Blood Groups

Blood is composed of cells suspended in a liquid-like substance called plasma; these cells are red blood cells (carry oxygen), white blood cells (fight infection) and platelets (stop bleeding in injuries). Human blood is divided into various systems; these need to be matched for blood transfusions.

The ABO system: the four groups are A, B, AB and O.

• The gene on chromosome 9 can be A, B or neither (O). 
• A and B are dominant, while O is recessive.
• You inherit one gene from your mother and one from your father.
• O individuals have two copies of the O version (OO)
• AB individuals have one A and one B gene.
• A individuals have either two A versions or an AO combination
• B individuals either two B versions or a BO combination.

There is an incompatibility of O group mother and AO foetus; the mother has an anti-A which can pass across the placenta and damage an AO foetus causing miscarriage (often so early as to noticed only as a 'missed period') or severe haemolytic anaemia at birth.

The Rhesus factor: Each of the groups A, B, AB and O can be positive or negative for a specific protein, known as the Rhesus factor.

• If the mother is Rh negative and the father Rh positive, the foetus is at risk of haemolysis and jaundice, usually resulting in death (late foetal or perinatal). Surviving foetuses are often mentally retarded. Foetal red blood cells pass into the mother's blood circulation; firstborn are infrequently affected (5%) but sensitize mother for subsequent pregnancies (50% in 3rd or later births). To protect against this effect, after birth an anti-rhesus serum is now injected into the mother to destroy any foetal cells still in her blood; the serum itself is destroyed in a short time.

Blood donation

• AB can receive blood from any other blood type.
• O can donate blood to all other blood types. 
• A can receive A and O blood types but not B. 
• B can receive B and O blood types but not A.

Frequencies
Frequencies of each blood group vary between human populations. In the UK, the frequency of type A increases as you go north.

• UK: O = 48%   A = 38%   B = 10% and AB = 3%
• Southern England: O = 44%    A = 45%    B = 8% and AB = 3%

• Group B is nearly three times as common in Oriental populations as in Europeans. 
• High frequencies of group B in European gypsies (50% as opposed to 10% in Northern Europe) indicate their recent origins in India.

• A gene map of rhesus negative distribution shows a clear gradient from 25% of the West European population to 5% in the Middle East. It is thought that it may be the European norm but bred out by intermarriage with waves of settlers from the east who have a low frequency of the gene.

Rhesus negative blood group

• 2% of modern Indo-Europeans
• 4% to 8% of African Americans
• 35% of Basque people
• 15% of Caucasians of southern Russia 

Sources

• E.J. Clegg: The Study of Man.
• Walter Bodmer & Robin McKie: The Book of Man: the quest to discover our genetic heritage. Scribner, 1995.

Eat Purple

Anthocyanins are pigments in plants that give a red, blue or purple colour.

• They prevent blood-vessel damage and have been shown to repair leaking, damaged capillaries.
• They increase blood sugar metabolism and may be a useful anti-inflammatory.
• They appear to help night vision and improve overall visual acuity.

Plants rich in anthocyanins are:

• Blueberry, cranberry and bilberry; black and red raspberries and blackberry; blackcurrant, dark cherries.
• Aubergine (eggplant) peel; black rice.
• Concord grape, muscardine grape.
• Red cabbage; red onions. 
• Red-fleshed peaches and apples also contain anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins are less abundant in banana, asparagus, pea, fennel, pear and potato.

Various sources

Lovage

This herb is also known as sea parsley.

• Tastes like celery, adds savoury flavour to dishes and works well with parsley.
• Easy to grow.
• May help with abdominal pain if steeped as a tea.

Various sources

Eco Tips when Shopping

It is important to be responsible in our shopping habits too.

• Look at the country of origin labels - try not to buy food that has travelled thousands of miles.
• Try not to buy food that is heavily packaged; any packaging should be as recyclable as possible.
• Buy fruit and veg loose rather than pre-packaged.
• Buy products in packaging that can be recycled - check in store before you buy.
• Use re-usable bags instead of plastic carrier bags. Reuse any plastic bags as often as you can.
• Re-use plastic wrappers from newspaper, magazine, catalogue and other mailings (e.g. as wrappers for food waste or even sandwich bags).
• Only buy the amount of food you are going to eat.
• Use local shops when you can.
• Avoid two for one food offers on fresh foods, unless you know it will be eaten before going off.
• Avoid two for one clothing purchases; you will usually wear one colourway only or mostly. 

Various sources.

Freakonomics, Superfreakonomics and Think Like a Freak

Steven D Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner's books Freakonomics, then Superfreakonomics and Think Like a Freak, give fascinating insights into the way we think, and the lessons of unintended consequences. Here is some of what I've learnt.

• Incentives are the cornerstone of modern life.
• Knowing what to measure and how to measure it can make a complicated world less so.
• The conventional wisdom is often wrong.
• Correlation does not equal causality.

• Data shows that past the first generation, a family business does better to bring in an outside manager. 
• While free, unlimited, lifetime healthcare is praiseworthy, the economics are tricky. When people do nto pay the true cost of something, they tend to consume it inefficiently. The worried well crowd out the truly sick, waiting times increase and a massive share of the costs go to the final months of elderly patients' lives, often without real advantage. (They did not come up with the answer to the conundrum, though.)

We say something even if we don't know because we don't want to look stupid or inferior. Learn to say 'I don't know'. Our beliefs can be influenced by political or religious views. Expert predictions can be wrong. People who are very bad at predicting are dogmatic, and often over-confident in their predictions. While we all develop a moral compass, when it comes to solving problems it is good to start by forgetting it and looking at the issue open-mindedly. The key to learning is feedback - in some situations you may need to run experiments to get this.

Violent crime in the US suddenly climbed in 1960; the  homicide rate doubled but in the early 1990s it began to fall and kept falling. Why? Data shows tough new gun laws had no effect; there is a weak relationship between economic cycles and violent crime. While it helped that there were more police, more people in prison and a decline in the crack heroin market, Levitt and Dubner identified the legalization of abortion as a key factor - fewer children grew up in difficult circumstances. [My note: There is also evidence that violence and violent crime has decreased since the banning of lead in petrol.]

