Gold Breakfast Show

Haiti Earthquake Relief – How Can We Help?

The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) said it will channel any donations made to help the quake victims in Haiti to the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
This will help the IFRC with their immediate relief efforts.
However the Singapore Red Cross said it will not be launching a public appeal here as several appeals have been made to Singaporeans to help survivors of disasters in the region.
SRC said it does not want to cause “donor fatigue”.
Nonetheless it will channel any donations made to the IFRC emergency appeal fund for Earthquake Haiti.
For logistical considerations, the Singapore Red Cross said it will not be accepting any donations-in-kind such as clothes or food. – CNA

For more info, visit the Singapore Red Cross website.

Fat-Bottoms are Fab!
Carrying fat on the hips, thighs and behind, rather than around the waist, “is good for you” – it has a range of health benefits and actively protects against diabetes and heart disease, experts at Oxford University said.
A big bottom is much better than carrying fat around the waist, which tends to release more harmful fatty acids into the body, the research shows.
Belly fat also releases molecules called cytokines which trigger inflammation – raising the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
But fat carried on the thighs traps these harmful fatty acids and stops them from latching on to the liver and muscles and causing a range of health problems, including insulin resistance.
Although fat around the thighs and backside tends to burn slower and be harder to shift, it can release beneficial hormones which protect the arteries and help blood sugar control, the research showed.
Bottom line (haha, pun intended), shape matters – and as far as health is concerned, being ‘pear-shaped’ is preferable to being ‘apple-shaped’.
In an ideal world, the more fat around the thighs the better, providing the stomach stays slim. Unfortunately, you tend not to get one without the other!

Don’t Miss The Solar Eclipse Today!
A COOL sensation will descend over Singapore this afternoon with a solar eclipse said to be the longest of its kind in the next 1,000 years.
People will experience a cool sensation on the skin as there will be a dip in radiation from the sun. It will feel like the sun in more temperate climates.
Today’s eclipse is an annular one – the moon will pass in front of the sun, but will not block it completely, as in a total eclipse. Instead, there will be a ring of fire, or a solar ring, visible around the edge of the darkened moon.
At its peak over the Indian Ocean, the solar eclipse will last for just over 11 minutes.
In Singapore, it will last from about 3.10pm to 5.30pm, with the best viewing time at about 4.25pm.
Remember not to look directly at the sun and happy viewing!

How to Deal With a Sleep Talker
An American woman whose English husband woke her up constantly with his sleep talking has hit on a novel idea to handle the situation. She started a blog of his ramblings for amusement but soon found it hard to keep up and stay awake. A voice-activated recorder solved that problem and now every morning she plays it back to hear his hilarious mindnight musings and blogs about them. Needless to say, her blog has become an online sensation, complete with T-shirts with the best quotes for sale!
Click here for the hilarious blog with sleeptalking quotes that are simply too good to miss!
We could learn a few things from the couple – they’ve made what was a nocturnal problem into a money (and humour) generating venture! Plus, they believe the sleep talking is actually “healthy”, because the husband “works out all of his anxiety and frustration in his dreams. It’s like nightly catharsis.” Maybe we should all do it!
Some quotes from Sleep Talkin’ Man

Slim Pickings for Singles!
A university maths tutor has discovered the science behind singlehood, finding that our chances of finding the perfect partner are just 1 in 285,000 – that’s 0.0000034% chance!
Peter Backus, a tutor at the University of Warwick, published his unique “Why I Don’t Have a Girlfriend” thesis after a three-year love drought.
30-year-old Mr Backus found that out of the 30 million women in the UK, only 26 would be suitable girlfriends for him. His quirky study uses a famous maths formula called The Drake Equation, which was first used to estimate the existence of extra-terrestrial life.
Denise: No wonder, in a married world, singles always feel so alienated!
Via SMS: Hi D & H, Drake’s equation, more correctly, is related to the existense of INTELLIGENT et. No wonder the chances are so small for singles
Read the full thesis on the University of Warwick’s website.

Today’s Show is made possible by the NUMBER TWENTY!

20 - 20% of first year university students say they drink coffee “regularly” or “frequently”. That figure rises to 64% for final year students!

20 - A person between the ages of 12 and 20 slams nine times more doors in a given year than people in any other age bracket! Ah, the angsty, terrible teen years!

20 - Each year, from December 23rd to December 27th, we emit 20 times more carbon dioxide than we do during any other five day period. People exhale carbon dioxide at a rate that is approximately 1 kg per day, but the heavier the physical activity, the more CO2 released.
Does over-eating at Christmas count as heavy physical activity?!

Hamish’s 5 Things

Singapore may have one of the lowest smoking rates in the world but some 360,000 people here are still puffing away.
Due to concerted efforts of the National Smoking Control Programme since the 1970s, smoking prevalence has dropped from above 25 per cent to below 14 per cent today.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan revealed the figures in his reply to a question from MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, Lam Pin Min.
The smokers come from all age groups, from 18 to 69, peaking at 17 per cent for those aged 18 to 29 years.
Mr Khaw said men are six times more likely to smoke than women.
He added that the number of Malay smokers is more than double that of Chinese or Indians.
The number of female smokers is still at single digit percentage, except for Malay females who form 14 per cent.
Mr Khaw said more than half of women smokers are below 29 years and their smoking rate has risen sharply from five per cent in 1998 to nine per cent in 2007.
The health minister said there should be no let up in the anti-smoking drive. He said behavioural change, unfortunately, is never easy. – 938LIVE

5 UNIQUELY SINGAPORE REASONS WHY 360,000 SINGAPOREANS ARE STILL PUFFING AWAY

5. ‘YOU PUT ME IN A ROUND ROOM AND ASK ME TO RELAX IN A CORNER AND I CANT FIND ONE – STRESS – NEED TO SMOKE!

