Welcome Back, Mr Brown!

Music Makes Children Read Better
Learning to play a musical instrument could help to improve children's reading and their ability to listen in noisy classrooms, according to new research.
Neuroscientists have found that musicians benefit from heightened brain activity that allows them to process information from their eyes and ears more efficiently than non-musicians.
Professor Nina Kraus, a neuroscientist and amateur musician at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, has called for music to become a more important part of school syllabuses to help children develop better reading and language skills.
Our eyes and ears take in millions of bits of information every second and it is not possible for the brain to process all of that, so our brains are primed to tune in to patterns in the signals received.
People who are musically trained are better at picking up these patterns because they learn to recognise notes and pitches within melodies and harmonies.The better you are at picking up these patterns in music, the better reader you are. This makes sense as letters and words on a page are really just patterns.
This new info definite makes the case for more musical education, especially in schools.

Time's Wasting Away!
The average person will spend more than two weeks of their life - waiting for tradesmen, it has been found.
Over the course of a year, we have to wait in for three different tradesmen for a total of six hours and three minutes.
That's a total of 366 hours - equivalent to 15 days - waiting for workmen to arrive over the average adult lifetime.
The new survey also found that 82% of people said a contractor turned up late, while more than a third said they arrived on a completely different day to what was agreed.
Plumbers were named as the worst tradesmen for keeping people waiting followed by electricians.

Today’s Show is made possible by the NUMBER THIRTEEN

13 - Apparently, the majority of alcoholic beverages actually contain all 13 minerals needed to sustain human life.

13 - The Italians are a superstitious bunch - did you know that they omit the number 13 from their national lottery?
Also, on streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 and a half. There are NO number 13 houses or apartments!

13 - Coincidence? Some of the world's worst criminals have 13 letters in their names. Count em': Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer and Theodore Bundy are just some names. Good news though, Hamish Brown and Denise Tan are certified non-criminal!

13 - 13% of coins and 42% of notes test positive for unpleasant bacteria, such as fecal bacteria!
Some Money Facts:
The metallic smell left on your hands after touching coins and metal objects is actually a type of human body odour. Skin oils break down and decompose after touching iron - creating that familiar "coin smell"!

Hamish's 5 Things

5 REASONS I LOOK FORWARD TO COMING BACK TO SINGAPORE HAVING SPENT NEARLY 3 WEEKS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

5. SINGAPORE'S GREENERY IS A WELCOME CANVAS AFTER THE FAR EXPANSES OF YELLOW SAND.

4. REAL BACON!

3. DRIVING ON THE 'RIGHT ' SIDE OF THE ROAD AGAIN.

2. GETTING BACK INTO A PROPER WORK WEEK THAT STARTS ON MONDAY AND NOT SUNDAY.

1. BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT FACES OF WOMEN AGAIN RATHER THAN HAVING TO IMAGINE THEM!

THE GOLD HEALTH GUIDE

Take a Mental Vacation
Small stressors can quickly add up to major stress and one big stressful event can send you reeling, with no idea of how to start addressing it. If you could just get away for a little stress relief, you know you would be okay. But too few of us have the time — or the money — to run off on an impromptu vacation.
Well, you don't have to spend a dime or go anywhere other than a quiet spot nearby to take a mental vacation.
All this week, we'll be dishing out the tips on how to take a brain holiday!
Tip #1: Read a book in bed.
This is a great escape and can leave you feeling refreshed, relaxed, and ready to face whatever is outside your bedroom door. Your bed is warm, cozy, comfortable, and a peaceful place for you. It feels luxurious, and getting lost in a good book is a perfect way to forget, then refocus, your own thoughts.