Heart disease is far more common in black people. A possible explanation is that slave traders looked for slaves who could more easily withstand the risks of dehydration (people who could retain more salt and therefore more water). By selecting for one trait, there can be unintended consequences on other aspects of health - in this case hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

Americans are bad at saving money but spend a lot on lottery tickets which typically pay put only about 60% of the take. A prize-linked savings account (PLS) allows you to deposit $100 in a bank account with a deposit rate of say 1%. A quarter of that interest is pooled with the same amount from fellow PLS depositors, and then periodically paid to a randomly chosen winner. Even if you never win the PLS lottery, you keep your original deposit and your 0.75% interest. While some states are experimenting with such accounts, most US state law allows only the state to run a lottery and federal law prohibits banks from operating lotteries.

Incentives can backfire, so find out what matters to people. Types of incentive: financial, moral, social and 'herd mentality'. An experiment in getting people to use less electricity showed that a notice hung on doorknobs saying 'join your neighbours' (herd mentality, which also influences what we buy, where we eat and how we vote) was the most effective. Moral incentives don't work as well as might be imagined. Notices warning people not to steal petrified wood from forest trails in the US actually increased the thefts; people thought 'there's not much around so I'd better get my bit now'.

Charity fund-raising - getting new donors is difficult and expensive. Donating makes people feel good, but they also feel bullied by being asked. A charity used  'once-and-done' mailing acknowledging how people might feel and asked donors to tick one of (a) this is my only gift, please do not contact me again, (b) please contact me only twice a year or (c) please keep me updated with regular communications. Result, only a third opted out of future mailings, and the others raised overall donations by 46%.

Helping business. Zappos clothing and shoe store made its customer service 24/7, and posted its phone number prominently on the website. Call-centre work is often poorly paid, so Zappos offered its customer reps fun and power. Company meetings might be held in a bar, work cubicles can be decorated, there is no dress code, reps are encouraged to talk to customers for as long as they want and there is no script, they can settle problems without reference to a supervisor, and can 'fire' a customerwho makes trouble. Result - the company never lacks applicants for call centre work.

Some countries have tried easing traffic congestion by restricting the days each person can use their car. Result: some people buy a second, older car, streets remain congested, no increase in use of public transport, and more pollution from the older cars. A UN incentive plan financially rewarded manufacturers who destroyed stocks of waste greenhouse gas HFC-23; factories world-wide produced more gas to get the credits. Changing the rules meant that the extra HFC-23 produced will likely be released into the atmosphere.

Incentives. (1) What do people really care about (not what they say). (2) Use incentives that are cheap to you but valuable to them. (3) Note if they respond not as you meant - learn and try again. (4) Make incentives co-operative not adversarial. (5) People respond because it is the 'right' thing to do. (6) Some people will always find ways to manipulate the system to their advantage.

A person who is lying or cheating will often respond differently to an honest person. Use their behaviour to identify them. Employers make job application processes easier but often get lots of interest but few with real interest. Colleges and universities make the process hard, weeding out the less committed in the process. Zappos offer new employees after training the option of quitting with a bonus of 1 month's wage, if they have an exit interview and commit to never working for Zappos again. Fewer than 1% of new hires currently accept this offer. Nigerian scammers make their emails so unbelievable that they weed out all but the most gullible.

Persuading people of anything is difficult if they already have a firmly held belief on something. So how can you change behaviour? (1) It's not me; it's you. Your view may be scientifically proved but does not resonate with them. (2) Don't pretend your argument is perfect. Ignore or paper over shortcomings and they will doubt all of it. (3) Acknowledge strengths in their argument. Most people don't take criticism very well and there may be something in their views that strengthens yours. (4) Tell stories (not anecdotes). Stories that are not true can be persuasive, eg. the MMR vaccine caused autism (co-incidence that symptoms start showing around the time of the vaccine administration) or the EU banned overly curved bananas (dreamt up by Boris Johnson.) A US government official needed to create a document setting out what employees were and were not allowed to do. He created The encyclopedia of ethical failure, as a catalogue of screw-ups in the past, with chapters on abuse of position, bribery, conflicts of interest and political activity violation. The stories lodge the rule in your mind.

There is an upside to quitting. People refuse to quit because of (b) being thought a failure, (b) sunk costs (time, money or energy that cannot be recovered) and (c) pay too little attention to opportunity costs. Quitting can be positive. In science, failed experiments identify areas to avoid. Succesful innovation needs to identify the ideas that have potential and those that don't (including good ideas that are simply too expensive at present). Anonymous premortem asks people (e.g. employees, experts) whether a project will be completed in a set time, be a safety hazard, and so on. Their views are likely to be more accurate than those of team leaders or project managers who have a vested interest (financial or prestige) in delivering the project successfully.

Think like a freak by Steven D Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, Allen Lane, 2014.

Eco Tips for the Home Office

With more of us working from home, either for an employer, freelancing or self-employed, here are some tips to reduce waste and electricity usage.

• Think before printing - don't print everything.
• Re-use paper for printing if possible or cut into smaller pieces to make notepads.
• Recycle print cartridges from the printer or get them refilled.
• Don't power up the printer unless you are going to use it.
• Don't put your mobile phone on permanent recharge.
• Turn lights off when you leave the room. 
• Sign up to the Mailing Preference Service and reduce your junk mail.
• Get bills online to reduce mail even further.
• Organise plugs so it is easier to switch things off at the wall socket.
• Use strip plugs and multiway adaptors with individual switches.

Various sources.

END

Adjectival Order in English

It seems that though we never formally learn it, we always use the same order of adjectives in a sentence. I came across an article on this on the web and didn't bookmark it, so this list combines the information on three websites. The first eight are listed on the British Council website, while two more are on the Cambridge Dictionary website.

