Mayor4Unley

CYCLISTS WANTED to volunteer for an experiment. The University of SA will conduct a study to evaluate the effects of dried fruit & nuts on exercise performance & recovery. All food will be provided; just dried fruit & nuts. You will get $200 upon completion of the study. For some reason the study is only for males. Why ? ( Let me know if you find out .) Sounds like a worthwhile study, so give it consideration. For more information: see the photo and email  sansom.researchvolunteers@ unisa.edu.au  or phone 83021365. #Unley #Cycle #Cyclist Vote 1 Bob Schnell #Mayor4Unley to enhance cycle & walking paths across Unley. Written & authorised by Bob Schnell, 10 Halmon Ave, Everard Park 5035

What fantastic news. Research has shown that a small amount of dark chocolate (just 50g) puts you in a better mood and increases brain power and memory. The chocolate used was 70% cacao and 30% organic sugar cane, a product marketed as a health food. Just 30 minutes later, brain scans showed an increase of gamma waves in areas indicating: Improved neural connectivity, Reduced stress, Improved mood, and Boost of memory. So if you want to get in the mood and have less stress and more memory, then eat very dark chocolate.

Maybe it’s time to stop drinking bottled water and just drink tap water. Let’s face it, with average bottled water, it’s not much more than filtered tap water. Do yourself a favour and buy a good quality plastic (or metal) drink bottle and use tap water; preferably filtered. Why? To save money. To stop drinking high concentrations of plastic particles. A recent report from the World Health Organisation exposes that after analysis of water samples, more than 90% of the samples contained high concentrations of tiny plastic particles; aka. microplastics. One brand had concentrations as high as 10,000 plastic pieces per litre of water. This is absolutely appalling. Downstream this ends up in the oceans and rivers and in fish that we eat. Just so sad. All due to our buying bottled water. Make the change to tap water and a good quality drink bottle. The cheaper the drink bottle the more likely it is to contaminate. Read the story

It's something that I've suspected for a long time. Now, it has been proved; that rainwater stored in tanks is unfit for drinking. Researchers at Flinders University have found that more than 50% of tank water tested contains the dangerous E. coli bacteria. E. coli causes vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps. Nasty. Yes I have rainwater tanks, but I only use the water for the garden. I would even consider it for drinking. Just think about all the bird and possum and rat poo that gets washed into the tank! #Unley

What is the true cost of being a Vegan? It's a tough life changing choice to make. Really tough! People aren't born vegan. Rather, they become vegan; as a deliberate choice. It's like a sea-change, where people move from the city to a nice country spot. Actually, it's nothing like a sea-change. It's a far more radical change. But what is the real cost of becoming a vegan? What is the hidden cost to the rest of us? What is the environmental impact to the globe? I respect people for making the choice to become vegan, but I do question how much ethical consideration was really given. Was the real hidden environmental impact on society and the globe actually known and considered. I suspect not. Anyway, each to their own. The following story highlights the impacts of veganism on the globe. Click this link

For years I have been secretly breeding Agapanthus. Standard colours are normally blue and white and a mild pink; with a few other variations. This year I was over-joyed with my bright pink candy striped creation. Those hours spent late at night under a full moon with a fine horse hair brush cross-pollinating and doing the under the leaf tickle, yielded a truly wonderful flower. I have called it  Candy Striped Pink Agapanthus (aka. Aga-BS-729).

The most interesting news in the paper yesterday ... how to stop hiccups. Research has shown the cause of hiccups to be eating or drinking too much and too quickly. Supposedly the stomach distends which irritates the diaphragm. It has been suggested that to stop the hiccups, eat a spoonful of creamy peanut paste very slowly. It's worth a try; provided you have a jar of peanut paste at hand. Caution (mine): not recommended if you are allergic to peanuts.

It's best to add a dash of water to a whisky to get that extra flavour and taste, according to the dedicated research of two Swedish chemists. A Scottish whisky expert advocates reducing the alcohol content to 20% to hit the sweet spot for enhanced flavour, aroma and taste. There is no mention, but I suspect that the same findings would also apply to good brandy or cognac and other wood cask matured liquors. It's worth experimenting at home to validate the findings 🍷💧 Read the story ...