4. TO BE LIKE THOSE MODELS ON SUPERMODELME YOU NEED TO HAVE THAT ATTITUDE AND YOU DEVELOP A LOT OF ATTITUDE WHEN YOU SMOKE….

3. MY WHOLE WARDROBE IS GREEN FOR 2 YEARS, ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT IS NUMBERS LIKE 2359 AND LETTERS LIKE ORD – STRESS – MUST SMOKE!

2. I AM A TEENAGER, THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF YOUTH IS TO BE ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT AND TO GIVE CLUELESS ADULTS GRIEF – SO LETS BUM ANOTHER CIGARETTE SO WE CAN LOOK OLDER

1. YOUR LUNGS OR MY LUNGS?

The Gold Health Guide
How to Feel Happier Today
Here’s yet another easy and entirely free way to boost your contentment: Tip #5…
You’ve been Booked!
If you like peace and quiet as much as you do reading, ask if your local library could use your help reading to children. Fulfill a community service and meet new people, all while enjoying a couple hours of book delights. Or share the joy of reding by teaching others through a grassroots literacy organization or starting a neighbourhood book sharing club, or story-telling circle for children.

MAKAN KAKIS
More STEAMBOAT recommendations:

For Good Health, Tell Bosses What You Think of Them!
Research has found that the relationship between staff and managers was the most commonly reported cause of stress in the workplace. The consequences of stress are pervasive – those under stress may experience psychological symptoms, such as anxiety or depression, physiological symptoms, such as palpitations or raised blood pressure, or cognitive symptoms such as reduced mental capacity.
Stress is also a significant cause of sick leave absences and this puts pressure on those left behind to run the business, creating a cycle of uncomfortable pressure with costs to the individual and to the company.
That’s why psychologists argue that telling your boss what you think of them is good for your health. According to their research, presented at the British Psychological Society’s occupational psychology conference, giving managers feedback is more likely to make employees ”happy, healthy and stress-free”.
This is because when bosses receive feedback from their staff, they are more likely to change their style and be seen as more effective.

Ris Low is spokesperson for condom company

Ex-beauty queen Ris Low is once again the topic of discussion. Condom company ‘Espire’ has asked her to be their youth ambassador, reported Shin Min evening daily.
Low will promote their new condom, and raise awareness about safe sex among young people.
After the card fraud incident, Ris Low was interviewed and she said she was “not afraid of embarassment, just want to be famous.” She also added that after her serving her sentence, she wants to join another beauty pageant. “Two years later,
I will once again become a phoenix! I will be back!”
To everyone’s surprise, she had her way. After the fiasco, she not only became the cover girl for a men’s magazine, now she is even the face for Espire.

What do you Gold 90FM listeners think?

Pushy Sales Tactics
This has been making its way round internet forums…
Imagine being offered a free massage after a hard day’s work, only to have the masseuse stop abruptly when you decline signing up for a package.
This is what has happened a few people who were offered complimentary massages whilst they were shopping. Ten seconds into the ‘free massage’, the masseuse suddenly stopped to ask them to sign up for a massage package.
When one of the customers refused, she was asked to leave – with massage oil still on her shoulders!
Another also was forced to take out her wallet to provew she didn’t have money for a package.
Sadly, this happens very often, where potential customers get badgered into parting ways with their money by extremely pushy, unpleasant sales staff.
What’s your experience and how did you deal with it?

Today’s Show is made possible by the NUMBER NINETEEN!

19 – Ever feel like yawning when someone else does? This is what behaviourists refer to as the “yawning contagion”, and it generally develops at about age 19 months.

19 – Yellow sticky notes account for 19% of intra-office communication.

19 – On average only 19% of store bought goldfish will live past two weeks.

19 - While 82% of women say they have “sought revenge” against a previous significant other, only 19% of men responding said they’ve been the victim of acts of vengeance from a previous significant other.
Which leads us to conclude that either men are completely oblivious or women are so cunning that our schemes go unnoticed!

Hamish’s 5 Things

ITS THURSDAY – LETS HAVE A LAUGH AT 5 RESUME BLUNDERS SO THAT YOU WILL KNOW WHAT NOT TO INCLUDE IF YOU ARE JOB HUNTING

5. ON A RESUME: “2001 summer Voluntary work for taking care of the elderly and vegetable people”

4. UNDER HOBBIES ON A RESUME MAJOR BLUNDER IS IF YOU WRITE: Hobbies: “Drugs and girls”.

3. Candidate stated the ability to persuade people sexually using her words.

2. Candidate explained a gap in employment by saying it was because he was getting over the death of his cat for three months.

1. THIS WAS WRITTEN ON A RESUME: “Let’s meet, so you can ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ over my experience.”

The Gold Health Guide
How to Feel Happier Today
Doing someone a good deed combats feelings of loneliness as well as encouraging the production of spirit-lifting endorphins. Donating your time to someone else can also help give you emotional generosity, which makes you feel calmer and happier. Want to enjoy these mood-boosting effects? Add joy to your world and others’ with this next simple act of goodwill: Tip #4
Help the next generation
Try mentoring a youngster in need of your guidance through any of the many youth organisations – whether it’s helping to tutor them or being a big brother or sister to them. For volunteering opportunities, you can check out The National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre’s website or you could even help at our adopted charity Boys’ Town.

MAKAN KAKIS
The Search for STEAMBOAT continues…

Beware If Your Name Begins With The Letter “D”
Denise has a vested interested in this… Scientists have discovered that the letter your name begins with can actually affect your lifespan. A study done at Wayne State University looked at the life spans of 10,000 people and concluded that those people whose names began with the letter “D” had a shorter average life span. People whose names started with the letter “A” tended to outlive the “D’s” by an average of 10 years. Psychologists theorize that those whose names start with “D” feel bad about themselves because the letter “D” is often associated with academic failure. Consequently, their poor self-esteem makes them more susceptible to illness.
Strangely, no word on names starting with any other letter!
Denise: I’m sure there are many people with “D” names who’d beg to differ. Including me!

