Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Topics - Binkie

Pages: 1 2 [3] 4 5 ... 10
31
Whatever / Dehydrator, anyone ?
« on: July 17, 2008, 07:19:58 AM »

A serious question, for once. Do any of you own a food dehydrator ? If so, do you ; a) use it; b) like it ; c) think it was worth the money ?
I ask because, being a frugal little forumate, I try to store and preserve food as much as possible. So far it's been by freezing or bottling, but I have a vague hankering for a dehydrator. (Yes, I know you can spread stuff out in the sun or dry it in a slow oven etc, etc.....I just fancy a snazzy machine !)

Anyone ?

32
Whatever / Yet another reason to keep on playing Chi.......
« on: July 16, 2008, 08:24:37 AM »

"Australian scientists have, for the first time, shown how staying mentally active can help stave off dementia.

Researchers found those who keep their minds busy in older age can halve the rate at which their brains shrink.

Staying mentally active slows the shrinkage of the critical part of the brain involved in memory, the hippocampus.

Clinical neuroscientist Dr Michael Valenzuela made the discovery in the School of Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales.

"I think it's quite an exciting finding and a strong finding," he said.

"We know that people that are at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and dementia have a smaller hippocampus to start with, so it could be quite important that by staying mentally active we can actually protect this brain area from shrinkage."

An active mental life will help stave off both Alzheimer's and the dementia that develops in about a quarter of people after a stroke.

Bingo or learning a new language both help, but Dr Michael Valenzuela says something as simple as reading can be just as good for an ageing brain.

"There's no one particular activity that comes up time and time again as a magical activity; it seems to be more related to keeping a diverse range of activities," he said.

"Doing something where you are learning or you're being forced to challenge your mind somewhat.""


ABC News, July 15th.




33
The Daily Quest / Am I thick, or am I thick ?
« on: July 12, 2008, 05:21:44 PM »

I have spent HOURS on and off today, trying to find that last damned elusive word.(I seek it here, I seek it there, etc).
Finally, it comes to me in a flash.....and also in a wave of embarrassment, because I'm almost certain that we had a discussion about the acceptance of this word. I shall now check to see if I'm right.

34
Whatever / Ethical test ?
« on: July 11, 2008, 06:12:26 PM »

I'm not quite sure what to make of my results. I don't normally bother about so-called personality tests, but this was slightly different.



https://www.ethicabilitytest.org/user/welcome.php

35
The Daily Quest / I remembered it !
« on: July 05, 2008, 11:28:46 AM »
Praise be ! I have not lost all of my little grey cells, after all. I actually remembered one of today's words from an earlier puzzle. Can't tell you which one, of course, but it means "A buff to gray windblown deposit of fine-grained, calcareous silt or clay" The reason I remembered it, I think, is that it was classed as common. I'd never heard of it before, and I still think it's a highly unusual common word !

36
Whatever / About my mother
« on: June 24, 2008, 07:08:32 PM »
This is not posted in order to elicit sympathy, empathy, or any other reaction. I simply felt the need to make my feelings known.
My mother, who is 83, is in hospital. At this stage, we have no real idea about what is wrong with her. I won't go into unecessary medical detail- suffice it to say that she has had a number of problems in recent years. At any rate, there doesn't seem to be a clear cut diagnosis. Suddenly, I'm horribly aware that she may die, and quite soon. I don't mean that I expected my parents to last forever, but I suppose I put the thought of their mortality to the back of my mind. Being so far away certainly doesn't help. It's not often that I regret moving to Australia, but at the moment, I do. Phone calls and letters are fine, but in situations such as this, the distance seems horrendous. Although I'm 62, I feel like a little girl when I think of my mother. We have always been very close, and she has been an inspiration and a role model for me all my life.

She is a woman of her generation....brought up to be a good wife and mother; to put others first, but she bucked the system when we 3 children were old enough. She and a friend enrolled in pottery classes. I remember, to my shame, how we teased her about the lumpy ashtrays she would bring home. From the first day, she showed an amazing talent for pottery. Before long, there was a potter's wheel installed in the garage. Her glorious pots were taken to art school for firing, until demand for them from friends and family instigated a move to their present home - a 17th century cottage with a barn that was transformed into a professional pottery with kiln etc. For many years, she and my father worked together ( he retired from British Airways, as was ) with Mum doing the potting, and Dad glazing and firing the finished product. We were (and are) so proud of her...going from a "just mum" to a highly regarded artist.
It's some time since she was able to pot - years of working at the wheel left her with serious neck and back problems, but she has always been extraordinarily upbeat and optimistic. She's one of those people who would cheerfully assure you that she was fine, even when in agony. Maybe that makes her sound like a pre-feminist martyr, or a slave to her time, but to me she is a shining example of what people ought to be, but so often are not.
If you've read all the way through this, then I thank you, my forumates, for letting me ramble !


