BBC - Science & Nature - Human Body and Mind - Face Memory Test

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/tmt/
I have a terrible memory when it comes to people's faces. I would have done much better if this had been a word recognition type test. I got below average.


Recognition 87%
Temporal 57%

Since I am liable to not recognize someone I know fairly well in a different setting then I am not surprised that strange faces were a problem for me.

I hope you all do better. What was your score?

Poetry Wednesday 05/27/09

Letting Go
by Allison Joseph

I wear no bra, abandon
hooks and closures,
let my body drift
into its own idea
of adulthood, my skin
less firm, scars
and stretch marks
showing me how far
I've come, telling me
I'm no longer young,
that this body will
record all I do on
its ledger; every callous,
every spidery vein,
every bit of pleasure.
Now,  I can touch knees
no longer smooth
or enticing, feel arms
that have held too many
boxes of books,
shrug shoulders
that stoop a little now,
closer to the ground,
to life.  I don't bother
to guess where this body's
going, to predict its
passions or motions,
perferring its surprises ---
arms reaching farther
than I thought they could,
legs walking me into towns
I don't know.  Wiser,
saner, my body goes
where it wants, knowledge
of sinew and cell all
it needs to know,
all it wants to tell.

(I found this poem on page two in the anthology "Grow Old Along With Me The best is Yet To Be"  edited by Sandra Haldeman Martz.  Don't forget to click on the poets name to learn more about her.)

Link here to the Poetry Wednesday tour on Laurita's page 

Book Tuesday -05/26/09

Roma

by 

Steven Saylor

(From the authors Website)

The Novel of Ancient Rome

Spanning a thousand years, and following the shifting fortunes of two families though the ages, this is the epic saga of Rome, the city and its people.
Drawing on history, legend, and recent archaeological discoveries, Roma gives new life to the drama of the city’s first thousand years — from the founding of the city by the ill-fated twins Romulus and Remus, through Rome’s astonishing ascent to become the capital of the most powerful empire in history. Roma recounts the tragedy of the hero-traitor Coriolanus, the capture of the city by the Gauls, the invasion of Hannibal, the class struggle between patricians and plebeians, and the death of Rome’s republic with the triumph, and assassination, of Julius Caesar.
Witnessing this history, and playing key roles, are descendants of two of Rome’s first families, the Potitius and Pinarius clans. One is the confidant of Romulus. One is born a slave and tempts a Vestal virgin to break her vows. One becomes a mass murderer. And one becomes the heir of Julius Caesar. Linking the generations is a mysterious talisman more ancient than the city itself.
(I just finished this novel last night and enjoyed it very much.   One of the websites that the author used as a resource can be found here. )

Poetry Wednesday 05/20/09

The Wedding of the Rose and the Lotos

The wide Pacific waters  And the Atlantic meet. With cries of joy they mingle,  In tides of love they greet.  Above the drowned ages  A wind of wooing blows: —  The red rose woos the lotos,  The lotos woos the rose . . .  The lotos conquered Egypt.  The rose was loved in Rome.  Great India crowned the lotos:  (Britain the rose's home).  Old China crowned the lotos,  They crowned it in Japan.  But Christendom adored the rose  Ere Christendom began . . .  The lotos speaks of slumber:  The rose is as a dart.  The lotos is Nirvana:  The rose is Mary's heart.  The rose is deathless, restless,  The splendor of our pain:  The flush and fire of labor  That builds, not all in vain. . . .  The genius of the lotos  Shall heal earth's too-much fret.  The rose, in blinding glory,  Shall waken Asia yet.  Hail to their loves, ye peoples!  Behold, a world-wind blows,  That aids the ivory lotos  To wed the red red rose!  Vachel Lindsay  Link back to the poetry tour on Sans Souci's page (Often Vachel Lindsay painted pictures that went with his poetry.  This poem and picture go together and are both by him.  I plan to frame the print but in the photo it is just on my kitchen table.   Do not forget to follow the links at both the title and the poet for more information.  And of course follow the link back to Poetry Wednesday too!)

Book Tuesday -05/19/09

The Serpent On The Crown

by

Elizabeth Peters

(From the website)

