No metal can claim a legacy comparable to gold. Gold has been used to show affectionate love, but it has also represented power, status, and riches for the greatest kings of antiquity. Gold’s history is truly legendary, ripe with colorful tales and anecdotes from people ranging from William Shakespeare to Christopher Columbus. But gold doesn’t just “talk the talk”. Gold also walks the walk, because its grandeur is backed up by impressive chemical properties and uses. As we documented in our extensive Gold Series, it’s been used as a monetary metal for thousands of years by ancient civilizations such as the Lydians, Greeks, Chinese, and Romans. It’s the most malleable and ductile metal, and it doesn’t tarnish or corrode. Over time, these properties have helped people to associate gold with concepts such as immortality or royalty. Even today, people are still finding new uses for gold that are impressive in their own right. For example, scientists recently discovered a gold alloy that is four times tougher than titanium. Without further ado, here are 31 incredible facts about gold.
31 INCREDIBLE FACTS ABOUT GOLD
The following infographic puts the rich history of gold into perspective.
Most consider them a pest.........they excavate mulch and toss it everywhere in their hunt for food in suburban gardens.
Yet, are they filling a role in turning over the mulch and surface soils, eating army worms and sod worms and generally improving soil quality?
Anyhow....... captured them in action in some photos at our house block over the past week. If a local I am sure the same scene has been noted if you live in a house, and not an apartment. Enjoy the action photos.
There are also Torres Strait pigeons nesting in the palms - with one enjoying a bit of sunshine last week.
Torres Strait pigeon
Orange footed scrub fowls in action - excavating - what they do well!
Rain fell in late January.......so lowest ever records of rain for January were not broken. But that said.......the total amount for January was VERY low, compared to the average or median values. Rain started to fall over the last weekend of January and has continued into the first week of February. The met bureau describes it as a weak monsoon burst, but heck.......it is raining, and quite regularly, the sky is overcast and cloudy.......typical monsoon conditions, and predicted to continue next week as well. And Darwin River dam is inching closer to being full, as are local aquifers. And it is considerably cooler. Blessed relief from the burning sun, although there is mostly enough solar energy to keep the solar HWS ticking over nicely. Pleasant weather.
As we approach the end of January one needs to realise that rainfall over the past month has been VERY LOW in Darwin. Quite a burst of wet weather around Christmas.........not much since. The lowest rainfall EVER for Darwin Airport was 136.1mm. While there are a few days left this month, and the Met Bureau is talking about a wetter weekend, the reality is..........rainfall has been poor in January 2016. Records show that officially we have not yet exceeded the lowest record for Darwin Airport, but close to it [ 132.8mm as of today, 29th January]. However, there may be many other locations around the Darwin area below the 136.1 mm claimed as the lowest on record from 1965. The average is 427.1 mm and median 418.6mm. For the record the highest for January was 940.4mm in 1995 and the highest daily rainfall a mere 290.4mm also in January 1995[ the third]. Remember though that full seasonal rainfall for Darwin varies wildly between months, yet still is often reasonably close to the median or average. Some months still to come!!
The following article was on the ABC web site today and really says it all. Do not believe the hype about detoxifying to clean your system.......just make longer term changes to eat well.
Detox diets are hugely popular at this time of year. And little wonder.
Promising to rid your body of the "toxins" resulting from poor diet and lifestyle, the claim is these diets will leave you cleansed and revitalised — and perhaps a few kilos lighter to boot. But do these programs, which often involve consuming expensive powders and potions, really do anything to improve your health? Generally not, says Tim Crowe, an associate professor in nutrition at Deakin University. It is a view supported by many others, including a thorough review of studies of eight popular detox diets published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics in 2015. "A lot of things they recommend cutting out are actually not a bad idea," Professor Crowe says. "If you cut out alcohol, stop smoking and eat less junk food, you will feel better. But that's not because you're eliminating toxins. You're just putting less rubbish in your body." But Professor Crowe says the premise that our bodies need to be "cleansed" of toxins built up from our lifestyle is not supported by scientific evidence.
What is a detox diet?
You can find a wide variety of detox programs and kits; some last a day or two, others go on for several months.
Some simply aim to boost your intake of raw vegetables and unprocessed foods, while encouraging you to cut out caffeine, alcohol and refined sugar.
Others involve the use of supplements (such as vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements) or laxatives.
Some even border on starvation diets, permitting you to drink only juice.
A 2015 literature review found there was NO compelling evidence for the effectiveness of detox diets.
"We encounter toxic substances all the time, but our body does a perfectly good job of removing them," he says. Fruit and vegetables, for example, contain natural insecticides that could be harmful to our bodies. But our kidneys, liver and gut effectively neutralise such substances within hours of eating them, converting them into products that can be passed out of our bodies. Our lungs, skin and immune system are also primed to remove or neutralise toxic substances. Professor Crowe says there are no special herbs, juices or diets that enhance that process, and the companies marketing detox programs cannot even name the toxins they are claiming to remove. "You won't find any evidence that following any of these programs means you will eliminate more toxins full stop," he says.
Potential detox harms include bowel issues, aches and bad breath.
Not only are detox diets not actually "detoxifying", in some cases they can be harmful. "Some can be very extreme; they can eliminate whole food groups, particularly dairy foods," Professor Crowe says. This means you can miss out on important nutrients. He says drastically cutting kilojoules can also cause:
stomach and bowel upsets
feelings of tiredness
aches and pains
bad breath
This is often claimed to be a sign your body is getting rid of toxins. "But it's actually just a sign you haven't had enough carbohydrates; you're going into starvation mode," Professor Crowe says.You've done the 'bad thing', now here's the detox diet to absolve you of your sins. "While you will lose a lot of weight quickly, this is because you're losing mostly fluid and your carbohydrate stores, rather than stored fat. You regain that weight as soon as you start eating normally again." Detox diets recommending you drink large amounts of water can also lead to dangerously low levels of sodium in the blood that can cause seizures, comas or even death. This is especially a problem if your salt intake is already low from severely cutting your food intake. Consumer group CHOICE has identified a number of ingredients in some detox kits that are potentially harmful for people with conditions such as high blood pressure, or those taking medicines such as blood thinners. Warnings about these ingredients are often lacking.
They are popular because they offer an apparent quick-fix solution to poor lifestyle and diet habits.
"You've done the bad thing, now here's the detox diet to absolve you of your sins so you can start a clean slate," he says. "If a detox diet makes you start eating better that's a wonderful thing," he says. But if you are serious about improving your health, you need to make changes that last beyond the few weeks or months of your detox program. "Eat more fruit and vegetables and less processed foods, cut back on alcohol, quit smoking if you're a smoker, and do more exercise," Professor Crowe says. A few preliminary studies have suggested certain nutritional components found in coriander, grapes and wine, and citrus fruits, may be useful for the elimination of toxic metals, but more robust research is needed to verify if this is really the case. So................save your $$$, and do not buy that detox kit that is for sale in the chemist or supermarket, just eat sensibly, and in many cases just ease off the booze!!
This infographic was produced by Jeff Desjardins a founder and editor of Visual Capitalist, a media website that creates and curates visual content on investing and business. Amazing stuff!! Worthwhile thinking about.........dreaming of course!
Courtesy of: Visual Capitalist
