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I have been accused of blubbing (or words to that effect) but never blubber-ing! It is quite heart wrenching!

The long running saga of the lorried trays of kitchen (from romantic dinners) fat also involves the government (but more of that aspect of the saga of the lorried trays etc. later).

We know that the trays of kitchen fat will be collected from all over London in lorries....we do know don't we? Well you will have to take my word.  Anyway once a lorry is full the fat-lorry driver will will trundle it (Do lorries still trundle?) towards their destination hub. I will not reveal the destination for fear of ...? The hub will be a .....?  I will not reveal the hub for fear of.....?

However, my immediate concern is to suggest that we need to know the "smell indexation" of any fat-lorry bearing its load across London. Will they waft a fragrance as has never been experienced by Londoners? If so should they not be sprayed with a West End perfumery's wares when in the West End, a Vauxhall perfumery's product when in Vauxhall....an so on. [Those of you who lived or worked or travelled through in or near Vauxhall will know of its former reputation. Here I am not referring to Vauxhall's wonderful 19th Century Gardens, but the lovely fragrance of Marmite which day and night (and night and day) floated about the area - particularly when trapped under the famous railway bridges from Waterloo etc.]

My own view is that the lorries should not be sprayed with a different perfume for each and every "village" (as they like to say in London) but that each lorry should be sealed so that the smell of the trays of kitchen fat are not released onto the streets but wafted into the machinery of the hub.

To be continues.... 


 

With good project management we might hope that London's sewers will be bereft of geat boulders of fat within three or four years. Thames Water have a plan! Wow!

The idea is that London's restaurants will be given trays....NO! NO"! Probably stainless steel trays .... to fit under the sinks where they do the washing up. Errr.... the washing up is actually done above the underneath the sink  ....but you know what I mean. [If you don't pay for your dinner you might learn what the job is like.]

The purpose of the trays is to catch the fats used in cooking those romantic and other than romantic dindins we would love to be able to afford.  When they are full nice men will come along with a big lorry and take each tray, replacing it with a bright clean tray.

Why would nice Thames Water men want trays of fat when they have boulders of fat in the sewers beneath the feet of the nice TW men. The reason is that they want to fill a nice TW lorry full of trays full of gooyee, gungee fat - this will create slabs of fat on the surface of London - thus preventing the dindins fat forming great  balls (boulders) of subterranean fat.  

Of course all the nice men who go below ground to break up the fat boulders - kinda fat miners - will become unemployed, but  no, no, they are quite slim with all the hot work they do down there breaking up the fat boulders. But, no doubt, with good reason we might reasonably expect that they will become fat-tray lorry drivers or fat-tray carriers (out of restaurants) or empty fat-tray carriers (into restaurants).  

To be continued....

 

If you go beneath the suface of London but not in the Tube, but yes in one of the tubes  - those owned by Thames Water plc - sewers. You will be drawn eventually to see great boulders of fat, dripping, etc, etc.

Londoners probably don't realise how much green energy they have kinda wasted down in their wonderful system of sewers. The balls (of boulder size) of fat, dripping, etc, etc could be said to represent all those candlelit dinners, (or at least the washing up after such romantic episodes).

You may wish to note that such romantic episodes are not represented by fish and chip dinnereering since, would you believe, such cooking oils as are used in making fish and chips do not form boulders in London's sewers.

By now non-capitalists (those who live outside of Londoner) will be feeling smug, perhaps. No,....take back that smirk your dinners - romantic or otherwise - will create boulders of fat in you settlement's sewers - so there!    

To be continued...... 

A few years ago we had an overflowing drain in the garden outside of the kitchen. Investigation showed it was the drain into which three sinks discharged washing up, household chores and handwashing waters respectively. Water-fed appliances, namely a dishwasher and washing machine also dishcharged to the same drain. What was the problem?

The investiagtion proceeded. Down went my fingers, connected to my palm; down went my palm, connected to my wrist; down went my wrist connected to my forearm. I could go on but it would not be true.

At that point bodily limitations set in. My elbow was in the way at a second bend in the pipes or channel. My forearm connected to my shoulder remained above the water level.

