I don't profess to be an expert on hotel design and operation, but I offer here my observations after many years of travel.

1. Arrival. You know that we are coming, we booked ages ago. All we ask is that our room is ready. It's not difficult especially when travelling as part with a tour operator who will know what time our plane arrives. Don't keep us waiting for hours, especially out of peak periods when all rooms are not fully booked and so there can be little excuse.
   
2. Rooms.
   
   1. Nothing is more irritating than having a third person sharing in your room but only having the essentials for two people - it drives me mad. Time and again we have had a 'roll away' bed in our room for a child, but only had two lots of towels, cups, glasses, chairs on the balcony etc. We should not have to remind the room service people every day that we need extra. The third bed is a bit of a bloody big clue.
      
   2. Cleaning. Try to have the rooms cleaned at roughly the same time each day. We are not all stupid and if we know our room is going to be serviced between 1100 and 1200, then we can chose to be there or not, but at least we know. Again, it is not difficult to do with a little bit of planning. The evening turn down service should start at the same time as evening meals service starts. Nothing is more irritating than trying to get ready for dinner when the door knocks for room service. Again, a little planning.
      
   3. Have a good selection or room types, basic, enhanced, club, junior and suite etc, and always have 'accessible' rooms. If guests have paid a bit more for a room that is not 'basic', then let them know that have a better room, make it obvious. Tea/coffee facilities, robes, a free daily paper – these are all relatively inexpensive ways to upgrade a room.
      
      1. Accessible rooms should have wider doors, no steps into the shower or onto the balcony/terrace, and be minimalist in furniture – to allow easier movement for those with limited mobility. When furnishing the rooms it would be prudent to seek specialist advise in such matters as bed height, shower alarms etc.
         
      2. Club rooms are a good selling point and a lure for returning guests.
         
         1. The club lounge should be adults only and should enforce a 'No Swim Wear' rule to help keep the seating dry and to enforce a basic standard.
            
         2. A happy hour with free cocktails and spirits is essential and should start just before the main hotel dinner service starts to allow guests to enjoy a pre dinner drink.
            
         3. There should be a supply of newspapers, and this could be where the book library is housed.
            
         4. The club lounge should be adequately staffed for the number of guests who should not have to wait excessively for drinks.
            
         5. Afternoon tea with nibbles and sandwiches should be provided.
            
         6. Make club guests feel special with their own check in area. You could also offer a private airport transfer service.
            
         7. A club guest private swimming pool is an excellent option in larger hotels
            
3. Pools.
   
   1. Have more than one pool where practical. Two medium sized pools are better than one all in large pool.
      
      1. The main pool should have a children's area and a swim up bar, and pool access should be limited to only staying guests – not members of the onsite health club! This pool could allow the use of inflatable's and general pool toys, but the lifeguards should be empowered to stop abusive or inappropriate behaviour.
         
      2. Make the children's area pool surround no smoking.
         
      3. Adults pool. Have a quiet pool with no children allowed. Have signs that clearly state that it is an adult only pool and empower staff to enforce it. Lilo's and other inflatable's could also be allowed here, but enforce a no horseplay rule.
         
      4. If the complex is large enough third or forth pools can be an excellent idea, and can take the pressure off the main pool.
         
      5. Optional small plunge pools around the hotel grounds are an excellent idea, but should be signed that no children without adult supervision. These pools do not need a lifeguard but should not be in isolated areas and should have a telephone to raise an alarm or seek help if required.
         
      6. Have a Club Pool (see above) where possible.
         
   2. Control the pool water temperature. 30 Centigrade is a good temperature for a holiday pool – cool enough to be refreshing when the sun is beating down, but not cold enough to give you thermal shock when you plunge in. I have been to hotels where the pool has been cooled to 25C – much much too cold, the clue here at the time was that there was no one in it!
      
   3. Every pool should have plentiful sun loungers (they are relatively cheap to buy and having more loungers than guests ensures that everyone can get a lounger when they want one), and lots of shade. Shade can be by a mix of planted trees and shrubs and parasols and sun shades, either way there needs to be plenty.
      
