UR PY ME YO E CO HO E E FR TAK TO
Mary Kennedy on Life, Health,Challenges and Cosmetic Surgery
FR EE
Jess Keane’s Recipes for the Change of Season and of Life
Winter 2010 Issue Six
MESSRS BURKE & HARE ONLY FRESHEST ANATOMY SPECIMENS SUPPLIED!
SMOKE ALARM: EXPOSING BIG TOBACCO'S PERJURING CEOs
SILVER LININGS WHY THE INTERNET IS AN 'OPEN SESAME' ANTIDOTE TO LONELINESS
BIJOU RESIDENCE IN ARCTIC
PRIVATE. LOW MAINTENANCE. ONLY 482KM FROM THE SHOPS.
WWW.WAITINGROOM.IE
ANIMAL A&E TV3'S ANDREA HAYES DISCUSSES PETS AND WILDLIFE WITH OUR VET
MEET THE OTTERS SLEEK MASTERS OF OUR RIVERS
THE FAIR SEX? SO WHY THE UNFAIR SHARE OF PROBLEMS?
inside
The Waiting Room Magazine will not be responsible for, nor will it return, unsolicited manuscripts. Transparencies or prints submitted for publication are sent at the owner’s risk and, while every care is taken, The Waiting Room Magazine cannot accept any liability for loss or damage. The views expressed in the magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Waiting Room Magazine. The entire contents of the magazine are the copyright of The Waiting Room Magazine and may not be reproduced in any form without the prior written consent of the publishers.
features
11 FROM THE EDITOR Last year, we had one of the coldest winters in decades and, let’s face it, we weren’t prepared. Hopefully we’ll get off lighter this year, but just in case, I thought it might be some small comfort to show how people live in the Arctic. But even if it is a mild one, don’t forget – the elderly are less able to withstand cold and many, worried by their rapidly diminishing means, may be tempted to skimp on heating. So make a resolution right now: check regularly on elderly relatives and neighbours. But a cold winter means clear skies, ideal conditions for all you UFOlogists to scan the skies. And, if you do happen to see something odd, don’t be shy about reporting it: there are so many sightings recorded now that even the most sceptical scientists have to admit they are unable to explain them away. The great mid-winter event of the western hemisphere is, of course, Christmas. It should be all about religion, but it’s not. Commercialism has taken over. So has indulgence, a foible of the human condition, and the partying, feasting and general excesses of this time will, as ever, leave us worse for the wear both financially and healthwise. Most of you will be reading this in a doctor’s waiting room, so you may be having some little health issues as you are. So, to you, and to everybody: give the body a chance this year and take it a bit easy. May I wish you all the compliments of the season, and us all a better 2011. Your good health,
09 Interview We track down Nationwide’s Mary Kennedy at large on Ireland’s by-ways.
11 Hands Humans hit the evolutionary jackpot!
12 Smoke Alarm The whistleblowers who exposed Big Tobacco’s big lies
19 UFOs After years of sightings, we still don’t know what they are, but they’re out there!
20 Cold Comfort A Day in The Life in the Arctic. No 5-a-day greens, so how were they so healthy?
32 Meet the Otters In decline elsewhere, these majestic creatures are thriving in Ireland.
lifestyle 04 Money Matters Susan Hayes, the Positive Economist finds some causes for optimism
15 The Book Shelf Paul O’Doherty takes us through some of his recent favourites
18 Are You Appy? A selection of the latest apps available from Irish designers.
33 Rawhide The Cowboy Life for real in Colorado by veteran ranch-hand, Eileen Bennett
health 17 Silver Linings Modern electronics can provide the key to Aladdin’s Cave for the housebound
38 Christmas Maureen Corbett finds that it’s not all Ho, ho, ho!
23 Eat to Beat The Menopause – nutritionist Jess Keane’s tips and recipes
27 The Fair Sex? Our Medical Editor investigates why the fair sex gets an unfair deal, from all sides
28 Medical History ‘Grey’ Anatomy. Body Snatchers, Grave-robbers and Bespoke Killers in 19thC
competitions 35 Big Prize Crossword Win two nights at The Station House Hotel, Clifden, Co Galway
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30 Animal Issues Our resident vet talks neglect and wildlife with Andrea Hayes, co-presenter of TV3’s Animal A&E Editor Maurice O’Scanaill Medical Editor Dr Sophie Faherty Contributors Susan Hayes, Maureen Corbett, Jessica Keane, Dr Declan Fox, Dr Mel Bates, Eileen Bennett and Paul O’Doherty Managing Director Helen Gunning Marketing Manager Alex Xuereb
Would you like to get in touch? Write to us at The Waiting Room Magazine, Northampton, Kinvara, Co Galway. Call us on 091 638205 or send us your email to info@waitingroom.ie – check out waitingroom.ie
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Autumn 2010 Winners: SpringBoost: Rita Egan, Ennistymon, Co. Clare; Geraldine Gaffney, Bandon, Co Cork and Celia Manley, Lucan, Co Dublin Moogoo Weekend in Inchydoney: Joan Aherne, Tallaght, Dublin Crossword: Margaret Walsh, Claremorris, Co Mayo Wordsearch: Caroline Guthrie, Ennis, Co Clare Codeword: Sonia Walsh, Tralee, Co Kerry WINTER 2010 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE
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Enjoy crosswords, but wish you could do the cryptic ones? THE IRISH ARE STILL ABLE TO THROW A GOOD PARTY!
We’re constantly being accused of talking ourselves into a recession, and listening to the news every day is enough to severely test the resolve of even the most optimistically sunny of us. But, if we can talk ourselves into it, can’t we talk ourselves out of it? Perhaps a few little positive signs might help lift the gloom, and Susan Hayes, The Positive Economist, is at her most positive in telling us:
Four POSITIVE things about the economy If you have any questions about the economy or would like to invite Susan to speak at your event, please send an e-mail to susan@thepositive economist.com
Last year, Ireland exported €13 billion of goods and services to other countries, despite the fact that only 3.5% of services businesses export. I see this as a MASSIVE opportunity! If we are gaining so much from such a small percentage, imagine what we could do! Businesses can look to Irish Exporters Association and Enterprise Ireland for information, funding and support to look outside our green shores. Now that the world goes online to do its ‘shopping’, our potential markets are closer to us and greater than ever!
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Ireland has gone a long way in ‘regaining competiveness’. To put it in relative terms, we are back under 2006 prices if we exclude energy prices. While it is of small comfort when one has suffered wage cuts (if not job loss) it does mean that it costs us less to go about our daily lives than it did
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THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | WINTER 2010
three years ago. Also, it makes our country a more attractive place to set up and create jobs in than at earlier stages in the decade. The Irish are still able to throw a great PARTY! A €700,000 investment in the Fleadh Ceoil in Cavan was expected to yield €30,000,000 for the town. The Volvo Ocean Race generated €55,000,000 for Galway. Oxegen is worth €34,000,000 worth to the Irish economy.
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Last year, there were 13,327 start ups in Ireland. This year, very unfortunately, we have witnessed 1,012 closures so far, but that is a 13:1 ratio! Admittedly, those who ceased trading had built industry links, possibly had staff and supplier contracts, but it shows that we, as a nation, are not going to lie down! We will stand up to this recession with entrepreneurialism!
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If your answer is Yes! then Tart With No Hair Is A Ride (7) is the perfect companion for you.
HAVE FUN LEARNING TO CRACK CRYPTIC CROSSWORDS Written by Maurice O’Scanaill, one of Ireland’s leading cryptic compilers, Tart With No Hair Is A Ride (7)takes an easy, step-bystep approach to explaining how cryptic clues work, with lively examples throughout. In addition to the easy-tofollow explanatory section, the book contains thirty cryptic puzzles, all adapted from the author’s ‘Procrustes’ series for Phoenix Magazine. The first ten contain a unique teaching set of ‘marked’ clues, designed to help the learner get into the swing of it. Another most helpful feature is that the book also gives, along with the answers, detailed explanations of how each answer is arrived at. “Always witty and never impenetrably obscure, Procrustes has become a firm and established favourite at Phoenix Magazine with aficionados of the cryptic clue. With this book, in his trademark quirky style, Procrustes explains the inner workings of cryptic clues and provides the keys to a most enjoyable mental gym.” Phoenix Magazine The ideal gift for anyone who enjoys crosswords. At g7.99 (incl postage) Tart With No Hair Is A Ride (7) ia available at waitingroom.ie YOUR FREE COPY
notebook
CLEAR YOUR HEAD WITH MINDFULNESS When dealing with anxiety, depression, chronic pain or stressrelated illness, recent research indicates that MINDFULNESS (focused meditation) helps the process. This may sound easy but in fact it is difficult, without training, to notice when the mind is occupied with past events and worries about the future, two hurdles that make the essential present peace-of-mind very difficult to achieve. But there is an established practice for developing greater self awareness and learning to achieve a calmer, more peaceful state of mind, and people who initially had difficulty were shown, after an 8-week course, to have changed brain activity patterns. Even without an underlying illness, MINDFULNESS is beneficial, restful and relaxing. Check out www.mindfulness.ie
The Internet and Self-Diagnosis The Irish College of General Practitioners discusses issues that affect both patients and GPs every day in clinics throughout the land. The internet is an excellent resource to educate patients and doctors alike so long as they take a few simple precautions. Self diagnosis is a hit and miss affair a lot of the time and patients often present to their GP with unnecessary anxiety arising out of browsing session on the internet. Firstly, the diagnosis may be wrong and not as serious as that arrived at by the patient. Secondly, patients can’t stop themselves reading the gory details, like mortality risks. These percentages are read closely by medical students so as not to forget an important fact they might get
Pension Calculator
asked in an exam. Patients read them closely for entirely different reasons. Often, this end stage of a disease is an absolute rarity but the patient still feels frightened.