1. General opinion (nice)
2. Specific opinion (tasty)
3. Size (big, tiny)
4. Shape (round, square)
5. Age (young, 8-week-old)
6. Colour (red)
7. Nationality/origin (American)
8. Material (leather, silver) 
9. Type (U-shaped, 4-sided)
10. Purpose (cleaning, cooking, general-purpose)

E.g. I had a nice, shiny, big, round, multi-coloured, balloon for my birthday.
 
But also note that the order can change the meaning: "Scottish smoked salmon" is not the same as "Smoked Scottish salmon"

END

Lutein and Zeaxanthin for Eye Health

Long and short-sight are due to the length and shape of our eyeball and the thickness of our lens at the front. But at the back of our eyeball are all the light-sensitive cells – the retina – essential to our eyesight.

The macula, a specialized part of the retina responsible for central vision, is protected by a kind of natural sunscreen to prevent the sensitive vision cells from being damaged by the energy from blue or UV light. This natural sunscreen is made up of a yellowish ‘macular pigment’ – a mixture of three light-absorbing compounds; lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin.

Our bodies cannot make these three compounds, which are made by plants to absorb light in order to carry out photosynthesis, so we have to eat them. Lutein and zeaxanthin are found commonly in dark green leafy veg such as kale and spinach, and also bell peppers, corn and saffron. Meso-zeaxanthin is generally not found in plants – it is thought to be made in our bodies from lutein (although it is also present in some fish, especially in their skins, so we may be able to get some from our diet too). These pigments, once we eat them, appear to be important in our vision and in helping keep the macula healthy.

Experiment 1 saw Michael Mosley taking supplements containing the three macular pigments every day for 12 weeks. His blood levels of the chemicals, the amount of macular pigments in his eyes, and his eyesight were thoroughly tested before and after taking the pills. Overall, there was an improvement in many aspects of his vision – but especially his perception of yellow/blue colours and his night vision), and increase in his macular pigment density and an increase in these compounds in his blood.

Experiment 2 tried increasing intake through diet. Drinking a specially designed green smoothie daily nearly doubled the volunteers' lutein levels in their blood but zeaxanthin levels did not increase, and there was no change in the levels of macular pigments or improvements in their eyesight, perhaps because these pigments take a while to get in to different tissues in the body, including the eye, so taking these foods for longer could show more of an effect. It may also be that the recipe needs tweaking.

Green smoothie recipe. Add 125g cooked kale, 1 tbsp almond butter, ½ tsp wheat germ oil, and a small amount of 80ml milk ( 2% with DHA) to a food processor or high-powered blender; blend until a smooth paste forms. Add remaining ingredients: ½ small (6”) banana, 125g kiwi (cut in pieces), 125g pineapple chunks canned in water, ½ medium apple (peeled), ¼ cup fresh mint leaves (for flavouring), ½ lime (squeezed ) and the remaining milk and continue to blend until smooth.

Good food sources. Kale and other leafy greens, kiwi fruit, bell (sweet) peppers, saffron, sweetcorn, saffron. Also egg yolks - with milk and wheatgerm oil to help absorption. [This paragraph is probably from the Lifespan magazine.]

Conclusion: The strongest evidence at the moment is for supplements containing all three of the macular compounds, though many researchers believe that simply eating a diet rich in leafy green vegetables should be enough to keep your levels healthy. (Be aware, though, that carrots do NOT contain particularly high levels of any of these compounds.)

Can I Improve my Eyesight on Trust Me, I'm a Doctor, BBC2 

Poor Eyesight Forecast

By 2025 researchers predict that half of the world's population will be short-sighted and need glasses to see properly. The number of short-sighted children in the UK has doubled since 1960.

Recent research shows that the usually cited culprits - TV and computers - are almost certainly not to blame. The true cause is almost certainly lack of sunshine. In Singapore, 29% of children are short sighted and only play outside for three hours a week. In Australia only around 3% of children have myopia and play outside for 13 hours a week.

Time in sunlight appears to be crucial in keeping eyes healthy, especially in children. Time in the sun triggers the release of a substance called dopamine from the back of the eye, which seems to help the eye grow normally. So get children playing outside more often.

Interestingly, dopamine is a chemical that is lacking in Parkinsons disease.

Dr. Stuart Farrimond in Wiltshire Times issue Friday 16 September 2016, p.45. You can read his blog at www.realdoctorstu.com

Haiku Microsoft Error Messages

To brighten up your day?

Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in the silence of a dead computer ...

Japanese Haiku are short poems with only 17 syllables, in three lines (five syllables in the first line, seven in the second and five in the third).

A file that big? It might be very useful. But now it is gone.

Windows NT crashed. I am the Blue Screen of Death. No one hears your screams.

The Tao that is seen ... Is not the true Tao until ... You bring fresh toner.

Aborted effort. Close all that you have worked on. You ask far too much.

With searching comes loss ... and the presence of absence:  My novel? not found.

A crash reduces ... your expensive computer ... to a simple stone.

Out of memory. We wish to hold the whole sky ... but we never will.

Having been erased ... the document you are seeking ... must now be retyped.

Chaos reigns within. Reflect, repent and reboot. Order shall return.

First snow, then silence. This thousand dollar screen dies ... so beatifully.

The Web site you seek ... cannot be located but ... countless more exist.

Yesterday it worked. Today it is not working. Windows is like that.

Stay the patient course. Of little worth is your ire. The network is down.

You step in the stream. But the water has moved on. This page is not here.

Three things are certain: ... death, taxes and lost data. Guess which has occurred.

Serious error. All shortcuts have disappeared. ... Screen. Mind. Both are blank.

Unknown original source, seen in a staff newsletter, suggesting that in Japan these messages replace the standard Microsoft error messages.

Good Plant Companions

Scientific experiments have shown that plants can be affected by others nearby and there is now some evidence that companion planting helps growth and may even give some protection against pests and diseases.

