Life's good

It's all good. It's been a great day, great week. Life can be quite nice sometimes!

Tea, glorious tea

Well, I knew there was a reason I drank so much tea!! I just found this at theage.com.au:

Tea may prevent Alzheimer's

October 26, 2004 - 3:19PM

Drinking tea may help protect against Alzheimer's disease, though it is by no means a cure for the brain-crippling illness, British scientists said today.

Scientists at Newcastle University in England said their research published in the academic journal, Phytotherapy Research, shows that a regular "cuppa" could slow development of the affliction that fogs the memory of otherwise healthy people.

"Although there is no cure for Alzheimer's, tea could potentially be another weapon in the armoury which is used to treat this disease and slow down its development," lead researcher Ed Okello said.

They found that both green and black tea inhibited the activity of enzymes associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease, but that coffee had no significant effect.

About one million people die from the illness annually and there is no known medical explanation for why it affects humans.

Results of laboratory tests by the university's research team found that green and black tea inhibited the activity of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which breaks down the chemical messenger or neurotransmitter, acetylcholine -- Alzheimer's is characterised by a drop in acetylcholine.

The scientists said green and black tea also hindered the activity of the enzyme butyrycholinesterase (BuChE), which has been discovered in protein deposits found on the brain of Alzheimer's patients.

However, green tea scored better in several tests and had a longer-lasting affect, the research showed.

"Our findings are particularly exciting as tea is already a very popular drink, it is inexpensive, and there do not seem to be any adverse side effects when it is consumed. Still, we expect it will be several years until we are able to produce anything marketable," Okello said.

The researchers said the next step is to find out exactly which components of green tea inhibit the activity of the enzymes AChE, BuChE and beta-secretase.

Newcastle University is seeking funding to carry out further tests on green tea, which they hope will include clinical trials.

Their aim is to work towards the development of a medicinal tea which is specifically aimed at Alzheimer's sufferers.

Reuters/bl

Falling cows

Found this on binnes.com. Falling cows??? Surely you wouldn't have a sign unless it were true. Where in the world do they have falling cows?

Adelaide news from America???

Last Update: Monday, October 25, 2004. 7:15pm (AEST)

Murdoch given keys to Adelaide

Media magnate Rupert Murdoch has been given the keys to Adelaide at a civic reception at Town Hall this evening.

Mr Murdoch's media organisation, News Corporation, was founded in Adelaide when he took control of the Adelaide News in 1954.

The company's annual meeting will be held in the city tomorrow when shareholders are expected to approve its re-incorporation in the United States.

In receiving the key to the city, Mr Murdoch expressed his fondness for Adelaide.

"In his will, my father hoped that I would have the great opportunity of spending a useful, altruistic and full life in newspaper and broadcasting activities and it was Adelaide that made my father's dream come true," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200410/s1227509.htm

Sand stone

These old sand stone houses are all around South Australia. Some date back to the late 1800s. There are fewer and fewer of them. Some are knocked down. Some are cement rendered and have a modern second storey put on. I like them as they are.

Sunshine and blue skies

I'm so over the technology hissy fit I had yesterday. Out I went with my digital camera today. It was spring and didn't I know it. The opens roads,the sunshine, trees,the sandstone houses...and yes, retail therapy works!

Cutting edge technology

Cutting edge technology has got me on the edge all right. Yesterday was going to be a good day. I was up early because, yes, I had to go to work, but I was finally going to get the fences fixed. Mend the fences, heal the wounds. I was really rather glad to have that thought the rickety old fences would be gone. History. I had waited and waited because the fence people had bigger jobs to do. How much were they charging for those, I wondered because this was costing me big time. At 11, no fence guys. Ring them, said I from work. Message back. Can’t do it, next Friday. Not again. I rang home. “They left a message on our answering machine on Tuesday but we didn’t know!” Great. I have a lovely answering machine, I thought, which keeps me in touch with the heartbeat of my life. My classy looking gadget was happily recording messages but not showing them. Apart from the fencing one, there was another from the newsagent. Yes, I did have to pay cash. No, I have already paid on the phone by credit card!!! Central control of the newspaper I subscribe to couldn’t tell me, when I had organised this all on the phone 3 weeks before, if I had paid by credit card!! Look it up on your statement. But don’t you keep a record of whether I have paid or not because you took the details over the phone?? So I waited till I got home, got out the trusty account and there it was…the charge for my subscription. Ring central control. Ah, you have paid the money to Sydney and in Adelaide you pay cash to the newsagent. Can you tell them I have already paid? No, Sydney has charged the money. Aren’t you central control? Did they expect me to be impressed with this lightningly fast delivery of service improved by cutting edge technology? I rang the newsagent. Well, if they haven’t sorted it out soon you can have tomorrow’s paper but that’s it. Fine, lovely. Pay by credit card then I have to pay cash to get my paper. Fine. We are all on computers. We have peer to peer, B2B, connectivity, bandwidth, more efficient delivery of goods and service. I don’t think so. I solved it because I had my account. I can now add trouble shooter and customer service to the ever growing list of things I now do thanks to the new, more efficient technological age.