SMART SURFING
website – please note that medications and/or doses may differ to those used in Ireland)
GPs use the internet all the time now. They get images from Google to reinforce a diagnosis of a skin complaint; they download patient information leaflets and use risk scores to calculate risk of a heart attack etc. They may recommend websites after the diagnosis is made. The internet is an excellent tool in educating patients about their health and about specific illnesses.
Information Booklets
Pension Checklist
Use it wisely and it will serve you well. Check out some of these sites: hpsc.ie; healthpromotion.ie; patient.co.uk (UK website) familydoctor.org (American
Dr Mel Bates is a Dublinbased GP, in practice for the past 25 years. He is also Chair of the ICGP Communications Committee.
ENGAGE WITH YOUR
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ORTIS IMPERIAL GINSENG Ortis Organic Imperial Dynasty Ginseng has optimised efficacy thanks to the combination of the whole root of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer (providing 40mg of ginsenosides in each daily dose) and 500mg of Royal Jelly, the best possible energy-giving food. The new Ortis Imperial Ginseng comes in an easy-to-drink 15ml phial, a 250ml bottle, or one-a-day tablet format. Available from pharmacies nationwide.10 X 15ml pack €14.99; 250ml pack €19.99 Tablets: €13.99
A PROBLEM SHARED IS A PROBLEM HALVED So goes the old truism. And, in these troubled times, more and more people need their formidable troubles halved. There are many reasons why we find it difficult to talk to someone face to face, to lay bare the troubles that plague us, so a new on-line website support service forms an invaluable bridge, a link to others who also want to talk, listen and advise. Turn2me is that sharing site. Absolutely anonymous, confidential, non-judgemental and fully moderated by volunteer moderators and facilitators, the site is the ideal place to share even the most secret worries and problems. Turn2me also carries articles, factsheets and podcasts on issues like depression, suicide, anxiety and parenting.
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Important Notice for Women Over 30 The Final Campaign for Anti-D/Hepatitis C National Screening Programme Please answer these three simple Yes/No questions carefully. 1. Did you have a miscarriage or baby in Ireland between - 1st May 1977 and 31st July 1979 or - 1st March 1991 and 18th February 1994? 2. Are you Rhesus negative? 3. Did you receive Anti-D to prevent ‘blue baby syndrome’ during either of these times?
If your answers are ‘Yes’, and you have not already tested for Hepatitis C, then you need to contact IBTS on Freephone 1800 222 111 in confidence to arrange for a Hepatitis C blood test with your local family doctor (GP). The IBTS will pay for your GP appointment. If you know of anyone living abroad who fits this category but who might not be able to see these notices, please ask them to contact us on +353 1 432 2872 or email RecipientTracing@ibts.ie. You can get more information on the IBTS website at giveblood.ie/ Clinical_Services/Monitoring_Programmes
Pop along to pjsandprose.com
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THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | WINTER 2010
YOUR FREE COPY
interview
There’isng Somethut Abo
Mary Mary Kennedy, one of Ireland’s best loved TV personalities, talks to to our Maureen Corbett about health, being a bad sleeper, cosmetic surgery and the challenge of being a single parent. You look great and you have a hectic schedule – so how do you exercise? I’m a runner at
heart. I first ran the Dublin City marathon in 1981(3hrs 20mins) and my Millennium Project was to run it again in 2000 (4hrs 20mins). Now, I love walking, or doing Pilates. How much sleep do you need? I need more than I
get! I’m a poor sleeper, typically only getting 4-6 hours a night. What’s your attitude to cosmetic surgery? Never – I have
PEOPLE ARE MORE INVOLVED IN IMPROVING THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES YOUR FREE COPY
an abhorrence of needles. And anyway, I think it’s usually obvious when someone has had work done. Would you rely on conventional or alternative medicine for treatment? My sister-in-law is a
homeopath and I would take her advice on supplements and natural remedies. However, I don’t have the luxury of staying in bed when unwell and would take an antibiotic when necessary. f
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How do you cope with stress? Prevention is better
What’s your biggest fear?
than cure. In the past I might have felt stressed if I was under pressure or something, but now I don’t.
Losing a loved one. Family and friends mean everything to me, and having already lost my parents, I dread losing other loved ones.
What’s your secret to staying healthy? Doing nothing!
What’s life like on the ‘Nationwide’ tour? It is
I believe relaxation is the key to a healthy body and mind. I set aside time to unwind and relax in my garden or indulge in the occasional spa treatment.
absolutely fantastic. Michael Ryan has a great sense of humour – his sharp wit keeps me entertained as we travel the highways and byways.
Do you think we are more health conscious than the rest of Europe? No. But I do
Have you noticed any changes as a result of the recession on your travels?
think we are more health-aware now than in the past.
Yes. On the positive side people are becoming more involved in improving their local communities, with more volunteers now than ever before.
Do you think the Irish media typically portrays female beauty as size zero? Most
fashion models we see everyday are typically ‘very skinny’. Very few in the industry use models of all shapes and sizes. Unfortunately. How do you feel about organ donation? I feel
strongly about it and always carry a card. As a result of organ donation, friends of mine have been given the greatest gift of all – life. Have you ever spent a night in hospital? Only when I gave
birth to my four children. New mothers stayed in the Coombe for four nights and could stay a fifth night at their own expense, leave the baby in the nursery and go out for a celebratory dinner with their husband. It’s a lot different now!
Where are your favourite places in Ireland? West Kerry
- that’s where I learnt my Irish. I also love visiting my sister on Inis Mór in winter when storms are raging. It’s invigorating! What’s your worst trait?
I am a professional worrier. What’s your greatest extravagance? My garden.
I treat myself to plants and flowers whenever I can. What would you most like to give up? A glass or two of
champagne is my only vice – but I have no intention of giving that up anytime soon! What has been your greatest personal challenge to date? Being a separated parent
and raising four children to young adulthood.
Are you looking forward to being a grandmother in the future? I am not ready to be a
What’s your personal motto?
grandmother just yet! When the time is right, I hope to share in some of the wonderful experiences that other grandparents have described.
When I was presenting Eurovision the producer gave me a cue card saying ‘BE DELIGHTED’ and every day since I remind myself to be. YOUR FREE COPY
feature by MAUREEN CORBETT
Humans Win, Hands Down! ‘In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God's existence.’ Sir Isaac Newton Just think... If horses or cattle had been the ones to learn to walk upright, it wouldn’t have done them much good, because, with just one digit per limb (horse), or two (cattle), each enclosed in a rigid, blunt hoof, they wouldn’t have been able to do a whole lot with their newly-freed ‘arms’. Dogs and cats would have fared little better with four stubby digits that can only move up and down a little. It required a combination of free upper limbs and dextrous hands for any species to really take off, and that’s where we humans hit the evolutionary jackpot. With freed arms that ended in such wonderfully versatile tools at our disposal, our brains were almost forced into starting to think of ways to use them. Our close relatives, the primates, have nimble fingers, too (and toes and tails in some cases), but they still walk on all fours, at least most of the time. Chimpanzees and other monkeys can oppose the thumb as far as the index digit, and can grasp and peel a banana too, but what makes the human hand unique is the ability of all the fingers to rotate across to close with the thumb. It is this simple but priceless action that has conferred our unique, all-conquering dexterity on our species. LANGUAGE
Long before we learn to speak, we use our hands to communicate; a young baby will point to an object it wants to play with. In Helen Keller’s silent and dark world, her only means of communication were her hands and, with the help of her teacher, Ann Sullivan, she learned to identify people, tasks and actions through her hands and sense of touch. She invented over YOUR FREE COPY
60 different hand signals, e.g., she would mime cutting a loaf if she wanted bread. Many hand signals and gestures are universally recognised today, though it is worth remembering that certain ones, acceptable in one culture, may be very offensive in another. SCIENCE
Scientists have demonstrated a correlation between the lengths of our fingers and the levels of testosterone to which we are exposed in the womb. Studies in Canada have indicated that men whose ring fingers are longer than their index fingers tend to be more physically aggressive. Generally, in women, there is very little difference between the lengths of these particular fingers. PALMISTRY
Many believe our hands contain coded information regarding our personality, health, careers and predicted life span, and palmistry (hand analysis) has played a role in different cultures for centuries. Chinese palmistry applies an age and gender rule that is linked to the Ying and Yang theory: a young man’s left hand reveals what he was physically and materially born with, while his right hand represents who he has become as a man i.e. social status, health, career and relationships. The opposite hand is studied in women. Small wonder that such important parts of our bodies receive special grooming attention. Elaborate henna designs, intricate nail painting and
WITH FREED ARMS THAT ENDED IN SUCH VERSATILE TOOLS . . . WE HUMANS REALLY HIT THE EVOLUTIONARY JACKPOT
wearing jewellery on our hands help express our individuality and identity. Our hands can also signal status, ambitions and preferences to other members of our society: a ring on the thumb (the most independent finger) is thought to signify logic and will-power. A ring on the index finger is associated with authority and ambition while the little finger represents confidence in business and personal relationships. The ring finger is symbolic of our feelings of love and affection. The middle finger is associated with our life-purpose and a ring on it is said to indicate the wearer’s desire to be at the centre of attention. I don’t know how true this may be, but my man wears no rings at all, so I guess it’s back to the old daisies. He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me...