37
Words / Bitser ?
« on: June 22, 2008, 10:33:35 AM »

Please sir,  isn't "bitser" a true and proper word ? My mum's got a bitser, and so have the people next door. My best friend's got a bitser, too. They're all really, really nice dogs, and I think "bitser" sounds ever so much better than "mongrel " !  :D

38
Whatever / Alone again, naturally.
« on: June 20, 2008, 06:31:39 PM »

Gilbert O'Sullivan said it all, didn't he ?  Is there anything more mortifying or soul-destroying than entering a forum and discovering that you are ALONE ? The only person online ? The sole soul on this particular thread ? The one and only person who thought that this might be worth the effort? Aaaaaaaaargh ! I know I wanted to be independant, but this is ridiculous !

39
Words / Clere ?
« on: June 15, 2008, 02:40:25 PM »

I knew the architectural term "clerestory'....

"Main Entry:
clere·sto·ry
Variant(s):
also clear·story \ˈklir-ˌstȯr-ē, -st(ə-)rē\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Middle English, from clere clear + story
Date:
15th century
1 : an outside wall of a room or building that rises above an adjoining roof and contains windows"


I was hoping (she says, plaintively) that 'clere' might just qualify as a word in its own right. Sadly, I was wrong. It's all right, Alan, I wasn't about to beg for an inclusion of 'clere'......I just wanted to share my pain.   :'(


40
Words / Pailed ?
« on: June 10, 2008, 12:13:58 PM »

I can say that it bucketed with rain, or that I bucketed water onto my garden. Why then, can I not say "pailed" ? Silly language !

41
Whatever / Beryl Cook...any other fans ?
« on: May 29, 2008, 08:15:20 PM »

I was saddened to read about the death of the British artisit Beryl Cook. I've loved her work for quite a while. It's almost cartoonish, but it manages to capture real people in real situations. I just have to smile every time I see one of her paintings!

42
The Daily Quest / Oh for a better memory!
« on: May 28, 2008, 10:23:23 AM »

Being an insomniac, I regularly go to Chi's random puzzle, find one whose 9 letter word I can work out easily, and then take myself off to bed. Lying there, I proceed to work out my list of possible words.  Today, I started the Standard puzzle and lo and behold.......one of the Randoms  from a few days ago! Do you think I can remember more than half a dozen of my previous words ? Rats and botheration!

43
Whatever / Religious education in schools
« on: May 27, 2008, 08:02:47 PM »

I am probably about to lose whatever friends I may have on the forum, but I am so incensed that I HAVE to vent ! Was just watching a programme here in Australia about the place of religion in private schools, and I am utterly flabbergasted. How can ANY educational institution claim to have the answers to the Creation, the True God, or anything similar ? How can we allow these institutions to ignore the theory of evolution ( or refute it entirely) and still believe that children are being given a well-rounded and information-based education ? I know that, as an atheist, I am automatically biased against any kind of religion, but I truly think that we owe it to our children to present them with ALL arguments, whether religiously based or otherwise.
As I said, I'm an atheist, but I don't honestly think that I am therefore a Bad Person. I believe in humanity....I believe in doing unto others ....etc (no, you don't have to be a Christian to believe that ). If I try my best to live a decent, kind and compassionate life, but I don't believe in God (any God ) does that make me a sinner/evil/person/condemned to hell? If God exists, then one would hope that the way one acts would be important, not what one professes to believe.

No, my forum friends, I don't expect replies, and I REALLY don't want to start an online religious war.......just getting it off my chest.!


44
Whatever / Calling Dave ..........
« on: May 14, 2008, 08:22:42 AM »
How are you these days, Dave ? Hope all is well, and that you can find the time to pop in to the forum again. In the meantime, these are for you.....

45
Whatever / Yet Another Quiz !
« on: May 14, 2008, 07:38:31 AM »


This is a quiz for people that feel that they're fairly smart. I found out in a hurry that I'm not. These are not trick questions. They are straight questions with straight answers.

1. Name one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends.

2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?

3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?

4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?

5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?

6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters ' dw' and they are all common words. Name two of them.

7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name at least half of them?

8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, tinned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh.

9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter 'S.'

Answers To Quiz:

1. The one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader un til the contest ends: Boxing

2. North American landmark constantly moving backward: Niagara Falls (The rim is worn down about two and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute.)

3. Only two vegetables that can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons: Asparagus and rhubarb.

4. The fruit with its seeds on the outside: Strawberry.

5. How did the pear get inside the brandy bottle? It grew inside the bottle. (The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the entire growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems.)

6. Three English words beginning with dw: Dwarf, dwell and dwindle.

7. Fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar: Full stop, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation mark, quotation marks, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses.

8. The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh: Lettuce.

9. Six or more things you can wear on your feet beginning with 'S': shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts.

Pages: 1 2 [3] 4 5 ... 10