column1

FOR those who love chewing gum, it has been around for millennia, making bubble gum a comparatively recent invention. The first bubble gum formulation – an unmarketable, sticky confection called Blibber-Blubber – was developed in 1906 by Frank Fleer.
***
WE always enjoy the yellow rice cooked by West Papuan friends. And we know that the brilliant yellow spice turmeric does more than just add colour and flavour to food. Studies suggest that it possesses cancer-fighting properties and even the ability to boost the brain’s healing capacity. Rats injected with aromatic-turmerone, a compound found in turmeric, had increased activity in areas of the brain involved in nerve cell growth, suggesting it may encourage the proliferation of brain cells.
***
Additionally, bathing rodent neural stem cells in aromatic-turmerone extract appeared to boost the growth of these cells. The findings could have implications for the future treatment of strokes and Alzheimer’s disease.
***
THE Capgras Delusion is a rare disorder in which a person holds the delusional belief that an acquaintance – usually a spouse or other close family member – has been replaced by an identical impostor. Found in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, dementia, or those suffering from a brain injury, the disorder is named after Joseph Capgras, the French psychiatrist who first described it in 1923.
***
OCCUPYING just 24 sq mi (62 sq km), San Marino is the world’s smallest republic and, having enacted a constitution in 1600, perhaps Europe’s oldest existing republic. According to tradition, St. Marinus, a Christian stonecutter, took refuge in the 4th century on Mount Titano, and the community of San Marino was soon formed.
***
HARRIET Taylor Mill was a philosopher and women’s rights advocate who is largely remembered for the influence she had on her second husband, John Stuart Mill, one of the preeminent thinkers of the 19th century. The two met while Harriet was still married. Two years after her first husband died, Harriet and John married following a 20-year friendship.
***
EO e Emalani i Alaka’i Festival is an annual outdoor celebration takes place on the second Saturday in October in Koke’e State Park, Kaua’i, Hawaii. It is a joyous commemoration of the journey of Queen Emma Naea Rooke in 1871 to the upper reaches of Kilohana Viewpoint. At the festival, a woman from the Halau and an entourage re-enact Queen Emma’s entrance to the mountain meadow, where they are greeted by hula dancers who offer ancient chants and special dances to the party.
***
QUOTE of the day: Be careful when you point the bone that it isn’t a curved one. – W.G.P
***
[email protected]