Post Whatever You Are Thinking At This Very Moment
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Busy Clippers
New Member
I love science, especially when it provides me with an excuse to do what I am already going to do anyway.
Curry may keep elderly minds sharp
October 26, 2006 09:10:54 AM PST
A diet containing curry may help protect the aging brain, according a study of elderly Asians in which increased curry consumption was associated with better cognitive performance on standard tests.
Curcumin, found in the curry spice turmeric, possesses potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
It's known that long-term users of anti-inflammatory drugs have a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, although these agents can have harmful effects in the stomach, liver and kidney, limiting their use in the elderly.
Antioxidants, such as vitamin E, have been shown to protect neurons in lab experiments but have had limited success in alleviating cognitive decline in patients with mild-to-moderate dementia.
In their study, Dr. Tze-Pin Ng from National University of Singapore and colleagues compared scores on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) for three categories of regular curry consumption in 1,010 nondemented Asians who were between 60 and 93 years old in 2003.
Most of the study subjects consumed curry at least occasionally (once every 6 months), 43 percent ate curry at least often or very often (between monthly and daily) while 16 percent said they never or rarely ate curry.
After taking into account factors that could impact test results, they found that people who consumed curry "occasionally" and "often or very often" had significantly better MMSE scores than did those who "never or rarely" consumed curry.
"Even with the low and moderate levels of curry consumption reported by the respondents, better cognitive performance was observed," Ng and colleagues report.]
These results, they note, provide "the first epidemiologic evidence supporting a link between curry consumption and cognitive performance that has been suggested by a large volume of earlier experimental evidence."
Curry is used widely by people in India and "interestingly," the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease among India's elderly ranks is fourfold less than that seen in the United States.
"In view of its efficacy and remarkably low toxicity," curry shows promise for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease, the researchers conclude.
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, November 1, 2006
Curry may keep elderly minds sharp
October 26, 2006 09:10:54 AM PST
A diet containing curry may help protect the aging brain, according a study of elderly Asians in which increased curry consumption was associated with better cognitive performance on standard tests.
Curcumin, found in the curry spice turmeric, possesses potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
It's known that long-term users of anti-inflammatory drugs have a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, although these agents can have harmful effects in the stomach, liver and kidney, limiting their use in the elderly.
Antioxidants, such as vitamin E, have been shown to protect neurons in lab experiments but have had limited success in alleviating cognitive decline in patients with mild-to-moderate dementia.
In their study, Dr. Tze-Pin Ng from National University of Singapore and colleagues compared scores on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) for three categories of regular curry consumption in 1,010 nondemented Asians who were between 60 and 93 years old in 2003.
Most of the study subjects consumed curry at least occasionally (once every 6 months), 43 percent ate curry at least often or very often (between monthly and daily) while 16 percent said they never or rarely ate curry.
After taking into account factors that could impact test results, they found that people who consumed curry "occasionally" and "often or very often" had significantly better MMSE scores than did those who "never or rarely" consumed curry.
"Even with the low and moderate levels of curry consumption reported by the respondents, better cognitive performance was observed," Ng and colleagues report.]
These results, they note, provide "the first epidemiologic evidence supporting a link between curry consumption and cognitive performance that has been suggested by a large volume of earlier experimental evidence."
Curry is used widely by people in India and "interestingly," the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease among India's elderly ranks is fourfold less than that seen in the United States.
"In view of its efficacy and remarkably low toxicity," curry shows promise for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease, the researchers conclude.
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, November 1, 2006
drunken goldfish
blah blah fishcakes
Bluebirds
Well-Known Member
(the crime bit will be in the crime post!)
This is what I am thinking about at the moment. Permanently.
I have already spoken with two of "your team" about the fiasco that I endured this morning.
I had purchased a ticket for travel between Slough and Newport (South Wales) on the 27th October from Newport train station, travelling from Slough to Newport on the 30th October at 05.59.
I had booked the ticket on the 23rd October via the internet. My booking reference number is CJ8BLFBL.
Unfortunately (for me, if not for your profiteering, virtually monopolising company- could I use another train service not run by FGW to get to my destination?) my ticket was left by error at my friend's house in Windsor. Sadly she thought (and so did I) that the seat reservation part of the ticket was the actual ticket. Please note that we left her house at around 5:30am to get the train from Slough (ie relatively early in the morning.)