   4. All pools, except small plunge pools, should always have lifeguards on duty, and use be banned after dark, this allows an opportunity for cleaning etc.
      
   5. Do NOT scrimp on cleaning. Pools must be chlorinated daily, shocked periodically (keep guests out whilst shocking, but then you have more than one pool don't you!), and also scrubbed to inhibit algae growth. Illness amongst guests is not good, and it is not always the food that causes it.
      
4. Prices.
   
   1. Drinks. Not so cheap that everyone gets intoxicated, but not so expensive that people only buy one or two drinks. Have a happy hour.
      
   2. Food.
      
      1. Have a pricing structure that makes is beneficial to book All Inclusive over Half Board, and Half Board beneficial over B&B etc. If you have a renowned chef, perhaps Michelin starred, then by all means let the price reflect that, but an ordinary steak in the hotel restaurant should never cost $50. If guests feel they are cheated then they will get a taxi and eat out – and that eats into your profit margin.
         
      2. Poolside snacks should be flexible and not exorbitant in price. They can be simple like pizza or burgers, and do allow guests to split a meal across two plates. Again, encourage guests to eat in your hotel with realistic prices. $25 for a lunchtime snack is stupid when a fast food outlet 100metres away from your hotel will feed your guest for $5.
         
      3. Offer lunchtime meal deals – burger and chips and soda all in for $X for example.
         
      4. Have speciality evenings, such as Indian or Italian night, but remember that not all of your guests will appreciate the speciality food. Ensure that you always have some standards available.
         
   3. Extra's.
      
      1. You could offer discounts for returning guests or vouchers for the A La Carte, or loyalty points that enable guests to upgrade rooms.
         
      2. Have live entertainment, such as in a piano bar, or musicians playing at the tables
         
      3. Have special cheaper rates available for excursions, or free courtesy buses to local Malls or outlet centres, water and theme parks etc.
      4. Cats are very popular with a lot of visitors, and they also help keep down unwanted pests. Don't be overrun with them, but a small family group of healthy cats living in the grounds is good.
         
5. Smoking
   
   1. All rooms on a floor should be no smoking. Do NOT mix the laundry from smoking and non smoking rooms – non smokers can tell at a whiff.
      
   2. All public indoor areas, such as dining rooms and bars must be non smoking.
      
   3. Outdoor areas should have designated no smoking areas – non smokers should be able to enjoy having a drink outdoors without the waft of smoke.
      
   4. Do not allow smoking in children's areas, such as by the children's pool or by the children's play area.
      
   5. Beach. Obviously dependant on if it is private or not, but generally:
      
      1. Have a lifeguard and a safe flag system
         
      2. Have shade available
         
      3. Have plenty of sunbeds
         
      4. Showers by the sand edge to allow guests to wash off the sand before going back into the hotel
         
      5. Don't allow beach hawkers and bumsters access to annoy your guests
         

   
   

   This is by no means exhaustive, there are many other hints and tips that I cold add, but I have tried to add pointers that should encourage repeat and recommended guests. My guess is that I am targeting the 4/5* range of hotels.
   

After a long day travelling we have arrived and are settled in our room. 39 degrees here - cooler than i hoped but warm enough I suppose. The Virgin Atlantic Flight was ok despite lots of turbulence but the bed was 2" shorter and 2" narrower than me! Watched The Day The Earth Stood Still which I had someohow managed to miss buying on DVD - good remake but the original is still the best. Only one thing on the TV news when we got here - sad, but for goodness sake, move on people!
Fortunately the bed in the hotel is much bigger than the one on the plane! Spent an hour by (and in) the pool whilst waiting for our room to be ready due to arriving several hours before official checkin due to the overnight flight, but hotel didn't keep us waiting long. But they shouldn't really have kept us waiting at all, after all they knew we were coming. Minus a few points there I think.

