This week's compendium

Here’s this week’s compendium – with a strong health/medical slant. This week…

1. with the northern winter approaching, salon.com ran this fine piece about the common cold [1]. I think you’ll learn something from it.

2. the BMJ reported that compared with placebo, chondroitin and/or glucosamine had no effect on the pain and pathology of osteoarthritis [2]. As an owner of arthritic fingers, I say ‘Damn!’.

3. the journal Gut told us that low dose aspirin significantly reduces the risk of colorectal cancer [3]. As an aspirin-taking owner of a bowel, I say ‘Yay!’.

4. Science Friday put up this ab fab vid of Caledonian Crows using twigs as tools [4]. Ain’t evolution inspiring.

5. the Heart Foundation ran two new TV advertisements – about heeding the signs of heart attack, and calling 000 [5]. Hopefully they’ll save lives.

6. planetgreen.com told us of ‘Tips for Freezing Fresh Produce’ [6]. It’s nice to know how to do it properly – and safely.

7. gizmodo ran an article titled ‘Chasing the Perfect Cup of Coffee with Science’ [7]. Amazing! Me? I’m all for the article’s last line: ‘…in the end, the only question that should matter is, "does it taste good?”’.

8. in fact today and tomorrow, darling Emily’s appearing at the 5th annual Wave Rock Weekender in Western Australia [8]. Break a leg, Em. xxx

Finally, I wish you, dear Farmdoc’s Blog readers, a wonderful week.

Insanity, coffee and pedantry

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been concerned about going mad. Every pen, fork or sock I can’t find feels like a harbinger of the inevitable. So in an effort to stave off madness (be it insanity or dementia), I try hard to shelter my brain from chemicals. Thus for me it’s no recreational drugs, no smoking, no alcohol, and only one cup of a hot caffeinated drink per day (and decaf for the others). When I’m here in Mole Creek alone, my caffeinated drink’s almost invariably instant coffee. So Sweetheart Vivienne thinks I’m a coffee heathen. Guilty as charged, your honour. Which is not to say I don’t enjoy good coffee. Whenever we’re out together drinking coffee, Sweetheart Vivienne and I rate its quality on a scale from 1 (Devonport Airport) to 10 (which for me is Pellegrini's [1], but I think she’s moved on from there though I’m unsure where to). Her coffee’s always a latte [2]. I drink cappuccino [3] before midday and latte after midday – because I read somewhere that’s what they do in Italy; and I’m ever the pedantic purist. Though today’s not List Friday, numbers 2 and 10 in the ‘Ten Commandments of Il Culto del Caffe’ in this Age article last week [4], are relevant to my coffee ritual. I’ve been wrong for years. But it’s never too late to repent. Ho hum.

P.S. If both latte and cappuccino are morning drinks only, what does one drink after midday?