Monday 31 January 2011

The Tax Man Coughs Up!

Great

I actually have some tax to come back as the tax man overcharged me fo the tax year 2009/2010.

Even better Gorgeous is getting even more money back.

I had to go back to the doctors today to get the results of my recent blood test.

Thankfully everything appears to be fine.

Joke for today:- The only thing that stops him from being a barefaced liar is his moustache.

On this day:- 31st January

In 1917 USA entered the 1st World War after Germany torpedoes American ships

In 1951 Phil Collins was born

In 1974 Sam Goldwyn dies.

John F.Beaumont

Sunday 30 January 2011

Money. An end or a means?

I read a very interesting report from The Special Revolution Teachings about money.

In this report they suggest that there are two main views people have of money.

The vast majority of us look at money as an end.

What they mean is that most people look at accumulating money as an end in itself.

We are all so concerned about money or rather the lack of it that our objective is to hoard as much as possible to feel secure.

The authors then go on to suggest that we should consider money purely as a means.

By this they mean that money is simply in our possession purely to be exchanged for something we really want.

We should be grateful every time we spend money as we are exchanging it for something we want and should give us pleasure.

This may seem strange when paying taxes but we should be grateful as some money is used for such things as refuse collection etc. The alternative is rubbish piled high

I'm not sure that I have the faith to believe that by being grateful I will always have the money replaced but it's an interesting theory.

Gorgeous,Techno and I had a nice meal out yesterday although Gorgeous is suffering from jet lag following her successful trip to Malaysia.

Joke for today:- Mother to son "Did you just swallow the money I gave to you? Of course was the reply. It was my lunch money"

On this day:- 30th January

In 1933 Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany.

In 1961 the contraceptive pill goes on sale in the UK.

John F.Beaumont






























That doesn't seem right for taxes etc but if you think about what the taxes provide such as refuse coleection we should still be grateful. The alternative would be piled high rubbish!

It's certainly an interesting way of looking at money.

I'm not sure that I have the faith that spending with gratefulness will mean more money coming my way.

However as they point out would you rather look back on your life at all the things you have done with your money or look at a statement which just shows some figures?

We had a good day shopping yesterday and Gorgeous, Techno and I had a nice meal out although Gorgeous is suffering from jet lag following her successful visit to Malaysia.

John F.Beaumont

Friday 28 January 2011

Where is my accountant?

Hi there

I'm getting a bit concerned today as I still haven't heard back from my accountant.

In the UK we have to pay any tax owing by the end of January or face a £100 fine.

My accountant had my books back in October 2010 so had plenty of time to work things out.

Anyrate I am now on tenderhooks waiting to see if I will have to pay any further tax.

Actually I don't think I will because I had a fair bit of repair work done on one of my properties during the last tax year and this is offset against any profit so I should be ok.

Just annoying that I still haven't got any answers yet despite chasing him up.

Gorgeous got back safely from Malaysia yesterday evening.

She is very tired but it seems to have been a very successful business trip.

Techno put a new article on my blog John Beaumont-Online Business Thoughts.
Only just started this new blog and so far not many people have found it.

Still early days yet and there is/will be a lot of useful information on it.

Joke for today:- A man is walking down a dark alley when a stranger approaches him "Please sir, could you spare some money for a man down on his luck. All I have in the world is this little gun"

On this day:- 28th January

In 1986 America's space shuttle Challenger exploded killing all 7 people on board including teacher Christa McAuliffe. (I remember exactly where I was when I heard this on my car radio)

In 1935 Iceland was the first country to make abortion a legal operation

John F.Beaumont

Thursday 27 January 2011

Unintentional laughs.

Techno and I had a great laugh last night over something which was unintentionally funny.

At the church that Techno attends they showed a motivational film which was produced in the USA.

Obviously different cultures come into play here because an action by one person in the film had a completely different reaction here.

He raises two fingers to his eyes to make a point but here in the UK it is taken as a two figure salute!

It is a rude sign given to someone when you are really annoyed with them.

I assume in the USA it doesn't have the same meaning.

Anyrate it gave us a great laugh which of course wasn't the point.

It just goes to show how careful you have to be when promoting something in another land.

Joke for today:- The marriage got off to a bad start. At the wedding ceremony when the vicar said "You may now kiss the bride" she replied "Not now I have a headache."

On this day:- 27th January

In 1967 three American astronauts died when a fire broke out in their command module during a flight simulation.