Double-barrelled Race Option

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday announced further changes to allow a child of mixed heritage to take on a double-barrelled race.
This means that the race of both parents may be recorded on the child’s registration papers and identity card, instead of the current rule where the child can only choose from either parents’ race.
In situations where mixed-marriage parents are undecided on the race to be reflected, but still prefer their child’s race to be double-barrelled, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will reflect the race of the father first. An example would be “Indian-Chinese” for a child with an Indian father and Chinese mother.

-from CNA

Your Opinions via SMS:

gd morn’ In my case i wish the word ‘Chindian’ was official as i hardly speak a word of Indian. I think the double barrelled option is a very timely move! Valerie

Gold Nugget of Trivia
Q: Is the dirtiest skin surface on the average human: (a) the face (b) the feet or (c) the belly button?

A: The face, because it’s always exposed to all the elements, pollution, dirt and saliva (either yours or other peoples!).

Today’s Show is made possible by the NUMBER THIRTY-TWO!

32 – Baby pictures are the most commonly framed. 32% of all frames sold worldwide are used to display pictures of our little darlings.

32 - The average bikini sold in 2005 was 32% the size of the average bikini sold in 1965!

32 - In a recent study, 72% of first graders were able to understand a 1940s radio drama while only 32% of fifth graders were able to do the same.

Hamish’s 5 Things

5 UPLIFTING QUOTES TO HELP US THROUGH MIDWEEK

5. Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. – George Bernard Shaw
4. When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on. – Thomas Jefferson
3. “To control others is to have power, to control yourself is to know the way” – Lao Ma
2. “If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to it” – Jonathan Winters
1. “You never see the bad days in a photo album but it’s those days that get us from one happy snapshot to the next.” – Annonymous

The Gold Health Guide
How to Feel Happier Today
Simply lending a helping hand to someone else can help you see yourself as more compassionate, according to Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside. In turn, that spurs you to feel more confident, optimistic, useful, and yes, happy!
So here’s Tip #3 on doing good and boosting your mood!
Relatively Speaking
Pledge to call an older relative once a week for a catch-up—your recipient will feel more connected to the world, and you’ll benefit from his or her wisdom & experience!

TV = Heart Attack?
Every hour per day watching TV increases risk of heart disease death by 20%, according to a new study published in this month’s edition of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers from the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, in Australia measured participants’ cholesterol and blood sugar levels – key indicators of health – and how many hours they spent watching TV.
They found that people who spent more than four hours a day sitting in front of the TV were 80% more likely to die from a cardiovascular related disease than those who watched less than two hours.
Tracking the lifestyle habits of 8,800 adults over the past seven years, researchers also found they were also moderately more at risk of dying from cancer.
Every type of sedentary behaviour, such as driving and sitting at a computer, also poses significant health risks, Australian researchers concluded.
Even if someone has a healthy body weight, sitting for long periods of time still has an unhealthy influence on their body sugar and blood fats.
Researchers advised people should avoid sitting for long periods of time to lower their risk of developing diseases.

MAKAN KAKIS
STEAMBOAT, please! There’s something so wholesome and communal and heart-warming about steamboat – any suggestions where to go for the best in Singapore?

Annual Local Survey on Children
Surprising and funny results of annual survey conducted on 50 children aged 7 – 14 in November & December last year…
What would you do if you were Prime Minister?
If they had their way — and the job of the Prime Minister — there would be more theme parks and peanut butter factories. But all insects would be killed. Other priorities include saving our coral reefs, ensuring everyone has a job and banning all exams.
What is the coolest job?
Being a lawyer was the top answer for the 2nd year running!
Becoming a doctor, a teacher or joining the police force were the other popular selections, while being a Formula 1 driver, food critic or deep space researcher were among the creative choices.
What are you looking forward to doing in 2010?
• Watching the Youth Olympic Games
• Getting better academic results in school
• Canoeing on a cyber lake (if there are any)
• Keeping my family united and together
• Living my life
Which would you choose – Money or Family?
93% — five percentage points more than last year — said it was more important to spend time with loved ones than to make big bucks.
“Children in Singapore sometimes get criticised for being too materialistic, although we’re pleased to say that our survey has shown otherwise,” said Adecco (the company that conducted the survey) South East Asia regional director Lynne Ng.

Ham: That’s because the children are still young. Give them another 10 years or so and their answers may change!

We let you do the talking – do you think Ham’s right? Responses via SMS:

• Right! KIDS still family centred. Teens more self conscious n materislist, 2look good
• hamish is right. You hv to be realistic, without money you cannot take care of the family. It is not possible to give up everything to take care of the family in the current economic situation. That wd be irresponsible. Margaret 39yrs
• no, i do not agree. I am willing to sacrifice all to spend time with my love one. I am already 34.
• of course the survey result is not accurate cos 7yr old kids don’t even know how to count money yet!
• I spent my early part of my life making money, but at age 50 now, i realise bonding with my family was more important. I urge everyone to balance work and family.
• Another 10yrs would mean being in ur 20s? I’m 25, and it’s always been family 1st! Who else will do ur laundry 4 free?! fiona
• hi Denise & The Nephew Majority of 2day’s adults will say family is impt Bt our kids 2day r brought up in a vry materialistic world Unless & until we instil in them the impt of family value chances r they will chg their opinion in future Y do u tink the govt hs 2 intro new laws on family. Frm: Ravi
• children’s thoughts are always pure and holy and we adults know they are right and good but so many times we cant do the right thing. Definitely family and friends are more important than making money tks philip
• family time is d is something money can’t buy nor can u make it anytime. Money can make anytime. Selvi
• something is more simple to think like kid.money is nt everything.love is everlasting.elf
• DEFINITELY STILL FAMILY, OTHERWISE WHERE TO FIND THE MONEY. VERNON
• I am 53. I fully agree with the school kids cos money is never a pblm – u either get it frm yr parents, if not u still have pocketmoney funds. For working kids we always long for super long weekends! just to spend quality time with our families. When u reaches my age & without a job, I have all the time in the world to be with my family. However… when my savings got depleted, quality time turned into torture time cos we couldn’t afford to have a decent meal in any restaurants anymore. So bottomline rules over materialism!