She dropped me off at Slough station at 05.55, I went onto the platform via the ticket barriers at Slough which, due to it being early morning I presume, were not in operational use and unmanned.
Hence at this point of my journey (prior to getting on the train) I would have noticed the error and probably been able to rectify it, if you were so focused on "protecting your revenue."
So I duly sat, in my RESERVED SEAT, travelling through Reading and Didcot completely oblivious to what was about to occur. Relaxed, contemplating whether to get a coffee, reading the Guardian. An idyllic scene, reminiscent of advertisements for using the train try to portray.
The conductor, sorry the RESOURCE PROTECTION ASSISTANT, asked to see my ticket.
Still under the misapprehension that the seat reservation part of the ticket was the actual ticket, I handed this over.
He insisted, in a manner that would be described as brusque if it didn't disservice the word, that this wasn't THE ticket and I realised, after a hurried search of my belongings, the ticket part was residing in a bedroom in Windsor.
I pleaded for some clemency, leeway and, let's face it, common sense, as I fortunately had two items of some estimable significance, or, as it transpires complete insignificance, namely the seat reservation part of the ticket which HAD TO BE issued when I collected the ticket and, ALSO, the internet booking confirmation. (Which, unless I'm completely mistaken, is how many flight operators issue tickets nowadays?)
Sadly any flexibilty/ helpfulness was not forthcoming. Indeed his steadfastness to not permit me to travel any further was astounding! I construe this as being in direct contradiction of your Managing Director's promise in her letter (as on your website) to provide EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE.
"We believe that customer service is central to everything we do. We know that it is the little things we do that make all the difference in delivering excellent customer service. We are committed to delivering the highest standards of safety, performance and customer care."
I was asked to leave the train at Swindon or be liable for arrest!?!
(Just to confirm that I was commuting to work on a Monday morning. I was reading a Guardian newspaper, attired in a shirt, tie and trousers sipping on a bottle of water. With spectacles on. Hardly a terrorist looking type am I? Although I did have a hooded jacket in my possession.)
I would advise that some of the investment you have earmarked for customer service training is directed at some of the archaic members of staff you seemingly employ.
I also feel that this episode could contravene the statement on the letter concerning customer safety. If I had been travelling on my own at night, was female, elderly or a child and if the resource protection assistant's rationale as applied above occurred, I may have been unable to travel any further. Which would have undoubtedly compromised my personal safety, particularly if I had no money or access to money.
I duly disembarked the service as requested and seeked further assistance at the Help Desk and then the ticket office at Swindon. In the end I had to pay £50 (as I had now decided to travel to my hometown of Cardiff, upset and infuriated by the lack of "excellent customer service") for the 'privilege' of continuing my journey. This £50 chargeable not from Swindon, where I had my unscheduled change of trains, but from Slough!!!
At the ticket booth I was informed that I could attain a refund at a later date. Obviously I thought this was in relation to the £50 I was about to hand over. Begrudgingly and by this stage exasperated, I handed it over, wondering what would have occurred if I didn't have any money on me. Would I have been stranded in Swindon???
Fortunately I had money but, with the benefit of hindsight and your customer service team, I would have used a bus instead of paying £50 for arguably the most memorable train journey in my life!
The irony of the whole experience was not lost on me when I got on the 07:40 from Swindon to Swansea, disembarking at Cardiff and no conductor/ RPA/ person in a uniform at any point of this unplanned journey came to check my ticket or for that matter anyone elses in the carriage. My ticket for this journey is unmarked hence could I claim that I didn't require the journey in the end and claim a refund?
Unfortunately the principle of "excellent customer service" far outweighs my objectivity at present hence I am willing to risk the opportunity of any possible refund to get my point across.
So to reitirate;
a) I agree with your supervisor at the after sales centre that I did not have a full valid ticket for my journey.
b) However with the supporting evidence (namely the seat reservation part of the ticket PLUS the internet booking confirmation) I felt that I was treated unfairly and did not receive perceived "excellent customer service." (Usually based on the principle that the customer is always right?)
