than it lets on? Aha!

Although we assume we can see everything in our field of vision, the brain actually picks and chooses the stimuli that come into our consciousness. A new study in the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology's Journal of Vision reveals that our brains can be trained to consciously see stimuli that would normally be invisible.

Lead researcher Caspar Schwiedrzik from the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Germany said the brain is an organ that continuously adapts to its environment and can be taught to improve visual perception.

"A question that had not been tackled until now was whether a hallmark of the human brain, namely its ability to produce conscious awareness, is also trainable," Schwiedrzik said. "Our findings imply that there is no fixed border between things that we perceive and things that we do not perceive -- that this border can be shifted."

The researchers showed subjects with normal vision two shapes, a square and a diamond, one immediately followed by a mask. The subjects were asked to identify the shape they saw. The first shape was invisible to the subjects at the beginning of the tests, but after 5 training sessions, subjects were better able to identify both the square and the diamond.

The ability to train brains to consciously see might help people with blindsight, whose primary visual cortex has been damaged through a stroke or trauma. Blindsight patients cannot consciously see, but on some level their brains process their visual environment. A Harvard Medical School study last year found that one blindsight patient could maneuver down a hallway filled with obstacles, even though the subject could not actually see.

Schwiedrzik said the new research may help blindsight patients gain conscious awareness of what their minds can see, and he suggested that new research should address whether the brains in blindsight patients and people with normal vision process the information the same way.

"Our study suggests that it might in principle be possible for blindsight patients to recover some visual awareness, and thus our findings might open a venue for a new line of research and potential treatments for patients with acquired cortical blindness," Schwiedrzik said.

I'm not sure I totally understand the connection between improving the ability of the brain to see more and inform or consciousness accordingly and how that might help blindsighted people to see better but, hey, what do I know, eh! If it helps, all to the good, I say.

I'm still working on getting my 'third eye' opened up.

See ya, eh!

Bob

Can Certain Herbs Stave Off Alzheimer's Disease?

Well there you are! I knew you'd be by but wasn't sure when. Glad you're here and you didn't get to frazzled in your trip through cyberspace. Bet you're ready for a perky mug of coffee and a virtual treat, huh? Go ahead..be a devil! Say...you know I try to keep you up to date on most things - especially health-related. Well, here's an interesting study I chanced across...

Enhanced extracts made from special antioxidants in spearmint and rosemary improve learning and memory, a study in an animal model at Saint Louis University found.

"We found that these proprietary compounds reduce deficits caused by mild cognitive impairment, which can be a precursor to Alzheimer's disease," said Susan Farr, Ph.D., research professor geriatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

Farr added, "This probably means eating spearmint and rosemary is good for you. However, our experiments were in an animal model and I don't know how much -- or if any amount -- of these herbs people would have to consume for learning and memory to improve. In other words, I'm not suggesting that people chew more gum at this point."

Farr presented the early findings at Neuroscience 2013, a meeting of 32,000 on Monday, Nov. 11. She tested a novel antioxidant-based ingredient made from spearmint extract and two different doses of a similar antioxidant made from rosemary extract on mice that have age-related cognitive decline.

She found that the higher dose rosemary extract compound was the most powerful in improving memory and learning in three tested behaviors. The lower dose rosemary extract improved memory in two of the behavioral tests, as did the compound made from spearmint extract.

Further, there were signs of reduced oxidative stress, which is considered a hallmark of age-related decline, in the part of the brain that controls learning and memory.

"Our research suggests these extracts made from herbs might have beneficial effects on altering the course of age-associated cognitive decline," Farr said. "It's worth additional study."

We use rosemary quite a lot with pork. Great with lamb, too. Love the flavour it gives the meat. We also use mint in 'Larp' - one of our favourite Thai dishes. Yummy. Of, course, there is mint tea...not so sure about mint coffee. 

See ya, eh!

Bob

Santa Claus Parade

Ho! Ho! Ho, eh! Great to see you and thanks for dropping out of the cybersky to read my blog today. Speaking of dropping out of the sky, here in Cornwall, we are blessed with flocks of seagulls (or some other kind of flying gull poo factories). Well, the other day, I went to pick up Nong after work and was sitting there in the parking lot reading my book while I was waiting when I heard a loud double 'plop'.  I looked up from my page and sure enough, a gull had anointed my windshield with a double blessing. 

Amazing isn't it...how they can fly and crap at the same time. Only time we humans get to do that is when we take 30-second Exlax and the toilet's a minute away!

Nong and I went to see our local Santa Claus Parade last night. Fill your mug and grab a hearty Apple Dutchie while I tell you about it. 

Last time we saw it was about eight years ago and at the time it seemed rather disappointing. Of course, we had come from Toronto where they have a spectacular parade that goes on for hours. This one was late starting, and only a couple big floats and was over quickly. So, our hopes were not too high last night.

