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A walk a day delays the process of ageing.

8/31/2015

A walk in the park - www.commons.wikimedia.org

We've heard this advice many times over the years, but here's another study that proves moderate exercise halve the risk of heart attack death and add seven years to the lifespan.

New research shows that exercise can even delay the ageing process among those in their fifties and sixties.

The new research, presented on Sunday at the European Society of Cardiology congress, revealed how 25 minutes of brisk walking or slow jogging every day could buy extra years of health and happiness.

The German study put non-exercising but otherwise healthy men and women aged between 30 and 60 on a daily programme of exercise, and tracked key markers of ageing in the blood. Within just six months, these showed changes in the body which help to repair the DNA.

Separate studies have found that people who start exercising at the age of 70 are less likely to go on to develop atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disturbance that affects about 10 per cent of people over 80. Source: The Telegraph.

Rollator - pixabay.com

How does this affect me? Well, lately, I haven't taken a daily stroll holding onto my rollator. The steep hill requires considerable effort, and while negotiating difficult areas, my hip gives me considerable pain as it clicks in and out of position.

I used to be so fit—slim, active and with a high metabolism. I never drove a vehicle and consequently walked everywhere. I worked at a demanding physical job in catering up until my mid sixties, when I developed osteoporosis and could no longer lift heavy weights. After that, I kept up a daily walk routine.

It's hard to know which is the lesser of two evils, so to speak—chancing hip dislocation or walking for longevity. I don't want to live forever, but I'd like to be healthy in the meantime.

I think I'd better continue with a daily walk.

Do you take enough exercise?

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Who wants to be a billionaire?

8/30/2015

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Well, today's news story shows the pitfalls of having too much money.

Apparently, Swedish Minecraft inventor Markus Persson claims he's 'never felt more isolated' since selling his company Mojang AB to Microsoft for £1.5billion. He launched the computer game Minecraft in 2009 that allows players to build an entire world using retro-looking blocks. According to Forbes, he has a personal fortune of around £1billion.

The Swede tweeted this morning about how he disliked his new-found wealth and felt unchallenged and empty. He said you run out of reasons to keep trying, and human interaction becomes impossible due to imbalance.

I guess he means that his friends can't afford to do the things he takes as normal.

The 35-year-old, now one of the richest people in the world, has spent lavishly and partied extravagantly, leading to fears that he'll buckle under the pressure. Source: Daily Mail.

None of us know how too much wealth would affect us—not until we're thrown into the enviable position. Will the scales tip one way or the other? Some people support charities, or involve themselves in worthwhile causes. But, left floundering, others fall prey to indulging themselves in temptations that lie in wait behind boulders along the path of life.

All I can say is: why is life so unbalanced? Why do some people live in poverty while others get fat?

Let's say my bank account suddenly took an upturn. What would I do with the funds? I long to be relieved of debt. Surely solvency would satisfy me. Or … maybe I'd buy myself some new clothes to replace those I bought at least ten years ago, and take on a maintenance team to tidy up my neglected garden, and employ a housekeeper to do the jobs I can no longer tackle. Now I think of it, the list goes on and on.

If you suddenly acquired more money than you could handle, what would you do with it?

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Hangover woes? Read on.

8/29/2015

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Thai hangover cure www.flickr.com

Let's face it: scientists do not know what causes a hangover.

I've only ever had one consequence from drinking more than two glasses of champaign on my twenty-first birthday in 1963. The reeling sensation, the thumping pain in my temples and the nausea were enough to put me off excess drinking for life. My tolerance to alcohol is low—yours might be higher. And you might not learn a lesson as fast as I did.

You may have heard of this recent fad: Pedialyte, a child's cure for diarrhoea. Unlike his onscreen alter ego, James Bond, Daniel Craig doesn't always order his vodka martini shaken, not stirred. In a recent interview with DuJour, Craig shared the trick he uses to help him back to set after a night of drinking the stuff, which is also advertised on TV.

All the research done so far has concluded the problem is not simply dehydration. The immune system is involved, but before we know what causes a hangover, it's unlikely scientists will find an effective cure.

natural cures www.flickr.com

I've heard that many people raid the fridge or drink copious glasses of water after a night of heavy drinking.