In 1943 the US Air Force bombed Germany for the first time.

John F.Beaumont

Wednesday 26 January 2011

The most expensive 5 pence

The man came out to look at the washing machine which was giving us trouble.

Eventually found the problem.

A 5 pence piece had got lodged in the pump.

Wow that was the most expensive 5p piece we have ever had.

It cost us over £100 to put the machine right!

Mind you I was a little put out because the quote was for £88 but the repair man charged more because he had some difficulty with the door and getting the washing machine out.

Never mind it is only money!

Owen the springer spaniel is moping around. I think he is missing Gorgeous who is still in Malaysia.

She seems to be having a successful business trip.

Techno is helping me with my internet business which is going very well.

Joke for today:- Why was the farmer hopping mad? Someone stepped on his corn.

On this day:- 26th January

In 1942 US troops arrived in Britain

I am writing some more articles and putting them on my new blog


Must press on


John F. Beaumont

Tuesday 25 January 2011

Worked in out at last!

We have been trying to work out how to remove a board which is in front of the washing machine. (The machine is enclosed)

Taken ages but Techno finally worked out how to do it this morning. You just have to remove a board in front of the cooker which fits against the washing machine board.

It is just clipped in. Doh!

Anyrate we can now get the washing machine people out to look at it.

Gorgeous is still in Malaysia. It appears to have been a very successful visit so far although she doesn't seem to be getting the support she should from one person. Still she will cope admirably I'm sure.

Fortunately the weather is quite mild at the moment so we haven't had to put the heating on too high.

Joke for today:- A man finishes a terible round of golf. "I've never played so badly like that before" "Really sir" replies the caddie "so you've played before have you?

On this day:- January 25th

In 1924 the first Winter Olympics started.

In 1759 Robert Burns was born and in 1874 Somerset Maugham was also born.

Monday 24 January 2011

Malaysia continued

Gorgeous had a free day yesterday before returning to her business meetings.

She certainly seems to be enjoying herself.

Apparently there is a very large sort of aviary in Kuala Lumpur with all sorts of birds native and from other parts of the world.

Whilst Gorgeous was there she delved into her bag and before she knew it two blue parrots landed on her shoulders. (one each side)

They then proceeded to tug at her hair. Looking for nesting material?

Unfortunately she didn't get a photo of this although other people did.

If you want to see some of her picture then feel free to visit her blog.

Joke for today:- A boat carrying blue paint collides with another carrying red paint.Apparently the crews were marooned.

On this day;- January 24th

In 1965 Sir Winston Churchill died

In 1916 conscription introduced in Britain.

In 76AD Hadrian of the wall fame was born

John F.Beaumont

Saturday 22 January 2011

They get younger every day

I went to the doctor's yesterday fortunately about nothing serious thsnk goodness.

My previous doctor has moved on so I met my new doctor for the first time.

She is young enough to be my grand-daughter!

Dr Watson (yes that really is her name)seems very efficient but also has a very nice kind manner.

In fact we had a bit of a laugh.

It's very nice when you get someone who is not only professional at their job but has a pleasing personality to go with it.

Gorgeous seems to be having a great time in Malaysia although she seems to be working hard as well.

Not that I would expect anything different because she too is very professional with a lovely personality.

Joke for today:- A single herring can produce over a million offspring. Goodness knows how many a married one can produce.

On this day:- 22nd January

In 1949 Chinese leader Mao Tse-Tung marched into Peking to make the communists virtual masters of China

In 1905 at least 500 people were killed when Cossack troops fired on a march to the Winter Palace in St Petersburg,Russia

John F.Beaumont

Friday 21 January 2011

Lovely Weather

We are having some lovely weather this week.

Sure the nights are cold and there is quite a sharp frost in the mornings but it just makes the air nice and crisp.

The rest of the days have been lovely and sunny. It is almost as if spring is here.

A bit different for Gorgeous who is in Malaysia on business where the temp is over 30 degrees C.

Actually i think the bulbs are a bit confused as they are quite advanced for the time of year.

I'm being a typical Englishman here by talking about the weather.

It isn't surprising really that we are renowned for this as we do have quite a lot of rapid changes in the weather albeit normally not too severe when compared with other places.