I should add that, the perfume I had sprayed down was beginning to wear off. My dearest would be wanting a new bottle if I used another ounce of her beloved "Dune"!

However, just as I was about to wretch, my fingers touched a "solid" ball - hahaaa - Grandchildren!!! [During my toddlerhood my Grandfather George always found their doorkeys in the kitchen drain!]

Using devices from the shed and garage the "ball" was eventually recovered; I should say extracted. It was ball of fat, lard, dripping - you name it! 

With thanks to Irene B who sent this one in.

BBC News 26.03.13

Social isolation is associated with a higher risk of death in older people regardless of whether they consider themselves lonely, research suggests.

A study of 6,500 UK men and women aged over 52 found that being isolated from family and friends was linked with a 26% higher death risk over seven years.

Whether or not participants felt lonely did not alter the impact of social isolation on health.

Age UK says cuts to services for older people are compounding the problem.

“This study shows more clearly than before that being lonely and isolated is not only miserable, it is a real health risk”

Michelle Mitchell Age UK

It is not the first time that loneliness and social isolation has been linked with poor health.

But researchers wanted to find out if it was the emotional aspect of feeling lonely that was having an impact or the reality of having little social contact.

Those who were socially isolated - that is had little or no contact with friends or family - were more likely to be older and unmarried and have long-standing illnesses limiting their mobility, such as lung disease and arthritis.

People who described themselves as feeling lonely were more likely to be female and have a wider range of health conditions, including depression.

'Surprise' findings

Both social isolation and feeling lonely were associated with a higher chance of death “Start Quote

But after adjusting for factors such as underlying health conditions, only social isolation remained important.

That risk did not change when researchers added in whether or not someone felt lonely in their isolation.

Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers said they were surprised by their findings.

Study leader Prof Andrew Steptoe, director of the Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care at University College London, said: "Social connections can provide emotional support and warmth which is important but they also provide things like advice, making sure people take their medication and provide support in helping them to do things.

"It would suggest that those practical aspects are quite important for older people's survival.

"There's been such an increase in people living alone. In the last 15 years, the number of 55 to 64-year-olds living alone has increased by 50%.

"And it might be that people in those circumstances aren't looking after themselves so well."

Michelle Mitchell, director general at Age UK, said: "This study shows more clearly than before that being lonely and isolated is not only miserable, it is a real health risk, increasing the risk of early death."

She added that cuts to local authority budget cuts may exacerbate the problem of isolation for many older people.

"Across the country day care centres, often the only regular social life that many older people enjoy, are closing, social care support which can enable older people to leave the house is being cut down to the bare minimum, and too many older people are hidden behind closed doors struggling to cope."

BBC News 23. 02. 13

Loneliness is thought to be rising around the world and how often you see friends and family could have a significant effect on health.

Doctors have known for some time that loneliness is bad for the mind. It leads to mental health problems like depression, stress, anxiety, and a lack of confidence.

But there's growing evidence that social isolation is connected with an increased risk of physical ill health as well.

There are suggestions it can make some diseases both more likely to occur and more likely to be fatal.

In 2006, a study of 2,800 women who had breast cancer showed those who saw few friends or family were as much as five times more likely to die of their disease than women with many social contacts.

Researchers are trying to figure out what loneliness does to the body which can lead to illness and death.

Psychologists at University of Chicago and Ohio State University have shown that people who are socially isolated develop changes in their immune system, which leads to a condition called chronic inflammation.

Short term inflammation is necessary for us to heal after a cut or an infection, but if the inflammation persists in the long-term it can contribute towards cardiovascular disease and cancer.

At the University of Chicago, scientists found that lonely people find everyday activities more stressful than those who are not socially isolated.

They measured levels of cortisol, a hormone that's produced when we are stressed, in a wide range of healthy people in the morning and evening.

Lonely people released more cortisol. The scientists suggest that too much of the hormone causes inflammation and disease.

The latest work from Ohio State University looked at levels of inflammation in response to stress in lonely people. Dr Lisa Jaremka compared women who have survived breast cancer with healthy volunteers.

She gave the participants a well-known stress test, called the Trier Social Stress Test, in which they had to give an impromptu speech explaining why they were the best candidate for a job, in front of a stony-faced panel.