My personal safety could also have been compromised if I was travelling under different circumstances and/or I was of a different gender and/or age. (Assuming that ALL your staff fully adhere to your travelling terms and conditions.)
c) The after sales supervisor also claimed that staff in all instances today were merely trying to "protect resources."
If this is the case how come have I now got an unmarked ticket to the value of £50?
Because your staff were not "protecting resources" on the 07:40 service from Swindon (London Paddington) to Swansea service. Which completely contradicts his reasoning that by permitting me a refund this would set an unfair precedent. As I am, albeit inadvertedently and indirectly, classed as a fare evader!
(Incidentally this train must be one of the busier services on your timetable? Hence if all members of the RPA team were as dilligent as my personal revenue protection assistant, you'd be making even more income!)
If the barriers at Slough were in use this would also have assisted in supporting the ambiguity of "protecting resources." Confused? Because I certainly am.
d) And finally where one of the hot topics of the day are environmental issues and subsequent encouragement to use public transport, experiences like the one I endured this morning prove counter-productive. In future I will stick to travelling by car as it is more reliable and one does not have to put up with the inconvenience, expense and anger that I was forced to undergo this morning. Just to get to work on a Monday!
Could you also provide details of any other train service(s) NOT run by FGW I could have used between London Paddington and Swansea today? Particularly to get to work by 8:30am?
If this matter is not resolved to my satisfaction (nota bene: lack of the use of the word FULL) then I shall be forced to take this matter further, namely with the rail watchdog and the media.
This is what I am thinking about at the moment. Permanently.
I have already spoken with two of "your team" about the fiasco that I endured this morning.
I had purchased a ticket for travel between Slough and Newport (South Wales) on the 27th October from Newport train station, travelling from Slough to Newport on the 30th October at 05.59.
I had booked the ticket on the 23rd October via the internet. My booking reference number is CJ8BLFBL.
Unfortunately (for me, if not for your profiteering, virtually monopolising company- could I use another train service not run by FGW to get to my destination?) my ticket was left by error at my friend's house in Windsor. Sadly she thought (and so did I) that the seat reservation part of the ticket was the actual ticket. Please note that we left her house at around 5:30am to get the train from Slough (ie relatively early in the morning.)
She dropped me off at Slough station at 05.55, I went onto the platform via the ticket barriers at Slough which, due to it being early morning I presume, were not in operational use and unmanned.
Hence at this point of my journey (prior to getting on the train) I would have noticed the error and probably been able to rectify it, if you were so focused on "protecting your revenue."
So I duly sat, in my RESERVED SEAT, travelling through Reading and Didcot completely oblivious to what was about to occur. Relaxed, contemplating whether to get a coffee, reading the Guardian. An idyllic scene, reminiscent of advertisements for using the train try to portray.
The conductor, sorry the RESOURCE PROTECTION ASSISTANT, asked to see my ticket.
Still under the misapprehension that the seat reservation part of the ticket was the actual ticket, I handed this over.
He insisted, in a manner that would be described as brusque if it didn't disservice the word, that this wasn't THE ticket and I realised, after a hurried search of my belongings, the ticket part was residing in a bedroom in Windsor.
I pleaded for some clemency, leeway and, let's face it, common sense, as I fortunately had two items of some estimable significance, or, as it transpires complete insignificance, namely the seat reservation part of the ticket which HAD TO BE issued when I collected the ticket and, ALSO, the internet booking confirmation. (Which, unless I'm completely mistaken, is how many flight operators issue tickets nowadays?)
Sadly any flexibilty/ helpfulness was not forthcoming. Indeed his steadfastness to not permit me to travel any further was astounding! I construe this as being in direct contradiction of your Managing Director's promise in her letter (as on your website) to provide EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE.
"We believe that customer service is central to everything we do. We know that it is the little things we do that make all the difference in delivering excellent customer service. We are committed to delivering the highest standards of safety, performance and customer care."
I was asked to leave the train at Swindon or be liable for arrest!?!
(Just to confirm that I was commuting to work on a Monday morning. I was reading a Guardian newspaper, attired in a shirt, tie and trousers sipping on a bottle of water. With spectacles on. Hardly a terrorist looking type am I? Although I did have a hooded jacket in my possession.)