Let's have a joke:- An expectant father rings the hospital to see how his wife is getting on. Unfortunately he is connected to a cricket match commentary box. "How's it going" asks the man."Great" is the reply "We've got four out and hope to have the rest out before tea. The last one was a duck"

On this day:- 21st January

The following were born on this day:-

In 1824 "Stonewall" Jackson

In 1905 Christian Dior

In 1925 Telly Savalas

In 1940 Jack Niklaus

and in 1941 Placido Domingo


John F.Beaumont

Thursday 20 January 2011

The Trip to Malaysia

Gorgeous has arrived for her business trip in Malaysia.

She certainly seems to be enjoying herself. Very positive about both Malaysia and her job.

Mind you I was surprised when I looked up the telephone books I have and there was no mention of international dialling codes. Plenty of adverts!

I had to ring directory enquiries. First number I rang they couldn't help me and I was directed to another number.

Oh wasn't life far less complicated in my youth. You could get information without being persuaded to part with your hard earned cash in other areas.

It's a bit like mobile phones. All I want a phone for is to ring people if I need to contact them.

No I don't need to know what the temperature will be in Western Australia tomorrow or to play some childish game!

Enough of my rant.

Let's have a joke:- A doctor tells a woman she musn't touch anything alcoholic.So she gets a divorce.

On this day:- January 20th

In 1936 King George V died.Edward VIII becomes king.

In 1896 George Burns was born and in 1930 Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin followed him

John F.Beaumont

Wednesday 19 January 2011

The Silent Witness

I saw the second part of Silent Witness last night which I thoroughly enjoyed.

This programme has been running for some time now and I thought was getting a little stale.

However I am delighted that the new series seems to be the best ever.

Really good with excellent story lines and nice little twists at the end.

Yesterday I had a phone call from the agents looking after my property at Sunderland.

The boiler has gone wrong and really needs to be replaced at a price of £850. Ouch!

I'm a little annoyed since the current boiler was supposed to be new back in 2006 but I think the then agents put in a second hand boiler.

Never mind it's only money.

Techno put in a new blog for me last night.

It's called John Beaumont-Online Business Thoughts.

This is a blog which showcases some of the many online articles which I have previously published.

Feel free to visit if interested.

I've now heard from Gorgeous that she has arrived in Malaysia ok.

She seems to have had quite a good journey but is obviously very tired.

I will catch up with her later.

Joke for today:- Did you hear about the farmer who won an award? He was outstanding in the field.

On this day:- 19th January

In 1736 James Watt of steam engine fame was born and in 1807 Robert E Lee entered the world followed in 1809 by Edgar Allan Poe

John F.Beaumont

Tuesday 18 January 2011

In the doctors surgery

I went for a check up this morning and whilst waiting to see the nurse I was musing about the new signing in system.

It is now automatic with a touch screen.

Certainly it speeds things up but I got to thinking how many hands had touched that screen.
Ugh! Here we have sick people coming into a room and all touching the same place.

I wonder how much bactria is being spread around. Doesn't bear thinking about!!

Gorgeous is going off on her business trip to Malaysia this afternoon.

Our washing machine is playing up so we will have to get someone in to look at it.

Still can't grumble as we have had it sometime and it has never given us trouble before.

Joke for today:- Ladies go for younger men. You might as well since they never mature anyway.

On this day:- 18th January

In 1943 Russian forces broke the siege of Leningrad.

In 1778 James Cook discovered Hawaii

John F.Beaumont

Monday 17 January 2011

CSI New York

I was very disappointed in the latest episode of CSI New York.

For a start the story was unbelieveable. Adam just happens to see a girl being murdered on the internet which just happens to be in new York"

However what really did surprise me, and also Techno who was watching with me, was the fight scene on the top of the Crime Lab building.

The stunt man filling in for Adam looked nothing like him and was so obviously a different person that Techno and I both laughed.

Come on CSI New York with the all the modern equipment you have at your disposal that scene shouldn't have been so amateurish.

The other laugh we had was that the first rescuers to arrive had been some streets away. Where was all the help which should have been available from the people in the building?

They were on top of the crime lab for heaven's sake!

Gorgeous is getting ready for her business trip to Malaysia. This is her first trip so she is a little bit nervous but she will cope fine.

Joke for today:- My friend died in a bowl of muesli. A strong currant pulled him in.

On this day. 17th January

In 1977 Gary Gilmore was executed by shooting in Provo Utah.He was found guilty of murdering two students at Brigham Young University.

