Free Rice...Vocabulary Game

Just found this most satisfying (and addictive) way to practice and learn English vocabulary while performing a humanitarian service: Free Rice

You choose the best definition for a word, and for each word you get right ten grains of rice are donated to the United Nations World Food Program. If you get a word right the next word is harder, and if you get it wrong the next word is from an easier level. A bowl to the right of the word to be defined shows you the amount of rice you have donated, with a running tally. Did I mention that this word game is addictive? :)

Play and feed hungry people.

Marketing 101

Lesson 1:
You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, "I'm fantastic in bed".

That's Direct Marketing.


Lesson 2:
You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and - pointing at you - says, "He's fantastic in bed".

That's Advertising.


Lesson 3:
You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You get her telephone number off one of her friends. The next day you call and say, "Hi, I'm fantastic in bed".

That's Telemarketing.


Lesson 4:
You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. You get up and straighten your tie; you walk up to her and pour her a drink. You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride, and then say, "By the way, I'm fantastic in bed".

That's Public Relations.


Lesson 5:
You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says, "I hear you're fantastic in bed".

That's Brand Recognition.

Little Sally

Little Sally came home from school and with a smile on her face and told her mother,

"Frank Brown showed me his willy today!"

Before the mother could raise a concern, Sally went on to say, "It reminded me of a peanut."

Relaxing with a hidden smile, Sally's Mum asked, "Really small was it?"

Sally replied, "No...salty!

1 in 7 Americans Age 71 & Older Has Dementia: NIH study

clipped from www.nia.nih.gov A new analysis suggests that about 3.4 million Americans age 71 and older—one in seven people in that age group—have dementia, and 2.4 million of them have Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is the latest in a series of analyses attempting to assess the prevalence of dementia and AD, the most common form of dementia. Published online this week in Neuroepidemiology, the study is the first to estimate rates of dementia and AD using a nationally representative sample of older adults across the United States The study highlights the nationwide reach of dementia, which affects not only those with the disease, but their families and communities as well. NIA experts point out, the numbers of people with dementia, and Alzheimer’s specifically, will certainly increase until ways to delay the progression or prevent the dementia are found. Advancing age is the most common known risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease

As this affects not only those with dementia, but their families and communities as well, we need to get busy and find ways to delay progression or prevent dementia--ways other than increasing our chances of dying young via promoting & provoking war, ignoring malnutrition and stressing our children to the point of suicide...

Study: Vision to linked mental decline in seniors

clipped from bodyandhealth.canada.com Problems seeing things close-up can speed up the rate of mental decline in the elderly, a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society indicates Researchers examined the link between vision and level of mental functioning in 2,140 Mexican-American adults over the age of 65. What they found was that seniors who had problems with near vision (but not with distance) showed the steepest decline in mental functioning over a 7-year period The exact reason for the link between near vision and rate of mental decline is unclear, but the researchers speculate that not being able to see things close up affects the level of brain activity by decreasing both active and passive visual stimulation. Keeping your brain active through activities such as reading or doing crosswords, and even by passively processing visual information, increases nerve activity in the brain and has been shown in studies to have a preventative effect against dementia and Alzheimer's disease

Good news for the nearsighted, but not so good for those who are farsighted. Guess we'll all have to try hard to stay mentally active. Fortunately I find that clipping and writing remarks & comments is mentally stimulating! (for me, anyway)