• Tomatoes - try alongside parsley, onions, plants of the cabbage family, or celeriac.
• Lettuces - near radishes, beans, cucumber, beet, carrots or strawberries.
• Onions - near lettuces.
• Peas - near cabbages and celery.
• Celery - good mixed with all types of leafy plants, dwarf beans, tomatoes and leeks.
• Potatoes - good with cabbages, peas and sweetcorn.
• Gooseberries near tomatoes seem to keep free from insects.

Various sources

Some Declutter Tips

Here's a link to a Blissful Mind blog post ( http://theblissfulmind.com/2015/10/28/tips-to-declutter-your-home-free-workbook/ ) In case the blog disappears, I've summarised the tips here.

3 questions to ask when decluttering are (1) does it make my life simpler or more pleasant?, (2) do I have more than one? and (3) is it easily replaceable and/or can I borrow it?

The 5-step process: (1) Choose an area to de-clutter and gather everything from that room into a pile so you can see all of your stuff at once. Yes, it will look a mess! (2) For every item, ask the three questions. (3) Sort things into three piles - Toss, Donate and Keep (including repairs). (4) If keeping an item, choose its home and make sure you put it back every time you use it. If you have something to repair, make plans to do so right away instead of leaving these items in a cluttered pile. (5) If something is to be tossed, do so as soon as possible but also see if there are options to avoid dumping it in a landfill - e.g. a recycling facility. (If you can't decide whether to keep something or not, put it out of sight and set a notification on your calendar in three months’ time. If you haven’t needed it or you completely forgot about it, it’s time to get rid of it.)

Bedroom

Closet
# Get rid of anything that still has a tag on it
# When you take clothes out of your closet, put them back as soon as you decide not to wear them instead of leaving a pile on your bed
# Follow the ‘goes with three other items’ rule

Drawers
# Get drawer dividers to help keep your underwear and socks organized
# Fold clothes and store them vertically instead of on top of each other
Bedside Table
#Keep a tray or bowl on your bedside table to hold loose ends like chapstick and lotion

The Office
Desk
# Get rid of pens as soon as they run out instead of putting them back into the pen pile
# Keep cords and cables organized in a pouch or drawer
# Use one notebook until it’s full before writing in a new one
Paperwork
# Opt for paperless bills + receipts
# Scan everything and recycle the originals
# Keep one file folder for papers that need attention
Computer
# Store documents in the cloud
# Keep your desktop organized with this free wallpaper
# Use unroll.me to unsubscribe from junk mail

The Bathroom
Beauty Products
# Get a makeup organizer unit so you don’t have to rummage through a bag to find your mascara
# Use something up before buying a new product
# Try to stick to one of each type of product (one daily moisturizer, one eyeliner, etc)
Tools + Extras
# Store your hair dryer and styling tools in a fabric bin or try this awesome Bamboo Organizer
# Keep cotton balls and Q-Tips in glass jars for easy access.Cleaning Supplies
# Use multi-tasking products for the kitchen + bathroom to reduce clutter under sinks
# Dedicate a cupboard for all cleaning supplies instead of keeping them in different parts of your home

The Living Room
Books + DVDs
# Get rid of anything you haven’t read or watched yet
# If you wouldn’t read or watch it again, donate it
# Make a habit of reserving books from the library or get a kindle for books
Coffee / Side Table
# Consider getting a side table that doubles as a DVD holder
# Leave a tray or bowl on top to collect random things like bobby pins that often end up in random places
Misc.
# Add a wastebasket to the room if trash seems to accumulate (most people don’t have one in their living room)
# Utilize a basket for storing miscellaneous items like blankets
# Keep a tray near your entryway for holding keys to avoid misplacing them
The Pantry
Pantry
# Store grains, pasta, etc. in mason jars (American brand glassjars) to eliminate bulky packaging
# Dedicate separate shelves for breakfast foods (cereal, oatmeal), lunch and dinner options (pasta, legumes), baking goods (flour, sugar), and snacks
Cupboards
# Store tupperware lids in a hanging pouch on a cupboard door
# Store spices in a spice rack for added cupboard space

Fridge
# Keep soon-to-expire food on the top shelf so you reach for those first
# Take a fridge inventory before grocery shopping to avoid buying multiples
Miscellaneous
Hobbies
# Dedicate a room or space for hobbies or exercise, and keep related tools in their own drawer or cupboard in the same space
Junk Drawer
# If you have no idea what a cord or button goes to, you might as well get rid of it
# Don’t worry about organizing too much – everyone needs a junk drawer!
Sentimental Items
# Scan photos to an online album or start working on that photo album you’ve been meaning to put together
# Don’t feel too bad about getting rid of unwanted gifts. Let people know that you’d appreciate gift cards or a donation to charity in the future
# Try to sell expensive items so you can at least make a little bit of money

It’s important to avoid letting clutter creep back in and all the tips above will help as will the one in, one out policy. If you find yourself wanting to buy something new, you have to donate something you already own. This makes it easier to resist impulse purchases because you have to pause and ask yourself if there’s anything you can get rid of to make room for it.

End

Holiday Online Planning

A few tips to help get the best of an online search (2016 advice).

Air flights: Always clear the search history on your computer. Most sites use cookies to keep track of whether you've visited before and will boost the prices each time you go back. Change your country of residence to the destination - airlines often have better rates for locals. Skyscanner.net has a price alert feature to notify you when prices change on a specific route and their 'Everywhere' search tool finds the cheapest destinations for your specific date period. [Serena Guen of Suitcase magazine.]

Tuesdays are the cheapest days to book flights, and Fridays are consistently the most expensive. Generally the best fares are advertised 50 days before departure. Flights between 6pm and midnight are usually cheaper. Seatguru.com shows seating charts on all sorts of flights; details include whether a row does not recline, which seat is closest to the loo and where there is extra legroom. [Phil Bloomfield of cheapflights.co.uk]

Feature in Glamour, August 2016

Spices as Health Aids

Turmeric: The yellow pigments, especially curcumin, have an anti-inflammatory action. Add it dried or fresh to Asian dishes, smoothies and juices.

Ginger: Fast-acting compounds called gingerols and shogaols can calm nausea. Grate into stir fries, soups or porridge. Or ad 1cm sliced root to 500ml water for a hot drink.