Tea strainer

I am the world's best tea strainer and when there is no tea or tea pot it is a national state of emergency in my home. I drink bucket loads of the stuff. I always have a cup of tea in my hand. Black tea, green tea, strawberry tea, lemon tea, peppermint tea, Earl Grey tea, Darjeeling...tea, tea, tea.. Twinings, Dilmah, Tetley, Nerada, Andersons, Robur. Tea. I run on tea. This morning I got up and somehow managed to wallop the tea spout on my tea cup. I assumed the cup would be broken. No...I broke the spout of the pot! This is a very solid, daily use pot! No fragile , delicate bone china on a daily basis! I was speechless! I decanted the tea to an emergency pot....and then contemplated the joy of buying another pot!! I have some fantastic pots I have collected and have been given as presents, but they are not for everyday use! Then fate had it's way and I was stunned how hard it was to buy a plain, ordinary tea pot. I thought this was a consumer society! I consume tea. I need a pot. Not a fancy one. Just a plain old pot. First shop had sold out. Second shop hadn't carried them for a while. Third shop...I was desperate. I couldn't believe I lived in a neighbourhood which eschewed the humble teapot. I looked and I looked. I was getting frantic and flabberghasted. Finally..in an obscure corner, behind all the CD cases (???? just where you'd expect to find a teapot, heh?) I found a lovely pot. A gardener's pot. The very thing for my current gardening mania. Phew!!! Makes a great cup of tea but it pours out in a huge gush!! Funny pot.

Shh!!! We're thinking!

Adelaide's thinking. Sunday, after the election it was silent and people were inside and quiet. There's been an odd reaction to this so called splendid victory. Usually, when there's a big win..like with Port Power, you can feel the state lift and there's lots of chatter , talk and ribbing. No, there's lots of quiet and thought. Resentment in a way. It's weird and we've had weirdo weather to go with it. The beginning of the week was hot and dry, then we had storms, cold, rain. Then a spot of sun, but come 4pm today it turned icy cold (for us!!). So we're reeling a bit from being boiled Tuesday, frozen and wet Thursday and now, freezing. I snapped out of it yesterday when I got another dose of mobile phone rage. I wish people would use blocking technology. It is so irritating to hear ringing and yapping in coffee shops and restaurants. I often wonder why people go out to lunch with their friends and then spend the whole time ringing and yapping to other people. We can exclude people now. No obligation to participate in their realness when we have electronic mates. Kids are obsessed with texting and it has had a rather interesting impact on English. I expect English will take on the texting influences and then we'll get a new language form. It looks really weird, but Old English looks like Norse or Icelandic so I guess we are due for a change. Shakepearean English was the change in the middle ages and we have to be gearing up for another change. You know it's happening when you get a generation of kids who can't read cursive and they can't understand certain forms of English...like Dickens and Shakespeare. So, I guess we'll be text talking as well. What a hoot that will be???!