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feature
Just what kind of industry can sustain damages of $246 bn and continue to prosper? (That’s like 8 to 10 times the Anglo-Irish Bank losses that threaten to, and may yet, bankrupt Ireland).
Smoke and Mirrors That astronomical $246 bn fine – compensation for the cost of treating nicotine-related illnesses over several decades – was levied on the Tobacco Industry in US in 1998 after Merrell Williams blew the whistle. Williams, a paralegal with a Louisville law firm, had, for years, been secretly collecting damning documents that proved that executives of tobacco giant,
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Brown & Williamson, knowingly and deliberately covered up figures that proved that cigarettes were addictive and the cause of serious, often fatal, illnesses. PERJURY
In 1994, the CEOs of Brown & Williamson and six other tobacco giants – the so-called Seven Dwarves – attested on oath before
THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | WINTER 2010
HE ADDED WITH A SMILE, “SOME WOMEN WOULD PREFER HAVING SMALLER BABIES.”
the US Congress that they believed that nicotine was not addictive. As each one in succession answered the direct question, without a waver in the voice or a blink of the eye, he committed perjury. Tobacco CEOs are tough cookies. More than 20 years before that, the CEO of Philip Morris, one of the largest of the Seven Dwarves, stated publicly that, while he agreed that babies born to smoking mothers were smaller, they were just as healthy as those whose mothers didn’t smoke; but, he added with a smile, ‘some women would prefer having smaller babies.’ So now all you expectant mothers know what to do: chainsmoke during your pregnancy and you’ll have perfectly healthy babies but – hey presto! – they’ll be so small that you won’t even have to go to the labour ward! Trust me, ladies. I have lots of tobacco shares, so would I lie to you? The other Six Dwarves must be mightily peed off with Brown & Williamson because it was from their board room that another famous whistleblower emerged – Dr. Jeffrey Wigand. Obviously, during his interview, Dr Wigand had not been properly screened for the presence of a conscience and, the next thing they knew, their vice-president for Research and Development was having qualms about B&W’s use of chemicals to increase the absorption of nicotine from the lungs, and therefore its addictiveness and, as a side effect – undesirable, but what the heck? – its harmfulness. f YOUR FREE COPY
f Smoke and Mirrors continues... When Dr Wigand expressed his concern, he was fired on a trumped-up charge (according to the film, The Insider, anyway) and given a nice severance package in return for a confidentiality agreement. But that pesky conscience just kept at
health care for smokers, so what’s the point? Cigarette companies make vast fortunes. Tobacco growers make small fortunes. And smokers? Smokers spend fortunes supporting these guys, and make themselves sick at the same
GOVERNMENTS MAKE HUGE FORTUNES ON TAXES ON CIGARETTE SALES – BUT SPEND THEM AGAIN ON HEALTH CARE FOR SMOKERS, SO WHAT’S THE POINT? him, chipping away at his confidentiality agreement... Both whistleblowers relate the tactics of the tobacco industry once they discovered their ‘treachery’. The industry couldn’t rubbish the message – it was demonstrably true – so they went after the messengers. They were hounded unscrupulously; their pasts were dug into, twisted, exaggerated, probably fabricated in some cases, all to show that they were flaky, unreliable liars, paranoid dreamers with delusions. The film shows threats of physical violence to Wigand and his family but it also warned that some fictional sub-plots had been included for dramatic effect – it didn’t state which. Another well known film, Silkwood, also suggests that large business corporations will stop at nothing when it comes to protecting their bottom line, profits. “HOOK ’EM YOUNG. HOOK ’EM FOR LIFE.”
Dr Wigand, now a tireless antismoking campaigner, says that cigarettes are the only product that, when used as they are supposed to be, can kill, and that the tobacco industry’s motto is: “Hook ’em young. Hook ’em for life.” He also claims that the new-fangled electronic and other ‘smokeless’ cigarettes which can be used in planes, restaurants, etc., are merely the industry’s desperate efforts to forestall people from making the proper, the real decision, to quit nicotine altogether. Governments make huge fortunes on taxes on cigarette sales – but spend them again on THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | WINTER 2010
time. Some bargain, aye? But, hey, as long as you know who you’re making rich – go for it. You’re old enough now to look after yourself if you want. PS I was only joking when I suggested that pregnant ladies should chain-smoke. It ought to be obvious, but then, if you’re silly enough to smoke in the first place. Some tobacco headstones, er milestones:
a1492 Columbus offered dried tobacco by native Americans – so maybe they won after all!
a1571 Dr Nicolas Monardes claims tobacco can cure no less than 36 illnesses!
a1588 Thomas Harriett recommends smoking over chewing and dies soon after from cancer of the nose – exhaling smoke through the nostrils was the current fashion.
a1610 Sir Francis Bacon remarked on how hard it was to give up tobacco.
a1826 Scientists declare nicotine to be a dangerous poison.
a1923 Marlboro deliberately targets women by claiming the brand is as ‘Mild as May’ and in
a1960s Virginia Slims does the same with the slogan, ‘You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby’ and in a1985 Lung cancer ousts breast cancer as #1 killer of women in USA.
a1953 Scientists found that rubbing cigarette tar on the backs of mice caused tumours.
a2010 This writer guesses that the skin on a mouse’s back is tougher than the lining of a human lung... YOUR FREE COPY
shortlist
Mao’s Great Famine Just over 50 years ago in China, during what historian Frank Dikötter calls Mao’s Great Famine – The History of China’s Most Devastating Catastrophe, 1958 – 1962 (Bloomsbury), Mao Zedong initiated The Great Leap Forward, the Chinese Communist Party’s 1958 Utopian madcap economic and social campaign-plan hoping to utilise China's emerging 650 million-plus population to rapidly transform the agrarian society into a modern communist industrial superpower. The experiment ended in catastrophe, murderously culling 45 million people, many of them worked, starved or beaten to death. With Stalin, Khrushchev and numerous Chinese revolutionaries all playing minor roles in the mix, Dikötter’s superb research and knowledge of the period, expertly written without fluff or favour, exposes the charlatan Mao as cavalierly stupid and irresponsible in what is now the definitive work on the period.
The Book Shelf Literary critic, Paul O’Doherty, reviews some recent issues. Nemesis Philip Roth’s Nemesis (Jonathan Cape) is set mostly in polio-torn 1944s Newark in New Jersey, and tells the story of Bucky Cantor, a 23-year-old PE teacher and summer playground supervisor, who, despite losing his mother to child-birth and his father to crime, and having poor eyesight that stopped him going to Europe to fight the Nazis with his friends, is a warm, well-intended uncomplicated natural athlete with a social conscience. That said, this is another classic-Roth moral hot-boiler about dilemmas and hard choices, this time dealing with a social plague coupled with Holocaust, the temptation to run away from our lives and the eerie premonition that heroes might die too, inevitably, before their time, like the rest of us. YOUR FREE COPY
The Finkler Question This year’s Man Booker winner, Howard Jacobson’s The Finkler Question (Bloomsbury), sucks you in from the first paragraphs, especially through the cynicism of one of three main characters, Julian Treslov, a former BBC radio producer and bachelor, who, like many people, blunders through life achieving little, accumulating notions, delusions and complexes. Luckily for Treslov, he has also accumulated friends, two in particular, who’ve recently lost their wives, and who now make up a triumvirate of ‘Desperate Widowers’, with Treslov the honorary third member. Backed up with ample doses of comedy, both clever and funny, delving into the subject of British Jewishness – for Finkler, read Jewish, in Treslov’s mind – this is a serious, crafted exploration of male friendship, loneliness and grief showcasing Jacobson’s talent that has been belatedly rewarded.
Room
Human Chain
With more than a nod to Josef Fritzl’s internment of his daughter Elisabeth, and the other kidnappings of Natascha Kampusch and Sabine Dardenne, Emma Donoghue’s Man Booker shortlisted Room (Picador) is an experimental novel that tells the story of a young woman, abducted aged 19, who for seven years has been repeatedly raped and left with a five-year-old boy, Jack, living in the eponymous ‘room’, no bigger than 12-foot square, waiting for the nightly visits from her tormentor, while her son hides in the wardrobe. Narrated from the boy’s viewpoint, it’s an awkward book to take initially, but a couple of pages in, the warm, rich dialogue of this particular incarceration develops its own humour and rules of communication that encapsulates a mother’s love for her child and the wonder and surprise of daily life despite, in this case, the horrors the subtext demands.
Reading Heaney’s Human Chain (Faber and Faber) and turning the Russian poet Osip Madelstam’s famous quote that “only in Russia is poetry respected – it gets people killed” on its head, there’s a similar respect and fascination in Ireland for the ceremony of death that lurks ominously in everyone’s future. It too gets people killed, and Heaney here is acutely aware that his own is far from his carefree youth. Stoking the fires of the childhood and familial reminiscences, the sadness and casualness of memory, the strain, endurance and the elasticity of the ‘human chain’ and the denouement and irresistibility of death, this is a sad, sorrowful collection of poems with more than a wink to Virgil's Aeneid, a candle-carrying ghost throughout, juxtaposed by the resilience of the human word to capture in a moment all the waves, colloquialisms and insights that fight the inevitable.