Garlic: Contains germ-fighting phytochemicals allicin and ajoene. Can decrease frequency of colds. It becomes active when cut, so chop or crush first when adding to recipes.

Cinnamon: Helps regulate blood sugar, improves insulin resistance and helps metabolise fat, and studies show it helps if you have type 2 diabetes. Add a teaspoon or more to porridge, smoothies or baking. The sweet flavour makes it easier to cut your daily sugar intake.

Fennel seed: It can help with pre-menstrual symptoms. Seeds are packed with essential oils that help relax muscle spasms, so can help with various cramps, from menstrual to digestive to mucular. Drink strong fennel tea: use 1 to 2 teaspoons of seeds, crushed to release the oils.

Found in Glamour, Sep. 2016

Petition for a Second Referendum on Leaving the EU

Thr Leave campaign was not at all sure of winning the EU Referendum, and in May 2016, before the vote, one Leave supporter set up a petition on the government website calling for a re-run if certain conditions were not met, ironically by citing an EU regulation.

EU referendum Rules triggering a 2nd EU Referendum. We the undersigned call upon HM Government to implement a rule that if the remain or leave vote is less than 60% based a turnout less than 75% there should be another referendum.

Following the Leave campaign's narrow majority in the referendum, this was discovered by Remain voters and, since the wording made no mention of a link to the Leave campaign, decided to use it to register their anger and dismay. This became the most successful petition so far, with 3,604,489 votes registered on the 27 June (just 4 days after the 23 June vote) rising to 4,014,235 just two days later. On 9 July, with petition votes at 4,126, 424, the Goverment response was that there would be no re-run as the Referendum Act had received Royal Assent with no threshold or minumum turnout required (in retrospect a disastrous mistake).

As the petition continued to receive votes, a Parliamentary debate was scheduled for 5 September (sadly this was held in a small meeting room attended by a small number of MPs rather than a full debate by the House, and was only broadcast on Parliament TV not broadcast by BBC or ITV). The debate came to the same conclusion as the government response. At the time of the debate, votes had risen to 4,144,422 and though smaller numbers were voting each day, people continued to register their feelings about the result, so that when the petition closed on 25 November, a total of 4,150,259 people had supported the petition.

END

Changing Mobile Phones, Tablets or Computers?

Before you pass on or sell an old device, make sure you clear it of all pesonal information.

iPhone or iPad with an iCloud account? Sign out before getting rid of the device. Go to Settings > iCloud, then scroll to bottom and tap Sign Out. Press Sign Out again from the warning displayed on screen.

Remove SIM card (and MicroSD card if you use one). Run a factory reset; this will remove any files stored on the device, and erase any accounts such as Facebook or Twitter.

• On iPhone or iPad. Go to Settings > General and scroll down and press Reset. From here, select Erase All Content And Settings. If you have a passcode on the phone, you will need to enter that before the resest can take place.
• On Google. Go to Settings > Backup & Reset. From here, select Factory Data Reset, then Reset Phone on the screen displayed.
• On Windows. Go to Settings app and select System. Choose About, and press Reset Your Phone to make a factory reset.
• On a Windows tablet. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery (in options on left hand side of screen). Under Reset This PC, tap Get Started, then Erase Everything from the options displayed.

Computers with hard drives or solid state drives (SSD). These have a type of memory that cannot be wiped as easily as smartphones and tablets. You should remove the hard drive before selling or recycling and smash it with a hammer to ensure your personal data stored on it cannot be retrieved. You can buy a replacement hard drive, or state that the device does not have one when you sell it.

Feature in Good Housekeeping, May 2016

Bacteriophages

Growing numbers of bacteria are becoming resistant to our most powerful drugs, evolving into new strains – often called ‘superbugs’ – that we can no longer kill. Already drug resistance kills over 700,000 people globally every year and could cause an extra 10 million deaths a year by 2050. A completely different approach to killing bacteria is to use viruses.

Naturally occurring viruses called bacteriophages (from the Greek meaning ‘bacteria-eaters’) are harmless to people but lethal to bacteria. When a phage encounters its prey, it latches onto the outside and injects its own DNA inside the cell. This reproduces inside the bacterium and then the ‘daughter phages’ burst through the cell walls, before latching onto more bacteria and repeating the cycle until all the bacteria have been killed – and the infection has been dealt with.

First discovered by two different scientists – the Briton Frederick Twort in 1915 and the French-Canadian Felix d’Herelle in 1917, but it was d’Herelle who pioneered phage therapy. Abandoned in the west when antibiotics were discovered and came into common use in the 1940s. In Stalin’s Soviet Republic however, access to antibiotics was limited, so phage therapy continued and a phage therapy centre founded in Tbilisi, Georgia, became a leading centre for phage research.

Unlike antibiotics, which target a broad range of bacteria, each phage kills only one type or strain, so scientists begin by taking bacterial samples from patients and finding a phage from the lab that can kill that particular bacteria. It is much harder for bacteria to develop resistance to phages due to their diversity, their ability to evolve and their sheer abundance. Bacteriophages are actually the most abundant life form on earth – there are far more phages than there are stars in the visible universe. So if bacteria evolve to resist a particular phage, the scientists simply turn to their extensive phage library, or to nature, to find another. They also create what are known as ‘phage cocktails’ – mixtures of different phages that attack bacteria from different angles and make it much more difficult for them to develop resistance.

Currently phage therapy is not approved or regulated in the west and this is the next big challenge. The good news is that the first large scale, western standard clinical trials have now begun, so hopefully in future we see this incredible 100 year old therapy returning to Europe to help us beat the superbugs.

Related links

• George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophages, Microbiology and Virology (www.eliava-institute.org)
• Phagoburn – European clinical study on phage therapy (www.eliava-institute.org)
• Phage research at the University of Leicester (www2.le.ac.uk)

[My note: The pharmaceutical industry has little or no interest in bacteriophages as they cannot be patented.]