But Dutch research suggests that won't improve your sore head the next day.

Instead, a study presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology conference concluded, the only way to prevent a hangover is to drink less alcohol.

A team of international researchers from the Netherlands and Canada surveyed over 800 students' drinking habits to find out whether hangovers could be eased.

Among the students, 54% ate food after drinking alcohol, including fatty food and heavy breakfasts.

With the same aim, more than two-thirds drank water while drinking alcohol and more than half drank water before going to bed.

However, there was no real difference in the severity of their hangovers.

Of those students who drank heavily, with an estimated blood alcohol concentration of more than 0.2%, almost no-one was immune to hangovers.

According to the lead author from Utrecht University, the relationship was pretty straightforward. The more you drink, the more likely you are to get a hangover. Drinking water may help against thirst and a dry mouth, but it will not take away the misery, the headache and the nausea.

Of course, the consumption of alcohol is big business. A professor at University College, London, said the economic costs of alcohol abuse ran into hundreds of billions of euros every year.

Whilst further investigation is needed, this new research tells us that the answer is simple - drink less. Source: BBC.

If I go out with my husband and he suggests popping into the pub for a drink, I'll have a gin and tonic, or half a Guinness and lemonade. At a sign of slight dizziness, I leave the glass unfinished. I don't like anything to control me.

What do you do to ease the after effects of drinking too much alcohol? Have you ever had a hangover?

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Many stories are based on real life.

8/28/2015

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One of the last survivors of World War Two's most famous prison break, the Great Escape, has died aged 101.

It all happened in 1944. A group of men escaped from the notorious Nazi Stalag Luft III camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. The Australian Paul Royle was one of 76 airmen among them.

Their courageous feat was made famous by the 1963 film The Great Escape, starring Steve McQueen. Ah—that film. I don't think there's a person on the planet who hasn't watched the drama unfolding on the screen. And, of course, the beloved Steve McQueen's bike ride along the fence is a classic.

In reality seventy-one years ago, the men escaped through a secret tunnel built from the Nazi camp. Only three of the men who escaped reached safety. Of the 73 recaptured, 50 were shot.

Interviewed last year about his wartime experiences, Mr Royle said he had vivid memories of escaping into a snow-covered pine forest. With another escapee, he walked through the night and hid in bushes but they were soon recaptured by the Nazis.

On Friday, the local media reported that Mr Royle had died in a Perth hospital on Sunday after surgery for a fractured hip. According to his son, his father lived his life to the fullest, but it was a fall that killed him. Source: BBC.

I remember a scene in the film when a couple of the men were apprehended while trying to board a train. But you see, so many great stories are taken from real life.

You may already know that I use news stories in my fiction. How could a writer depict scenes to resemble reality without prompts from real life? In my Moonstone series, Liliha finds herself in unexpected situations and sees what's going on through other eyes. In an effort to help, she can whisper advice, rather like a guiding spirit. And the situations I use come from news snippets.

Here's a scene from my latest novel:

I'm hovering like sprite without a body, transported from the table in my normal life by means of a vision. The murk lifts in patches. To one side, a man stands on the edge of a tall cliff. He leans forward, peers at the water below, and then points a mobile phone at the towering rocks opposite.

Several people stand on the landward side, and more hurry toward him along a walkway.

He's the one I must help. I take a mental leap toward him, which gives no more sensation than peering inside a microscope. When I meld with him, I learn his name is Guy. I experience his rapid pulse rate and jerky movements as my own.

We pocket the phone and take a hesitant step closer to the edge. Vertigo grips me, strengthened by a voice in his mind urging him. 'Jump, jump.'

I'm used to assessing the state of the body I find myself in, but this experience causes slight tremors in my determination. I whisper, 'Don't do it, Guy. You can get past this.' His thoughts concentrate on the destructive internal voice and ignore my words. Somehow, I have to reach his inner core. I try to ease calming thoughts into his mind, but the commands, 'Jump, jump,' drown them.

At the whine of a distant motor, we focus on a lifeboat surging over the waves toward us.

'The bitch. She's called the authorities, probably sent them the picture I texted to her earlier.'

A deafening whoop, whoop of a hovering helicopter distracts me. We duck from the loud beating blades and yell in defiance. "Get away from me." The internal goading continues. 'Jump, jump.'