The Gold Health Guide
How to Feel Happier Today
Tip #2 on doing good and boosting your mood!
Feed Them
Give someone who doesn’t have time to cook (say, your neighbour who’s working two shifts or your friend who just had baby number 2) the gift of a homecooked meal. Put the food in disposable containers so she doesn’t need to return them, and include heating instructions. Short on time? Buying dinner also counts as a mood-boosting good deed!

Today’s Show is made possible by the NUMBER EIGHTY-THREE!
83 - 83% of fried eggs consumed in restaurants are ordered sunny side up.

83 - In his high school years Albert Einstein scored only an 83 on an IQ test. In his adult years when he was asked why his score was so low, he replied that he “never took tests too seriously.”

83 - 83% of door bells chime with the familiar two-tone ding dong sound.

83 - Bananas account for 83% of Ecuador’s exported goods.

Let’s Go Bananas Over Bananas!
Here are some handy, uncommon uses for Bananas:
1. Whitening Teeth
Simply rub the inside of a banana peel on to teeth in a circular motion for approximately two minutes with a little water and salt – the results are phenomenal. You should see the benefits after about 2 weeks.
2. Maintain Sheen on Your Green
Rub the soft inside of a banana skin over the leaves of your houseplants. It will add a shine and remove dust at the same time.
3. Emergency Shoe Shiner
Rub your leather shoes with the soft inside of a banana skin. Then clean and buff the surface with a tissue or napkin for a lovely shine.

Hamish’s 5 Things

5 FUNNY THINGS THAT POLITICIANS FROM THE PAST HAVE SAID

5. I have opinions of my own — strong opinions — but I don’t always agree with them. — Former President George W Bush

4. I cannot tell you how grateful I am — I am filled with humidity. — Gib Lewis, speaker of the Texas House

3. “A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen.” –Winston Churchill

2. “You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.” — George W. Bush
1. “Politics: “Poli” a Latin word meaning “many”; and “tics” meaning “bloodsucking creatures”.” — Robin Williams

International No Pants Subway Ride Day 2010

Yesterday marked the 9th year of a sublimely ridiculous event. injecting a little amusement into the otherwise dreary morning commute.
‘No Pants Subway Ride Day’ is a day where people around the would are encouraged to take the train without their trousers.
The idea started in New York – where this year 3,000 people turned out – but it has spread across the US and around the world to over 43 cities.
As such, people from Washington to Adelaide and Zurich all boarded trains without their trousers, much to the bemusement of other travellers.
But of course, this probably didn’t happen in Singapore!
Below are some video clips of pantsless train rides in action:

How Men Can Reduce Their Risk of Heart Disease by Half
Men who have sex at least twice a week can almost halve their risk of heart disease, according to new research.
The results, published in the American Journal of Cardiology, showed men who made love at least twice a week are up to 45% less likely to have heart disease than those whose sexual encounters were limited to once a month or less.
Researchers said the benefits of sex could be due to both the physical and emotional effects on the body.
Men with the desire for frequent sexual activity and who are able to engage in it are likely to be healthier.
Also, men who have frequent sex might be more likely to be in a supportive intimate relationship and this might improve health through stress reduction and social support.
However, while the study of over 1,000 men shows sex appears to have a protective effect on the male heart, it did not examine whether women benefit too.
Denise: How typical!
Ham: What to do, those reserachers probably finished up, rolled over went to sleep right after!

The Gold Health Guide
How to Feel Happier Today
Are you grouchy, irritable, off to a bad start? Throw off the unhappiness and pay attention… It’s easy, it’s entirely free and we have a week’s worth of tips on how to boost your contentment. Thankfully, you don’t need to write a check to reap the happiness-enhancing benefits of doing good.
Sing someone’s praises
Is somebody’s good work going unacknowledged? Applaud the efforts of a particularly productive colleague at your next meeting or praise your child’s efforts to be helpful or obedient. You’ll feel generous just for having spread a positive word, and you’ll help foster a work and home environment where the compliments flow freely. Ultimately, it will make you feel happier as you give others a mood boost with your compliments!

Get Happy with This Hilarious Blast from the Past!

And you thought your dancing was bad!

Top 20 most irritating pieces of technology
According to new research, we are annoyed by this at least four times a day and 68% of those who get riled up are men! What is this annoying thing that has so many of us hot under the collar?
Technology!
Even so, two thirds of us hate the fact we can’t live without our infuriating technology.
Here’s the annoying list in full:
1. Car alarms
2. That hourglass icon appearing on computer screen
3. Computer crashing
4. Speed cameras
5. Automated phone systems
6. Novelty doorbells
7. Skipping CD
8. The ‘bong’ sound in Windows when you can’t do something
9. Uncomfortable headphones
10. Printers
11. ‘Out of Office’ replies
12. Predictive text messaging
13. Vocal vehicle reverse warnings
14. Alarm clock
15. Ball mouse
16. GPS
17. Security lights
18. House alarms
19. Interactive television
20. In-car parking sensors

Today’s Show is made possible by the NUMBER FIFTY-THREE!