Off to the club lounge for pre dinner drinks and canapes and then we shall eat. What delights await us in the Brasserie I wonder. We will probably just buffet tonight as we are all a tad knackered and tired and can't be bothered to do much more than drink, eat and then collapse into slumber.

One in three people with type 2 diabetes are given medication too soon, instead of being urged to eat better and do more exercise, a study suggests.

The latest report that I saw suggests that Doctors are too quick to put us Type 2 diabetics on tablets (see here) . Well now I think that reports like that are very worrying, not because of the suggestion that they make, but worrying because the suggestion is misleading and the study poorly scoped.

It is reported that some people have Type 2 diabetes for years without knowing. How can that be I wonder? For me the disease came on very quickly, in December a full medical showed no illness and just a few pounds overweight, by the following June I was in full blown Type 2 and, according to my hurredly taken blood tests, only a few weeks away from hospitalisation. In the early months of the onset I increasingly felt 'old', my energy waned, my concentration was lacking and my thirst grew beyond belief. By June it was obvious to me and to my family that there was something seriously wrong. I could not have lived with that medical knowledge for years, in fact I couldn't have coped any longer. I put off going to the doctors for at least a month, even though I knew I shouldn't. I was scared to be told what I had, I wouldn't even look the thing up on the internet. Eventually I had no choice, I could not live any longer the way I was.

At the Doctors, armed with blood tests showing a skyhigh HbA1c and the records of how I ate and what I ate, my GP had only one option. Tablets. He told me that lifestyle was something I needed to look at but that a visit to the dietician was probably a waste of time, my diet was already very good. He put me on metformin, statins, aspirin and perindropril and signed me off work for a month.

In the few months since my full medical, my BP had gone from 140/80 to 200+/100, my cholesterol had gone from around 4.5 to 11 and my blood sugar was 'dangerous'. A lifestyle change by Jogging around the streets and eating more fruit and less fats was absolutely NOT going to sort out my Type 2. No way. Yet I am in the South West, I am one of the statistics in the study, the study that says Type 2 diabetics are given tablets too soon. From what I can discern, the study looked only at time from diagnosis to medication. A true scientific study should have taken many other factors into account, the levels of key indicators, the speed of onset, the existing dietary and motory habits of the patient.

I think that this study is poor, and I think this type of headline maligns the GP. My GP was excellent and did exactly the right thing for me. He is in the South West, the area covered by this report. The reporting of the frankly poor study should have given a balance, should have examined the assertions and perhaps spoken to some GP's for their opinion.

Not impressed, yet again. BBC I expect better quality reporting from you.
Rant over.

Yet again poor reporting on a major

I was sent this news report today. I am not sure of the web source, if I can find it I will append it and reference it properly. I can say that I am totally at one with this, I have so struggled with memory loss since I became diabetic, and I can assert that when I was unregulated, my blood sugar I mean, my memory was terrible and contributed to my eventually losing the job I loved. My memory is better now, but nowhere near as good as it used to be. I am trying to keep my brain exercised - but it is so tiring.

