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"A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions."
"There's no use talking about the problem unless you talk about the solution"
~ Unknown~

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It was a very tiring day yesterday and for some reason the sun seemed to drain me of my energy. I know others have felt the same but it usually doesn't affect me too much. The football season is underway with Manchester United getting the bragging rights for the Charity Shield. They looked well worth their win although I had a wry smile to myself when the commentator described their players as the best in the world. I suppose the only consolation is the uttered apology by Fabio Capello. It was hardly convincing and seemed to be more of an FA soundbite than a sincere regret that England had been so bad at the World Cup.

I'm wrestling with my Alfaz Fantasy Football form and I have to budget between 45 and 50 million pounds. Do I leave out Torres as he's often injured or do I take a risk on him? Will Drogba and Rooney be marshalled more closely this season? Who will be moving away to greener pastures? I've got to have the form in by Friday so I'll have one more chance to see Liverpool play before the games kick off. I just hope we don't have another season like last year although many teams would be chuffed to finish 7th and get to the Europa Cup semi-finals. Incidentally, I enjoyed the rugby league over the weekend and a good challenge cup final between Warrington and Leeds lies ahead.

The little ones are still running rings round us and the weather is pleasant. It's not too hot and the skies are a little cloudy. Here's the week ahead for the Alicante Province.....

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
32° C | 24° C	32° C | 24° C	33° C | 25° C	31° C | 25° C	28° C | 24° C
Scattered Clouds	Clear	Clear	Scattered Clouds	Chance of Rain 20% chance of precipitatio

Being a Doctor doesn't mean you automatically are a person of ethics....

Defense attorneys for the perpetrator of one of the largest research frauds in history have claimed that their client, Scott S. Reuben, MD, suffered from "serious, but undiagnosed" bipolar disorder that led him to fabricate data and otherwise falsify his research.

Reuben graduated from medical school in 1985, and soon became a widely published and cited pain researcher. By 2009, he had published at least 72 research studies, and his work had led to a major change in the way pain is treated. But a routine audit in 2008 at Baystate Medical Center, where Reuben had worked since 1991, uncovered discrepancies in Reuben's research. This led to allegations that Reuben had not actually conducted many (or even any) of the studies that his supposedly groundbreaking findings had been based on. Full Story

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Iris's Challenge from yesterday's show

(1) He was born Bernard William Jewry, 27 September 1942, Muswell Hill, North London is an English pop singer and stage actor. He moved to Mansfield, Nottinghamshire at a young age. He made his stage debut in pantomime at the age of four.

(2) In the early 1960s, a group called “Johnny Theakstone and The Tremolos” recorded a demo tape under the name of “The Beat Boys” and sent it to the BBC with the hope of being picked to appear on TV’s Saturday Club. While waiting for a reply the band’s singer John Theakstone died as a result of rheumatic fever. The band decided to break up, but then unexpectedly received a letter from the BBC inviting them to come and audition. Theakstone's mother asked the band to stay together, and to keep the name in honour of her son's memory. He was asked to become the new lead singer and the name of the band was changed to The Fentones

(3) He disappeared from the spotlight for a decade after the break-up of The Fentones, working in music management and performing at small venues with his wife Iris Caldwell, the sister of Rory Storm. During the early 1970s he acquired a new persona, as he successfully cashed in on the glam rock bandwagon.

(4) In 1973. He had chart successes with a number of hits - In total, he amassed seven Top Ten entries. In 1976 he was part of the Green Cross Code road safety campaign Children's Heroes with his famous tagline of "You must be out of your tiny minds" directing children to look both ways before they cross the road. He later reprised this role in a sketch on Harry Hill's TV Burp, teaching the residents of Emmerdale how to cross the road.

(5) In 1986, he performed the duet "I Hope and I Pray" with Sheila Walsh on her album Shadowlands, which was released as a single. That year he also performed at Windsor Castle as a lead in the Lloyd Webber–Rice musical Cricket. He also starred in the UK tour of Godspell; and played Uriah Heep in David Copperfield - The Musical; and Sir Billy Butlin in The Butlin Story. In 2005 he starred as the Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the stage show

(6) He has numerous television appearances to his credit, and continues to tour as a performer and singer.
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Low vitamin D linked to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease

So you've listened to mainstream and now you don't even know what the sun looks like anymore.

Well, I've got some bad news for you -- because if, like most people, you're deficient in the sunshine vitamin, you're also at risk for life-robbing diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

One new study out of England's University of Exeter found that seniors with the lowest levels of D had a dramatically higher risk of dementia warning signs.