53 - Some mazing maths trivia… 53 is a Prime Number (can only be divided by itself or 1) and also the sum of five consecutive primes (5 + 7 + 11 + 13 + 17).

53 - The first television broadcast of the Oscars took place in 1953, hosted by Bob Hope.
We remember Bob as a the consummate host – funny, self-deprecating and charming. Here are a couple of our favourite quotes from him:
“Middle age is when your age starts to show around your middle.” & “Welcome to the Academy Awards, or, as it’s known at my house, Passover.”

53 - The racing number of Herbie, a Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of his own, first appearing in the 1969 film The Love Bug

53 - Number of postcards from fellow Beatles in Ringo Starr’s 2003 book “Postcards From the Boys”.

53 - There are currently 163 petabytes of collective iPod hard drive space available in the world, of which only 53 petabytes are being used. That’s a lot of music not being uploaded effectively!

Hamish’s 5 Things

Singapore lawyers need to continuously improve themselves to keep up with global challenges. Singapore’s Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong said this at the opening of the Legal Year 2010 held at the Supreme Court on Saturday. Chief Justice Chan stressed that globalisation of trade and services would result in greater demands for bigger and smarter law firms to serve the needs of the new economy and specialised knowledge and litigation skills will always be in demand. So the Singapore Academy of Law will work with the two law schools for more courses to cater to lawyers who want to upgrade their skills.

5 FUNNY THINGS LAWYERS SAY IN COURTS , UNINTENTIONALLY.
5. “How far apart were the vehicles at the time of the collision?”
4. “The youngest son, the 20 year old, how old is he?”
3. “Were you alone or by yourself?”
2. “You don’t know what it was, and you didn’t know what it looked like, but can you describe it?”
1. “Now, doctor, isn’t it true that when a person dies in his sleep, in most cases he just passes quietly away and doesn’t know anything about it until the next morning?”

Men – All Thought, No Action?
Researchers found that the average male thinks about sex 13 times a day – a total of 4,745 times every year.
Almost a third even admitted it is often the first thing they think about when they wake up in the mornings.
In comparison, women think about sex just five times day – or 1,825 times a year.
But when it comes to actually having sex, men have to make do with it an average of just twice a week, or 104 times a year.
The study of 3,000 people also showed that despite the difference in the amount of times men think about sex and actually do it, almost 74% claim they are happy about the amount of sex they were getting.
But just 58% of women said the same.
And 43% of couples also admitted arguing over who instigates the lovemaking, with men most likely to make the first move.
Researchers also found one in three guys think a candlelit dinner is the best way of getting a woman in the mood, followed by a relaxing massage.
But women are more likely to play romantic music or cook their partner’s favourite meal to try and get them into bed.

More Trend Forecasts for the New Year!
What else is hot in 2010?

Self-expanding Bras and Protein Undies!
Bras that pump up or down with body temperature and smooth out ageing cleavages are among hot new undies to be unveiled at this month’s Paris lingerie show.
High-tech has started to play a growing role in underwear. Take ultra-sounds for example, now used as well as laser technology to cut and construct garments without seaming or stitching.
Amid innovations at the January 23-25 Paris trade fair, stand-outs include a Dutch-designed anti-wrinkle bra that can iron out crinkly cleavages as a woman sleeps, and a smart Slovenian brassiere whose cups are made of memory foam (a NASA patented technology from the 1960s) that expand with body heat when the wearer works out or flirts. Also making a splash is the range of French lingerie called Milkshake made from a fabric of milk proteins that contains 10 amino acids to hydrate the skin. In other words, you moisturise as you wear!

ELVIS DAY

Happy Birthday Elvis! The King of Rock and Roll was born 8th January in 1935 and he would have been 75 today.
We’re keeping his music and memory alive and have officially declared Gold 90FM as the home of Elvis all this month of January.
Listen out for more music from Elvis and more trivia about him everyday!

Hamish’s 5 Things

5 NUGGETS OF WISDOM FROM THE KING ON HIS BIRTHDAY

5. My voice alone is just an ordinary voice. What people come to see is how I use it. If I stand still while I’m singing, I’m dead, man. I might as well go back to driving a truck.

4. Some people tap their feet, some people snap their fingers, and some people sway back and forth. I just sorta do ‘em all together, I guess.

3. I’m not tryin’ to be sexy. Ah didn’t have any clear idea of trying to sell sex. It’s just my way of expressin’ how I feel when I move around. It’s all leg movement. I don’t do nothin’ with my body.

2. Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t goin’ away.

1. I believe the key to happiness is: someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to.

Today’s Show is made possible by the NUMBER EIGHT!

8 - Whether boiled, scrambled, poached or sunny side up, about eight eggs are consumed each year for every person on earth. Assuming the current world population stands at 6.7 billion, that would be equivalent to 53 billion6 hundred million eggs eaten per year!

8 - A house on average, has 8 new batteries of varying sizes.

8 – While jean-maker Levi Strauss was alive, he forbade his company from producing jeans in any other colour than blue. However, black jeans were introduced by the company 8 months after his death!

8 - 8 out of the ten oldest known people living today were born prematurely.

The Gold Health Guide

Tips on Squeezing Exercise into Your Busy Schedule

9. Keep records.
Grab a diary or logbook, and every day that you exercise, write down what you did and for how long. Your records will make it easy for you to see what you’ve accomplished and make you more accountable.

10. Save the Date.
Whether morning, afternoon, or evening, pick the time that is most convenient for you to exercise and write it down in your daily planner. Keep your exercise routine as you would keep any appointment.

Trend-Spotting for 2010
Marketing Daily has rounded up the trend forecasts for 2010 and finds:

1. Pantone has named turquoise the color of the year, for its “deep compassion and healing, a color of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky.” A potent combination of calming blue and invigorating green.
Trend-spotting firm Iconoculture predicts that everything about water will be hot, especially being savvy about water-sustainability.