They then had to perform a mental arithmetic task before the same panel.

Loneliness tests and blood samples showed that in both groups, the lonelier people had higher levels of inflammation.

Dr Jaremka said: "If you're lonely you can have raised inflammation regardless of having a chronic medical condition.  It was a struggle for a long time for physicians to recognise the importance of loneliness in health. We now know how important it is to understand patients' social worlds."

“We need to find ways to help lonely people. Unfortunately we can't tell anyone to go out and find someone to love you”

Dr Lisa JaremkaOhio State University

The number of people who are likely to be lonely is rising all over the world. Many of these are elderly, left by themselves after their partners have died or their families have moved away.

Half of over 75 year olds in the UK live alone, and one in 10 suffer intense loneliness.

Dr Jaremka said: "Being lonely means not feeling connected or cared for, it's not about being physically alone.

"We need to find ways to help lonely people. Unfortunately we can't tell anyone to go out and find someone to love you. We need to create support networks."

Perpetual Contact

Perhaps one of the most interesting technical innovations of the last 30 years has been that of the mobile phone. These days we no longer have to wait at home to receive phone calls or indeed to make them. They give us the ability to deal with travel emergencies on the spot and to keep in contact with family and friends wherever we may be, whatever time zone we’re in.

Mobile Phone Zombies

Unfortunately there are always side effects to the introduction of new technologies. In this case transformed the way people behaviour in public. These days it is not uncommon to see people striking up conversations in the middle of public places such as supermarkets, on buses or in even in restaurants. Mobile phone users can show scant regard for others around them and there are growing safety concerns about their use whilst walking, cycling or driving a car.

The younger generation seem particularly keen on the mobile phone with children starting to use them at a younger and younger age. According to the children’s charity Childwise a third of all eight year olds have already acquired their first mobile phone with ownership becoming a rite of passage into adolescence for them.

So are we drifting into a society of mobile phone zombies ? What do you think ?

Click here to take survey

Just in case any people wanting to take the survey and are wondering how to answer the first two questions: the member name and email address, this would just be your name and email address.

Also to further mention that we will probably close the survey by Monday next week i.e. 25th February, to give my colleague and I time to write up our findings by the month end.

What your home means to you: Care & Repair England is collecting views up to the end of January 2013 Care & Repair England is asking older people what is especially important about their home. We will pull the views we collect together in a brochure which will be used with politicians and decision makers. This is a great opportunity for older people to tell decision makers directly how important housing is. We are asking older people’s groups and networks to distribute and collect postcards from older people which ask what is important about their home. If you would like to take part in the next 4 - 6 weeks then do add your comment below and we will send them all to Care & Repair England. Comments should start: "My home means…. *Care & Repair England is a national housing charity which believes that older people should have decent homes and be able to live where they choose.

Encouraging pensioners to go online could help solve the problem of loneliness and isolation in old age, a new report suggests. People who used the web were also seen to be more in control of their lives and better able to pick up new skills. "Researchers found that those that used the internet were far less likely to feel alone than those that had yet to connect to the World Wide Web. The results come just a month after figures show that one in three older people are plagued by loneliness – and this can be as bad for your health as smoking. The report by the International Longevity Centre found that 7.5 million adults have never used the internet – most of them elderly, disabled or poor. Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), the report found that 63 per cent of those that never used the internet often felt lonely. That compared with just 38 per cent of those that were online. Moreover 60 per cent of those online “hardly ever or never” felt lonely or isolated compared with 40 per cent of those online. People who used the web were also seen to be more in control of their lives and better able to pick up new skills. Annika Small, chief executive at the internet charity Nominet Trust which supported the research, said: “Digital technology can play a key role in creating strong networks for people in later life that will help reduce isolation and loneliness. “It is critical that we find ways to motivate older people to get online by demonstrating how the internet can strengthen vital social ties that will help them to remain active and engaged. “This, in turn, can delay and prevent some of the negative effects of ageing that many people currently experience.” Baroness Sally Greengross said: “Technology plays an increasingly important part in our society yet millions of older people are still not online. “This report highlights a strong association between being offline and isolation, loneliness and a perception of not being in control. “As more and more private and public services are made available exclusively online, there is a risk of greater exclusion. “Technology is not just for younger people, it is for all of us. “ Report recommends that service providers should try to attract older customers with discounts and to use advertising that would attract old as well as young people. Dr Ros Altmann, Director General of Saga, urged children and grandchildren to use Christmas family time to teach older relatives about technology: "These figuresshow the potential for increasing online engagement amongst older generations and explains how this can enhance their lives in so many ways. "We have seen huge increases in the number of older people using the internet and we welcome any initiatives that help this trend continue. "As we approach the festive season and families are getting together across the country, we'd love to see more children helping to get their parents and grandparents up to speed on the latest technology. "Teaching them how to use ipads, iphones or the internet and social networking sites could be a fun thing to do together and also give older relatives a real boost." - especially if they join us on DropBy!