Blood sugar control linked to memory decline, study says
Spikes in blood sugar can take a toll on memory by affecting the dentate gyrus, an area of the brain within the hippocampus that helps form memories, a new study reports.
Researchers said the effects can be seen even when levels of blood sugar, or glucose, are only moderately elevated, a finding that may help explain normal age-related cognitive decline, since glucose regulation worsens with age.
The study, by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and funded in part by the National Institute on Aging, was published in the December issue of Annals of Neurology.
"If we conclude this is underlying normal age-related cognitive decline, then it affects all of us," said lead investigator Dr. Scott Small, associate professor of nememory lossurology at Columbia University Medical Center. The ability to regulate glucose starts deteriorating by the third or fourth decade of life, he added.
Since glucose regulation is improved with physical activity, Small said, "We have a behavioral recommendation — physical exercise."
In the study, researchers used high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging to map brain regions in 240 elderly subjects. They found a correlation between elevated blood glucose levels and reduced cerebral blood volume, or blood flow, in the dentate gyrus, an indication of reduced metabolic activity and function in that region of the brain.
By manipulating blood sugar levels in mice and monkeys, researchers said, they tried to confirm a cause-and-effect relationship between the glucose spikes and the reduced blood volume, Small said.
Bruce McEwen, who heads the neuroendocrinology lab at Rockefeller University in New York and was not involved in the research, said the study's findings were "compelling," with important implications not just for the elderly but for the growing number of overweight children and teens at risk of Type 2 diabetes.
"When we think about diabetes, we think about heart disease and all the consequences for the rest of the body, but we usually don't think about the brain," he said. "This is something we've got to be really worried about. We need to think about their ultimate risks not only for cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders, but also about their cognitive skills, and whether they will be able to keep up with the demands of education and a fast-paced complex society. That's the part that scares the heck out of me."
Previous observational studies have shown that physical activity reduces the risk of cognitive decline, and studies have also found that diabetes increases the risk of dementia. Earlier studies had also found a link between Type 2 diabetes and dysfunction in the dentate gyrus.
Sheri Colberg-Ochs, an associate professor of exercise science at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, said her research has found that regular exercise, even light physical activity, can offset the potentially negative effects of Type 2 diabetes on cognitive function. It is not clear what the mechanism is, she said, but may have something to do with the effect of insulin.
"This new study is interesting in that it allows for a greater understanding of which region of the hippocampus is likely most affected by poorly controlled diabetes," she said.
But the elevations in blood glucose seen in the new study are more subtle and would not be considered a disease state, Small said.
"It's part of the normal process of aging, much like wrinkling of skin," he said. "It happens to all of us inexorably, and it worsens progressively across the life span."

I have read a lot recently on lowering cholesterol and its importance. I have also seen that ministers in the UK seem to be considering giving everone over a certain age a statin daily. OK you might think, but then statins are not necessarily the totally good guy that they may appear to be. As a diabetic I have been given statins to reduce my cholesterol and of course have regular blood tests to check how things are going. One thing that has become apparant is that my triglicerides are not where they should be and also of slight concern is that my liver function is VERY slightly deteriorating. This lead me to do some research, and it appears that statins may be the culprit. I have decided that I will try and reverse the liver deterioration and improve the triglicerides naturally.


Research indicates that the First way how to lower cholesterol naturally is through Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) - exercise and food. However depending on your circumstances Lifestyle changes are sometimes difficult to make.
Exercise and Lose Weight. Everyone knows by now that the keys to good cardiovascular health are exercise and maintaining your ideal weight. Just a few minutes per day should increase your level of high-density lipoproteins (HDL or "good" cholesterol). Just 10 minutes of exercise first thing in the morning can increase your metabolic rate for the rest of the day. Consumption of water so that you are fully hydrated can increase your metabolic rate 24 hours per day. However I have chronic pain and am relatively sedentary and I cannot really change that part of my lifestyle.
Watch your diet and food.
Fitting in the recommended 5 servings of fruits and vegetables (2 of one group and 3 of the other) helps take the place of some of the more processed snacks. Fruits and vegetables are mostly fat free. Maintain a diet that is made of 2/3 of vegetables and fruits and 1/3 of other foods, but I already do that and so I cannot really improve the food side of my diet either..
Latest research suggest that cholesterol lowering foods such as avocados, almonds, olive oil, soy beans, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, chili peppers, oat bran, beans (kidney, pintos, black, navy, etc.), onions, fatty fish, and flax seed play a crucial role in lowering LDL and sometimes raising HDL levels. They are all in my diet (except chili - yeuk!)
Stop Smoking - did that in 1993.
Ok, so I need a second way to lower cholestrerol

Nutritional Supplements.
There are clinically proven supplements on how to lower cholesterol naturally by 10 to 20 percent; there is solid proof and science backing up the claims on how to lower cholesterol naturally through supplements.

