The Elixir Factor

Products come and go from the status of 'medical marvel.' For some time cranberry juice has been advocated as a source of comfort to women in distress. Now it is hailed as a way of combating risks for all. Three glasses a day apparently raises levels of lipoprotein in the blood and reduces the incidence of heart disease, stomach ulcers and cancer.

Watershed Years

The Iraq War has been conducted on the battlefields and as close to us as our remote controls allow. When Lincoln was assassinated in 1865 it took 12 days for the news to reach London. However, in 1883, accounts of the eruption of Krakatoa in present-day Indonesia were received more or less instantly. The reason for this change of speed within an 18-year period was the completion of reliable underwater cables. As it happens the key factor was the application of the durable, waterproof sheathing made from gutta-percha. This, a sap-derived product, comes from Borneo, Java and Sumatra, which are situated where the island erupted and the first of the 35,000 deaths, associated with explosion and tidal-wave drowning, occurred.

Chips with Everything

Intel, the world's largest computer-chipmaker, is launching a new range called 'Centrino'. Its aim is to help create thousands of new points for 'Wi-Fi' access in public spaces. Take the laptop to a hotspot and surf the net unplugged. Among the innovators are a few branches of McDonalds where an hour of access is thrown in free with the fries.

Steady and Growing

The number of adults using the Internet in the UK during 2002 grew by 7% and those aged 75 or over were part of a 33% increase in this sector. There was also a 16% growth in those from the top social group. The most comforting fact for retailers was that 70% of browsers spent money online. This is high by any international standard and shows that the finger which hits the key leads the hand that releases the cash.

It Certainly Does

The SARS virus has had a deadly effect in Hong Kong - in both the physical and ironic senses. A recent advertisement, placed in weekend colour supplements by the Hong Kong Tourist Board, showed the famous skyline capped by the slogan, 'Hong Kong will take your breath away.' A case of copy right by a copywriter ?

Really Getting On

Research by North Carolina State University suggests that, in some areas, old people's brains work better than those of the young. Assessments based on judgments about human behaviour and on the quality of story-telling suggested that cognitive powers do not wither away quickly. Good mental health patterns proved to be more robust. Intelligence may be out; wisdom is in !