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seniors
Gizmos with Silver Linings Pensions under threat, savings shrivelled, swingeing cutbacks in health services – these are extremely worrying times for everyone, not least the elderly. We may no longer have the distracting buzz of family rushing through the house, nor the vaguely consoling trust that it’ll all be better in twenty years, but the electronic age has brought many real solutions to the loneliness that used to be such a major factor of ageing. Sure, there’s been radio and TV since today’s grandparents were children, but they are not interactive and do not allow for the vital stimulus of communication. The telephone does, but in a slightly distant way, like talking in the garden to an unseen neighbour across a thick hedge. Perhaps the single greatest antidote to loneliness and its companion, mental stagnation, is the internet. Through it, you can travel the world, visit great cities, the Seven Wonders of the World, great art galleries, exciting old football matches. You can attend long-ago concerts by The Beatles or the Berlin Philharmonic. You can summon up dictionaries, encyclopaedias, reference works, biographies, watch your favourite films, visit the world’s greatest libraries, go inside beehives and anthills to see how the little creatures work, watch a 3-ton blue whale baby take its first suck from its mother. You can read any YOUR FREE COPY
newspaper in the world, do the crossword, Sudoku. You can play hundreds of games, against opponents, or, if your choice is Patience, in any form, then you’ll never have to deal the cards again or write 7H on a joker to replace the card that has mysteriously vanished. And, apart from all these incredible abilities – and thousands more! – you can Skype. That means you can talk with, and see, face to face, anyone in the world, for as long as you like – FREE! THE SECRET
But mention computers to most people over sixty and you get the ‘I-know-nothing-about-them’ block. Well, at 60+, neither do I – but I use them! The whole secret is: confine yourself to learning the few things you want them to do, and computers are as simple as ABC. Anyone, for instance, can learn to work the internet in under an hour. There are about five simple clicks, after pressing the ‘On/Off ’ button, and you’re into Aladdin’s Cave, ‘surfing the net’ from one end of the universe to the other. It’s all there for you, merely awaiting your few clicks! Contact Active Retirement Ireland and see who their Silver Surfers are!
Confine yourself to learning the few things you want them to do, and computers are as simple as ABC
SIZE MATTERS
What medical science has done for ageing bodies, the electronic industry has done for improving the world the elderly inhabit. We can now carry something the size of a book in our pocket or bag, but this ‘thing’ has many, many thousands of books in it. We can carry thousands of pieces of music around in a little gizmo half the size of a chocolate bar. We can wear on our persons, the security of a locket-sized little alarm that will summon help from afar should we ever need it. And, for those of us whose hearing is not as sharp as it used to be, or we would like, there are Stephen Kelly, MD of Hidden Hearing with Senator David Norris now tiny, discreet little hearing aids that are barely visible to the naked eye – an enormous improvement on the trafficcone-sized metal funnels that our greataunt Agatha used to keep to hand, hidden out-of-sight, down beside the aspidistra. All these things are there for Images courtesy of Hidden Hearing you to use. So use them! WINTER 2010 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE
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technology
POCKET BODY DID YOU KNOW... that if all the people in China stood on a chair, and jumped off – all at the same time – it would knock the earth out of orbit? Awesome Facts Pro app has 9000 random, sometimes useless, pieces of knowledge that we love so much!
Are you app-y? The FITFONE app is a revolutionary exercise companion that lets you track your speed, distance and total calories burned while walking. Designed by Dr. Conor O’Brien, one of Ireland’s top clinical neurophysiologists and an expert in sports fitness and injuries, this very handy app usually costs a modest €4.99, though I have seen it on free offer. FITFONE uses your mobile phone’s GPS function to track your movement and pace. It also lets you test your fitness levels by entering personal weight and height information, and completing walking tasks in timed mode. And, in addition, you can store your results and watch your fitness levels increase day by day. For more information, check out fitfone.ie
A year ago, we featured an innovative award-winning app, Pocket Heart, from eMedia. Now Mark Campbell and his team have followed it up with POCKET BODY, an App that strips away layer after layer (9 layers in all) to disclose in clear 3D imagery, the human body from skin to skeleton. Prepared by a team led by Dr Brendan Wilkins, Lecturer in Anatomy at NUI Galway, this App promises to be of enormous help, not only to the medical and paramedical professions, but also to patients, allowing them to understand better how injuries, sprains and fractures affect them. One American writer reckoned that POCKET BODY, ‘the recent most-downloaded new medical app in the iTunes store’, would also help take some of the dread out of hospitalisation. Clearly, the international educational establishment agrees: out of a total field of 140 projects from 31 countries, POCKET BODY is
The number of Apps is increasing with dizzying speed, and every day sees more and more come on stream. Many are available free of charge; others cost relatively little. Here are a few new ingenious health-related Apps designed in Ireland.
NEXT TRAIN IRELAND If, like me, you travel a lot, or if you’re a tourist, then here’s a really helpful app I’ve recently come across – and it’s free. Next Train Ireland gives you realtime results for every station in Ireland. It allows you to store your usual or commonly-used stations, to find the nearest station and directions on how to get there, to check on any train's full itinerary and to read up on the latest travel updates and information from Irish Rail, Iarnród Éireann.
MENINGITIS SMS – FREETEXT ‘TIME’ TO 50308 Not strictly an App, the MENINGITIS SMS nevertheless provides a smart use of the mobile phone in combating meningitis and septicaemia. Early diagnosis is very important, so to help recognise the symptoms of these dreadful diseases, you can download a very short video clip (1 min) which gives a concise symptoms check. This is a very useful video indeed and can be downloaded by freetexting Time to 50308. Meningitis sufferers, who are not always young children, are unable to help themselves as they are so ill, so this number could help save a life. The video also gives a 24/7 attended emergency number to call.
one of only nine finalists shortlisted for the prestigious MEDEA award, the winner to be announced during the Media and Learning Conference in Brussels on 25th November, 2010.
For further information, see pocketanatomy.com.
Download it now. Text Time to 50308. Find out more at meningitis.org.
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THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | WINTER 2010
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feature
Distant Encounters of the Third Kind ‘This flying saucer situation is not all imaginary, or [people] seeing too much in some natural phenomenon. Something is really flying around.’ United States Air Force.
11.45pm, September, early 70s The light over Black Head was too high to be a lighthouse, too low to be a star, too still to be a plane. I’d passed that way hundreds of times and never noticed it. At the top of Cornarone Hill, I stopped the car and the three of us got out. Full moon, no clouds, not a breath of wind, not a sound anywhere. Minutes later, the light suddenly streaked up across Galway Bay, towards us, gaining altitude steeply. No gradual acceleration – just a flash of speed. Then it went out, vanished, like a shooting star going upwards. 8.30pm, a few years later Another still night, about 4 miles north of Cornarone Hill, in Connemara’s uninhabited Empty Quarter; high over the bog to the north-west, three gently throbbing lights in a close triangle, now greenish, now reddish. After a short while, they just quietly weren’t there anymore. No move, no fade, just gone. Again, I had two companions. sightings have been UFO reported by so many people that they must be accepted as fact. Explaining them is a different matter. Sure, many can be dismissed as strange aircraft (but only in this last century), or little-understood natural phenomena – though with science nailing nature’s wonders, one by one, it’s getting harder to use this excuse. But even the most sceptical of scientists concede
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that at least some of the well-documented, multi-witnessed sightings cannot be explained by either physics or psychology, and, at this point, it becomes anybody’s guess. Extraterrestrial visits would seem to be the most reasonable explanation – the inhabitants of other planets sending out probes just as we do into our neighbouring space. THREAT
Most serious investigations have been done by the military in various countries, presumably to assess the threat, if any, posed by extraterrestrials who can come and go as they please, but it seems that many of these investigations – at their heyday during the Cold War – have been wound down for lack of funds, progress, or the decision that there is no threat. Still, how can we be sure they have been wound down when an official USAF order, Air Force Regulation 200-2, states: "it is permissible to inform news media representatives on UFOB's [sic] when the object is positively identified as a familiar object," but "For those objects which are not explainable, only the fact that ATIC [Air Technical Intelligence Center] will analyze the data is worthy of release, due to many unknowns involved." Or: Don’t tell the public when we, the mighty USAF, haven’t a clue what it is. UFO sightings go back forever. Chinese author, Shen Kuo, in
1088AD, described ‘a flying object with opening doors that would shine a blinding light from its interior (from an object shaped like a pearl) that would cast shadows from trees for ten miles in radius, and was able to take off at tremendous speeds.’ UFOs are said to be depicted on ancient monuments and artefacts worldwide, but as most UFOs seem to have very basic, common shapes – discs, spheres, chevrons, triangles, or Shen Kuo’s pearl – it seems a little precocious to decide that such shapes represent UFOs and nothing else. A USAF investigation reported: ‘This flying saucer situation is not all imaginary, or [people] seeing too much in some natural phenomenon. Something is really flying around.’ That was in 1947, and the situation hasn’t advanced much since. Many governments now claim to have lost interest in UFO research, but there is a group of scientists worldwide who, as the Invisible College, continue to investigate them. Sightings should be reported to The UFO Society of Ireland on ufosocietyireland.com.
THREE GENTLY THROBBING LIGHTS IN A CLOSE TRIANGLE, NOW GREENISH, NOW REDDISH. WINTER 2010 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE
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feature
NUMB -ERS
0 feet – rise in sea-level if only polar ice-cap melts (it’s floating)
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feet – rise in sea-level if Greenland’s ice-cover were to melt
sub-populations of polar bear
Cold
Dr Declan Fox, who has worked extensively in Canada, talks about rrrrrrreal cold, tales of every day life in the Arctic
50% Shrinkage in area of North Pole Ice-cap over past 50 years
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feature
Declan Fox was a busy GP for over three decades until an illness made him change tack in 1997. He now pursues sanity, quality of life, job satisfaction and work/life balance via a variety of activities. For instance, in the last year, he has done GP locums in Ireland, UK and Canada and begun an advanced course in Cognitive Therapy, a long term interest. With one wife, one daughter, one dog, two cats, and one house in the country, he has also found time to write for several publications, including The Waiting Room Magazine.