Researchers followed 858 seniors for six years, and found that those with less than 25 nanomoles of D per liter of blood were 60 percent more likely to experience general cognitive decline, and 31 percent more likely to start losing their abilities to plan, organize and prioritize.

That's a road you don't want to go down -- because it ends in a nursing home, where you think every orderly is a long-dead relative and you can't tell noon from midnight anymore.

But what's truly bizarre about this new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine is the accompanying editorial, which is straight out of the Dark Ages. In it, Dr. Andrew Grey of the University of Auckland in New Zealand urges people NOT to take a D supplement. He also writes that most people shouldn't even bother to have their D levels measured.

Paging Dr. Grey, there's a reality check for you on line one: Ignorance isn't bliss!

I wonder if this guy even bothers reading these journals. Let me help him out here, because a second new study finds that high levels of D can help save you from Parkinson's disease.

The study in the Archives of Neurology looked at the D levels of 3,173 Finns between the ages of 50 and 79, and found that those with the most had a 65 percent lower risk of Parkinson's than those with the least.

Meanwhile, a new report in Endocrine Today says it's now clear beyond all doubt that vitamin D is needed by the immune, pancreas, cardiovascular, muscle and brain systems.

That's in addition to all the other well-established benefits of vitamin D, which can help everything from your bones to your longevity. Low levels of vitamin D have also been linked to diabetes, multiple sclerosis, autism and schizophrenia.

Even if Dr. Grey is still in the dark, our neighbors across the pond are starting to see the light when it comes to sun exposure.
William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

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King in a Hut

There once was a king who lived in two-story grass hut.
Every holiday the king demanded to be given a new throne as
a gift. As soon as a new throne arrived, he would store the
old throne on the second level of his hut and use the new
one instead. But one day the hut collapsed from the weight
of all the thrones, and everyone was crushed and killed.

The moral of this story? Those who live in grass houses
shouldn't stow thrones.
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Music Stuff August 9th
1953, Mantovani and his Orchestra were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Song From The Moulin Rouge'. The first ever instrumental No.1 on the UK chart.
1958, Britain’s answer to Elvis, 17 year old Cliff Richard, signed a record deal with EMI records. Also on this day Cliff Richard started a four-week residency at Butlins Holiday Camp in Clacton-On-Sea, Essex as Cliff Richard and the Drifters.
1963, the first ever edition of 'Ready Steady Go! was shown on UK TV. Introduced by Keith Fordyce and 19 year-old Cathy McGowan. The first show featured The Searchers, Jet Harris, Pat Boone, Billy Fury and Brian Poole and The Tremeloes. The final show was in Dec 1966 after 175 episodes.
1964, The Rolling Stones appeared at the New Elizabeth Ballroom in Belle Vue, Manchester.
1967, Scott McKenzie was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair).' The singers only UK Top 40 hit was written by John Philips of Mamas & Papas.
1967, The Small Faces entered the singles chart with 'Itchycoo Park' got to No.3 in the UK chart.
1975, The Bee Gees started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Jive Talkin', the group's second US No.1 it made No.5 in the UK.
1975, Typically Tropical were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Barbados'.
1980, Abba scored their eighth UK No.1 single with 'The Winner Takes It All'. [more]
1986, 250 Gary Numan fans picketed BBC Radio 1 in London
1986, Queen gave what would be their last ever live performance when they appeared at Knebworth Park in England. The last two songs the band played were 'We Are The Champions' and 'God Save The Queen'.
1994, during an Oasis gig at The Riverside in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, guitarist Noel Gallagher was hit in the face by a man who had jumped on the stage.
1999, Spice Girls manager Bob Herbert was killed in a car crash in Windsor, England. Herbert was behind the formation of The Spice Girls and Five and had managed Bros during the 80's.
2007, Amy Winehouse cancelled a series of European shows after being admitted to hospital suffering from "severe exhaustion". T
2007, Jennifer Lopez won £267,257 in a case against her first husband, who planned to publish a book claiming she had several affairs.

Birthday Boys and Girls August 9th
1939, Billy Henderson singer, The Detroit Spinners,
1944, Vic Prince, drummer, Pretty Things
1946, John Parry, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band,
1946, Marinus Gerritsen, Golden Earring,
1954, Bruce Thomas, bass, Elvis Costello and The Attractions,
1955, Benjamin Orr bass, vocals, The Cars,
1955, Charlie Morgan, English drummer and percussionist. Worked with the Tom Robinson Band, Kate Bush, Elton John, Orleans, Paul McCartney and Tina Turner.
1963, Whitney Houston,

Iris's Challenge from yesterday's show Alvin Stardust

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