In 1942 (good year!) Muhammad Ali was born


John F. Beaumont

Sunday 16 January 2011

Susannah York

Oh dear one of my favourite actresses has just died.

I always thought that Susannah York had one of the most prettiest of faces and a nice husky voice.

However perhaps the nicest thing said about her was from her son who praised her as a mother not an actress.

What with Jean Simmons also dying recently I am beginning to show my age! (21)

Gorgeous is getting ready for her business trip to Malaysia although her sciatica has flared up again.

I hope it won't give her problems on her trip.

Joke for today:-Mothers of teenagers know why some animals eat their young.

On this day:- 16th January

In 1937 Du Pont patented Nylon.

In 1853 Andre Michelin of tyre fame was born

John F.Beaumont

In 1909 Ethel Merman was born

Saturday 15 January 2011

Wasn't that lovely

I saw the video of the young 8 year old girl singing the American National Anthem at the start of an ice hockey match when the mike cut out.

It really was great when the crowd joined in to complete the anthem.

Not only did the crowd show loving support for the girl but also proved why the USA is such a great nation.

Very few nations wear their heart on their sleeve like the Yanks.

Joke for today:- Shakespeare walks into a bar. I can't serve you says the barman because you're bard.

On this day:- 15th January

In 1559 Queen Elizabeth the First became queen

In 1929 Martin Luther King was born.

In 1971 Britain changed to the decimal system


John F.Beaumont

Friday 14 January 2011

What's the matter with some people! Spam?

With my internet business I have a list of people who have opted in to receive information from me.

If they no longer wish to receive information there is a simple link to unsubscribe.

So no problem really.

Except at the beginning of the year I sent out a broadcast to this list.

I have now discovered that a couple of people accused me of spamming!

The irony is that the only message on the broadcast was "Happy New Year"

Hey they gave me permission to send them information and they could easily have unsubscribed.

I don't mind how many people wish me a happy new year. The more the merrier.

Anyrate the man who came yesterday to do the odd jobs for me was very good and only charged me a very small amount so I am dead chuffed.

My new website is now up and running as Techno has done a good job as well.
www.john-f-beaumont.com if you are interested.

It's still the same even if you are not interested. boom boom!

Joke for today:- A man walks into a bookshop and asks for a book by Shakespeare. "Certainly sir" replies the assistant "which one" William says the man

On this day:- 14th January

In 1814 London crowds visited the city's last Frost Fair help on the frozen River Thames.

In 1957 Humphrey Bogart dies and in 1977 Sir Anthony Eden also dies.

John F.Beaumont

Thursday 13 January 2011

The Collapsing Bed

I've got the man in today.

He is a neighbour who does little jobs for me.

One of the jobs today is repairing my bed. For some reason the main strut broke in several places.

No I'm not THAT big and no it wasn't for the reason you may be thinking! Chance would be a fine thing!

The other jobs he is doing are repairing some guttering and sorting out a curtain pole which was giving trouble.

I suppose some would say I ought to be doing these jobs myself but hey when someone can do them much better and quicker what's the point. I only have to pay out money!

Joke for today:- Life may not be worht living but what else can you do with it?

On this day:- 15th January

In 1893 the first member of the Labour party took his seat in Parliament

In 1691 George Fox the founder of The Quakers died.

John F.Beaumont

Wednesday 12 January 2011

Doggy friends.

When I took the Hubble Bubble (dog) for a walk the other day he disappeared into the mist.

I spent nearly 20 minutes searching for him when he suddenly came back with Poppy his friend.

He had gone off for a walk with Poppy and her owner.

Strangely yesterday the reverse happened.

I was over the fields when Poppy suddenly appeared and wanted to come for a walk with us!

Nice to have friends.

Gorgeous is getting ready for her trip to Malaysia.

It is a business trip and I think she is a little concerned about how the meetings will go.

Still she is very capable so she will handle it all very well.

Joke for today:- A barking dog never bites. Well at least whilst he is barking.

On this day:- 12th January

In 1976 Agatha Christie died

In 1904 Henry Ford achieved a new land speed record of 91.37 mph.

John F.Beaumont

Monday 10 January 2011

Great Weekend

Yes it was a great weekend.



On Saturday I was playing with Techno's wii games together with him and Gorgeous. Fun but just wish I could get the hang of it!



Maybe, just maybe if I can practice enough I might even win! Still as they used to say about the Olympics it's not the winning that counts but the taking part.



