Dr and Mrs Schwoerer - Family seafaring with a mission

A mission to scale the highest summits in each of the seven continents, while leaving a zero carbon footprint. Swiss adventurers Dario and Sabine Schwoerer, who for the last seven years have called the world's seas their home, not just the two of the them, but with their three young children. Their mode of transport which does not use fossil fuels.

The 15m yacht runs on solar power and wind, what a fantastic idea. Using 11 panels and two wind turbines donated by sponsors. Once they reach a country, on land, they move around on bicycles. Oh! How I envy their lifestyle.

Dr Darlio Schwoerer, 40, a Geneva native and his wife, Sabine, 33, a trained nurse with their three children ( daughter, salina, four and son Andri, three and their youngest child Noe, just three months old, are halfway through their expedition. They have scaled the highest summits in Europe, Australia and South America: Mont Blanc in France, Mount Kosciuszko in Australia and Aconcagus in Chile.

Along the journey, they educate young people about climate change by engaging them in outdoor activities to raise their apppreciation of nature. They also conduct clean-ups in the places they visit along with other expedition members. Presently there are about 130 members from 33 countries under the ToptoTop Foundation set up in 1999 by Dr Darlio Schwoerer.

To read more about their mission, an article published on Saturday, 21 Nov 2009 : http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100019547&docId=l:1078782646&start=2

Also you can visit : http://www.toptotop.org/ to know more about the Foundation.

You are also welcome to drop me your comments here to share with us.

Heart risks and slow walkers

Older people who walk at a brisk pace are less likely to die of heart disease compared to their slower contemporaries.

Following a 5-year study on how heart risks related to slow walkers, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) published an online report, involved more than 3,208 men and women aged 65 to 85. researchers excluded people with Parkinson’s or dementia, since these diseases tend to cause problems with walking.

The authors, from the University Pierre and Marie Curie in France, found a link between cardiovascular deaths and walking speed even when factors likely to influence the results were taken into account.

They wrote: "This increased risk of cardiovascular death was seen in both sexes, younger as well as in older participants, those with or without a high risk vascular profile, and those with low or usual physical activity."

The experts said there was evidence of a link between low walking speed and increased thickness of arteries, which is associated with cardiovascular disease. Walking quickly has also been shown to increase levels of "good" cholesterol in the blood, which can cut the risk of heart disease.

The authors said the results showed the need to keep fit and healthy as people age. "These findings show that assessment of motor performances in older people with simple measures such as walking speed can be performed easily and that the role of fitness in preserving life and function in older age is important."

Brain stimulating activities keep dementia at bay

Studies have shown that a board game like mahjong or scrabble games can stimulate the brain and therefore keep dementia at bay.

Mahjong (麻將) is a game for four players that originated in China. It was called (麻雀), meaning sparrow in ancient China. It is still the name most commonly used in some southern Chinese dialects such as Cantonese and Minnan, as well as in Japanese. However, most Chinese now call the game má jiàng (麻將).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong

Mahjong is a social game of skill, cunning strategy and to keep things interesting, a bit of luck. Some compare this as very much similar to rummy. It is an exciting game requiring four players. Some variations can be played by three. Playing the game requires strategy, skills, calculations and luck. The game is very popular in Asia as gambling game. In western countries, the game was introduced as a hobby game to while away free time. In a typical game, you get 13 or 16 tiles and you have to make four groups, also known as ‘melds’, and a pair or ‘head’ before other

players to win the game.

SINGAPORE: The People’s Association (PA) will be offering mahjong classes in English.

The PA is organising three sessions in total. The next session will begin on November 5.

Check it out if you are interested. Do drop us a line to share what you have learned. We look forward to your sharing.

Check your second-hand phone a stolen item

Police launch service to curb sales of stolen, missing cellphones. This service is an enhancement to its Handphone Imei Tracing System, or Hits, which began as a website service in 2006.

The system uses a cellphone's unique International Mobile Equipment Identity (Imei) number to identify phones that have been reported stolen.

To reveal the Imei number, key in *#06# on the cellphone.

To screen whether a mobile phone is a stolen item, SMS :

• For Singaporeans, permanent residents, employment-pass and work-permit holders, send an SMS to 74688 with the following :
• "SPFHITS(space)NRIC no./FIN no.(space)Imei no."

• For tourists or visitors, send an SMS to 74688 with these information :
• "SPFHITS(space)Identity no.(space)O(space)Imei no."

If gthe screening result says "Wanted", the public should lodge a report with the police immediately.