Could viruses called bacteriophages be the answer to the antibiotic crisis? BBC 2 Trust me, I'm a Doctor, Series 5, Episode 1 (1 Sep. 2016). 

Loud TV Background Music

Every now and again the Radio Times has letters from readers expressing their problems with overloud background music to documentaries. Here is a response from a reader describing a possible reason for the problem.

The writer works in the field of Applied Psychology, specialising in speech intelligibility,and was previously a programme maker in both TV and radio. "A great deal of robust scientific evidence indicates that theproblem lies with sound processing in the Freeview service, watched in 19 million UK homes. Viewers can hear this ... by comparing programme sound on Freeview to the sound of the same programme played on BBC iPlayer. There is a solution - or at least a simple step forward the broadcasters could take. Their people working on the sound balance should listen to the results of their work after it has gone through the Freeviewprocess. Better still, they could do it without a script in front of them, which is how people listen at home. I have raised this before with the BBC and would like to think that those responsible would address the issue." Chris Rees.

Letter in Radio Times, issue 27 Aug. to 2 Sept. 2016

Rule of Three

Fast, Cheap, Quality - pick any two.

So if you want something fast and good quality, it won't be cheap. If it needs to be cheap and fast, you won't get best quality. And cheap but good quality means it will take time.

Source: I first came across this saying as a library cataloguer but have since seen it applied in other situations.

Community Land Trust Housing

As UK house prices continue to rise, it becomes increasingly difficult to get on the housing ladder. Community Land Trusts (CLTs) exist to provide affordable homes, both for rent and for purchase. The 175 CLTs in England and Wales have provided 560 homes to date. Land is acquired as follows:

•  Land for development given to CLTs, free of charge, by a local authority.
• CLTs working with developers, who donate the freehold to the CLT after they have made their profits.
• Scottish focus has been more on the community ownership of land, rather than homes, after the law was changed to allow residents to buy land that comes up for sale.

Most CLTs are in rural areas rather than urban ones, typically set up where local house prices have risen far above what residents can afford. Re-sale value is limited to 31.3% of what it would be on the open market, ensuring future affordability and helping communities retain younger people.

The government is expected to announce a programme of support for coastal and rural CLTs in the Autumn Statement (2016), funded out of the extra stamp duty chargeable on second homes.

London example. An old mental health hospital in Tower Hamlets has been converted into 23 flats. Buyers pay a third of market value. When they come to sell, the price they are allowed to charge will be limited by the increase in local wages, as measured by the Office for National Statistics.
Amongst the buyers are a young couple with one child; despite their joint income of £33,000, and savings of nearly £70,000, they have been unable to afford anything in the area. But the wage link is significant as typically, wages have risen by less than 2% a year over the last decade, while despite a few dips, house prices have soared by up to 9%. If that trend continues, the relative value of their flat will decline, making it hard for them to move elsewhere.

If Rachael and Nathaniel eventually decide to sell, their property's value will not have gone up in line with the market. Linking house prices to wages requires a different attitude, believing that the security of owning a home is more important than its value - no letters saying you've got two months to leave. The mortgage for the flat will be lower than their current £1,000 a month rent, allowing them to save something each month, to help if they move out at some point, and house prices have risen.

Critics say CLTs are not a solution to the UK's housing crisis, as they can only ever build a relatively small number of properties and often rely on land being given away for free, or at a discount and that access to land is the real issue.

Source: How to keep house prices low for generations to come by Brian Milligan, 18 Nov. 2016 [Read in full on BBC website]

Vitamin D and Psoriasis

Vitamin D  is a common deficiency among people who suffer from psoriasis, so taking vitamin D supplements seems sensible.

One reader reported that her son, who suffers from the condition, has started taking vitiamin D and finds his skin looks less red and his legs no longer sting in colder weather.

Healthspan's Lifespan magazine, issue Summer 2016

Truths About Women Drivers

There are many jokes about women drivers, but here are the real statistics.

Women can park. Parking, like other skills, is developed over time. Research using surveillance camera data shows that while women may take longer to park, they are more likely to thoughfully leave their car in the middle of a bay. They were also found to be better at locating a parking space, more accurate in lining themselves up before manoevring, and more likely to follow driving instructors' preferred method of reversing into bays.

Woman are good drivers. They are less likely to drive too fast, then brake a lot (11% less likely to brake hard) but control speed with gear changes, thus being kind on the car.

Woman are less likely to crash. Some 57% of male drivers have crashed, compared with 46% of women. Then 46% of men have had a close call with a cyclist or pedestrian, compared with 35% of women. And 68% of women have a clean driving licence, but only 64% of men.

Women do buy cars. The majority of car dealers are aimed at men and 85% of women surveyed by Good Housekeeping said car dealerships were sexist. The GH survey also found out that nine out of ten women are the sole or joint decision maker when car buying.

Women can navigate.

Useful information

A 2015 investigation found that women are often charged up to 30% more for repairs and car maintainance than men. The Foxy Lady Driver Club has over 250 approved dealerships and garages that have signed a charter promising not to overcharge, patronise or sell women services they don't need.

If you want to get a quote before arriving at the garage, use car maintainance comparison site WhoCanFixMyCar.com with its useful problem-solver tool.

The GH survey shows 44% of women feel anxious about driving on motorways. Boost your confidence with the Skill for Life course run by the Institute of Advanced Motorists, with eight one-hour sessions behind the wheel with a trained observer offering advice and instruction. They run other courses on winter driving, parking and speed awareness, plus Momentum, an education programme aimed at new drivers whose lack of experience puts them at highest risk.

Learning to drive. Find a great instructor; it is far too stressful to be taught by a family member or friend. Visit the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency website to find a local instructor, who should have one or more of DIA, NSA or IAM qualifications. Choose an instructor who will give you a free taster lesson, to see how you relate, as building a positive relationship is key.

Worried about an older driver? There is no age limit for holding a licence, drivers over 70 simply renew it and self-certify their fitness every year. One suggestion is for mature drivers to take an annual driving assessment with an independent instructor; assessments are available via the AA, ROSPA and the Institute of Advanced Motorists.