I would advise that some of the investment you have earmarked for customer service training is directed at some of the archaic members of staff you seemingly employ.
I also feel that this episode could contravene the statement on the letter concerning customer safety. If I had been travelling on my own at night, was female, elderly or a child and if the resource protection assistant's rationale as applied above occurred, I may have been unable to travel any further. Which would have undoubtedly compromised my personal safety, particularly if I had no money or access to money.
I duly disembarked the service as requested and seeked further assistance at the Help Desk and then the ticket office at Swindon. In the end I had to pay £50 (as I had now decided to travel to my hometown of Cardiff, upset and infuriated by the lack of "excellent customer service") for the 'privilege' of continuing my journey. This £50 chargeable not from Swindon, where I had my unscheduled change of trains, but from Slough!!!
At the ticket booth I was informed that I could attain a refund at a later date. Obviously I thought this was in relation to the £50 I was about to hand over. Begrudgingly and by this stage exasperated, I handed it over, wondering what would have occurred if I didn't have any money on me. Would I have been stranded in Swindon???
Fortunately I had money but, with the benefit of hindsight and your customer service team, I would have used a bus instead of paying £50 for arguably the most memorable train journey in my life!
The irony of the whole experience was not lost on me when I got on the 07:40 from Swindon to Swansea, disembarking at Cardiff and no conductor/ RPA/ person in a uniform at any point of this unplanned journey came to check my ticket or for that matter anyone elses in the carriage. My ticket for this journey is unmarked hence could I claim that I didn't require the journey in the end and claim a refund?
Unfortunately the principle of "excellent customer service" far outweighs my objectivity at present hence I am willing to risk the opportunity of any possible refund to get my point across.
So to reitirate;
a) I agree with your supervisor at the after sales centre that I did not have a full valid ticket for my journey.
b) However with the supporting evidence (namely the seat reservation part of the ticket PLUS the internet booking confirmation) I felt that I was treated unfairly and did not receive perceived "excellent customer service." (Usually based on the principle that the customer is always right?)
My personal safety could also have been compromised if I was travelling under different circumstances and/or I was of a different gender and/or age. (Assuming that ALL your staff fully adhere to your travelling terms and conditions.)
c) The after sales supervisor also claimed that staff in all instances today were merely trying to "protect resources."
If this is the case how come have I now got an unmarked ticket to the value of £50?
Because your staff were not "protecting resources" on the 07:40 service from Swindon (London Paddington) to Swansea service. Which completely contradicts his reasoning that by permitting me a refund this would set an unfair precedent. As I am, albeit inadvertedently and indirectly, classed as a fare evader!
(Incidentally this train must be one of the busier services on your timetable? Hence if all members of the RPA team were as dilligent as my personal revenue protection assistant, you'd be making even more income!)
If the barriers at Slough were in use this would also have assisted in supporting the ambiguity of "protecting resources." Confused? Because I certainly am.
d) And finally where one of the hot topics of the day are environmental issues and subsequent encouragement to use public transport, experiences like the one I endured this morning prove counter-productive. In future I will stick to travelling by car as it is more reliable and one does not have to put up with the inconvenience, expense and anger that I was forced to undergo this morning. Just to get to work on a Monday!
Could you also provide details of any other train service(s) NOT run by FGW I could have used between London Paddington and Swansea today? Particularly to get to work by 8:30am?
If this matter is not resolved to my satisfaction (nota bene: lack of the use of the word FULL) then I shall be forced to take this matter further, namely with the rail watchdog and the media.
The Seeker of Good Songs
Well-Known Member
Bravo!
Codreanu
Ohimè.
damn you kids and your new math!25 + 421 = 446
no matter what they taught you when you were little
636 (23 members and 613 guests)
Busy Clippers
New Member
damn you kids and your new math!
636 (23 members and 613 guests)
It isn't only the hills that have eyes.
Busy Clippers
New Member
I don my armor and march off to patrol my demesne! Adieu!! (blows kisses)
Pervomartovtsi
2222
the past generations lived fast and died young, and at their teens changed the world...I'm naked in front of a computer and i' not satissfied
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