News Wednesday, January 13, 2010 D Oh no, its H2O woe Ironic? Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink... Just when I thought that life was returning to normality after the horrendous snow in my area and being housebound for almost a week, worrying about my husband trying to get to and from work (as it was not an acceptable excuse for him to stay at home because of the snow) and trying to organise alternative plans to accommodate my eldest son being home from school unexpectedly as I am a working mother (God forbid!). But I now have to cope with not having water in my house for four days now! I am at my wits end with the idiots that are running this country! Seriously, can any out of the norm situation come and go without the country coming to a standstill because of it? Has anybody any information that might explain why we have no water and why there is no sign of it coming back? Miss Angry After a hard days work, I returned home to my apartment to find I had no water. Not really a problem I hear you say, the major problem on my part, considering I had been out all day and my apartment was freezing, was that no water meant no heating, and no heating means I freeze! Thinking I was clever, I decided to have a hot shower to get some heat into me, oh silly me... I had no hot water as I was working all day and the heating was not on to heat the water, hence I am in work, not feeling very clean, (a sink wash is not the same) hoping that someone can get it right. I need heating in this cold spell, but there are old people living in the complex I live in, so how the hell are they supposed to keep warm? Gabby Yes, sea water could be used to keep ice off roads during freezing Dublins best-read letters page Metro Mail E-mail letters to mail@metroherald.ie with a name. Or text us. Text MAIL followed by comment and name to 53131. *Texts cost 30cent per message + standard network charges. SP. Opera Telecom, Hospitality House, Cumberland Street South, D2. Customer service number 0818286606 talk to us 99 =100? All these people who think theyre being clever by saying that this isnt a new decade yet, or that we shouldnt have celebrated the millennium until 31/12/2000, need to get a grip. Yes, we know that there was no year 0, but that doesnt matter, its taken that the first century was only 99 years long. By all your reckoning, 1970 was in the 60s! Padraig, D2 0 no? Im afraid John Wynne is the one talking nonsense. 0AD was the first year of our calendar, 1AD was the second year. 2010 is the first year of this decade and the 11th of the millennium. Chris O Tut tut: Darren R, please enlighten us as to which rules of the road book states one can make a right turn on a motorway? A lesson for you on the differences between dual carriageways and motorways may perhaps be warranted before you further enlighten us with your expertise! Molly B Doh: I was quite annoyed about your pick of the best Simpsons episodes because you left out the funniest one of them all the one with Hank Scorpio is pure comic genius from start to finish. Carl, Castleknock In Brief conditions, but it is way too inefficient. Consider this, you need to transport mostly water in the trucks as opposed to pure salt. Also, sea water has a lower freezing point (-1.8C) than regular water (0C). This means that sea water can melt ice down to -1.8C. If more salt is added, you can get as low as -21C until the salt stops dissolving. However, on the streets, salt can only melt ice down to -9C. Swede Darren R, I totally agree with your point to Lynda B, about drivers in the right-hand lane slowing up other drivers. What I dont agree with is when you say your comment reveals your ignorance of the rules of the road. You cant turn right on a motorway, Darren, the right hand lane is an overtaking lane, but you can still drive at the speed limit in the left- hand lane. Are you perhaps one of the thousands of drivers in Ireland who didnt have to pass a test to get their licence? EF Sendusyour txt So Minister Noel Dempsey thinks that the public dont need him? Lets see how much he needs the public come the next election! Come on the people of Meath West, show us what youre made of and snow him the door. 4Phuxache, Dublin Darren R, typical knob thinks hes a great driver. Guys like you are always the ones who end up wrapped around a lamppost. Enjoy your trip to the A&E Dept... Tom C Mr Cheery, I too have complained previously about Mr Cranky and, like you, my comment wasnt printed. I think Metro always uses this persons comments to provoke a response from readers so we can react. Anon A big thank you to the two girls who helped me yesterday morning when I fainted on the train into town. :) Aisling Is it just me, or does having your view printed in Metro Mail prompt a very unnatural smile on a cold morning, which lures strange looks from fellow passengers? Martin G txt MAIL to 53131* bird brain: The next time you see one of our feathered friends struggling to get food from your bird feeder, it could be because hes had a poor nights sleep. Birds, like humans, function better after quality sleep. Researchers in Chicago set starlings various tasks before and after sleep and found their performance was better after a good kip. The findings appear in the Journal of Neuroscience. kettles on: Drinking green tea every day cuts your lung cancer risk particularly if you are a smoker, scientists say. People who did not drink green tea were five times more likely to get the cancer than those who drank at least a cup a day. But smokers who avoid green tea were 12 times more likely to get lung cancer than smokers who drank at least a cup a day, said Taiwanese scientists. tfi friday: We really do have more energy, fewer aches and a happier outlook at the weekend. Psychologists tracked the moods of 74 workers, paging them three times a day for three weeks. Each time, the volunteers rated their happiness on a seven-point scale. It clearly showed they felt better when away from work. The US study appears in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. If you have a story for MiniCosm please e-mail us at news@metroherald.ie MINICOSMSCIENCE & DISCOVERY IN BRIEF Dr Death tries to look young for life Fat bottomed girls dont need to get on their bike By Aidan Radnedge IT MAY be a source of misery for many women but having a big bottom and large thighs is good for you. So, if youre more J-Lo than Kate Moss, take heart carrying fat around your bum helps protect against heart dis- ease and diabetes. Scientists have previously warned of the dangers of getting flabby around the tummy area. The fat around our thighs and hips is different to the fat we accumulate around our tummy, said Dr Konstantinos Manolopoulos, of Oxford University. There is good fat and bad fat just like there is good and bad cholesterol. The cells in lower body fat work dif- ferently from the cells in upper body fat so it could be said that celebrities like J-Lo are better role models for womens health than supermodels who have much less lower body fat. He found carrying fat around the back- side and thighs reduces the effect of pro- teins that cause inflammation, heart dis- ease and diabetes. The proteins, called cytokines, are re- leased when fat around our tummies is broken down. Face it: Patholog- ist Dr Death Gunther von Hagens has gone under the knife to beat the ageing process. The 65- year-old who freezes bodies by injecting them with medical plastic checked into a German clinic for a facelift. 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