People arrive along the path, grim and anxious.

I try to soothe his distracted mind with a charge of empathy. I don't want to fall in his body, unsure if I could withdraw before we hit the water. 'Easy now. Don't get so worked up. It's not too late to fix this. You can step away from the edge now.'

The helicopter lands. "Get away, I told you." We shift closer to the edge.

'What's bothering you?'

Guy rants over the din of the thumping blades. "She's driven me to … this. She tried. She couldn't … I caught them. Together. Last night." Our head jerks toward the landed helicopter.

A winchman climbs out and approaches."Perhaps we can help. If you'd—"

Pulse racing out of control, we gaze at the sea below. "Don't come any closer. I'll jump."

"All right. I'll stay here." The rescuer speaks in a smooth way. "Tell me why you want to jump."

"Why I want to jump?" Our voice catches. "Why not? She and my best friend together. Hot and steamy. She just smiled. Do you hear? She just smiled … like she was glad I'd found them."

His internal voice chants in singsong repetition, 'Jump, jump.'

Knowing his state of mind, I will my essence to the winchman, meld and whisper, 'He could go at any moment. Be careful.' The man halts and holds his hands out either side of his body in a gesture of non-aggression.

Guy gazes out to sea, and then faces the onlookers. "Back off."

I advise the rescuer, 'He's wound up and ready to jump."

We call, "Let's talk this over."

Rubbing his head, Guy stares over the edge again.

"Wait. Talk to me a moment longer."

I whisper, 'Be silent for a moment.'

More people converge on the area, gesturing and talking in hushed tones. They push forward. I block their compulsion with my mind.

Guy raises his fist and shouts his defiance. "I said leave me alone."

I need to return to Guy, yet I'm caught between an effort to prevent coercion from the others, and soothing the troubled man.

The onlookers hover closer. Guy jumps. People run forward and stare. His body careens off the jutting ledge into the water twenty feet below.

Regret sears me, However, I'm still with the winchman. 'There's nothing you could have done. He'd already made up his mind.' My sense of relief wars with the possible selfishness of leaving Guy before he plunged below. But, I couldn't have done anything either.

The winchman swallows and sighs, his acceptance allowing me to disengage.

At least I have eased the rescuer's mind although the crowd will have difficulty dealing with their horrible memories. I lift away, my spirit heavy with regret.

* * *

Do you think real life makes the best stories?

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Fans keep Terry Pratchett's legacy alive.

8/27/2015

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Almost six months after his death, the final novel by 66 year-old author Sir Terry Pratchett has been released.

The Shepherd's Crown, the 41st novel in his Discworld series, went on sale in the UK at midnight, and is due to be published in the US on 1 September. The Shepherd's Crown is the fifth Discworld novel to feature young witch Tiffany Aching.

To 'look inside' The Shepherd's Crown click here.

Fans gathered for openings at stores in London, Oxford and Newcastle in the dark streets. More shops will open earlier than usual today.

But why the urgency? Are the author's stories so beloved?

The Discworld series, which started as an affectionate parody of fantasy novels, became a vast satire on modern life.

The author's friend Rob Wilkins read an extract to 200 ticket-holders last night at Waterstones in Piccadilly, central London.

He told BBC News: "It was a hard book to complete because Terry's health was declining in the last year. But he was still enjoying the writing. The book was about 90% finished by the time illness meant the author was forced to stop work. He wasn't able to polish it quite as he would have liked and there were a few ideas that he would have loved to have followed up on and he never got the opportunity."

As well as the midnight openings, shops elsewhere in the UK will have breakfast openings and some will host special readings during the day. Source: BBC.

Writing forty-one novels is a huge undertaking—one which any author would be proud to have accomplished. By the time readers had digested such a large quantity of reading material by the same author, they would be eager to follow further adventures of the characters. Perhaps they'll forgive the lack of quality, knowing the reason. To write sensibly while suffering from alzheimer's disease would stretch any author's mind.

Edith Parzefall and I co-wrote a series of four dystopian novels over the space of two years, and I carried on with a spin-off novel during the following year. I have plenty of ideas to continue the adventures of the wonderful characters. I hope I'll have the determination to continue after I finish my memoirs.