Comfort Nanook says NO to NAMA. Fed up with crashing western economies, toxic bank loans, rampant unemployment and hard-hearted mortgage lenders? Wondering will your kids ever get a roof over their heads? Well come with me and see how one highly-resourceful race coped with housing, and cold we can hardly imagine, not too long ago. In the 1922 documentary, ‘Nanook of the North’, Nanook demonstrates how the Inuit built igloos in winter in the frozen Arctic wastes. Using an ivory knife to cut blocks of frozen snow, of the correct texture of course, it took him about one hour to build an igloo big enough for five people. A man could stand on top of a well-built igloo without damaging it. Now you might think that igloos were pretty cold places to live in and that by spring most Inuit were wandering around half-crazy from hypothermia, but no. They used flaps of animal fur as doors and blocked off the sunken entrance tunnel with more blocks when the storms came. They built raised ledges for sleeping because heat rises. What heat, you might ask? Prepare to be shocked. Interior temperature of a well-built igloo could rise to 16°C, simply from body heat, because snow blocks are such good insulators. And Nanook never heard of negative equity! Nanook says YES to Scarsdale. Then there was the infamous diet; high in protein and fat, lots of raw meat, very little fruit and veg during the long Arctic winter. How could you be healthy eating that stuff? What about ‘Fivea-day’ fruit and veg? How come they didn't all die of scurvy? Or heart disease? Or kidney failure? Or gross Vitamin D deficiency YOUR FREE COPY
leading to bone disease because they got so little exposure to the sun all winter? Fact is, they didn’t. They did cook some meat but most of it was eaten raw and it turns out that you get plenty of Vitamins A, C and D in raw meat. Cooking destroys those. As for heart disease, well the Inuit really only started suffering that when they adopted western civilisation's unhealthy eating habits. Their original diet had plenty of monounsaturated fats and omega 3 stuff. And one big argument for following diets like Scarsdale, Atkins and Protein Power is that people like the Inuit lived very active healthy lives on similar diets. Doctor! I'm late! The long dark winters played havoc with Mrs Nanook’s periods. Clinics in the Arctic reported many requests for pregnancy tests in winter from women who had missed two or three periods, but about half the tests done turned out to be negative. Why? We know that climate affects the monthly cycle, as in Don’t-Depend-On-TheRhythm-Method-During-YourTwo-Weeks-In-Lanzarote-Darling.
IT TOOK ONE MAN ONE HOUR TO BUILD AN IGLOO FOR FIVE PEOPLE
Some scientists blame high cortisol levels for Mrs Nanook’s irregularities, the high levels being possibly in response to the extreme environment. Kill what you eat The Inuit certainly did not rape their natural surroundings. No mass killings of seal or walrus, no fertilisers during the summer, not much wood or oil burning. They lived in harmony with the environment. No trading in oil futures or genetically-modified crops for the Inuit. A tribe could live for a year on a young whale. That’s a huge animal to preserve, but it helps when you actually live in the deep-freeze. It's all gone now, of course. The Inuit and other tribes of the far North have all settled down and adopted white man’s habits like alcoholism, drug abuse, unhealthy diets and sedentary life-styles, becoming much less healthy as a result. A shame because if they were still up there living the way they used to, we could have learned useful things from them as we struggle to adapt to post-capitalist life.
WINTER 2010 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE
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food Jess gives essential, practical advice on food and nutrition – helping you to take control of what you eat to speed up your recovery, to feel healthy, strong and energised. Visit www.jkn.ie
Eat to Beat the Menopause by JESS KEANE
The menopause is associated with reduced functioning of the ovaries, resulting in lower levels of oestrogen being produced. It is not an illness. Nature intended the menopause to be a steady decline; oestrogen and progesterone secretion from the ovaries decline, while fat cells and the adrenal glands continue to produce oestrogen and oestrone (a form of oestrogen), respectively. Whilst some women will go through the menopause without any symptoms, others report hot flushes, night sweats,
the amount of plant foods, especially those high in phytoestrogens (natural plant oestrogens). Examples of these foods include soy beans, miso paste, tofu, legumes (chickpeas, lentils etc.), brown rice, flaxseed, nuts, oats, rye, barley, apples, celery, fennel, parsley and alfalfa. Regulating blood sugar levels is also important in the management of any hormone imbalance, particularly alongside symptoms such as mood swings. So eat little and often, include some protein (fish, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds,
Your body may be changing, but your life doesn’t have to.
IN MENOPAUSE, DECREASE THE AMOUNTS OF ANIMAL FOODS vaginal dryness, mood swings, declining libido, ageing skin, lack of energy, joint pains and weight gain. These symptoms may be triggered by a variety of other health conditions, so investigate whether there is another cause. A well-balanced diet, nutrients and herbs enable the body to adjust to the hormone changes. One of the most significant dietary recommendations of menopause is to decrease the amount of animal foods and increase YOUR FREE COPY
tofu and some lean meat) in each meal and snack, and avoid all sugar containing foods including ‘diet’, ‘low-sugar’ products and alcohol. Through their role in oestrogen and energy production the adrenal glands provide back up during the menopause, so reduce stress and limit your caffeine intake. To discuss your symptoms and a nutrition programme to support your specific needs talk to your health care professional. f WINTER 2010 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE
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food Carrot, Oat and Prune Cake DaIRy-fRee
WHeaT-fRee
This is a hearty carrot cake packed with fibre. It contains no butter or table sugar; instead the carrot, orange juice, molasses, walnuts and coconut provide natural sweetness and oils. 100g oats 100g walnuts, roughly chopped 120g whole wheat spelt flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp salt 220g/2 large carrots, grated 1 tbsp molasses 200g prunes, chopped 40g finely shredded coconut 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 150ml of orange juice Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease a spring-form cake tin. Pulse oats and walnuts in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt and mix well. In a second large bowl, combine carrots, molasses, prunes, coconut, vanilla and orange juice. Add carrot mixture to flour mixture and stir until completely incorporated. Transfer to prepared pan and bake until cooked through and deep golden brown, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside to let cool.
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THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | WINTER 2010
Tuna Miso Soup GluTeN-fRee
DaIRy-fRee
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Miso is a fermented soya bean paste. Don’t worry – it tastes far better than it sounds! Think of it here as stock for soup, except that you don’t boil it, you add it in at the end for flavour. This soup would work with salmon, chicken or tofu, too. 3 tsp of brown rice miso 800ml of boiling water 1 garlic clove, finely sliced 1” cube of ginger, finely sliced ¼ to ½ chilli, finely sliced 1 small carrot, cut into batons 2 scallions, finely sliced Handful of spinach leaves or bok choi (finely, sliced) 1 tbsp of seaweed flakes Juice of ½ lime Small handful of coriander Small handful of rice noodles 1 tuna steak, cut into strips Add boiling water to a small saucepan. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli, carrot, scallions and noodles. Bring to boil and simmer for two minutes. Add spinach, seaweed, tuna strips and cook for 30 seconds to a minute (until the tuna is just cooked). Stir in the miso, lime juice and coriander. YOUR FREE COPY
Spinach, Aubergine and Chickpea Curry GluTeN-fRee
DaIRy-fRee
WHeaT-fRee
4 tbsp olive oil 1kg baby spinach, roughly chopped 2 medium red onions, chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 green chilli, thinly sliced, seeds included 2 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp turmeric and ground cumin 1” ginger, grated 1 carrot, peeled and diced 1 large aubergine, cut into 1” dice 1 tin chopped tomatoes 1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 handful of freshly chopped coriander Heat half the olive oil in a large pan and cook the onion, garlic, chilli, ginger and spices for five minutes over a medium heat. Add the remaining olive oil and the aubergine. Cook for ten minutes, stirring often, until the aubergine is coloured. Add the carrots, tomatoes and a pinch of salt, then cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the chickpeas, spinach and coriander. Allow spinach to wilt. Serve with brown rice.
Start your day the Flahavan’s way! Flahavan’s has been milling oats in County Waterford for over 200 years and provides millions of Irish people with an energy packed healthy breakfast that is both delicious and nutritious and can be prepared in less than 3 minutes. As part of its successful Microwaveable Quick Oats Drum, Sachets and Portable Porridge in a Pot – Original or Strawberry flavours, Flahavan’s, the healthy porridge oats company, has
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added two new easy to prepare organic products - Organic Quick Oat Sachets and Organic Portable Porridge Pots. These single serving microwavable options provide a quick, warm and nutritious breakfast, which releases energy in the body throughout the cold winter mornings. You can also kick start your day with an exotic fruity twist to a healthy breakfast with Flahavan’s two Real Fruit Porridges varieties,
Apple and Raisin with a hint of cinnamon and Sunrise Fruits which combines Flahavan’s Porridge Oats with juicy sultanas, Californian raisins, pineapple, cranberries and papaya. A bowl of Flahavan’s every morning provides a nutrient-rich, low-fat and low calorie breakfast that is 100% natural delivered from the farm, to the mill, to your table and tastes simply delicious. For delicious oatbased recipes, visit www.flahavans.com
WINTER 2010 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE
promotion
Kate Ryan explains the importance of staying active during the colder months
Know your Aviva’s Top Tips Blood Pressure to Staying iFit nter! this W
Make a move to healthier living!