Yesterday I painted the new doors we have upstairs and in the afternoon went for a walk with Gorgeous, Techno and Hubble Bubble the mad dog.



We are very lucky around here as we have some beautiful countryside so walks are a definite pleasure.



It is rather strange though that not many other people take advantage of the countryside although I suppose that suits us as we have more of it to ourselves.



In the evening we watched Countryfile which is a very interesting programme where you can learn a lot of information about the countryside.



It was a liitle sad though last night as Adam, one of the presenters, is a farmer and because some of his cattle had bovine TB he is not able to use his animals fro breeding purposes and some of them had to be destroyed instead. More heartbreaking than Coronation Street or Eastenders because this is real life.



Joke for today: I tried sniffing coke once but the ice cubes got stuck in my nose.



On this day:- 10th January



In 1937 the British Government banned its nationals from joining the anti Franco forces in Spain.



In 1863 the first underground railway in London opened.



John F.Beaumont

Saturday 8 January 2011

Why can't people let go?

Recently via Facebook I contacted a relative that I hadn't seen for some time.

Imagine my surprise when I found out she was harbouring a grudge against me for failing to react to an incident in her life which took place 11 years ago.

The irony is that she never made the effort to tell me herself and assumed I would hear about it on the grapevine.

As it happens I never received the information and in fact only found out about it some years later when it was too late to do anything about it.

And she harbours a grudge against me! Doh.

What do they say? You can choose your friends but not your relations.

Joke for today :- Families are like fudge. Mostly sweet with a few nuts.

On this day:- 8th January

In 1642 Galileo died.

In 1989 a Boeing 737 crashed on the M1 at Kegworth killing 44 people (actually very close to where I was living at the time)

In 1935 Elvis Presley was born.

John F.Beaumont

Friday 7 January 2011

January 7th 2011

Newtooth got back around 10pm yesterday.

She had a great day although I'm not surprised as she gets on very well with the children.

I mean the grandchildren! Ivy and Pru are not quite so easy to get on with even though they are Newtooth's daughters.

Adults are always more difficult than children!!

It was snowing this morning but didn't settle.

At lunchtime I went to meet Newtooth for lunch but the normally restaurant was still closed from Christmas Holidays so we went to the cafe in the library instead.

Whilst the students are away from the University they only have a skeleton staff on.

For the second time in the last month I have been surprised at how some people harbour grudges.

Ivy and Pru still harp on about something that supposedly happened over 20 years ago and a niece of mine is blanking me because of something she feels I should have done 11 years ago.

Since I didn't know anything about what happened at the time as I wasn't told how could I have reacted? Doh!

Still joke time:- Wife to husband "You certainly made a fool of yourself last night. i just hope no one realised you were sober"

On this day:- 7th January

In 1905 The US Senate approved the first government appointment of a black man

In 1927 a transatlantic telephone link between London and New York was opened.

John F.Beaumont

Thursday 6 January 2011

Twelth Night

I went swimming today and did 40 lengths so i am building up to 50 lengths again.

Newtooth borrowed my car this morning to go up to see Ivy as it is her birthday..

Hope her birthday turns out well as she has to go to work and Engineer is away all week.

Still knowing Newtooth she will help the children give Ivy a good time.

The fields are not quite so muddy now so I left Owen have a good run around and we came back through the woods in the dusk.

Very quiet. No one else around.

I will have to get dinner ready shortly although a bit later this week as Techno is on late shift.

No sign yet of further snow which has been promised so I am making the most of it.

The sports centre have been a bit naughty by putting up prices now instead of April when they were due to be reviewed.

There excuse is that as they had to increase the vat to 20% they would add a price increase now so that they wouldn't have to change prices again in April.

This means they have had an extra 3 months at the new price.

The light keeps flickering. Hope we are not going to have a power cut!

Joke for today:- I'm going to live forever or die trying. Joseph Heller.

On this day:- 6th January

In 1838 Samuel Morse demonstrated morse code for the 1st time

In 1412 Joan of Arc was born

John F.Beaumont

Wednesday 5 January 2011

The Start of the new Year

Great start. I accidently wrote the tart of the new year! Freudian slip!

Seriously though I had a great start to the year.

Last Sunday Newtooth and I went to Melton Mowbray Market for the excellent car boot sale they have there every Sunday.

Guess what? Yep they didn't have it last Sunday. I'd looked up the market website and there was nothing about it not being held because of the New Year.