 Feature by Zoe Williams and Ginny Buckley in Good Housekeeping, March 2016

Christmas Facts

How did our Christmas celebrations take shape? Two books I read some time ago make interesting reading.

Christmas past: Gavin Weightman and Steve Humphries

Pre 1837 Christmas was not celebrated in the UK. Winter feast days (wassailing, Plough Monday, etc.) tended to be local and took place between All Hallows on 1st Nov. and Candlemas on 2nd Feb. Our Christmas ritual was the invention of the Victorian middle class. For Scots, Christmas was an English festival, resisted partly for nationalistic reasons, partly as the Presbyterian Church regarded it as essentially pagan; Scotland and other northern regions celebrated the New Year or Hogmanay. Until late 19th c., in all regions and social classes, Twelfth Night was still observed.

As Christmas developed, it concentrated on just two days of the twelve, Christmas day and Boxing day. Essentially a domestic, family festival rather than a village event. As it became more popular, the rural customs died out being inappropriate to urban life. Victorian middle class not content simply to enjoy Christmas themselves but took Christmas to the poor. Middle class fashion for charity giving at Christmas replaced the Christmas box; for centuries masters and householders had given gifts of money to servants, and tradesmen had rewarded loyal customers with free goods.

First Christmas cards 1843, Henry Cole. At that time, annual greetings were exchanged at New Year. First cards were often pagan with nymphs, etc., and derived from New Year cards. New Year was never a religious festival. Tom Smith, sweetmaker, introduced the cracker in 1840 as a sales gimmick, originally as a wrapper with a bang for his sweets; sold even better when he added paper hats and trinkets. Christmas tree from 1840’s, a German custom popularised by Prince Albert. When introduced into UK, turkey took over from swan or goose or beef as the bird for feasts. Mince pies date from Elizabethan cookery. Christmas cake was originally the Twelth Night cake.

December 25th became Christmas Day when the Christian church took over winter solstice celebrations. Evergreens were magical plants that did not die in winter. Many winter celebrations were raucous and ribald with cross-dressing and temporary social disorder (eg. boy bishop). Victorian middle classes sought to replace the excesses with a demure, family-centred celebration. The cross dressing of 12th night transferred to Pantomime along with the risque jokes.

Victorians made it a family festival and created the compulsion to return home for it. For a long time this was not possible for many people. Domestic servants were needed to keep the household running, transport was limited and weather and roads bad. At the time, family reunions were mostly in the summer, such as Whitsun and Michaelmas.  Wakes weeks (common in Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire and Staffordshire) were short summer holidays when all the factories, mills or mines in a village closed; travelling fairs moved in for the local revellers. Cheaper travel by rail gave the option of spending these holidays away at Blackpool and Bournemouth, increasingly the family reunion transferred to Christmas. For urban working class families, Christmas Day dinner unlikely to involve anyone other than immediate family of Mum, Dad and children.

St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra in Turkey in 5th c., became patron saint of children; his name evolved into Santa Claus. Poem ‘The Night before Christmas’ by Clement Clark Moore of USA in 1822 first described him and the 8 reindeer (Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder and Blixen). Legend developed to dress him in red bishop’s robes. Pre 1870, Father Christmas was a regular character in mummers’ plays, representing a general spirit of revelry and festivity. Santa Claus was more appropriate to family Christmas; the terms are now interchangeable.

Pre 1830, exchanges of gifts were usually at New Year. From 1840’s increasing emphasis of 25th Dec. as birthday of Jesus united established tradition of gift giving at birthdays and New Year. There was also a pre-Cromwellian tradition of giving sweets and small gifts to children on Christmas day.

Adults now recalling the magic of their childhood Christmasses imagine that the magic has been lost. As a rule children do not agree. However, higher standard of living means the significance of a feast and gift giving are lost. Still remains the single most important annual festival in Britain today. Being on your own at Christmas is regarded almost as a tragedy, though this may change as Christmas has always been changing. Only recently has it been enjoyed by the mass of the population - this is its most remarkable feature.

Hogmanay and Tiffany: Gillian Edwards

In England, only the learned spoke of Epiphany, season commonly called Twelvetide or Twelftide, and Jan 6th feast as Twelfth day. Dates back to King Alfred, who is said to have promulgated a law ... with relations to holidays, by virtue of which the twelve days after the Nativity of our Saviour were made festivals ... later known as the 12 days of Christmas. In medieval courts and great houses, feasting and celebrations continued until final revel of Twelfth Night. Nowadays the superstitious mark Twelfth Day by taking down Christmas decorations. Twelfth Night precedes Twelfth Day; increasing confusion over this as we have forgotten the ancient custom of starting day not at midnight but at six the previous evening. This last great festival of Christmas - eating, drinking, dancing, mumming, foolery and plays - of Twelfth Night was actually on what to us would be the night of Jan 5th/6th.

END

Freezer Tips

Tips from Justine Pattison and Susi Richards, plus some from other sources not recorded.

Flat Freezing: Label a plastic freezer bag with food type, number of portions, freezing and best-before dates. Pour sauce, stew or soup into the bag, flatten it on a baking tray and freeze.

The frozen bags can be stacked, are quicker to thaw and you can snap off the amount you need. (JP)

Use an empty fruit juice carton as a holder for a plastic bag. Fill the bag with fruit or puree or vegetables. Then freeze. Once frozen, remove carton and re-use. (Source not noted).