2. JWT Intelligence predicts that 2010 will be a huge year for bacon, with the tasty, salty pork product appearing in everything from cocktails to lollipops to cupcakes. Say hello to bacon martinis, bacon soap and bacon car fragrance!

3. Silent dance parties are also getting more and more popular. If you’re wondering, like us, what on earth a silent dance party is, people gather to dance in one place, but listen and dance silently to their own music from their mp3 players!

Sick Portraits
An Italian doctor claims that he has been able to diagnose the illnesses suffered by people in the world’s most famous paintings.
Dr Vito Franco of the University of Palermo says the intriguing smile of the Mona Lisa was the result of very high levels of cholesterol.
He came to this conclusion by studying the details of the Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece, where he says he can see a build up of fatty acids around her left eye.
After analysing a whole host of renaissance workshe claims to have found that most subjects suffered from one disease or another!
Read more on this story here.

Nothing Says I Love You Like Manure!

An Iowa farmer has given his wife her “crappiest” ever birthday present.

Dick Kleis used a manure spreader to spell out “HAP B DAY LUV U” in a field visible from the living room of the couple’s home.

Wife Carole was surprisingly happy with the gift of more than 50 tonnes of dung. “He’s done weird things before for birthdays,” she said. “But maybe not this weird.”

Mr Kleis did also take his wife out for dinner and a movie to celebrate her 67th birthday, but wanted to do something unique.

Mr Kleis said it took about three hours and four loads of liquid manure to create the message.

“I was going to put a heart out there after the happy birthday, but I ran out of manure,” he said.

Ham: I can’t believe the wife wasn’t peeved!

Denise: Nah, she was pooped! At least the present was from the bottom of his heart!

Ham: Nah, it was just from his bottom!

Today’s Show is made possible by the NUMBER SEVEN!

7 - More hats are manufactured by hand in the seven district of the Basque Country than anywhere else in the world. Five out of every seven hats produced are black.

7 - In 7% of people, their fingernails grow faster than toe-nails.

7 - On average, a pair of sunglasses lasts for seven months before being lost.

7 - 93% of the world’s caterpillars become moths, and only 7% become butterflies.

Hamish’s 5 Things

Chinese couples rush to get married before Year of the TigerSINGAPORE: When the new Lunar New Year starts on Valentine’s Day, cupid’s arrows may not be as up to the mark as usual.

Traditionally, Chinese couples prefer not to get married during the Year of the Tiger due to superstition that it is bad luck.

One couple, in particular, have said they are rushing to tie the knot before the Year of the Tiger sets in to appease their parents and relatives.

However, bridal boutiques are not worried about business in the Tiger Year, as many feel Singaporeans are not that superstitious.

5 MORE REASONS WHY COUPLES DONT WANT TO GET MARRIED IN THE YEAR OF THE TIGER

5. THE VILLAIN IN THE JUNGLE BOOK WAS A TIGER CALLED SHERE KHAN – SO THERE!

4. REMEMBER WHAT THAT TIGER DID TO THAT FOOL WHO WENT INTO ITS ENCLOSURE IN OUR ZOO? – SO THERE

3. POET WILLIAM BLAKE WROTE TYGER TYGER BURNING BRIGHT – IT WAS A POEM ABOUT FEAR OF THE TIGER – AND HE MUST KNOW SOMETHING!

2. TWO WORDS – TIGER WOODS – ENOUGH SAID!

1. COUPLES WONT WANT TO GET MARRIED IN THE YEAR OF THE TIGER – THE WEDDING WILL SOMEHOW BE ALWAYS REFERRED TO AS ‘PLEASE COME TO THE TIGER SHOW!!!!

Want to Enlarge Your Social Circle? Have Kids!

Having a baby increases the number of friends a woman has by eight, it has been found.

Researchers claim that the average childless woman has just three friends they feel comfortable sharing secrets with and relying on.

But those with children say they have an average of 11 good firends – most of who they meet because of their kids.

Waiting at the school playground is said to be the place most moms make new friends, followed by mother and baby groups and the nursery.

10% have met new pals whilst sweating it out at the gym.

Of course – they were trying to work off those pregnancy pounds!

It Takes Great Resolve…

By now, a third of us who made New Year’s resolutions have failed!  Here are/were the top resolutions for 2010:

1. Stop smoking

2. Get Fit

3. Lose Weight

4. Enjoy Life More

5. Quit Drinking

6. Get Organised

7. Learn Something New

8. Get Out of Debt

9. Spend more time with the Family

10. Help Others

The Gold Health Guide

Watch your step.

Investing in a good pedometer can help you stay motivated. If you have a pedometer attached to your waist and you can see how many steps you’ve taken, you’ll see it doesn’t take long to walk 5,000 steps and you will be inspired. And building up to 10,000 steps a day won’t seem like such a daunting a task.

Hire the right help. While weight training is important, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you run the risk of injuring yourself or not being effective. It’s best to get instructions from a personal trainer at the gym. You also can buy a weight-training DVD and follow along in your living room.

Forget new year’s resolutions you can’t keep, try some new ones with this fun New Year’s Resolution Generator!

The Video Hamish Wants You To See…

Today’s Show is made possible by the NUMBER SIX!

6 - Surprisingly, one in 6 British people have never tasted tea and never will!

6 - An average person spends six minutes a day using hesitant speech, such as “um” or “uh”.

6 - For reasons medical experts don’t understand, most people are born left handed, but switch preference to the right hand before they are 6 months old.

