July 19, 2013

Vitamins: A Panacea for all Ills?

louis roller close-up-smallAssociate Professor Louis Roller PhD

Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
Monash University

“We are so constituted that we believe the most incredible things:
and once they are engraved upon the memory, woe betide him who would endeavour to erase them” — Goethe, 1774

Vitamins have caught the popular imagination. A recent study established that some 52 per cent of the Australian population takes some form of complementary medicine. It found that 37 per cent of these people were taking vitamins. Overall, 19.2 percent of the total Australian population – about 4.4 million people – are taking vitamins. Many people take over-the-counter vitamins without professional advice and a few practitioners prescribe megavitamin therapy. View More Vitamins: A Panacea for all Ills?

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June 28, 2013

JULY 2013 “Mixed Bag” Questions – Answers

1. Rembrandt van Rijn, Salvador Dali, Claude Renoir, Pablo Picasso, Michelangelo Buanorotti.

2. Frank McCort, Angela’s Ashes; Bryce Courtenay, The Power of One; Colleen McCulloch, The Thorn Birds; Salmon Rushdie, The Satanic Verses; Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code.

3. 251

4. Jack Brabham

5. Pinocchio

6. A. Love Me Tender

7. 9

8. Hamish MacBeth

9. Kellogs Sugar Frosties became Kellogs Frosties

10. Budgie

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June 19, 2013

Local Groups Update: The Peninsula Skeptics

We recently announced that Peninsula Skeptics had resumed business after a break. Indeed, the group has bounced back so quickly that it’s worth sharing its impressive event calendar with you.

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Tuesday July 9: Presenter: Ian Storey; Topic: Calculating the AU. The data gathered in the 1761 and 1769 observations of the Transit of Venus was used to calculate the Astronomical Unit. Ian Storey will explain how that was done.

Tuesday August 13: Presenter: Tim Harding; Topic: Protection of Port Phillip Bay dolphins. Tim Harding is a former Director of Flora and Fauna in the Department of Primary Industries, with a background in biological sciences. Scientific research has recently shown that the dolphins in Port Phillip Bay are a separate species, rather than a sub-population of coastal bottlenose dolphins found elsewhere. This means that Port Phillip Bay is their only habitat, making them even more vulnerable to extinction. View More Local Groups Update: The Peninsula Skeptics

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June 19, 2013

Recommended site: Itsmyhealth.com.au

itsmyhealthlogo

When we draw attention to Health and Lifestyle websites, or those offering free medical advice, it’s often with a tone of disapproval.

However, we recently stumbled upon Itsmyhealth.com.au. We were impressed.
It’s an Australian site. It caters to an Australian (Australasian?) lifestyle. It’s informative and up-to-date; you don’t need a technical background to follow the discussion, although the authorship is clearly supported by medical expertise.

It’s interactive. It features a Q&A staffed by a panel of specialists including a doctor, a psychologist, a fitness expert, a sexologist, a beauty expert and a dietician. It invites feedback, comment and articles from its readership. View More Recommended site: Itsmyhealth.com.au

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May 29, 2013

June 2013 “Mixed Bag” Questions – Answers

1. Sagittarius, Gemini, Scorpio

2. They are father, son and grandson

3. Ship’s sails

4. Into the briar patch

5. Railway Station

6. cadence

7. Playing for your team’s Number 2 or Reserve side.

8. Born June Gough, she was a native of Broken Hill. She adopted the professional name June Bronhill in gratitude when the town raised the money to send her overseas to further her career.

9. Kellogs Sugar Frosties became Kellogs Frosties

10. Tasmania

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