Think locally , act globally

Following are the top 25 companies ranked by global growth:

1. Intel United States
   
2. Compaq Computer United States
   
3. Home Depot United States
   
4. Empresas La Moderna Mexico
   
5. Alfa Mexico
   
6. Grand Casinos United States
   
7. Puretec United States
   
8. Celanese Mexico
   
9. Eagle Pac Industries United States
   
10. Kimberly-Clark de Mexico Mexico
    
11. Gehe Germany
    
12. Viacom United States
    
13. Apasco Mexico
    
14. Fomento Economico Mexico
    
15. BEC Group United States
    
16. United Healthcare United States
    
17. Rubis France
    
18. Pro-Fac Cooperative United States
    
19. Airtours United Kingdom
    
20. Power Corp Canada Canada
    
21. Tosco United States
    
22. Valuevision International United States
    
23. IBAH United States
    
24. Family Bargain United States
    
25. Spinnaker Industries United States

http://www.deloitte.co.nz/default.cfm?pageID=1836&85C0E295-AB58-42F2-AE89BEEFE1D4FDF0

Well, I never!

"Sometimes when people think about the year 1000, they think of a time of darkness and chaos for civilization. In fact, the turning of the first millennium was a time of marvelous change. This time period marks the turning point towards High Medieval civilization with individuals and societies around the world making contributions to science, technology and culture. The exchange of goods between China, India and the Islamic world brought with it the exchange of ideas and inventions.

The year 1000 was a time influenced by the dominance of Islamic culture in science and technology. Most of the new knowledge coming into Europe came through Islamic scholarship. It also marks the beginning of the end of Islamic control in Spain. This allowed European-based civilization to begin its first steps on its own cultural expansion. These steps would eventually bring about the Renaissance in Europe.

Tremendous growth in Chinese commerce during the Song Dynasty affected technological development worldwide. Although the Chinese culture remained remote, Chinese inventions and scholarship traveled with trade into the Islamic world and from there to Europe. The influence of Indian knowledge also traveled the trade routes with extremely important results.

Around the year 1000, the European population began to grow. While the increase in population created a need for technological advancement, it is also true that advances in technology allowed growth in population. Technological growth brought surplus in the form of extra food and goods which in turn allowed trade to develop in this part of the world also. From trade the flow of ideas was stimulated through the exchange of artifacts.

Taking a look at some of the items in the collections of the Linda Hall Library and information available through the World Wide Web, we will explore a few of the events and influences that began an intellectual revolution. It is interesting to see how some technological advances were made rapidly, while others took hundreds of years. Investigate the chain of events that began in the year 1000 and its legacy that we enjoy today. "


http://stlq.info/archives/001270.html

Food for thought

Top 10 cities of the year 1000

Name	Population
Cordova, Spain	450,000
Kaifeng, China	400,000
Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey	300,000
Angkor, Cambodia	200,000
Kyoto, Japan	175,000
Cairo, Egypt	135,000
Baghdad, Iraq	125,000
Nishapur (Neyshabur), Iran	125,000
Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia	110,000
Patan (Anhilwara), India	100,000