Freeze meat in strips: Whole chicken breasts, thick steaks and large chops take time to defrost, so cut chicken, beef and pork into 1.5cm strips. Toss in some sunflower oil and seasoning, then open freeze in a single layer on a foil-lined baking tray, cover with cling film and place tray in the freezer. Once frozen solid, peel away the cling film (it comes off easily) and transfer them to a rigid container or airtight freezer bag and use within a month for stir-fries, pasta dishes, curries, wraps and salads. (JP)

Freezing fish: Cut very fresh raw fish into thin fillets or small chunks. Interleave with easy-leave sheets (Justine uses packs of 300 sheets, lakeland.co.uk) between each fillet to stop them sticking together (baking parchment can also be used). Pack into two freezer bags, one inside the other, to prevent fishy smells in your freezer. Once frozen, use the amount you need and cook in minutes in a hot pan with a splash of olive oil, or stir it into a soup or sauce and simmer until cooked through. (JP)

Stock cubes: Use silicone ice-cube trays to freeze citrus juices, pesto, tomato paste or wine in small cubes that can be stored in an airtight freezer bag and dropped into your cooking as needed (SR).

Soups, stocks and sauces: Larger quantities of liquids can be frozen in a silicone muffin tray to produce handy small portion sizes. Once frozen, pop them out of their flexible trays and into an airtight bag for storage. Defrost and reheat in a microwave or saucepan as needed within six months. (SR)

Line containers: Line ovenproof pie dishes and casseroles with aluminium foil before cooking a cottage pie or pasta bake for the freezer. Once food is frozen, you can lift it out in one piece, wrap it in more foil, then seal it in a plastic bag. When needed simply drop the block of food back in the dish to defrost and cook through. (JP)

Avocados: Remove skin and stone, then mash with one tablespoon of lemon juice per avocado and freeze for up to two months. Use in guacamole, dressings and spreads. (JP)

Bananas: Peel, slice into chunks, freeze uncovered on a baking tray, then store in a bag. Defrost and use in cakes or whizz in a sturdy blender, still frozen, to make instant banana ‘ice cream’ or smoothies. (JP) ## Use within 3 months. (Good Housekeeping magazine)

Onions: Chop and freeze in bags, then add to dish straight from freezer. Keeps for up to 6 months. (Good Housekeeping magazine)

Butter and margarine: Can be frozen for three months. (JP)

Cheese: With the exception of low- fat, cream and cottage cheese (which, because of their fat-to- water ratios, tend to go watery once thawed), most cheeses freeze well. Hard cheeses can go a bit crumbly when defrosted, so grate them before freezing for best results. Soft cheeses such as camembert and brie should be frozen at their ideal ripeness and defrosted in the fridge overnight. (JP)

Citrus slices and grapes: Lemon, lime and orange slices and grapes freeze well and make perfect ‘ice cubes’ for alcoholic drinks, as they don’t dilute as they defrost.(JP)

Cream: Single cream with its high water content tends to split when it’s defrosted. Double cream does better; although it doesn’t whip well when defrosted and is quite grainy, it’s fine to use in sauces if you freeze small amounts in ice-cube trays. Store in a well-sealed bag as the flavour can easily be tainted by other foods. (JP)

Eggs: Raw eggs in their shells will expand and crack if frozen. Instead, beat lightly and add a pinch of salt (savoury dishes) or sugar (sweet dishes) per egg, which will help to stop the egg splitting once defrosted. Store in muffin trays or in batches in freezer bags, stored flat. Eggs will keep well for a month. Egg yolks tend to go rubbery if frozen separately, but whites freeze well and can be used for meringues, etc. (JP) ## Thaw in a covered bowl overnight in the fridge. Can be frozen for up to 12 months (Good Housekeeping magazine)

Milk: Skimmed and semi-skimmed milk will freeze well for a month. Full-fat, unless homogenised, will probably split. Never freeze in a glass bottle, as the liquid will expand and could crack the glass. Defrost frozen milk in the fridge overnight and shake well before using. (JP) ## Use within six months. (Good Housekeeping magazine)

Bread: Most bread, except crusty varieties such as French bread, will freeze for up to three months (crusty bread tends to lose its crunch after a month in the freezer). Sliced bread can be toasted straight from frozen. (JP)

Herbs: Finely chop soft herbs such as mint and parsley and place in ice-cube trays, top up with water or a little olive oil and freeze. Woody herbs such as rosemary can be frozen whole in plastic food bags. Use from frozen. (JP)

Pesto: Freeze fresh pesto in freezer bags laid flat so yu can break off the amount you need, or spoon into ice cube trays (each cube is about 1 tablespoon). Keeps for about 6 months. (Good Housekeeping magazine)

Nuts: Will keep in a zip-seal bag in the freezer for up to six months. (JP)

Wine: Leftover red and white wine can be kept frozen but is best for cooking rather than drinking, as freezing can cause potassium tartrate crystals to form in the wine. While harmless these ‘wine diamonds’ don’t look great in a glass. Never store wine in the freezer in a glass bottle, as it will probably shatter. Because of its alcohol content, wine will not freeze completely but remain a little soft, so make sure that the container is sealed properly. (JP) ## Use within 6 months. (Good Housekeeping magazine)

Potatoes: Baked potatoes, roast, mash and gratin will freeze well for up to four months. You can reheat the roasted and baked potatoes from frozen. Roasted will need to be roasted in a little oil to get them crispy again but can be placed in the oven direct from the freezer. Defrost mash and gratin in the fridge before reheating. (JP)

• Use freezer contents regularly as freezing can affect the taste and texture of food.
• Freezing can damage food that hasn’t been wrapped correctly, alter the taste of some herbs and spices over time, and some foods can split or go mushy when they’re defrosted.
• The longer a food is frozen for, the more likely it is to degrade. For best results, only freeze foods that are in top condition. 
• Wrap carefully, squeezing out any excess air before freezing to prevent deterioration and transference of smells from other foods.
• To preserve texture, freeze everything as quickly as possible, using the fast-freeze button or fast-freeze compartment, and thaw slowly, preferably in the fridge.
• Label things clearly with the date a food was frozen and when it should be used by.

Justine Pattison’s book Freeze: 120 Recipes and Fantastic New Ways To Use Your Freezer and Make Life Just That Bit Easier, £15.19, amazon.co.uk

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3118935/Who-knew-freeze-avocados-wine-cheese-eggs-revolutionary-ways-use-freezer-ll-mean-never-waste-food-again.html#ixzz3cley0284

Further information in Good Housekeeping, June 2016.