Well, we were pleasantly surprised. Considering the population here is only 47002. (The sign on the highway says 47,000 but that was before we moved in). Anyway, the parade was fun. Lots of big floats to gawk at; air, sea and army cadet bands, dancing girls (from local dance clubs), and of course Santa pulling up the rear. Quite a good show so "Good for you, Cornwall!"

See ya, eh!

Bob

Starbucks to open shop on train

Hey! There's my star reader! How's it going today, eh? Ready for a mugga and a VT? Of course you are. Say, you know me...if it's about coffee, you'll see it here in my blog. Well here's a first...

Major US coffee retailer Starbucks Coffee Co said it will open its first shop on a train in Switzerland next week.

Under a tie-in with Swiss Federal Railways, Starbucks said on Thursday that the train will take its maiden trip next Thursday, running from Geneva Airport, located in western Switzerland, to St Gallen in the northeast.

The 50-seat, two-story train will make two roundtrips daily and offer 50 seats. Travellers can sit at a table or at the bar, Starbucks said.

According to a public French radio station, the Starbucks-themed train will operate on a trial basis for nine months and whether it continues or the coffee service is introduced on other trains depends on the trial.

Not such a bad idea. Why not have trains themed like shopping malls, eh? Rather than sitting down for hours with little if anything to do, why not walk around, shop and drink coffee? I know, as usual, I'm ahead of my time with this concept but I think themed trains is the way to go. In fact...why don't Via Rail, Amtrak and others offer Christmas Shopping trips? Think of the additional revenue. I can picture whole train cars decked out as Sears, Hudson's Bay, Macy's, Tim Hortons, et al. Think about it... I am such a visionary!

See ya, eh!

Bob

PS: What about Walmart? Mind you, they would need the whole train. Still...I can see that too.

The Komondor – Nature’s Adorable Living Mop

Hey! Hey! You're just in time. The coffee's just finished perking and there's a new tray of delectable VTs straight out of the oven, so help yourself. Great to see you by the way in case I didn't mention it before. And now for something completely different, as Monty Python used to say...

The Komondor is undoubtedly one of the oldest and most unique-looking dog breeds in the world. It was mentioned for the first time in the Code of Hammurabi (a set of laws created by the Babylonian king Hammurabi around 1750 BC). However, the Komondor is nowadays considered Hungary’s traditional dog.

The first thing you’ll notice about these dogs is their resemblance to giant mops: indeed, their 2000-cord coat alone weighs around 15 pounds (30 kilos) and they are approximately three feet tall (a bit over 90 centimeters). The Komondor’s cords develop during its first two years of life and their length increases with time, as the coat grows. 

Thankfully, the dog doesn’t need brushing, but you do have to separate the cords, which may take a while, as they tend to get tangled. If the dog’s natural look is maintained, which means letting its corded coat grow long, you’ll be able to notice its distinctive rectangular shape. 

These adorable leaving mops were used as livestock guard dogs, and with their corded coat acting as camouflage they were especially useful for guarding sheep. The Komondor breed is believed to have been so efficient at its task that it nearly wiped out all Hungary’s wolf population.

Ain't that something, eh! Fierce, too! Never mind trying to take a steak away from a hungry Doberman!

Sit! Stay! Mop the floor!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Bobby, the Four-year old Mayor!

Well, hi there! How're you faring today? Just dandy? Splendid. So's the mayor... but fill your mug and hoist a government sized virtual treat onto your plate. Now then...meet Bobby Tufts...

Robert "Bobby" Tufts hasn't made it to preschool yet, but he's already been elected twice as mayor of a tiny tourist town in northern Minnesota.

Mayor Tufts' name was picked Sunday during annual Taste of Dorset festival to be mayor of Dorset for a second term. It has no formal city government and has a population of 22 to 28, depending on whether the minister and his family are in town.

Anyone could vote as many times as they like – for $1 a vote – at any of the ballot boxes in stores around town. The proceeds go toward organizing the festival.

Bobby was only 3 when he won election last year. His mother, Emma Tufts, said she and her son, who turns 5 in October, got choked up when his name was pulled for re-election Sunday.

The boy picked a random man out of the crowd to pick the name out of a clear tub. and the man was blindfolded twice, she said.

While this was happening, Bobby told the crowd how to musky fish, she said.

"He's been going since 3 o'clock yesterday with cameras on his face," she said Sunday afternoon. "He's having a long day but he's done really well. I'm surprised."

Asked how he felt during a phone interview, a tired Bobby made clear he was done answering questions. "I want to be with the boys," he told his mother.

They were on their way to dinner and then planned to go fishing or have a bonfire to celebrate. Bobby, of nearby Nevis, starts preschool this fall.

Emma Tufts said her son's agenda includes raising money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley in Fargo, N.D., and a new welcome sign for Dorset, which bills itself as the Restaurant Capital of the World.

They already raised $750 from a walk this summer and planned to donate half the proceeds of Sunday's T-shirt sales to the charity. He wants to do a snowshoe scavenger hunt this winter to raise money, she said.

Bobby sounds like a go-getter to me. 

See ya, eh!

The Other Bobby