To see all five Higher Ground books, click here.

From what I read after peeking inside The Shepherd's crown, Terry Pratchett's writing is amazing.

Are you amongst those who are clamouring for the new release? Do you like books in a series?

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What would you place in a time capsule?

8/26/2015

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Construction workers have uncovered a time capsule containing items from the 1800s.

The capsule, a shoe- sized metal container, was discovered buried deep inside part of a road bridge in the Scottish Cairngorms. The box has been sitting in the bridge's structure for 121 years.

Inside the box was a folded newspaper from September 1894, a paper scroll and bottle that appears to contain whiskey.

The items, dating from a time when horses pulled carriages over the bridge, have been donated to the Highland Folk Museum nearby.

The Kingussie Primary School are about to create their own time capsule to leave a record of their moment in time. Source: BBC.

If I decided to leave a time capsule, I'd select one song I've written, one book I've published, my memoirs (beginning in the 1940s), and some love letters.

In my Moonstone novels, which you can see on the sidebar, Liliha slips into the mind of someone else at random times and sees through their eyes. Considering I use news items in each tension-filled situation, they give an account of what is happening in our world at this time.

If you had your chance, what would you choose?

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What do you want to read?

8/25/2015

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In March, Sir Terry Pratchett, fantasy author and creator of the Discworld series, died aged 66, eight years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. That series is next on my list of books to read.

Everybody reads. Even if they only watch television, they need to read the title or want to check out the actor's names. Just about every human activity involves reading—mobile phones, smartphones, song titles, the computer, newspapers … and of course: books.

Do any primitive cultures still exist that do not read or watch screens? The deepest jungle in New Guinea? Mongolia? The red heart of Australia? The inner slums of Mumbai?

Everyone has a life to lead. They need to eat, feed and garb themselves. But there are times when they want to relax from the stress of living. So, we need to sort out what people like to read for pleasure.

I'll tell you what I like to read: fiction involving me in emotion and tension of one person who gives every bit of their strength to achieve a goal. The goal can be to reach a location, to raise themselves to a higher plane of existence, or to give love and support to someone they care about. I like to be lifted out of the cares of normal life into another possibility. I like to see different viewpoints and to understand how various personalities handle challenges. I like to finish the book with a sense of wonder about the strength and goodness of the human spirit.

Of course, my own novels supply my wish list.

Still Rock Water, where an ordinary woman can see through other eyes and whisper advice into their mind with the aid of a moonstone ring.

Tidal Surge, where she discovers a bad entity inside the person she wants to help—and it turns out to be her own daughter.

Shattered Shells, where she carries on helping strangers who come to town as well as in her visions, despite her recent grief.

See all eight published novels on my Amazon author page.

The visionary trips the main character undergoes have been garnered from news events. Some readers consider these snippets to be the best part of the novels.

Over the past two and a half years, I've posted my views on news items every day. Of course, my views call on previous experience during my life which has spanned seventy three years, which have brought up past events.

I'm writing my memoirs at the moment. The first book will cover the years between the forties and the seventies, which I hope to publish as soon as I've fully edited the story. These early years in Australia might interest you if you like to read true stories—or as close as the person can remember.

But, what do you like to read?

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Why must zealots tear down the old?

8/24/2015

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According to Syrian officials, Islamic State militants have blown up Palmyra's ancient temple of Baalshamin, one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world. The group has destroyed several ancient sites in the Iraqi city Palmyra, described as being of outstanding universal value and first appearing in 19th century BC.

Palma, Syria - gl.wikipedia.org

Although Syria's head of antiquities decried the action on Sunday, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the devastation a month ago.

Residents who had fled from Palmyra claimed IS had planted explosives at the inner temple of the Unesco World Heritage site.

The almost intact temple, built during the Roman era nearly 2,000 years ago, was dedicated to the Phoenician god of storms and fertilising rains. Apparently, some of the artefacts have been hidden away to keep them safe.

Why do people fighting for a cause destroy all that has gone before?

This wanton destruction saddens me. I'll never see the country, but I like to imagine mankind will preserve ancient buildings to learn from them, and to wonder at the incredible architecture. If we lose contact with our past, the future doesn't seem so secure.

