New research indicates that the part of the brain affected by Alzheimer’s gets smaller ten years before the onset of the disease. If this proves to be the case there must surely be new hope for treatment for this ailment. It would also mean of course that those who might be future victims could get their affairs in order before the disease hits them. In fact it might even add wonderful years to their lives. Anyone who has had a heart attack or cancer will verify that it makes you look at life differently. When you see how finite it is you are more inclined to make the most of every moment. So those whose brains have become smaller in the appropriate place might, for instance, decide to change jobs, go on a world trip or take up flying. In other words they might do something entirely new with their lives. So this discovery is very important and if it turns out that people can be screened ten years before the onset of the disease it could make them appreciate their families more. It could make them plan more and above all it could help push the research into this awful illness. The necessity for that is something nobody should be allowed to forget.

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An informative speech has to be entertaining. That is not to say it has t be humorous although humour adds to every speech. What it does mean is that it should not simply be a recitation of cold facts. Naturally, when you are giving an informative speech you need to know your facts. There is always someone in an audience who can correct you if you don’t. So the secret for a speaker is check, check and re-check before writing the speech. The speech will be better too if he or she speaks about a subject with which they are familiar. Most of us know little about nuclear science for instance. We are more likely to be golf or tennis enthusiasts or to be experts in cookery or gardening. If we speak about such subject our enthusiasm should shine through. Of course we are sometimes given a topic on which to speak and it may be a subject with which we are unfamiliar. You might, for instance, be asked to speak about something as simple as feet. We may not know the medical names for the bones in the feet but we could write an informative speech about the sizes of feet or the old fashioned game of “This little piggy” which has been played with babies over the generations. We might speak about the enjoyment to be got from wiggling your toes in warm tar on a summer day or the relief of putting them in cool water when it is very hot. So if you don’t choose your topic at least choose to speak about it from your own experience. Your speech will be the better for it.

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Today we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s trip around the Earth in his Vostok spacecraft. A month later NASA sent Alan Shepard into orbit. This was the beginning of space exploration the highlight of which was the Apollo Moon Landing in 1969. These are special anniversaries, of course, but so too are wedding anniversaries especially the silver wedding anniversary and the golden wedding anniversary. These are often celebrated but surely any wedding anniversary is worth celebrating? In a world of broken marriages surely the fact that a couple manage to keep their vows for ten years, that is the tin anniversary, is a cause for celebration? The same applies to the 30th anniversary which is pearl and the 35th which is coral not to mention the ruby anniversary, the 40th. If they manage to stay married for their diamond anniversary which is the 60th it really is time to roll out the red carpet and have a big, big party. So mark the moment and toast that couple who have, despite the odds, managed to stick together for far longer than any astronaut has stayed in space.

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Alternative energy is no longer just an option. The recent events in Japan have proven that. Time was that nuclear power seemed to be the answer to our need for electricity. The frightening result of the earthquake has shown, yet again, that it is not a power for good but that nuclear power is a death threat. If we cannot breathe safely or drink water without harming ourselves then we have it all wrong. We simply have to look at alternatives. It seems a pity to let all the research and money spent on nuclear power go to waste. It would be an even greater pity for thousands of people to die of cancers because of it. Of course the nuclear lobby will be trying to say that it is safe and that they have learnt their lessons but try telling that to the Japanese. If we can harness the wind and the water without any side effects then it seems ridiculous not to do so. That is not to say that the work put into developing nuclear energy should go to waste. It would be a great challenge to those involved in this industry to use the expertise they have gained in some more useful, and safer, way. Just now nuclear power plants are like atomic bombs ready to wipe out whole communities. We cannot afford a Hiroshima. Let’s harness those waves instead.

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The problems in the Middle East are symbolic of one thing. That is that freedom of speech is worth fighting for. As we watch the unfolding stories on our television screens we realise how many people all over the world do not have this freedom. We begin to realise how precious it is. We who have democratic elections find it hard to understand how Governments can clamp down on their own people in such brutal ways. China provides yet another example of people being jailed for their beliefs. Amnesty International gives ample evidence of how many people worldwide are being tortured in prison simply because they feel elections should be free and not rigged. Globalisation means that we overlook such brutal behaviour simply because it affects company profits. We need to re-think our own attitude as well as those of dictators. By doing business with such countries we are merely prolonging the agony of those who suffer. It’s time the west forgot profit at the cost of people.