Pomegreat recently conducted a study amongst Irish adults on their awareness and understanding of blood pressure issues. Given that, the Irish Public Health Institute* is forecasting a rise of over 40% in the number of Irish adults with high blood pressure from 2007 to 2020, the low appreciation of the risks of high blood pressure is disquieting. High blood pressure was seen as a cause for concern by a mere 8% of those surveyed, despite recent figures suggesting a quarter of the Irish adult population now has high blood pressure.* More than half said that they had not taken any action to improve their blood pressure. It is well established that if high blood pressure is brought down to normal the damage to the heart is halted and may even be reversed, so Pomegreat are urging consumers to make a move to healthier living! A recent study on volunteers drinking just one bottle of pure pomegranate juice a day for two weeks saw 69% experience a drop in their systolic blood pressure. The anti-oxidants in
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Always wear layers. Start with thin
layers of synthetic materials that draw sweat away from the body. Insulate with a fleece and put a waterproof, breathable layer over that. On really cold nights, bring a hat and gloves. You’ll lose a lot of body heat if you leave your head uncovered. Consistency is best. It’s better to exercise for an hour three times a week consistently, than exercise every day for a few weeks and then stop. Warming up is extra important when it’s cold outside. Before leaving home, do some stretching and other exercises to limber up. Once outside, start with some brisk walking before beginning to jog. If you walk/jog/run in the dark, wear reflective clothing so you can be seen. Always have fluids with you when working out. Though you may feel less thirsty in cold weather, continue to drink water while exercising. Avoid caffeine and alcohol-based beverages, which can contribute to dehydration.
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Watch out for overuse injuries.
pomegranate juice (Pomegranate has a level of antioxidants three times higher than Green Tea) have been proven to reduce the build up of plaque in the arteries; this plaque build-up is the chief contributor to heart disease and high blood pressure. With Pomegreat Original available in all major stores generally for less than €2 it is a great way to get started on the road to a healthier heart! Sources: Pomegreat Blood Pressure survey – conducted March 2010 – base 250 Irish Adults *Irish Public Health Institute report 15.03.2010 www.publichealth.ie
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Indoor surfaces such as gym floors or concrete can be hard on the knees and can worsen overuse issues. Try something different like Fitsquad to cure your ‘winter blues’.
Winter workouts get your blood circulating and warm you from the inside out. Exercise indoors when the Irish winter weather is too tough for you to beat. Your indoor regime should include weights, stomach crunches or an exercise video for a minimum of 40 minutes. If you are exercising indoors, make sure there is good airflow and that the room is properly ventilated.
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Cooling down and stretching are very important, even if you feel you
don’t need to stretch during the winter. The cold weather makes muscles tighter and less supple, so always factor in ten minutes for cool-down and stretching within your routines.
Kate Ryan is a personal trainer and the founder of Fitsquad. See fitsquad.ie
AVIVA HEALTH MEMBER BENEFIT:
Aviva members can avail of a 10% discount on a block of classes at Fitsquad. Fitsquad is outdoor group fitness training for men and women, with training locations in Cork and Dublin. Further details of this benefit can be found by visiting avivahealth.ie or fitsquad.ie YOUR FREE COPY
women
The Fair Sex?
Recently, WHO felt the need to remind relief organisations working with Pakistan’s flood victims, of particular gender-specific problems faced by women: apart from biological issues, like pregnancy, their vulnerability is increased by ‘traditional’ inequalities in roles, responsibilities, influence, and even in access to resources. Our Medical Editor, Dr Sophie Faherty, takes a look at the problem which is not just a ‘disaster’ phenomenon. first, it is important to understand the difference between sex and gender. Sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics of men and women and a sex-specific illness is one that occurs only in one sex. Menstrual problems, female menopause, pregnancy-related problems and ovarian cancer occur only in women, while prostate diseases and testicular cancer are for men only. Sex-related illnesses are not confined to, but are more common in one sex, or they may manifest differently in each sex. Examples: 99 per cent of breast cancer is in women, and women suffer disproportionately higher levels of osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, eating disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and unipolar clinical depression. Men suffer more from abdominal aortic aneurysms and autism. Gender refers to socially imposed roles, behaviours, activities and attributes considered appropriate for men and women. Genderrelated illnesses are closely linked to the gender role of each sex in a particular society, and their impact is related to the different levels of prevention, reporting, diagnosis or treatment in each gender. Without getting into the argument as to whether or not women in our modern western democracies are truly equal to men, there is no disputing that in many parts of the world, they have a lower status. Many societies systematically empower men to the detriment of women. Globally, women have lower average incomes than men, an example of a gender inequality. (WHO 2010) YOUR FREE COPY
Some of the more common genderrelated conditions affecting women in male dominant societies: General health is affected due to societal or religious restrictions on a woman travelling alone – so she may not attend a clinic except with the cooperation of an often indifferent and unconcerned male relative. Child-rearing is considered women’s work and, with large families, there is usually little time for a woman to care for her own health issues. Large families and poor obstetrical services give rise to a higher incidence of urinary incontinence in older women than in older men. A married woman contracts HIV because the society she lives in encourages male promiscuity while she has no right to insist on condom use. Lowered access to eye-care services means preventable blindness is more prevalent in women. Mental health: A Chinese study suggests that factors like arranged marriages, unwanted abortions, inlaw problems and enforced caring, precipitate psychological disorders. Globally, sexual violence is experienced more by females, and there is a strong association between sexual abuse in childhood and multiple mental health problems later. Women and men may suffer different negative health consequences following natural disasters. Females are more vulnerable to sexual abuse, and, in disaster situations, may be coerced into sex for basic needs like food, water or shelter.
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THERE IS NO DISPUTING THAT IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD, THEY HAVE A LOWER STATUS
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Where do males score highest? Fatal cancers – especially lung cancer. Smoking, being ‘cool’ and a luxury, is denied to women. Fatal injuries – especially car crashes and work-related.
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Women generally live longer than men but the extra years are often not healthy ones. Societies can and do change. Hopefully, in the near future, the yawning gap between women’s rights and those of their menfolk will begin to close. And the sooner the better. WINTER 2010 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE
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medicine
"BURKE'S THE BUTCHER, HARE'S THE THIEF, AND KNOX IS THE BOY WHO BUYS THE BEEF!" CHILD'S SKIPPING RHYME OF THE TIME.
T
he first third of the 19th Century was tough for medical schools in the United Kingdom, especially for their anatomy departments. The toll taken by the Napoleonic wars and the need to send boatloads of convicts to populate the new colonies of Australia and Van Diemen’s Land meant that the supplies of hanged criminals for the dissection tables had slowed down considerably, but the last straw came in the form of the 1823 Judgement of Death Act which reduced the number of hanging offences from 200+ to just two, murder and treason. In those days, nobody donated their bodies to science and anatomy schools had to rely on the gallows. A contemporaneous surge in a scientific approach to medicine soon caused demand for cadavers to outstrip supply, and body-snatching and grave-robbing became commonplace. The ghoulish activities of
‘Resurrectionists’ became so widespread that bereaved families could not leave their departed loved ones unattended for a moment, nor their graves unguarded until decomposition rendered them no longer worth robbing. That was the grey area of anatomy – not legal, but it could be worse. Of course it wasn’t long before it got worse, became downright black anatomy. CADAVERS
Edinburgh had one of the more famous medical schools and there was a thriving business for doctors who gave private classes to medical students. Dr Robert Knox, a widely travelled man, offered private anatomy classes that attracted more students than all the other private anatomists in the city put together. Dr Knox had a need for many cadavers.
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THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | WINTER 2010
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Their victims had to be carefully killed, no telltale signs like stabwounds, gunshots, bludgeon or strangulation marks, so the pair would get them drunk, then smother them and compress their chests, a method that became known as ‘burking’. Some were prostitutes, recognised, it is said, by some of Dr Knox’s students. Another was ‘Daft Jamie’ Wilson a well-known mentally retarded 18-year old who limped. Several students recognized Jamie and it is said that the lad’s head and
THE LAD’S HEAD AND FEET WERE CUT OFF WHEN KNOX REALISED HE WAS KNOWN
medicine
William Burke and William Hare were friends. Both were from Ulster; both worked on the Union Canal and both lived in Tanner’s Close where Hare’s wife ran a boarding house. When an elderly boarder died, owing £4 in rent, they buried a weighted coffin and set out to sell his body. Dr Knox bought it for £7.10s. That, their only case of gray anatomy, was in late 1827. A year later, by the time they were caught, Dr Knox had bought sixteen more bodies from the pair, no questions asked.