Policosanol.Policosanol has been subject to numerous clinical trials, which have reportedly proven its effectiveness on how to lower cholesterol naturally.
Policosanol works by helping the liver control its production and breakdown of cholesterol. Clinical studies show that policosanol is as effective as prescription drugs on how to loweri cholesterol naturally, without side effects.
For example, in a study of 53 diabetic patients, policosanol lowered total cholesterol by 14.2 percent, LDL (bad) cholesterol 20.4 percent and even raised the levels of HDL (good) cholesterol by 7.5 percent. SO I have ordered some policosanol.
Gugulipid or guggul-lipid.
Guggulipid is an ancient herb from India. Over recent years many clinical trials have proven its efficacy on how to lower cholesterol naturally and also it is one of the few substances that can effectively lower triglycerides.
In fact, these trials have shown this herb to be more effective in lowering cholesterol than the modern statin drugs, but with no side effects. Statin drugs do not lower triglycerides as I have found out from personal experience. SO I have ordered some gugulipids.
Fish Oil Supplements.
A lot has been written about the cholesterol lowering effects of omega 3 fatty acids and fish oil. However, is it really true that they lower cholesterol!? I found out that fish oil supplements do not prevent heart disease and lower cholesterol. Just eat fish twice a week is the better option. Click Here for more. So, no fish oil supplements for me.

Garlic Cholesterol.
In a large study of 220 patients, the garlic group took 800 milligrams of a powdered garlic for four months. This group experienced a 12 percent drop in cholesterol and a 17 percent drop in triglycerides. The placebo group had little change. So I shall add more garlic to my diet.
Flax Seed and Cholesterol.
Flaxseed is a whole grain that can be found in health food stores and some supermarkets.
In one study by Bahram Arjmandi, Ph.D., of Oklahoma State University, supplements of ground flax seed were given to 38 women with extremely high cholesterol levels were given bread and muffins containing 38 g of either sunflower or flaxseed four times daily.
After six weeks, flaxseed result on how to lower cholesterol naturally was: total cholesterol was reduced by 6.9 percent and LDL (bad) cholesterol by 14.7 percent.
Red Yeast Rice.
Red yeast rice has profound effects to lower cholesterol naturally.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It demonstrates that "red yeast rice significantly reduces total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and total triacylglycerol concentrations compared with placebo and provides a new, novel, food-based approach to lowering cholesterol in the general population." SO Red yeast rice for me also.


We shall have to see what the effects are, I expect that my mid year blood tests will show improved triglicerides, lower bad cholesterol and hopefully less liver deterioration. Time will tell. If there is no improvement then I shall simply stop the supplements. If there is a dramatic improvement I may stop the statins for six months and then see the state of my cholesterol.

Well now, that is interesting. I was rummaging around the internet (as you do), and came across a test to find out what type of brain I have. It seems I have a male type brain (do not be surprised, apparantly brain type does not always follow sex type). If you are interested in your own, I have reproduced the test below. Print it out, don't cheat and see what type you are:


The Empathy Quotient (EQ)The Empathy Quotient is intended to measure how easily you pick up on other people's feelings and how strongly you are affected by other people's feelings. Please read each of the 60 following statements very carefully and rate how strongly you agree or disagree with them by circling your answer. There are no right or wrong answers, or trick questions.
How to take the test 1. Print out this page and circle your answers. 2. Work out your EQ score using the points system explained at the bottom of this page.
1. I can easily tell if someone else wants to enter a conversation.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
2. I prefer animals to humans.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
3. I try to keep up with the current trends and fashions.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
4. I find it difficult to explain to others things that I understand easily, when they don't understand it first time.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
5. I dream most nights.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
6. I really enjoy caring for other people.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
7. I try to solve my own problems rather than discussing them with others.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
8. I find it hard to know what to do in a social situation.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
9. I am at my best first thing in the morning.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
10. People often tell me that I went too far in driving my point home in a discussion.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
11. It doesn't bother me too much if I am late meeting a friend.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
12. Friendships and relationships are just too difficult, so I tend not to bother with them.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
13. I would never break a law, no matter how minor.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
14. I often find it difficult to judge if something is rude or polite.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
15. In a conversation, I tend to focus on my own thoughts rather than on what my listener might be thinking.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
16. I prefer practical jokes to verbal humour.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
17. I live life for today rather than the future.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
18. When I was a child, I enjoyed cutting up worms to see what would happen.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
19. I can pick up quickly if someone says one thing but means another.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
20. I tend to have very strong opinions about morality.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
21. It is hard for me to see why some things upset people so much.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
22. I find it easy to put myself in somebody else's shoes.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
23. I think that good manners are the most important thing a parent can teach their child.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
24. I like to do things on the spur of the moment.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
25. I am good at predicting how someone will feel.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
26. I am quick to spot when someone in a group is feeling awkward or uncomfortable.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
27. If I say something that someone else is offended by, I think that that's their problem, not mine.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
28. If anyone asked me if I liked their haircut, I would reply truthfully, even if I didn't like it.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
29. I can't always see why someone should have felt offended by a remark.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
30. People often tell me that I am very unpredictable.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
31. I enjoy being the centre of attention at any social gathering.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
32. Seeing people cry doesn't really upset me.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
33. I enjoy having discussions about politics.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
34. I am very blunt, which some people take to be rudeness, even though this is unintentional.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
35. I don?tend to find social situations confusing.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
36. Other people tell me I am good at understanding how they are feeling and what they are thinking.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
37. When I talk to people, I tend to talk about their experiences rather than my own.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
38. It upsets me to see an animal in pain.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
39. I am able to make decisions without being influenced by people's feelings.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
40. I can't relax until I have done everything I had planned to do that day.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
41. I can easily tell if someone else is interested or bored with what I am saying.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
42. I get upset if I see people suffering on news programmes.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
43. Friends usually talk to me about their problems as they say that I am very understanding.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
44. I can sense if I am intruding, even if the other person doesn't tell me.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
45. I often start new hobbies but quickly become bored with them and move on to something else.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
46. People sometimes tell me that I have gone too far with teasing.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
47. I would be too nervous to go on a big rollercoaster.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
48. Other people often say that I am insensitive, though I don?always see why.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
49. If I see a stranger in a group, I think that it is up to them to make an effort to join in.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
50. I usually stay emotionally detached when watching a film.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
51. I like to be very organised in day to day life and often make lists of the chores I have to do.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
52. I can tune into how someone else feels rapidly and intuitively.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
53. I don't like to take risks.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
54. I can easily work out what another person might want to talk about.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
55. I can tell if someone is masking their true emotion.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
56. Before making a decision I always weigh up the pros and cons.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
57. I don't consciously work out the rules of social situations.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
58. I am good at predicting what someone will do.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
59. I tend to get emotionally involved with a friend's problems.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
60. I can usually appreciate the other person's viewpoint, even if I don't agree with it.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
How to work out your EQ scoreScore two points for each of the following items if you answered 'definitely agree' or one point if you answered 'slightly agree': 1, 6, 19, 22, 25, 26, 35, 36, 37, 38, 41, 42, 43, 44, 52, 54, 55, 57, 58, 59, 60.
Score two points for each of the following items if you answered 'definitely disagree' or one point if you answered 'slightly disagree': 4, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15,18, 21, 27, 28, 29, 32, 34, 39, 46, 48, 49, 50
All other questions are not scored.
What your score meansOn average, most women score about 47 and most men about 42. Most people with Asperger Syndrome or high-functioning autism score about 20.
0-32 = You have a lower than average ability for understanding how other people feel and responding appropriately.
33-52 = You have an average ability for understanding how other people feel and responding appropriately. You know how to treat people with care and sensitivity.
53-63 = You have an above average ability for understanding how other people feel and responding appropriately. You know how to treat people with care and sensitivity.
64-80 = You have a very high ability for understanding how other people feel and responding appropriately. You know how to treat people with care and sensitivity.