To Mr. Howard

Dear Mr. Howard

Sorry I couldn't find it in my heart to vote for you today. You couldn't even let us say sorry to the Aborigines. True, the sorry wouldn't bring back their dead ancestors massacred in the heat of founding a new nation. That was never the point. It was about letting them know they are part of us and we are part of them. This is our nation. I don't expect the Italians to say sorry to me because the Romans slaughtered my ancestors and there was never a time in my life when it would be appropriate. We wanted the Aborigines to feature in our Olympic ceremony. We were all behind Kathy Freeman winning the 400 metres. You were there. How could you not want us to be one nation? I confess it wasn't the most difficult decision I made today. I really couldn't decide whether to put One Nation, so racist and narrow minded or Family First...seriously, how could they want to burn lesbians at the stake in 2004... as my bottom vote. I didn't like how you sent our troops to the Gulf ages before anything happened and then we were members of a nation who wanted to carpet another with bombs. We didn't even have a chance to say or find out why suddenly this nation was our enemy. You relied on us supporting our troops once there. How cynical is that? Using our emotions against us. Of course we care about our people. We also cared about the Iraqis too. We could see them on television. Not one of them had the living conditions we enjoy here. They were poor. They had no weapons. The weapons inspectors had checked and checked. The only WMD I could see were the ones destroying innocents in a place I hardly knew. I know about it now. You made me get off my well fed bottom and find out why people who were trading petrol for food and had none of my gadgets and lifestyle were such a massive threat to me. Saddam? Didn't America put him there and supply him with chemicals and money? Why do you make me go back and find out all the awful things we have done to each other as people just so I can think straight. We disapprove of world leaders quite often. We do not blow up their people because of it.There are other ways. Leaders seem to get assassinated very easily at times. We helped the Kosovans. Why did we have to lock up and traumatise the incoming refugees fleeing from people you were telling us were evil and disgusting and we should fight? True, we didn't need people who would upset our country, but have a heart. How long does it take to work out if someone is bona fide? Queue jumping. You are right, people shouldn't queue jump. The Kosovans didn't. We looked after them. Our winemakers here were saying the Afghan refugees were fantastic in our vineyards. We have to have people to pick our grapes. We seem to have gone off the idea. Work for the dole? Work while you wait for status? Why are we always going down this destructive path with you?. Then I thought of the people I know who can't get their teeth fixed and the run down state of our hospitals. What has happened to my friends in hospital care because of the shortages. And why doesn't my private medical insurance cover my costs anymore? You've made health a nightmare. I pay a 20 dollar gap to see a doctor now. He can charge that much above the fee. Then there is the matter of some children deserving more funding than others. I am so glad I went to school firstly in a country which educated everyone. It was about brains and learning, not about social strata and income. I am glad my politicians believed we all needed an education because it made for a stronger economy and nation. Then I came here and it was the same. I went to an ordinary school but I had fantastic teachers and we achieved great results in the state. It was about us, not our income, not our postcodes. I went to uni too. I can't believe kids have to pay this huge amount for a first term of 6 weeks, a big mid semester break and who cares if they fail or drift off, you got the fees.Then these young ones go out into life with a massive debt to start them off. I went to uni on a scholarship. I worked to repay the sponsor of this and I have worked ever since. Now I am hearing I may never retire and it would be good for me to keep working. So, apart from all your stuff about telling me what's good for me, which really gets on my nerves, and apart from the fact you have made us destroy innocent lives when we have been a nation of helpers in a time of need, I just want to see the back of you. I am fed up with the con artistry, the clever talk , the treating me like I am stupid and then the tricks . I figure I shall have to speak up more and say what I need. I didn't need you to make my tax return such a mess so that I owed money and had to get an accountant to fix it up with your new, simpler tax scheme. You have tried to pay the money back to us. Timing was totally suss. You could have told us the truth. Nothing wrong with saying - Sorry, I made a mess, let me help you sort it out. You have been elected to govern. Not to make me muddled, not to make me confused. Not to make me sorry you have been my leader. With all due respect, I just couldn't vote for you today.

Kindest regards

Grey day, grey day!

Grey skies again!! But a day to enjoy the countryside and wander at will. It was quite pleasantly warm, though. The pretty , little yellow flowers are weeds!

Big plant!!

This is the second time this plant has flowered.Le Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) à Sidney (Photo Torsten Blackwood/AFP)

La plus grande fleur du monde à Sydney

Des centaines de personnes se sont pressées jeudi aux Jardins botaniques royaux de Sydney pour admirer, et sentir, la plus grande plante du monde surnommée "fleur-cadavre" pour son odeur pestilentielle et qui n'éclot que deux ou trois fois lors de ses quarante ans d'existence.

D'un diamètre de 1,33 mètre, cette Arum Titan a ouvert pleinement sa corolle au cours de la nuit précédente, libérant des effluves qui vont de la chair pourrie au poisson avarié.

C'est la seconde fois seulement que cette plante entre en floraison en Australie. La précédente avait eu lieu il y a plusieurs années à Cairns, dans le nord-est de l'Australie.

L'Amorphophallus titanum, son nom scientifique, fleurit seulement deux ou trois fois durant ses 40 ans d'existence.

http://www.linternaute.com/afp/depeche/ins/041007081557.ivje0quh_i.shtml

Blog on!

Slapen, oh lekker slapen

Ik was zo lekker aan het slapen, dat ik niet op mijn wekker reageerde.

jadi dah bloger keduaku dengan alamat http://choy.blogdrive.com/ , tapi belum ada isinya..., bingung dah mo isi apa...!

Isa akong 38-years old na babae, single at mayaman.

On the radio this morning I heard this really interesting quote, and I'm not even sure I got it right, but it went; 'If there was no honey, then dates would taste so much sweeter.'

haha... i so blur... type title only jiu post... haiz... todae... so shuay argh... i h8 u.