Grey Anatomy In those days, nobody donated their bodies to science and anatomy schools had to rely on the gallows. Caricature from 1751 of a dissection lesson. The cadaver (at centre) is an executed criminal with a noose still around his neck. The cadaver is being disembowelled by a ‘cutter’. At bottom left the bones of previous cadavers are being boiled to make glue. The lecturer is giving his talk and pointing at various features with a pointer. The medical students are not paying attention, though, and are talking amongst themselves.
feet were cut off when Knox realised he was known. Knox denied it was Jamie, but, with this corpse, the face was immediately ‘dissected.’ The killings only came to light when a couple staying in the boarding house heard a struggle as the last victim was being killed and, next morning, found her body under a bed in an adjoining room. Burke and Hare were arrested, along with their accomplice wives. Realising that it might be hard to get convictions – as there were no marks of murder on the body – Hare was offered immunity from prosecution in return for his testimony. His detailed narrative is why there is such a full account of their infamous year of black anatomy. There was outrage when Dr Knox was not prosecuted but his reputation was in ruins and he left Edinburgh shortly afterwards. HANGED
Burke was hanged in January 1829 and his body publicly dissected at Edinburgh Medical College. In a move that was not much less ghoulish than the actions of the murderers, the professor, Alexander Monro, dipped his pen into Burke’s blood and wrote: “This is written with the blood of Wm Burke, who was hanged at Edinburgh. This blood was taken from his head.” Burke’s skeleton, death mask, and items made from his tanned skin are displayed at the college’s museum. Shortly afterwards, in response to these killings and others like them, the laws that restricted the supply of corpses for dissection to those of executed criminals, were changed. YOUR FREE COPY
WINTER 2010 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE
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animals
“Camilla is off colour.” A vague, but not unusual presenting case history. Fine, except that Camilla was a Panther’s chameleon, and exactly what colour is a chameleon supposed to be? ANIMAL A&E
RESCUED: Lily, before and after
The Tale of the Dog and others
It should have been funny but wasn’t. On questioning, it was
clear that the happy young owner knew almost nothing about looking after such a highly-specialised creature, and, whereas I didn’t think the low-grade eye-infection would be the death of Camilla, I thought it highly likely that the owner’s ignorance would. Treating the eye took about three minutes; giving the lad advice took 15. Not since Noah lowered the gangplank has such a concentration of animals been crammed into one small space as now exists in some
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by MAURICE O’SCANAILL
of our super pet stores, and people can buy all sorts of exotic pets. Many of these require very specialised housing and expert handling (which often means no handling at all) and the sad reality is that an uncomfortably large number are doomed to short, stressful lives. I’m not against keeping pets per se – as a vet, how could I be? – but I do think that, for some species, a prospective owner should need something more than money, like a licence earned only when the required specialist knowledge and premises have been acquired.
THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | WINTER 2010
WE HAVE OUR OWN EXOTICS IN THE WILD IN IRELAND
Unfortunately, negligence is not always confined to exotics and is not always a regrettable by-product of ignorance, albeit wellintentioned. TV3’s popular series, Animal A&E, shows only too clearly the effects of neglect on ‘ordinary’ pets, like dogs and cats. I asked one of the show’s presenters, Andrea Hayes, about incidents that stood out for her. “One of the most memorable was of little Cricket, his mother, Kestrel, and Hank (a large dog de Bordeaux), found outside a remote and seemingly abandoned house in County Kildare. Adjacent to the house was a small, snow covered garden with a number of sheds. It was emotional to see these dogs so thin and shivering. Brendan [ISPCA rep] had no other choice than to seize them (under Garda supervision) and bring them to the ISPCA National Animal Centre in Longford. As Brendan made a final inspection, he stumbled across a small, shivering puppy named Cricket, seeking warmth in one of the makeshift sheds.” Such cases are, unfortunately, all too common. ABDUCTED
But we have our own exotics in the wild in Ireland and, to be fair, we get a fair sprinkling of these being brought to the clinic, often by young, oft-maligned teenagers. These are usually RTAs (Road Traffic Accident) casualties and, as such, the outcomes depend on the severity of their injuries. As a vet in a coastal town, one of the more common non-injured ‘rescues’ are baby seals, often brought in when they shouldn’t be. The thing about seals is, they don’t have nests or dens, so finding a pup on its own on a beach doesn’t mean it has been abandoned. Mothers go off fishing and, barring some disaster, come back to YOUR FREE COPY
feed their pups. So never scoop up a baby seal on first finding it; report the pup to the Irish Seal Sanctuary (ISS) and then be guided by them. Common seal pups (smooth grey/brown and born in summer), should be left for 12 hours; baby Grey seals (larger, fluffy white, born Sept-Feb) should be left for a whole day. Once a pup has been moved, there’s not much point in putting it back because its mother may have returned and, not finding her baby, gone off again, never to return. After First Aid, we send orphaned (‘abducted’, in many cases) baby seals to the Irish Seal Sanctuary which does great work in rearing them to release age. Such a case proved to be another of Andrea’s highlight rescues. “One other notable rescue was when we travelled to Kerry, to release an Irish Grey Seal named Roxy back into the sea.” With Christmas coming, the message is: Don’t give pets as gifts to someone who may not want them or know how to care for them. Buy a gift that won’t suffer if it’s neglected or, better still, buy a productive animal for a needy third-world family, or give a gift to an animal charity.
NOT SINCE NOAH LOWERED THE GANGPLANK HAS THERE BEEN SUCH A CONCENTRATION OF ANIMALS Check out: ISPCA on info@ispca The Irish Seal Sanctuary: irishsealsanctuary.ie or call 053 9424980 Catch Animal A&E (Series 1&2) on the Discovery Channel’s Animal Planet. Stay tuned to TV3 for the Animal A&E Christmas Special as well as a new series in 2011.
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feature
Lord of the Rivers
The Otter (Lutra lutra)
Because it’s found throughout Europe and Asia, the otter we see in Ireland is called the Eurasian Otter. Though habitat loss and pollution have taken their toll, thankfully, otters still thrive in the rugged wet areas of the west of Ireland and Scotland. Otters are related to pine martens, mink, stoats and badgers. Adult males can weigh 14kg, so the otter is our largest native freshwater aquatic mammal. Females rarely exceed half that. From nose to tail-tip, a fullygrown male can reach 120cm, though larger specimens have been reported. Short, powerful legs end in strong claws and the toes are webbed. The muscular tail acts as a rudder when swimming. Fur-colour varies but, like almost all aquatic creatures, is lighter underneath. A broad, flattish head bears small, rounded ears and forward-facing eyes. The senses of smell and hearing are particularly acute, eyesight less so. The body is sleek and streamlined for graceful, acrobatic swimming. On land, otters move in a series of awkward humping movements. Otter eat all fish but eels are a favourite. Prey is eaten on shore and this is when otters are usually seen. Some otters become
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EVERY EVENING, SHE COMES THOUGH THE CAT-FLAP, BRINGING HER CUBS WITH HER
THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | WINTER 2010
quite bold and will raid ornamental ponds. One local treats a neighbour’s koi pond as a kind of ultrafresh sushi bar. Otters always live beside water, usually in a burrow called a ‘holt’, though naturally-occurring features are also used - among large rocks, or deep within the tangles of large treeroots. In very remote places, like rocky islands with no grazing animals or men, where the ground is not suitable for tunnelling, they sometimes live aboveground on a ‘couch’ made of flattened vegetation. Curiously, despite their webbed feet and watery habitat, otter cubs have to be taught to swim! In fact, it is thought that young otters actively dislike getting wet and have to be persuaded to take the plunge by their parents. Though otters that live near river-mouths will hunt in the sea, the Eurasian otter is not a sea otter – true sea otters live along the west coast of North America. TARKA
Proving the otter’s popularity with us humans, two well-known otterbooks have been turned into films, Gavin Maxwell’s Ring of Bright Water and Tarka The Otter, by Henry Williamson. I’d always thought it farfetched that, in the former, the slain otter’s cubs should
turn up at their domesticated father’s old home, even though their mother was a wild otter and their father had been killed before they were born. It smacked of inherited rather than learned behaviour patterns. I always thought that, apart from very rare cases, like being reared from the very start by humans, an otter’s instinct would be to shun the proximity of man, but, over the past several years, I’ve had to reassess that belief. I know of a case where a hand-reared female otter, long returned to the wild, began to visit a house – not the one she’d been reared in - and, every evening she comes though the catflap, bringing her cubs with her when she has a litter. Such behaviour is incredibly rare. Her adopted feeders’ many cats retire to a prudent safe distance when she arrives and watchfully let her have her fill and depart again. In recent years, escaped or released mink have appeared in numbers in the otter’s watery domain. They are quite easily distinguished, though: otters are larger and mink are generally darker in colour. Mink, aggressive and voracious feeders, may yet displace the native otter in much the same way as the introduced grey squirrel has all but eliminated its native red cousin, by competition and greater adaptability. YOUR FREE COPY
the grain and, before long, the unmistakable sound of a hundred horses galloping closer begins to grow louder and louder. When they are all corralled, the wranglers catch and halter them, one by one. We all stand and wait outside the gate until we are handed a rope with a horse at the end of it. We take the horse, tie it up to let it eat, and go back to the gate to take another one. When every horse has been fed and checked, and the ones that need any kind of treatment or medicine have been looked after, those that will not be used that day are released. The horses we will ride are taken down and tied up by the tack room. The next job is to groom and saddle your horse. The wranglers are fussy about how you saddle up. A slight crease in the saddle pad or an uneven fold in a blanket is a big deal when you add a 70lb saddle, the weight of an adult and a long – maybe hot – day’s work. They watch closely, making minor adjustments, patiently explaining what goes where, and why. Once the horses are taken care of, we eat breakfast. By now, we have been up for about two hours and the smell of bacon and coffee drifting from the house is tantalising. Breakfast is very welcome. This is a typical morning when you’re part of the Croí Cowboy Challenge at the Colorado Cattle Company; an early start (no matter what the weather) to see to the horses, followed by a wonderful leisurely breakfast.
Raw Hide
lifestyle
At first light, two wranglers mount up and ride off over the ridge in opposite directions. We get busy putting out
Ever wonder what being a cowboy was really like? Well now you can actually live the life for a magic while and do some good at the same time! Eileen Bennett, a veteran cowhand at this stage, tells the story.
