Ketch-up with the festival
Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? This historic debate could easily be the topic of discussion at a festival which celebrates the mysterious food item. The Totally Terrific Tomato Festival will be paying homage to the ingredient vital for bolognese and pizza, with a series of exhibitions, talks, cookery demos and much more.
Taking place from August 19-26 as part of Heritage Week at the National Botanic Gardens, you’ll be able to find out how the various varieties are cultivated and about the humble tomato’s plant-life relatives, including tobacco, potatoes, chillies, petunias and even deadly nightshade.
As the theme for Heritage Week 2018 is Sharing Stories, self-confessed tomato addict Nicky Kyle, along with Botanic Gardens Director Matthew Jebb, will also be on hand for the fascinating series of talks known as Tomato Tales to amuse and beguile you.
Bon appetit!
Brain games defamed
In the past if you wanted to train your brain you would do riddles and puzzles, but with technological advances in society, brain games can be easily played on your phone. But do they work?
According to a new report carried out by Bobby Stojanoski, a research scientist in the Brain and Mind Institute at Western University in Ontario, the answer is an affirmative ‘no’.
The participants took part in an experiment which tested their working memory in a certain task, and then tested them on another secondary task. Researchers found that there was no improvement between those who had trained in the first game, and a control group who only were only tested for the second task.
“Despite hours of brain training on that one game, participants were no better at the second game than people who tested on the second game, but hadn’t trained on the first one,” Stojanoski said.
Brushing up!
With summer soon coming to an end, it is probably wise to squeeze in one last holiday before the bad weather hits. But as most people know from personal experience, travelling can be very stressful, especially for the hygiene-obsessed among us. Whether you’re on a plane or in a secluded area in an unfamiliar country, fighting off germs might be the only thing on your mind. One small way this can be alleviated is through the cleaning power of Toothettes.
Unlike normal toothbrushes which require water and toothpaste, Toothettes are ultra-soft swabs which have distinct ridges that help lift debris and mucus, clean between teeth and stimulate oral tissues while being gentle on the mouth.
They’re very easy to use as you simply have to pop them in your mouth, brush your teeth, and throw them away. They even come in handy bags of 20, so you can always have them ready to go and even share one with a friend!