Å føre arbeidslogg er en side ved det vitenskapelige arbeidet som må øves inn tidlig.

A solução é evidente. Caro Professor, crie um blogue.

Revenons à la jeune fille vêtue de blanc, étendue sur le sol vert, entourée de ses milles rats.

le comble dans la recherche de la vérite c'est que parfois on la trouve

drunken granny sex movies.

First of all, I want to thank God, that I pass this stupid entrance exam.

i havent been able to update very much lately but am planning a monster update over the weekend, complete with exclamation marks!!!

Waiting...waiting...

We are all sitting here waiting for the election on Saturday. Some don't trust Mark Latham to run the country and see John Howard as more reliable???!!! So much has been said about Blair's , Bush's and Howard's capacity to misrepresent, twist, turn,mislead, I need say no more. I had also read there are a lot of political blogs and this has been a subject of discussion. Why, is beyond me. We have been treated in such a despicable fashion these last few years and it built up quite suddenly and we all realised the world was not as we thought and leaders were not as we thought and we had no idea what to think and still don't in certain respects. We do know we want honesty . We want our leaders to lead us not to create misery and confusion and this state whereby we are constantly clueless and looking out for ourselves all the time. We want respect, consideration..and judging from the blogs, it's like the turning of the Millennium...we want to reach out and touch each other. Corny as it sounds, we do actually want to get to know each other. I have just had an email from a guy in the Mauritius because I registered his programme. I had sent a little friendly note from the land down under. Well, he responded in kind. That's how the blogs are. The people of planet earth want to be friends, want to try and understand and our leaders keep taking us down a very destructive, money dominated track. People are everything. Money's nice too, don't get me wrong. But priorities, people!! Big houses and fancy cars and bucket loads of money are no good when you spend your whole time not knowing who to trust and feel like you are perpetually under seige and you live with the haves and the have nots. The privileged and the non privileged.We just wanna have fun!

Multimaps

I have just discovered multimaps. It does a lot more than just show you maps. I have put a link on the side. It is universal. I cannot believe McLaren Vale is not marked. Only one of our more noteable wine making areas. It's between Port Noarlunga and Willunga.

About time!!

Thank you , Jake! I was just on a quick blog jog and saw some really artistic blogs, then I came to the parchment one and lo and behold there was the ClockLink analog clock I have been raving on about because I lost it when I changed the look of my blog. Well, Jake. I thank you heaps because I have realised I DO need a clock at the beach. I heard sales of analog clocks and watches are improving and there is no the wholesale switch to digital as was predicted. Just goes to show...people want clock faces! How else can you say the sun is at 2.10?? I was reading on another blog about a guy who'd written this great huge post and then when he published it , the whole thing ran amok and he lost it! Been there , done that and you can never repeat yourself because the emotion you put it is a once only offer!! I have a little blogger programme where you can keep your posts until ready to publish. Can't say as I use it a lot. It's more that I think it's a great idea and I mean to make better use of it. How many times have I been down that road. Had things at home I thought were great things or gadgets and then one day I discover them and wonder why I have left them hanging around as a good idea for so long.

Personal Hero

I love being my own personal hero. I have learnt to make mini photos and group them and I am well pleased with myself. I even learnt to change lawn mower blades!! The spark plug was easy, but I dare not tell you have long I have stalled on changing the blades. Well, yesterday I did it and I was so impressed with myself and now have the best lawn and the best ego in the neighbourhood!! I mow because I hate team sports and fitness groups and regulated exercise. I loathe all of that. Put me behind a lawn mower and I'll whizz up and down and round and round and that's the way I keep fit. I suppose I prefer to be active with a purpose. Jogging on a machine is not for me. Running up and down a court is not my style. So, there you go... I have been an elf to myself and my ego feels much better for it. Tomorrow week are our elections. I shall be so glad to see the end of the patronising polly ads. Another good reason to get out there and mow the lawn. Blessed bliss!

McLaren Vale

This time I did take the camera and you can see the church, the native orchids, the hills,the sand stone buildings. It was a brilliant day and this is one of our heartland vineyard areas. Fan...tast...ic!