The only certainties are great food, hard work, and the adventure of a lifetime
The Colorado Cattle Company is a 10,000-acre working cattle ranch almost 3 hours north east of Denver and, like any farm, the work to be done is dictated by the weather, the season and, most importantly, the cattle. Nothing is set in stone here. There is no fixed schedule or program of events. The only certainties are great food, comfortable accommodation, amazingly warm people, hard work, daily challenges and the adventure of a lifetime. The Head Wrangler is in charge of making sure that whatever needs to be done gets done. Over breakfast he tells us his plans for the day. You quickly learn that every plan is negotiable and can be changed in an instant if he gets news of a broken fence, an injured animal or a storm. The ability to be flexible, to go with the flow and to take life as it comes is vital to your enjoyment of this challenge. It’s the real laidback cowboy mentality. What has to be done, gets done. What doesn’t get done can wait. THE FAR SIDE
We might set off to check those 200 yearlings on Far Side and find, half
way there, that some heifers have broken through a fence and are now in with the cows and calves, so we change direction and deal with that. There is a lot of time spent on horseback and a lot of cattle work. The pace is varied; sometimes a slow walk over rough or hilly terrain, sometimes a fast gallop. Every level of rider is catered for without any drama. If you want to walk everywhere, that’s perfectly fine. If you prefer a faster pace, whenever possible you’ll be accommodated. Previous horse-riding experience is not essential because the Colorado Cattle Company is set up to deal with riders of all levels. All you really need is the willingness to get stuck in and to try everything at least once! This is a very physical challenge. The journey from Ireland is long and tough and the work on the ranch is demanding – a holiday it most certainly is not! – but if you’ve ever once wondered what it would be like to live and work like a real cowboy, the Croí Cowboy Challenge will provide the answer – in glorious technicolour! The next trip is in May 2011!
Fundraising is a challenge in itself right now, but if you get together with family and friends and run one good Race Night or a bag pack on a busy weekend you can do it! For more, see http://bit.ly/9a2BBD or contact Jeremy at Croi on 091 544310. Croí is a registered Irish heart charity, visit croi.ie. YOUR FREE COPY
WINTER 2010 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE
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Crossword is open to readers aged 18 or over, are resident in the Republic of Ireland, except employees and their families of The Waiting Room Magazine, its printers, or anyone connected with the competition. The magazine is not responsible for entries lost, delayed or damaged in the post. Proof of postage is not accepted as proof of delivery. Any number of entries will be accepted. Winner will be the sender of the first correct entry to be drawn at random after the closing date. Winner will be notified by post, and only their name and the county in which they live may be published in the magazine. All personal information obtained through entry into this competition will be destroyed following its completion. Entry implies acceptance of these rules.
How smart are you? Question 1 Mt Kilimanjaro is in which country a. Kenya b. Tanzania c. Uganda
The Waiting Room No6
CROSSWORD 1
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The word schadenfreude means: a. Pleasure at the misfortune of others b. Fear of shadows c. Election by the wealthy only
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Question 5 George W Bush’s vice-president was: a. Al Gore b. Donald Rumsfeld c. Dick Cheney
Question 6 The Last Supper was painted by: a. Caravaggio b. Michelangelo c. Leonardo Da Vinci
Question 7 Harry Potter’s creator, J.K. Rowling, is: a. English b. Scottish c. Welsh
Question 8 The largest island in the Mediterranean is: a. Cyprus b. Sardinia c. Sicily
You are:
1-2: A pea brain 3-5: Suffering brain drain 6-8: A bulging brain box Answers: 1b; 2a; 3b; 4a; 5c; 6c; 7a; 8c
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ACROSS 1 Largest snake in the Americas. (8) 5 Onside rearrangement for great inventor. (6) 9 The plates on which the drifting continents sit. (8) 10 Making a mistake while beheading common sea-fish. (6) 12 English shire known for its red cheese. (9) 13 Secret language used by members of group or gang. (5) 14 Title of Kuwait’s ruler. (4) 16 US state, site of Custer’s Last Stand. (7) 19 First country to win soccer’s World Cup. (7) 21 Germany’s capital before Berlin. (4) 24 Fertiliser consisting mainly of bird-droppings. (5) 25 Baleen by another name. (9) 27 Like sails with their surface areas reduced because of approaching storm. (6) 28 Traditional dance of Spain. (8) 29 Allergic respiratory condition. (6) 30 Large, red salad ingredient. (8)
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Counting her two to Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor has been married: a. Seven times b. Eight times c. Nine times.
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DOWN 1 Great leader of the Huns. (6) 2 Region north of 66°33’N. (6) 3 Protective layer in the stratosphere. (5) 4 Person of no fixed abode, especially in America. (7) 6 The Three Musketeer’s companion. (9) 7 The creature that killed Australian wildlife expert, Steve Irwin. (8) 8 Nocturnal bird sometimes called a goatsucker. (8) 11 First name of creator of Dracula. (4) 15 Building containing large tomb of great statesman. (9) 17 South-east European country, capital, Sofia. (8) 18 Capital city of Hungary. (8) 20 A sailing boat that sounds like a Co Cork town. (4) 21 3D writing for the blind. (7) 22 The island on which Brunei is situated. (6) 23 Holy. (6) 26 Irish patriot, and last person to be hanged, drawn and quartered, in 1803. (5)
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HOW TO ENTER: call our hotline 1515 415 464 or text TWR3 followed by your answer, name and address to 57000 4
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Enter at www.waitingroom.ie or write in to The Waiting Room Crossword, Northampton, Kinvara, Co Galway
Congratulations
f Solution to the Autumn 2010
Answer = DAEDALUS (father of Icarus – 26 Across)
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Crossword won by Margaret Walsh, Claremorris, Co Mayo
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Fill in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 square contain all the digits from 1 to 9
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WINTER 2010 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE
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kids korner 9
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3 Plant that climbs up walls and trees 4 Frozen water you can skate on 5 He comes down the chimney to leave gifts 7 Little bird with red breast 8 Part of Rudolph that’s red 9 What people give each other at Christmas 12 When they are blown up, they float in the air
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DOWN 1 Sleep for the winter like a hedgehog 2 Baby deer, like Bambi 5 What is on the ground in a white Christmas 6 Shiny stuff we put on our Christmas tree 10 What covers the Christmas cake 11 Young heavenly spirit
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Did You Know The Eskimos word for polar bear is 'Nanook'
now Did YoruBK a e rs Pola in have black sk
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read a palindrome because it es? The word ‘kayak’ is k of any other palindrom from back to front. Can
you thin
Match up the snowmen to make pairs!
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THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | WINTER 2010
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STO CK ING FI LLERS! Kissing under the mistletoe is a tradition that may have begun in ancient Scandinavia where mistletoe was regarded as a ‘peace plant’. When enemies met beneath mistletoe in the forest, weapons were laid down and a truce declared.
Roller-Skates, Santa and String! Computer mouses everywhere race around pads, clicking and sending instant messages to Santa Claus. Gone are the days of the carefully handwritten letter and making the postman solemnly swear (cross his heart and hope to die) that it will reach the North Pole on time. No more fretting that you may be on the ‘Naughty List.’ You can now relax, safe in the knowledge that you are one of Santa’s VBFs (very best friends) on Facebook. St. Nicholas and Santa Claus are both historically associated with giving gifts to children at Christmas time, but just how did a charitable saint living in Turkey in the 3rd century become a modern icon of consumerism? Travel writer, Jeremy Seal, pondered the question in his book Nicholas: The Epic Journey from Saint to Santa Claus. St. Nicholas reputedly performed many acts of kindness dur-
ing his lifetime and had many followers. As far back as the 14th century in Northern Europe, St. Nicholas was said to bring gifts to children on his feast day (December 6th). Dutch settlers in Manhattan (New Amsterdam) are believed to have brought St. Nicholas to America. The [old] Dutch word Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas) morphed into Santa Claus over the next 150years or so. With the industrial revolution, came mass manufacturing and this transformed the customary seasonal exchange of homemade gifts into something much greater; Santa Claus became the figure associated with the spirit of gift-giving and his popularity in America spread. EVIL TWIN
Different cultural interpretations of Santa Claus have evolved over time. In some countries that jolly old man has a dark side! In parts of Austria, Germany and Hungary
his evil twin, Krampus, scares children into being good at Christmas time. In the Netherlands, Black Peter (his evil assistant) fills the shoes of the naughty with coal. In pagan times, the Yule Buck, a horrid, ugly creature, would demand rather than give presents, Finland's present day Joulupukki or Christmas Goat. VENEZUELA
Teenagers in Caracas, Venezuela, have started a new tradition by roller-skating to morning mass during the nine days of La Posada (December 16th to 24th). For fun, younger children tie one end of a piece of string to their big toe and toss the other end out the window. As skaters go by, they tug on the strings, waking the children up bright and early. No skaters or strings here, but in keeping with their own tradition, the children will still wake up before the rest of us on Christmas morning!
Decorating a tree comes from mediaeval Germany. People would decorate the ‘Paradise tree’ with apples to represent the Garden of Eden, wafers symbolising the host and candles to commemorate Christ. The first
Christmas Card was painted by John C Horsley for Sir Henry Cole in London in 1843 and pictured a family celebration with the words: ‘A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you’.
12,965 is the largest gathering of Santa Clauses. The Guinness World Record is held by Derry City, Northern Ireland since 9 September 2007
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THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | WINTER 2010
ANSWERS TO THE KIDS CROSSWORD ACROSS: 3 Ivy 4 Ice 5 Santa 7 Robin 8 Nose 9 Gifts 12 Balloons. DOWN: 1 Hibernate 2 Fawn 5 Snow 6 Tinsel 10 Icing 11 Angel
happy ending
‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.’ Ha! Not anymore! by MAUREEN CORBETT
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