The Systemizing Quotient (SQ)The Systemizing Quotient gives a score based on how interested you assess yourself to be in each of the following forms of systemizing. Systemizing is the drive to analyse and explore a system, to extract underlying rules that govern the behaviour of a system; and the drive to construct systems. Please read each of the following 60 statements very carefully and rate how strongly you agree or disagree with them by circling your answer. There are no right or wrong answers, or trick questions.
How to take the test1. Print out this page and circle your answers. 2. Work out your SQ score using the points system explained at the bottom of this page.
1. When I listen to a piece of music, I always notice the way it's structured.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
2. I adhere to common superstitions.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
3. I often make resolutions, but find it hard to stick to them.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
4. I prefer to read non-fiction than fiction.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
5. If I were buying a car, I would want to obtain specific information about its engine capacity.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
6. When I look at a painting, I do not usually think about the technique involved in making it.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
7. If there was a problem with the electrical wiring in my home, I'd be able to fix it myself.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
8. When I have a dream, I find it difficult to remember precise details about the dream the next day.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
9. When I watch a film, I prefer to be with a group of friends, rather than alone.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
10. I am interested in learning about different religions.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
11. I rarely read articles or webpages about new technology.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
12. I do not enjoy games that involve a high degree of strategy.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
13. I am fascinated by how machines work.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
14. I make it a point of listening to the news each morning.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
15. In maths, I am intrigued by the rules and patterns governing numbers.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
16. I am bad about keeping in touch with old friends.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
17. When I am relating a story, I often leave out details and just give the gist of what happened.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
18. I find it difficult to understand instruction manuals for putting appliances together.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
19. When I look at an animal, I like to know the precise species it belongs to.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
20. If I were buying a computer, I would want to know exact details about its hard drive capacity and processor speed.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
21. I enjoy participating in sport.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
22. I try to avoid doing household chores if I can.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
23. When I cook, I do not think about exactly how different methods and ingredients contribute to the final product.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
24. I find it difficult to read and understand maps.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
25. If I had a collection (e.g. CDs, coins, stamps), it would be highly organised.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
26. When I look at a piece of furniture, I do not notice the details of how it was constructed.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
27. The idea of engaging in "risk-taking" activities appeals to me.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
28. When I learn about historical events, I do not focus on exact dates.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
29. When I read the newspaper, I am drawn to tables of information, such as football league scores or stock market indices.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
30. When I learn a language, I become intrigued by its grammatical rules.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
31. I find it difficult to learn my way around a new city.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
32. I do not tend to watch science documentaries on television or read articles about science and nature.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
33. If I were buying a stereo, I would want to know about its precise technical features.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
34. I find it easy to grasp exactly how odds work in betting.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
35. I am not very meticulous when I carry out D.I.Y.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
36. I find it easy to carry on a conversation with someone I've just met.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
37. When I look at a building, I am curious about the precise way it was constructed.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
38. When an election is being held, I am not interested in the results for each constituency.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
39. When I lend someone money, I expect them to pay me back exactly what they owe me.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
40. I find it difficult to understand information the bank sends me on different investment and saving systems.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
41. When travelling by train, I often wonder exactly how the rail networks are coordinated.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
42. When I buy a new appliance, I do not read the instruction manual very thoroughly.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
43. If I were buying a camera, I would not look carefully into the quality of the lens.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
44. When I read something, I always notice whether it is grammatically correct.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
45. When I hear the weather forecast, I am not very interested in the meteorological patterns.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
46. I often wonder what it would be like to be someone else.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
47. I find it difficult to do two things at once.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
48. When I look at a mountain, I think about how precisely it was formed.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
49. I can easily visualise how the motorways in my region link up.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
50. When I'm in a restaurant, I often have a hard time deciding what to order.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
51. When I'm in a plane, I do not think about the aerodynamics.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
52. I often forget the precise details of conversations I've had.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
53. When I am walking in the country, I am curious about how the various kinds of trees differ.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
54. After meeting someone just once or twice, I find it difficult to remember precisely what they look like.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
55. I am interested in knowing the path a river takes from its source to the sea.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
56. I do not read legal documents very carefully.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
57. I am not interested in understanding how wireless communication works.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
58. I am curious about life on other planets.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
59. When I travel, I like to learn specific details about the culture of the place I am visiting.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
60. I do not care to know the names of the plants I see.
strongly agree
slightly agree
slightly disagree
strongly disagree
How to work out your SQ scoreScore two points for each of the following items if you answered 'definitely agree' or one point if you answered 'slightly agree': 1, 4, 5, 7, 13, 15, 19, 20, 25, 29, 30, 33, 34, 37, 41, 44, 48, 49, 53, 55.
Score two points for each of the following items if you answered 'definitely disagree' or one point if you answered 'slightly disagree': 6, 11, 12, 18, 23, 24, 26, 28, 31, 32, 35, 38, 40, 42, 43, 45, 51, 56, 57, 60.
All other questions are not scored.
What your score meansOn average women score about 24 and men score about 30.
0-19 = You have a lower than average ability for analysing and exploring a system.
20-39 = You have an average ability for analysing and exploring a system.
40-50 = You have an above average ability for analysing and exploring a system.
51-80 = You have a very high ability for analysing and exploring a system. Three times as many people with Asperger Syndrome score in this range, compared to typical men, and almost no women score this high.