Hamish’s 5 Things

Funny Classifieds

5. Illiterate? Write today for free help.

4. For sale: antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers.

3. Mixing bowl set designed to please a cook with round bottom for efficient beating.

2. We do not tear your clothing with machinery. We do it carefully by hand.

1. Vacation Special: have your home exterminated. Get rid of aunts. Zap does the job in 24 hours.

The Gold Health Guide
How to Fit Fitness into Your Busy Schedule
5. Phone a friend.
Find someone who likes the same activity that you do — walking in the neighborhood, riding bikes, playing tennis — and make a date to do it together. Exercising with a friend or in a group can be very motivating and you’re likely to walk longer or bike greater distances if you’re talking to a friend along the way. The time will go by faster. Don’t have a buddy who is available? Grab an MP3 player and listen to your favorite music or an audio book while exercising.
6. Do what you like.
Whatever exercise you choose, be sure it’s one that you enjoy. You’re more likely to stick with it if it’s something you have fun doing rather than something you see as a chore or a bore.

Deep Dark Secret of Women
More than a third of women who claim to currently be on a New Year’s diet are secret snackers, it has been found.
A massive 36% of women who say they are watching their waistline, are actually hiding food or eating it in the dark.
Favourite places to stash food – revealed by a poll of 2,000 women – included handbags, under the bed and in clothes drawers.
And the women admitted to secretly eating it while in the car, walking down the street or even on a sun-bed – anywhere they think they won’t get caught.
While it was also found the average diet lasts 15 weeks, 28% of women admitted they have only stuck to a diet for 24 hours, with some barely last between breakfast and lunch!

…Your Gold Breakfast Duo said to Thee…

Tonight is Twelfth Night, the evening before Epiphany, marking the end of medieval Christmas festivities. Today’s the day for giving the gift of 12 drummers drumming and also for finally taking down those Christmas decorations. And yes, it is also the event for which a Shakespeare play is named.

Celebrate Mee!
Today in 2007, Momofuku Ando, also known as “Mr. Noodle,” died at age 96 in Osaka, Japan. Taiwanese-Japanese businessman who founded Nissin Food Products Co. He is also famed as the inventor of Ramen – instant noodles and cup noodles in 1958. So popular is his delicious invention that it’s been eaten in space! Ando’s “Space Ram” noodles can be eaten in zero gravity.
Ando claimed that the secrets of his health were playing golf and eating his invention Chikin Ramen almost every day. He was said to have eaten Ramen until the day before he died.

And Now for a Musical Interlude…
We’ve mentioned this before, but if you missed it, you gotta see it! A hilarious literal interpretation of Natalie Imbruglia’s song Torn, complete with actions and an appearance by Natalie herself!

Today’s Show is made possible by the NUMBER FIVE!

5 – The 1,000,000th U.S. patent was filed in 1912 for an alarm clock that dumped water on the owner if they did not disarm it within 5 minutes.

5 - Worldwide, five in six people have never been on the internet.

5 - Out of 5 people, four own at least one book they have never read.

5 - In an average person’s wardrobe, 5% of his or her tee shirts were received as gifts.

Hamish’s 5 Things
ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT BUMPER STICKERS FOR TUESDAY
5. A cubicle is just a padded cell without a door.
4. Reality is the only obstacle to happiness.
3. Why be difficult, when with a bit of effort, you can be impossible?
2. I didn’t fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian.
1. All I want is less to do, more time to do it, and higher pay for not getting it done.

Smacked children more successful later in life?
Controversial story here: Children who are smacked by their parents may grow up to be happier and more successful than those spared physical discipline, research suggests.
A study found that youngsters smacked up to the age of six did better at school and were more optimistic about their lives than those never hit by their parents.
They were also more likely to undertake voluntary work and keener to attend university, experts discovered.
The research, conducted in the United States, is likely to anger children’s rights campaigners who have argued that spanking is an outdated form of punishment that can cause long-term mental health problems.
The findings were rejected by Britain’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, which has fought to ban smacking.
However, a pressure group, Parents Outloud, welcomed the research, saying parents should not be criminalised for mild smacking.
Its spokeswoman said that a light tap is often the most effective way of teaching young children not to do something that is dangerous or hurtful to other people – it is a preventive measure.
However, previous studies have suggested that smacking children can lead them to develop behavioural problems such as being more aggressive.

What do Gold 90FM listeners think?

Victor Reutens “the rod shd not be spared, but used with LOVE, TRUE MEANING & UNDERSTANDING”. I’m Still in  mood 4 A Merry Christmas! … &Happy New Year, dear DYNAMIC DUO Denise & Hamish!

Sharks that SMS!

Australian lifeguards will soon get text messages when Great White sharks swim near the beaches they are patrolling. Researchers are electronically tagging the man-eating predators with GPS units which will constantly monitor their movements. If the sharks then get too near to a beach a satellite receiver will automatically send out emails and text messages to wildlife officials and lifeguards. Currently 74 white sharks have been tagged and there are 20 communications-equipped monitoring stations have been installed off the Perth coast.
Denise: I feel really out of touch! These sharks are more tech savvy than me!

Big-Footed Women
Women’s feet are getting bigger, with the average shoe size up from a five to a six in the past five years, figures have found.
Medical experts believe that the rise in size is down to the obesity epidemic, pointing to high-density foods such as pizza being eaten during puberty stimulating the growth hormone.
The research from department stores found that in 2009, ladies’ size nines sales increased by 23%, while sales of size sixes jumped by 17%.
Even men’s feet are getting bigger these days. And you know what they say about men with big feet right?
Yup, big shoes.

Small-handed Women
Women have a better sense of touch because of their smaller hands and fingers, researchers have found.
Scientists from McMaster University tested the tactile acuity and sensitivity of 100 females by pressing progressively narrower parallel grooves against their stationary fingertips.
It was found that people with smaller fingers could discern tighter grooves thanks to having more closely spaced sensory receptors in their tiny digits.
Apparently, this explains why in previous tests women were found to have more acute sensation in the fingers.