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Don’t diet. Do it instead. That’s the kind of advice we should be giving instead of the endless magazine, radio and television articles and programmes about dieting. When you think about it eating should be about having a balanced diet. Instead we have people around the world starving while in richer countries there are people with anorexia and bulimia and people who are obese. None of us would try to drive our autos without gas. Certainly none of us would try to overfill our tanks. Yet that’s what we do with our bodies because food is the fuel that makes those bodies go the distance. Yet the media seems to have a fixation about the ideal figure and dieting and it’s time we changed our outlook and concentrated on life outside the dining room. Our bodies would be the better for it and we wouldn’t need all those articles any more.

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Nuclear power is a sensitive issue just now. In fact many governments are questioning whether nuclear power is a death threat. Those two natural disasters in Japan, an earthquake followed by a tsunami may soon be overcome by an even bigger one as the winds blow the nuclear emissions even further afield. Certainly people are scared and rightly so. Certainly too nuclear fuel is useful especially in a country that is providing electricity for so many millions. It is a matter of balancing the advantages over the disadvantages or, in fact, the actual dangers. There is the added fact that most ordinary citizens do not understand exactly how nuclear power plants actually work. So whatever their doubts they are not really in a position to argue against the perceived benefits. Obviously most of those who understand it best will argue for its retention and they will be a powerful lobby and, for convenience and because it is economic the Governments will probably back them. Perhaps those who endorse nuclear power should be allowed have their way on condition that they raise their children beside the plants and leave their families there when there is a leak.

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Does grammar matter when you are giving a speech? That is something that many speakers fail to take into account. Their own grammar may be faulty and they may not even realise that fact. So they could make mistakes such as saying, “There’s twenty ways to fire a gun” instead of “There are twenty”. If the speech is captivating and the speaker is enthusiastic he or she may get away with it. There will, however, always be people in an audience who will flinch and switch off. That’s a pity because all the speaker needs to do is to get someone in the know to check what he or she has written before giving the speech. After all if you were a chauffeur you would ensure that you knew the rules of the road before driving. If someone sets themselves up to be a public speaker the least they can do is ensure that they speak correctly. That is not to say that they cannot use local expressions in their speech. Then too writing for the spoken word is one thing while writing for the written is another. We speak more casually and pause in different places for effect. Being a good public speaker does not mean necessarily knowing the difference between a gradable and non gradable adjective. Nor does a speaker necessarily have to be able to define Appositive clauses. However much grammar changes over the years though there is still a difference between singular and plural and between past and present tense. So whether you are speaking about leadership or success it’s up to you to get the basics right.

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Players have to leave the football field because of it. General Patton had it in his nickname, and it has its own history as well as always being in demand by hospitals. What is it? It’s blood. Blood is something we take for granted yet we shouldn’t because without it we wouldn’t exist. In fact many more lives would be lost if donors did not give blood to the blood banks for use in those hospitals. Yet it doesn’t occur to many of us to actually donate it. It’s an easy procedure and it doesn’t take long and let’s be honest the life you save could be your own. How would you feel if someone you loved died simply because someone like you didn’t bother to spend a few minutes every year giving blood? That’s a question we should ask ourselves. Then too think how useful blood tests are. Nowadays they can be analysed and many illnesses diagnosed from a simple blood test. So maybe its time we learnt a bit more about what goes on our veins.

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Speakers often say things without words. This can either be deliberately or accidently. A poignant pause in the right place can often bring tears to the eyes of the audience. A raised eyebrow when a speaker has said something funny can have an audience in stiches. Body language is, you see, something that comedians use to the best advantage but speakers often ignore or forget. They can unconsciously express their nervousness by foot tapping for example. Many gesticulate so wildly that the audience can be totally distracted from the message they are trying to get across. Sometimes they forget to look at the audience and stare into the distance or to the back of the hall. They may think this makes them look wise or thoughtful but it merely makes them look disinterested in those who are listening to them. A speaker needs to have as much control over the rest of his body as over his voice. Knocking knees and shaky hands may inspire sympathy but not confidence. There is one piece of body language, however, that is universally acceptable to any audience and that is a nice warm and genuine smile.

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