Report reveals key concerns of UK's ageing society

One in six people in England aged over 50 are socially isolated. They have few socially orientated hobbies, little civic or cultural engagement with society, and may have very limited social networks.

This was a key finding from the most recent report ( www.ifs.org.uk/elsa ) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), a comprehensive study that aims to understand the economic, social, psychological and health concerns of an ageing society. The multidisciplinary ELSA research team showed that the least wealthy over-fifties suffer the most social isolation, with the wealthier over 50's half as likely to become socially isolated compared to the least wealthy.

The ELSA report went on to suggest that focussing public health intervention efforts on less wealthy, less healthy older people and on improving access to public and private transport for the over-50's is likely to have the greatest impact in alleviating social isolation.

The ELSA project is an extensive research study that follows the lives of more than 10,000 English people throughout their older age and which reveals the complex interrelationships between personal finances, social detachment and overall health and wellbeing. Previous reports from the project have shown how social engagement is closely linked with long life and healthy ageing. The current findings come from the fifth report of ELSA, which is led by researchers at UCL (University College London) and which is carried out in partnership with researchers at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the University of Manchester and NatCen Social Research.

If you are aged over 100, University College London (UCL) want to hear from you! By taking part in a study, you could help UCL's researchers unlock the mysteries behind successful ageing. The ageing of Britain's population is becoming an increasingly important issue. Some people age happily, and very successfully leading active lives over 100 years; but others do not, and suffer from age-related illnesses and only live into their 60s or 70s. UCL Institute of Neurology is interested in identifying people who have aged successfully and lived to over 100 years of age. They want to understand why these people have not suffered from significant age-related illnesses. By investigating the past history, diet, height, weight, family history and genetic make-up of centenarians, UCL's research team are looking to answer three important questions: 1. Why people over 100 years of age have not suffered significant age-related illness? 2. What genes and environmental factors lead to greater life-span? 3. Why these people aged over 100 years old don’t suffer from age-related disorders such as Alzheimer’s, ataxia, stroke, Parkinson’s disease and neuromuscular conditions, or develop health problems much later in life? What taking part involves Taking part in the study is easy. Centenarians who agree to get involved will need to fill out a quick, simple questionnaire, and give a small saliva or blood sample, which will be used to analyse that person's DNA and mRNA. There is no cost to participants at all. Centenarians can take part by post, by visiting the hospital (with expenses paid), or by receiving a visit from one of the doctors in UCL's team. They can consent to be involved in any way they wish. All patient details will be anonymous. This is important for a number of research reasons, and UCL wish to make the information anonymously available to all researchers to benefit age research and illnesses. Information and DNA/mRNA will be stored at UCL Institute of Neurology. Professor James Goodwin, Head of Age UK Research, commented: 'We give our wholehearted support to a study which is of exceptional importance as the population ages, with increasing numbers of people surviving to over 100 years. 'This study is likely to contribute invaluable data which will contribute greatly not only to the health and care of older people but also to decisions on policy in these critical areas. We commend and congratulate the researchers for their insight and undoubted skills in developing this research programme.' Get involved To take part in the study, please contact: Henry Houlden MD, MRCP, PhD Professor of Neurology and Neurogenetics The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery Institute of Neurology Queen Square London WC1N 3BG Tel: 020 7837 3611, then extension 84068; or 020 3448 4487 Email: h.houlden@ion.ucl.ac.uk Source : Age UK 2012