Q. What is psychology's contribution to the intriguing list of "Magic Sevens"? Clue: Do you have trouble remembering 10-digit phone numbers?
A. Researcher George Miller enshrined our recall capacity as "the Magical Number Seven, plus or minus two," says David G. Myers in "Psychology in Everyday Life." Typically, we can store only about seven discrete items of information (give or take two) in short-term memory. "Not surprisingly, when some phone companies began requiring callers to dial a three-digit area code in addition to a seven-digit number, people had trouble retaining the just-looked-up number." The original "magic sevens" included the seven wonders of the world, the seven seas, the seven deadly sins, the seven primary colors, the seven musical scale notes and the seven days of the week.

Q. What does paleopathologist Frank Ruhli do that doubtless you don't, un...
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John Owens graduated from the Veterinary College U.C.D.

Kennel Cough - the facts

Q. What is kennel cough? Can my dog catch it even if he is never put in kennels?
A. "Kennel cough" is a disease of the respiratory tract that affects dogs. It is also known as canine infectious tracheobronchitis or bordetellosis, and is the most common respiratory disease in dogs. It is highly contagious and can affect dogs of any age. It is characterised by a dry, harsh, convulsive cough, much like that caused by whooping cough in humans. A fit of coughing can result in retching and gagging, which can appear as if the dog is choking on something or vomiting. Other signs include l...
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Taurus: April 21 - May 21
Check destinations when setting out upon a journey to make sure that you are headed to the correct place - maybe times as well, to be sure that you have chosen the right day upon which to travel. Dietary matters become a thing of concern as an impending moment of great importance approaches at the speed of light. Reminding you, I suppose, that time and tide wait for no one!

Gemini: May 22 - June 21
Try to be as good as you can to those around you - and be surprised at how quickly the acknowledgement of your kindness returns to you. There is also a sense of issues that have been troubling you vanishing like the snows of winter in early spring sunshine. Be prepared to say sorry, even if you don't feel you were that wrong in the first place, especially if a child is involved.

Cancer: June 22 - July 22
Have you eve...
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Waterford News Feb/March 1930 the skating horse
Ferrybank is becoming notorious for unusual incidents. We now have the "skating horse". On Saturday morning last when a four wheel vehicle driven by a man called Paul Cody and laden with meat going to the well-known victualling establishment of Mr. M. O'Regan was proceeding down the "Slip Hill" the horse commenced to 'skate', Cody realising he could not pull up the horse without knocking him, allowed the animal to make its own way. Down the incline without ever increasing speed it went, holding its feet with perfect balance and pose until it reached the bottom, when it easily came to a stop. Proceeding on its journey this gallant gee gee deserved a better fate, for when it reached the end the going became very bad and in attempting to continue its slippery journey - fell. A shaft was broken but neither man or horse received any injury.

Heir...
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Mary Lawless, Life Coach,

Is it time for you to change?

Now that our Autumn is here and the days are getting just that little bit darker and shorter, why not think about how have you been in the past few weeks, were you in better form than usual? Or were you much the same? In the past month were you happy with how things went? i.e. that you made the most of the mild weather and appreciated the beauty of the Autumn colours. Or were you just the same as you normally are, wishing you had the time, interest and energy to enjoy your life but never quite got round to it. Then perhaps you need to look at what is happening? Now might be as good a time as any to make some decisions about your lifestyle, so that when Autumn comes next year, you will be able to look back on the Autumn of 2009 and say that you made the most out of it!

Some people think and you may be one of them "when I ge...
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MOLECULES found in a curry spice have been shown to kill oesophageal cancer cells in the laboratory, reveals research published in the British Journal of Cancer last week.

Scientists at the Cork Cancer Research Centre, UCC, treated oesophageal cancer cells with curcumin - a chemical found in the curry spice tumeric. They found that curcumin started to kill cancer cells within 24 hours. The cells also began to digest themselves. The results additionally showed that curcumin kills cells by triggering lethal cell death signals.

"These exciting results suggest that scientists could develop curcumin as a potential anti-cancer drug to treat oesophageal cancer," says Dr Sharon McKenna, lead study author at the Cork Cancer Research Centr...
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More than 80% of people with Psoriasis are embarrassed by their condition

New research shows that psoriasis has a dramatic and lasting impact on people's lives, potentially affecting their ability to pursue careers, educational opportunities and relationships. On World Psoriasis Day 2009, the Psoriasis Association of Ireland and Abbott are launching the results from the Psoriasis Uncovered survey which captured information about the social and psychological effects of psoriasis in 325 Irish responses with more than 10,800 responses from 17 global countries overall.

The new research shows that more than 80% of people in Ireland who have psoriasis are embarrassed by their condition and almost 90% feel psoriasis has impacted on their confidence and self-esteem. In 83% of cases, it also affected their mood or mental health. The research highlighted that 85% of Irish respondents felt that their...
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Waterford City Council's annual Environment Awards were held on 22nd October.

These awards include categories for gardens, residential estates, business initiatives and tidy schools as well as litter competitions for school children.

In particular, the awards reward the work residents, communities, schools and business people of the city for their efforts to improve their areas throughout the year. The judges were delighted with the standard of entries high this year.

Two of the main categories in the Pride of Place Environmental Awards are Best Large Residential Area and Best Small Residential Area. Cork Road/Kingsmeadow won the prize in the Best Large Residential Area category, sponsored by WLR. This residents association works hard throughout the year to ensure that their area is kept clean and tidy.

They carry out regular clean ups of the estate and ensure that ...
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