Once again the incomparable New York Timesbestselling master of suspense, Elizabeth Peters, brings an exotic world of adventure, intrigue, and danger to vivid life, in a tale as exciting, mysterious, and powerful as ancient Egypt.
A unique treasure obtained by unscrupulous means, the small gold statuette of an unidentified Egyptian king is a priceless relic from a bygone era. But more than history surrounds the remarkable artifact -- for it is said that early death will come to anyone who possesses it.
Enjoying a world finally at peace, the Emersons have returned to the Valley of the Kings in 1922. With the lengthy ban on their archaeological activities lifted, Amelia Peabody and her family look forward to delving once more into the age-old mysteries buried in Egypt's ever-shifting sands. But a widow's strange story -- and even stranger request -- is about to plunge them into a storm of secrets, treachery, superstition ... and murder.
The woman, a well-known author, has come bearing an ill-gotten treasure -- a golden likeness of a forgotten king -- which she claims is cursed. Already, she insists, it has taken the life of her husband, and unless it is returned to the tomb from which it was stolen, more people will die.
Intrigued by the mystery, Amelia and her clan resolve to uncover the secrets of the statue's origins, setting off on a trail that twists and turns in directions they never anticipated -- and, perhaps, toward an old nemesis with unscrupulous new designs. But each step toward the truth seems to reveal another peril, suggesting to the intrepid Amelia that the curse is more than mere superstition. And its next victim might well be her irascible husband, Radcliffe, their beloved son, Ramses, his lovely wife, Nefret . . . or Amelia Peabody herself.
A novel filled with riveting suspense, pulse-pounding action, and the vibrant life of a fascinating place and time, The Serpent on the Crown is the jewel in the crown of a grand master, the remarkable Elizabeth Peters.

(I finished this book this past week.  I listened to it on my commute to and from work.  It is our book for BAM this month.  A great read!) 

Poetry Wednesday 05/13/09

Flower in the Crannied Wall

by Lord Alfred Tennyson

Flower in the crannied wall, I pluck you out of the crannies, I hold you here, root and all, in my hand, Little flower -but if I could understand What you are, root and all, and all in all, I should know what God and man is. (The above picture is a photo of a sculpture at the Dana Thomas House,  photo credit to the Dana Thomas website,   on the sculpture is engraved the poem,  Flower in the Crannied Wall.  The Dana Thomas House is one of the places I visited at Springfield IL this past weekend. The house is a Frank Lloyd Wright design.) Link back to the Poetry Wednesday tour on Laurita's page

Book Tuesday -05/12/09

The Pritikin Edge

Ten Essential Ingredients For

 A Long And Delicious Life 

By

Robert A Vogel M.D.

and

Paul Lehr

(From Barnes and Nobel's website)

We Americans may reside in the greatest nation on earth, but our lifestyle is killing us. One quarter of us still smoke, two-thirds of us are fat, three-quarters of us don't exercise, and stress and depression are ubiquitous. We wolf down oversize portions of fast food in minutes and boast of not having taken a vacation in years. We get misinformation like "olive oil is healthy" but then get fatter because drizzling three tablespoons of oil on a salad adds as many calories as two scoops of premium ice cream. Despite all our advances in drugs and surgery, obesity and the diseases it causes have shortened life expectancy; this is the first time in history that children can expect to die younger than their parents.

The Pritikin Program was the first comprehensive lifestyle program in America, and after fifty years on the cutting edge of lifestyle science, it is still the longest-running, most successful program for reversing many of modern society's diseases, including obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. What sets Pritikin apart from the myriad of other diets is that its program is based on real science. Pritikin doesn't make random claims or base advice on half-truths or fads; Pritikin's effectiveness has been proven and documented in more than 110 scientific studies.

You've picked up this book because you want to change your lifestyle, improve your health, and live longer, and with the program in these pages, you can start reversing the effects of years of unhealthy living today.

Here you'll find the ten simple lifestyle ingredients that will change your life. Stick with them and you'll lose weight without feeling hungry, your energy will surge, and you will look and feel healthier and stronger than you have in years. Included are more than 75 recipes for flavorful and healthful dishes, detailed meal plans, and tips for dining out healthfully and happily. You'll learn what kinds of physical activities are most effective and how to make the most of your time on the road or in the gym. You'll get sets of simple exercises you can do anywhere that will make you strong, help you shed fat, and keep you toned. The real science of lifestyle and heart health, from fat molecules to heart attacks, is described in accessible terms, and popular diet myths are debunked. You'll find out why lowcarbohydrate or other fad diets won't help you lose weight in the long run and why they won't improve your overall health.

The Pritikin Edge gives you the real facts so you can take control of your health and add years to your life and quality to your years. Once you begin living with these principles, you'll wonder how you ever lived any other way.

Dr. Robert A. Vogel is a cardiologist, Pritikin's chief medical director, and professor of medicine at the University of Maryland. He has been designated as one of the best doctors in America by Good Housekeeping magazine and is a weight and heart consultant to the National Football League and a diet consultant to the National Health Institute.

Son of Pritikin cofounder Dr. David Lehr, Paul Tager Lehr is the president of the Pritikin Organization, which has helped more than 100,000 people worldwide who have gone to the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa and the 10 million plus readers of Pritikin books lose weight and prevent and reverse obesity, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

(I just finished this book over the weekend.  It explains the biology of weight and health issues in easy to understand layman's terms.  It is an easy read and a motivating book.)