What type of brain do you have?According to Baron-Cohen's theory, a person (whether male or female) has a particular 'brain type'. There are three common brain types: the female brain, the male brain and the balanced brain.
You can see where you fit by plotting your SQ score on the horizontal axis and your EQ score on the vertical axis on the graph below.
For some individuals, empathising is stronger than systemising. This is called the female brain, or a brain of type E.
For other individuals, systemising is stronger than empathising. This is called the male brain, or a brain of type S.
Yet other individuals are equally strong in their systemising and empathising. This is called the 'balanced brain', or a brain of type B.
The balanced brain would fit on the diagonal in the top right of the graph - this is where both EQ and SQ are equally strong.
The extreme female brain (which would be at the top left of the graph) has yet to be discovered according to Baron-Cohen. The extreme male brain (bottom right of the graph) may be a manifestation of autism.
A key feature of the theory is that your sex cannot tell you which type of brain you have. Not all men have the male brain, and not all women have the female brain. The central claim of this new theory is only that on average, more males than females have a brain of type S, and more females than males have a brain of type E.

It is back to the medical theme today. As regular followers know I am on a variety of medications for various things covering two chronic conditions. (Chronic means long lasting or no cure. People us it when they actually mean Acute, which means severe, short lived and curable. I know which is which). I have diabetes mellitis which is chronic and severe lower back pain which is also chronic.

Now my view is that Diabetes can kill me, and a painful back won't. So as I am fed up of all the tablets I am taking, I decided to stop taking the daily pain regime tablets for my lower back. That regime is a combination of Gabapentin and Venlafaxine. I stopped on Tuesday. Still taking all my diabetes meds of course.

Around midday on friday I suddenly (suddenly like I mean NO WARNING) I had a really bad head cold. Overnight friday it developed into full blown man flu. Of course, being diabetic, I cannot take anything for it, I just have to tough it out.

I happened to mention this to an online friend and she kind of told me off and told me to go and look up withdrawal. So I did, again. (I had already and thought I knew what to expect, just some mild dizziness) And what I found was that 2-3 days after stopping venlafaxine, I could expect to get severe flu symptoms, that would last 2 - 3 weeks, and would not be completely cleared for 2 - 3 months. WHAT!!!!!!

Guess what? 2.5 days after stopping the venlafaxine i developed severe flu like symptoms. I can't be having that, and the dizziness. So back on the venlafaxine.

My lesson learned? Listen to my Doctor!!!!!

And thanks VM to my internet friend, she know who she is.