SHADES OF GREY

Easter Traditions

Jelly beans have never been an Australian tradition but they became an American tradition in the 1930s. These days Americans consume 16 billion jelly beans at Easter, many of them hidden in baskets. If all the Easter jelly beans were lined up end to end they would circle the globe nearly three times.

Other Traditions

Hot Cross buns were among the earliest, made by European monks and given to the poor during Lent. Pretzels were originally associated with Easter. The twists of a pretzel were thought to resemble arms crossed in prayer.

In Norway reading detective novels and crime thrillers has become a popular Easter pastime. New crime novels are available at Easter.

Latvians play an Easter egg game. Each person has a hard boiled coloured egg. People pair and tap their eggs together. When a player's egg breaks, he or she leaves the game which continues until one player is left with an unbroken egg.

Easter lilies came originally from Bermuda in the 1900s. They have become a symbol of purity for Christians all around the world and are used for Easter decorations.

In Iztapalapa in Mexico a Passion Play is the most famous Easter event drawing 1 million visitors each year.

In Sweden witches were thought to fly their broom sticks to church bell towers on Easter eve. Especially in Western Sweden children often dress up as hags and visit neighbours often with an Easter card, hoping for a coin or a piece of candy in return.

In Australia our Bilby is fast replacing the bunny as the major symbol associated with Easter festivities. We have had enough of the nasty habits of those destructive little rabbits.

Vale Bob Philipson

The Maryborough & District Committee on the Ageing are mourning the loss of its longest serving and most reliable volunteer, Bob Philipson.

Bob passed away recently after an acute illness.

He will be missed for his cheerful tolerance and dedication to his chosen task. Together with his wife Pearl they brought a great deal of pleasure to many people.

Bob filled a major part of the roster for the talking newspaper the ORACLE for many years. Our thoughts are with Pearl in her time of sadness.

Barbara Ann Paterson

Recipes For A Longer Life

Cut salt and smoking –

Lifestyle changes are difficult to make, however cutting down on smoking and salt intake could save millions of lives. Researchers predict that reducing dietary salt intake and improving tobacco control would avert millions of chronic disease-related deaths world wide, for an average cost of 40 cents per person per year. It was predicted that the effect of a 15% reduction in salt consumption in 23 countries could avert 8.5 million deaths between 2006 and 2015. It was also predicted that if smoking was reduced by 21% a further 5.5 million individual could be saved. A staggering 13.8 million lives.

Fitness not fatness -

Predicts whether an older person will live a longer life. A recent study showed that adults over the age of 60 with higher levels of cardio-respiratory fitness lived longer that unfit adults, regardless of levels of body fat. In both normal-weight and overweight people, higher fitness was associated with reduced risk of death compared to the lowest fitness level. Surprisingly, obese people with high cardio-respiratory fitness had a lower risk of death than unfit normal-weight people. Regular physical activity may therefore be better that weight loss alone for increasing health and longevity.

Meditation may not only relax the mind, it could also reduce high blood pressure.

Source: Weekend Australian Health Issue 2008

Physical Activity shows evidence of beneficial effects on the immune system

A RECENT ARTICLE IN AN American Medical Journal has discussed the evidence supporting moderate exercise training as a strategy to offset compromised immune function in older adults.

It is well known that as the human body ages the immune system becomes less efficient. Consequently its ability to fight infections and other health issues is diminished in comparison to younger people. Observational studies suggest the intensity of exercise influences immune system changes.

Moderate exercise improves immune functioning by stimulating positive changes in the function and number of various immune system cells. Improving the bodies capacity to combat foreign micro-organisms and initiating the immune response.

Intense exercise, on the other hand, appears to suppress immune function.

The benefits of regular physical activity or exercise for both the prevention and management of chronic disease and ill-health are well established. However it has only been in recent years that attention has been focusing on the immune system. The impact of exercise on the immune function has important public health consequences and highlights the beneficial effects of exercise on disease prevention and management.

Other relevant studies also indicate that exercise is a primary therapy for people with diabetes as it decreases local inflammation the main cause of secondary complications linked to the disease. Although this is a relatively new area, progress is being made to determine the mechanisms that affect immune functioning through exercise, and more importantly, whether these changes in immune functioning can reduce the risk of developing a disease, or at the very least, delay its progression.

The exercise dose range for enhanced immune function is consistent with current physical activity guidelines, including both aerobic and strength exercises and intensity for your circumstances, consult your local exercise physiologist.

Source: Weekend Australian Health Issues 2008

COMING EVENTS AT OUR BROLGA

The Kiev Ballet Company presents SWAN LAKE 8pm Wednesday, 16th April 2008. The Kiev Ballet troupe has received the highest award from the French Academy of Dance, a very high honour. 50 dancers will perform this well loved ballet.

Soweto Gospel Choir – African Spirit – 8pm Thursday 1st May. This exciting group features incredible singers, dancers and drummers. Guaranteed to stir your soul.

David Campbell Swing Sessions 2 – 8pm Tuesday 13th May. Classical songs of the 50s and 60s from our old favourites Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Cole Porter and many others will come to life with this incredible, energetic singer.