The Gold Health Guide
How to Fit Fitness into Your Busy Schedule
3. Going somewhere? Take the long way.
Walking up or down a few flights of stairs each day can be good for your heart. Avoid elevators and escalators whenever possible. If you take the bus or MRT to work, get off a stop before your office and walk the extra distance. When you go to the mall or the grocery shopping, park furthest from the entrance, not as close to it as you can, and you’ll get a few extra minutes of walking — one of the best exercises there is. Walking is great because anyone can do it and you don’t need any special equipment other than a properly fitting pair of shoes.
4. Be a morning person.
Studies show that people who exercise in the morning are more likely to stick with it. Think about it – Are you going to feel like exercising at the end of a hard day? Probably not. If you do your workout in the morning, you’re not only more likely to do it, but you’ll also set a positive tone for the day.

A British schoolboy chorister has been invited to appear as a soloist on Broadway in New York later this month after he was spotted singing on YouTube. Take a listen for yourself:

Geraint Llyr Owen, 13, a member of Llandaff Cathedral Choir, Cardiff, performed a solo in Pie Jesu at the Celebrating Karl Jenkins concert at the Wales Millennium Centre in November.
The concert was broadcast on the Welsh language channel S4C and the clip was posted on the internet.
Distinguished Concerts International New York saw it and invited Geraint to perform the same piece in a Martin Luther King Jr Day concert in the Avery Fisher Hall in the Lincoln Centre on Broadway on Jan 18.
Can Youtube do for Geraint what it did for Susan Boyle? Only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure, 2010′s looking bright for the singing youngster!

Today’s Show is made possible by the NUMBER FOUR!

4 - An Amercian company is in the process of developing a “4 ply” toilet paper. Talk about luxury for the bottom! But disturbingly, a company executive said the idea was inspired by multi-blade razors!

4 - Eating 4 sardines (with the bones in) will meet an adult woman’s minimum daily requirement of calcium. Eating two dozen or more will cause her to ingest an excessive amount of mercury.

4 - While on duty, a trucker usually only gets around 4 hours of sleep every night. And we thought we were sleep-deprived!

4 - 4% of the words used in Shakespeare’s plays had never appeared in print before. In other words, the old Brad made words up for the benefit of his works!

Here are some words Shakespeare made up that have become commonly used in today’s English language (taken from Brush Up Your Shakespeare, the Oxford English Dictionary credits Shakespeare as the first to use these words):
“arch-villain,” “bedazzle,” “cheap” (as in vulgar or flimsy), “dauntless,” “embrace” (as a noun), “fashionable,” “go-between,” “honey-tongued,” “inauspicious,” “lustrous,” “nimble-footed,” “outbreak,” “pander,” “sanctimonious,” “time-honored,” “unearthly,” “vulnerable,” and “well-bred.”
Plus, here are some common, familiar phrases he made up too:
• Eaten out of house and home
• Pomp and circumstance
• Foregone conclusion
• Full circle
• The makings of
• Method in the madness
• Neither rhyme nor reason
• One fell swoop
• Seen better days
• It smells to heaven
• A sorry sight
• A spotless reputation
• Strange bedfellows
• The world’s (my) oyster

Dining Out Messes with Your Mind?
Restaurant owners are increasingly putting more thought into their menus, knowing that even slight changes can make a big difference in how you order a meal. It’s resulted in a cottage industry of “menu engineers and consultants” because now, even casual restaurants are spending a lot more time what’s known as “menu psychology.” One of the most important things restaurants can do is the obvious: Make the food sound more appetizing. One way is by including certain key words, such as the names of mothers, grandmothers, and other relatives. No wonder many menus feature dishes like Mama’s Spaghetti, Auntie Mildred’s Chow Gun and Grandma’s Ayam Pedas!
It also has to do with how the menu is laid out, such as putting an expensive item on top so the others seem more reasonably priced and not including dollar signs, which apparently leads customers to spend less.
For more on Menu Psychology, read this interesting article from the New York Times!
And now you know the little tricks, go out and dine with peace of mind!

Green Jewellery
A jewellery designer has come up with the ultimate ‘green’ collection – rings with live plants growing inside them instead of precious stones – perfect for the urbanite who has little access to the great outdoors. Now it comes indoors and on to your fingers!
Featuring tiny Icelandic moss plants sprouting in their stainless steel bases, the pieces are said to be a ‘clash of jewellery and gardening’. They need watering like any other plant and if looked after, designer Hafsteinn Juliusson claims they can last up to six months. But they don’t need to be pruned because the moss grows really slowly.
Each ring will to cost around 485 pounds.

The Gold Health Guide
How to Fit Fitness into Your Busy Schedule
Sometimes the problem isn’t motivation — it’s simply finding the time. But scheduling exercise isn’t as difficult as you might think. All this week, we’ll reveal tips for you to squeeze exercise into your busy day.
1. Be less efficient.
People typically try to think of ways to make daily tasks easier. But if we make them harder, we can get more exercise, says Sabrena Merrill, a certified personal trainer and spokeswoman for the American Council on Exercise (ACE). For e.g. Bring in the groceries from your car one bag at a time so you have to make several trips or put the laundry away a few items at a time, rather than carrying it up in a basket.
2. Shun labor-saving devices.
For e.g. Wash the car by hand rather than taking it to the car wash. It takes about an hour and a half to do a good job, and in the meantime you’ve gotten great exercise.

Hamish’s 5 Things
POST NEW YEAR MONDAY QUOTES TO START 2010 IN THE RIGHT SPIRITS AND WITH A SMILE
5. * Attempt to get a new car for your mother-in-law… it’ll be a great trade!
4. * Borrow money from pessimists-because they don’t expect it back.
3. * Money can’t buy love. But it CAN rent a very close imitation.
2. * If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you’ve never tried
before.
1. * A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.