Its amazing the apps now available on smart phones and devices. Now there is one that gives reliability to the rhythm method of contraception. A new mobile app for monitoring body temperature to track a woman’s menstrual cycle has been extensively trialed and now has been certified as a medical device for contraception by a German regulator.  The Natural Cycles app records daily temperature and uses an algorithm to plot fertility on an in-app calendar. The app was part of a clinical study in 2016 of one million women and it is claimed that it could be as effective as the contraceptive pill. The German certification body TÜV SÜD has approved Natural Cycles as a Class IIb medical device. The app developer now claims that the software is the first of its kind to be certified as a contraception alongside condoms, the pill and intra-uterine devices (IUDs). It is stated that ... “Our high quality clinical studies, together with the required regulatory approva...

Pets, especially dogs, are good for your health. They are very understanding and help to soothe the pain during troubled times. In general, in my opinion, people with pets are of better nature; more compatible members of society. I was interested in the results of a study by canine scientist and PhD student Mia Cobb and sports scientist Dr Craig Duncan. It showed that when a dog and its owner were in close proximity their heartbeats were significantly lower. Dogs and their owners were strapped with heart monitors and after initial separation, when reunited together on a couch both dog and the owner where found to have heartbeats that dipped or rose in synchronisation. An amazing discovery 🐕 I bet the same isn't true for cats. I'm sure that they would maintain a steady heartbeat; whatever 🐱

Bed bugs are not colour blind. They have their preferences of colour of bed linen in which to hide. Researchers have discovered that generally they try to avoid white, yellow and green; these colours are associated with sunlight and being exposed outdoors. Results did vary depending on the age and sex of the bed bugs tested, but in general they didn't like the colours white, yellow and green. They preferred stronger colours where they could better hide. Red and black colours were most likely to attract bed bugs. In fact: Female bed bugs prefer lilac and violet and Male bed bugs prefer red and violet. So if you select the romantic colours of red and black (and lilac and violet) to liven up the bedroom, you may get more than you anticipated; perhaps a bite on the bum! Link to research findings on bed bugs Recently The City of Unley Council endorsed its Animal Management Plan 2016-2020 . It's a good looking document and for completeness it includes a section on Other...

There's nothing more irritating that spraying the legs and arms with mozzie repellent and after a few hours getting bitten. It takes the fun out of the outdoors activity. Mozzie expert, entomologist Dr Cameron Webb has released his Australian research. He points out that some repellents are more effective than others. The most effective contain the chemicals diethyltoluamide or picaridin . These provide the longest protection. The least effective contain plant extracts like citronella or tea tee oil. These need to be applied more frequently. Also, his research shows that mosquitoes are attracted to people drinking beer or wearing sweet floral perfume. This probably accounts for why beer drinking women seem to get bitten more.

Why is the limit of an SMS 160 characters? It’s not a decimal number ie. not a multiple of 10 and has nothing to do with dozens (12), not  even  a butcher's dozen. So why is there a limit of 160? BTW if you often push the limit of 160 characters, then you really need to get a life. But, back to basics … why the limit of 160? There are 2 stories and reasons suggested. A man called Friedhelm Hillebrand, Chairman of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), had the task of setting the limit on the amount of characters a text message could contain. This would become the international standard. He did this by analysing  typical  sentences viz. questions and answers. He also reviewed messages written on postcards and received by Telex transmissions. (Telex was not so long ago the state of the art message transmission technology.) Friedhelm Hillebrand arrived at the answer of 160 characters. His recommendation became the standard. T...

There has always been debate about a glass being with half full or half empty. Which is correct? Researcher Malcolm Smith has recently completed research with many half full glasses of water and beer. His finding was that when people were left alone in a room with just half a glass of water for hours on end, they drank the water. In 90% of cases the result was an empty glass and he saw a pattern. He claims that "you're far more likely to drink half a glass of water than you are to refill it". Smith claimed over another beer that his research proved that a half filled glass is considered to be half empty. Despite this claim it will probably not truly settle the question of a glass being half full or half empty. He does deserve credit for his dedicated research.