Never mind there is a great Garden Nursery just outside Melton Mowbray called Houghtys which has a very nice restaurant.

This restaurant is in the Swiss chalet style with a lovely large log fire.

So Newtooth and I stopped there for a bite to eat and a drink in front of the fire.

Monday Newtooth, Techno and I took down the Christmas decorations and put them away for another year.

The on Tuesday I had to go and have a blood test to check on diabetes and afterwards went swimming.

Only did 30 lengths instead of the 50 lengths target as I have to get back in the swim (ha,ha) after the Christmas lay off.

Joke for today:- The only exercise she gets is jumping to conclusions.

On this day:- 5th January,

In 1066 Edward the Confessor died.

In 1941 Amy Johnson crashes and dies on a flight across the Thames Estuary

John F.Beaumont

Tuesday 4 January 2011

How ridiculous!

A gentleman in Bedford in the UK lost his cat.

As many other people do in these circumstances he printed off some posters which he then went and tied around lamp-posts and trees.

He then got a phone call from the local council accusing him of causing "urban decay"

So he agreed to take them down but the next day he received a letter telling him he would receive a £1000 fine if not taken down by 9am on the 24th December.

As he didn't receive this letter until 20.30 on the 8th December he had to rush round at night to remove the posters.

How thoughtless of the council especially since many of them have not collected the rubbish over the holidays.

Hey will they be fined £1000?

Unfortunately the cat is still missing.

Joke for today:- The optimist says the glass is half full and the pessimist says the glass is half empty. The engineer says the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

On this day:-4th December

In 1643 Isaac Newton was born

In 1809 Louis Braille was born


John F.Beaumont

Monday 3 January 2011

Why I won't be going to Specsavers.

In this mornings Daily Mail there is a full page advertisement from Specsavers in which they are promoting free glasses to NHS customers.

Leaving aside the fact that all citizens of the UK are NHS "customers" I will not be going to Specsavers.

What they mean is all NHS customers who are entitiled to NHS glasses support wil be entitled to free glasses which is another matter all together.

So why will I not be going to Specsavers? Simply because Specsavers are not paying for these glasses all their other customers are!

I know it sounds mean but I am already paying over the odds to the NHS so why should I be expected to pay further to promote Specsavers?

Let's have a joke. What's the difference between a businessman and a dog? The businessman wears a suit, the dog just pants.

On this day:- January 3rd

In 1959 Alaska became the 49th state of the USA

In 1961 USA severed diplomatic links with Cuba

John F.Beaumont

Sunday 2 January 2011

The Oldie Annual 2011

Sue, the better half bought me The Oldie Annual yesterday.

She already paid for the annual subscription to the magazine for me.

I really enjoy both the annual and the monthly magazine because they are so politically incorrect!

It is a pleasure to see publications which still call a spade a spade rather than the mealy mouthed efforts of some others. I said a spade not a ........shovel!

I hasten to add that I don't like deliberate attacks on other races, religions or politics but sometimes the fear of the political police stifle honest debate about things which should be discussed.

I was brought up in an era of free speech and whilst this view has taken a battering over recent years I believe it will make a comeback.

The best way of dealing with bigots is to let them rant and rave. That way we can SEE they are bigots.

Anyrate let's have a joke:- What good is a mouthwash that kills germs? Who wants a mouth full of dead germs?

On this day:- 2nd January

In 1492 seven hundred years of Arab rule ended in Spain when the last Spanish Muslim stronghold fell.

In 1727 James Wolfe who fought the French in Canada was born

John F.Beaumont

Saturday 1 January 2011

The new Endobarrier

This new Endobarrier sounds interesting.

It is a plastic tube which is inserted down the throat and through the stomach and tricks the patient's body into feeling full.

This is supposed to be very useful for those with type 2 Diabetes as it causes the gut to release a hormone which increases the body's use of insulin and lowers blood sugar levels.

On tests it has been found to help patients lose up to a fifth of their body weight.

Call me a cynic but you could probably lock up the patient and ensure that they had good excercise and ate the right foods in the correct quantities! Would be just as successful but hey would not conform to their human rights!

Joke for today:- Did you hear about the gypsy who won the lottery? He got paid in travellers cheques.

On this day:- 1st January

Every year there are celebrations!

In 1959 Castro toppled Cuban dictator

In 44BC Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calender

John F.Beaumont