Liken the building's importance to your great-grandmother's wedding ring—a precious jewel of beauty and wonder which gives a sense of continuity in the family. Nobody would smash the ring to prevent others from acquiring the treasure.

I know wanton destruction has happened over countless centuries when a new order of partisans take over a country. But surely people have learned something from the past. I guess not.

Do you think preserving the past is important?

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Weather balloons, forecasts, and Spanish plumes.

8/23/2015

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Balloon - MorgueFile

In the UK, the Met Office regrets to say it has lost its BBC weather forecasting contract.

The UK's weather service has provided the data used for BBC forecasts since the corporation's first radio weather bulletin in November 1922.

How different those early forecasts must have been, with their lack of modern technology.

Perhaps they relied on observing the office cat washing its ears, rain gauges, ship weather bulletins and the expected climate for the time of year.

The BBC said it was legally required to secure the best value for money for licence fee payers and would tender the contract to outside competition.

I can just see other organizations gearing up their sales pitch to replace the existing company next year.

And yet, do any weather forecasters get it right?

Here in England, crews have attended 35 incidents of flash flooding in North Yorkshire. Storms, flooding and thunder have created extreme weather from the 'Spanish Plume'.

But outside my window further south in Hertfordshire, the sun's heat warms me.

It must be so hard to predict what the weather will do from one day to the next as, all over the world, the weather has gone wild.

Forest fire - MorgueFile

National Geographic says:

Rains that are almost biblical, heat waves that don’t end, tornadoes that strike in savage swarms—there’s been a change in the weather lately. What’s going on?

The Economist asks:

Is the problem global warming or just the weather?

Blaming the weather on climate change might seem straightforward. The two are so closely related that the climate can be defined as the average daily weather over a long period.

Climate is what you expect; weather is what you get.

- Edward Lorenz, mathematician and meteorologist.

Any thoughts on the weather?

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Vile thieves are robbing disabled people.

8/22/2015

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Blue Badge insignia - www.wikipedia.org

Figures suggest the frequency of people stealing blue parking badges used by disabled drivers has more than doubled in a year in England.

The Blue Badge Scheme is an important service for people with severe mobility problems that enables the car in which badge holders are travelling to park close to their journey's end.

The scheme operates throughout the UK. Blue badges entitle drivers to free parking in pay-and-display bays and allow them to park in disabled zones. The badge holders may also be exempt from limits on parking times imposed on others and can park for up to three hours on single and double yellow lines so long as they are not causing an obstruction.

People who are registered blind, or have a disability that limits their mobility, and drivers with a severe disability in both arms are among those eligible for a blue badge. At least 2.5 million disabled people hold blue badges, which are issued by local authorities, in the UK.

disabled parking at a station - www.geograph.org.uk

I have used a blue badge for the last six years after a fourth hip replacement operation during which my femur shattered. Although I don't drive, my husband takes me where I need to go, like the hospital, where I can register to avoid hefty parking fees when we arrive. We rely on disabled parking spaces outside local shops and the supermarket. Without this lifeline, I'd be totally housebound.

However, I'm lucky if I can even accompany him to walk around in public spaces and feel part of the community lately. He's not well and often can't face lifting my walker in and out of the car. Without this aid, I can only walk about two steps on unfamiliar, uneven ground.

But, here's the big shock: the latest Department for Transport data shows an alarming 167% increase in thefts over the last year.

The Local Government Association estimates a badge could be worth at least £6,000 a year in saved parking fees. They believe thieves steal the badges to sell them on the black market or use them to get free parking. With each low act, thieves are robbing disabled people of their independence.

Of course, if they're caught, the callous criminals are liable for a maximum fine on conviction of £1,000. But so often, they get away with their vile behaviour. Source: BBC.

I prefer stories about how terrible accidents bring out the best in people, like a recent incident when a group of pedestrians lifted a car off a trapped woman. Perhaps the badge thieves don't see the harm they are causing. Perhaps they don't realize the person who owns the car will face a hefty parking fine and the disabled person can't get out and about for months until they can acquire another badge. Wait—will they even be able to get a replacement badge when one already exists in their name?

Can you imagine what it must be like to be trapped in your home?

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Francene Stanley
From England, I use news items in my novels which you can see below, all linked to an Amazon near you.

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