News

Oh, use your head

Brain exercises, such as those taught to thousands of schoolchildren or advertised on television as a way to prevent dementia, are a waste of time and money, a neuroscientist has claimed, Paul Kelbie writes in London's The Observer. "An award-winning Scottish professor says measures such as breathing through the left nostril, drinking water to increase oxygen supply to the brain, drinking red wine to fend off dementia or listening to classical music to boost performance are little more than myths. Sergio Della Sala has done more than 20 years' research on the brain." Next month, he will give the inaugural Christmas Lecture at the University of Edinburgh and attempt to expose such myths. "Some are passed on in good faith," Prof. Della Sala said, "some are funny and have been made up by pranksters, while others are designed with commercial reasons in mind - these are the most dangerous."

Obama keepsakes

Fans looking for Obama memorabilia shouldn't bother with mass-produced items or even Nov. 5 newspapers reporting the U.S. election results, experts say. "That doesn't mean there aren't real Obama collectibles out there," Kayce Ataiyero writes in the Chicago Tribune. "The real gems were produced in small quantities to promote his candidacy. Some examples: buttons from local rallies and signs from the Democratic National Convention." A tip: If the item is being sold as a collector's item, chances are it's not and never will be, even if it is advertised as part of a limited edition, says Tom French, a California-based political memorabilia dealer. "Limited generally means that they produced all they possibly could before their arms fell off."

Great. A robot whiner

Robots are appearing on stage alongside human actors in a new play in Japan. The machines were programmed to speak lines with human actors and move around the stage, BBC News reports. Playwright Oriza Hirata says the work raises questions about the relationship between humanity and technology. Hataraku Watashi (I, Worker) is set in the near future and focuses on a young couple who own two housekeeping robots, one of which loses its motivation to work. The robot complains it has been forced into boring and demeaning jobs and discusses with the humans its role in their lives.

Don't sicken guests

One in six Americans have either allergies or asthma. To keep susceptible guests from having symptoms, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology recommends asking about people's food allergies before planning a menu; even trace amounts of an offending food can trigger a reaction. Other suggestions:

Limit fragrant candles, plants and perfumes.

Minimize dust mites, pet dander and other allergens by dusting and vacuuming.

Clean or replace furnace filters.

Don't burn firewood.

Source: USA Today

Naked aggression

One of Europe's most famous nudist colonies has become the subject of an unusual investigation by French detectives after the destruction of three nightclubs in fires blamed on naturist "hardliners," Matthew Campbell writes in The Sunday Times of London. Authorities suspect "fundamentalist" naturists of harbouring a grudge against the swingers who are drawn to Cap d'Agde, in the south of France, by the promise of sex. The razed clubs were orgy venues. "Tensions have arisen between the naturists, who believe that nudity is a healthy choice of lifestyle and nothing to do with sex, and the échangistes who are attracted to nudist camps by the prospect of multiple partners," Mr. Campbell reports.

Resilience

Hundreds of homes in Southern California were destroyed by wildfires recently, and some people will fare better with the adversity than others, Jeannine Stein writes in the Los Angeles Times.

"There is no one factor that will predict who's going to do well and who's not going to do well," says Demy Kamboukos, a research scientist at the Institute for Trauma and Resilience at the New York University Child Study Center. Perhaps the most important inborn trait is being even-tempered.

Being expressive and outgoing makes for an easier time after a disaster, says Karin Hart, a psychologist and clinical instructor at UCLA. Those traits can make a person more likely to ask for help.

Some traits for resiliency - such as adapting to change - can be learned, according to Jana Martin, a California psychologist and spokeswoman for the American Psychological Association. Thinking about how past upheavals - even small ones - were lived through can help people get through major turmoil.

Mental-health professionals who counsel disaster victims on-site look for tell-tale signs a person is coping or not coping. "I look for that glassy, glazed look," says L.A. therapist Robert Levine. "Those are the people you have to worry about."

Thought du jour

"I should fancy that the real tragedy of the poor is that they can afford nothing but self-denial."

- Oscar Wilde in The Picture

of Dorian Gray