I know it's popular among those watching their carbs, but this trans-pasta thing with zucchini spirals or squash in spaghetti pasta shapes just isn't working for me. It simply becomes a pile of zucchini with tomato/meat sauce on top. Same with cauliflower that looks like white rice. Vegetables are not flour products or rice.
And in other trans news: "Matt Walsh’s tale about a boy who pretends to be a walrus was intended as commentary on the debate over transgender children. But Amazon removed the popular book from its LGBTQ list."
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Don't look for Captain America
Kirk Cameron on Elon Musk and freedom of speech:
" I like Avenger movies. While we all love a savage superhero… looking to one man with lots of money and power to fix our problems is how people unwittingly enslave themselves. How? By looking to the wrong source for their freedom and protection. While I’m thankful for Elon’s crusade to save free speech, it should have been “we the people,” (all of us) full of faith and character who render bad companies powerless (by holding them accountable) and build good ones in their place (by putting our money and time where our mouth is).
Perhaps, and I hope, that is exactly what Elon is doing. But if we want lasting freedom and blessing, we must not look for a Captain America to be our free speech Savior. The Savior position is has already been permanently filled by the only qualified candidate, and “we the people” need to step up our game and self-govern with our combined powers of faith, character and courage or a bigger, badder Thanos will gladly fill the void and do the governing for us."
" I like Avenger movies. While we all love a savage superhero… looking to one man with lots of money and power to fix our problems is how people unwittingly enslave themselves. How? By looking to the wrong source for their freedom and protection. While I’m thankful for Elon’s crusade to save free speech, it should have been “we the people,” (all of us) full of faith and character who render bad companies powerless (by holding them accountable) and build good ones in their place (by putting our money and time where our mouth is).
Perhaps, and I hope, that is exactly what Elon is doing. But if we want lasting freedom and blessing, we must not look for a Captain America to be our free speech Savior. The Savior position is has already been permanently filled by the only qualified candidate, and “we the people” need to step up our game and self-govern with our combined powers of faith, character and courage or a bigger, badder Thanos will gladly fill the void and do the governing for us."
Preparing for Lakeside Women's Club
Evidence that the Lakeside Women's Club has strong leadership is the current president, Barbara Browning. She has had a long career in teaching and family life, including shepherding her family into their current Lakeside lifestyle. I've only known her about three years, and as I recall it was cultural issues and not religion or hobbies or book club that brought us together. One amazing feat was her convincing me to prepare brief devotions for the weekly meetings of the Women's Club for summer 2022. You wouldn't think that someone who loves to write, explain, cajole, argue, research and ramble for 20 years on the internet and who has been scribbling in some form since I was 6 or 7 could be so hesitant to speak in public. I'd rather pull weeds or clean an attic than speak to an audience. I get light headed, the room swims, and I can't put a sentence together. But when Barb asks, you just can't say No. Her secret seems to be she believes in people! So I came up with a plan to make it more palatable.
Last summer one of the Lakeside chaplains for the week was retired Methodist pastor John Ed Mathison, a well known (but not to me) motivational speaker who established Leadership Ministries in 2008 when he retired after 36 years as pastor of Frazer Memorial UMC in Alabama. His current ministry includes a Daily Message, a weekly blog, a daily radio message, and weekly videos and of course, extensive public speaking. He's authored a number of books, and I bought one based on his radio ministry titled, "Got a minute? 365 Daily inspirational messages for those on the Go!" To open a LWC meeting one only needs a minute or two, and it shouldn't be the heavy theological themes I'm drawn to. So along with my own morning devotions I've been checking different "minutes" in his book to use this summer. John Ed does a lot of sports, youth, and goal setting themes. I hate setting goals, so I avoid those; I'm not athletic, so I skip those. However, John Ed didn't get to be famous without knowing how to draw in a diverse, busy and even not so religious group. It's also a podcast, so you can download an app and listen to him in his sweet Alabam voice. https://johnedmathison.org/ I'm looking forward to sharing some of those radio minutes this summer.
Today I read about Liz Smith, a director of nursing, who fostered and then adopted a baby girl, Gisele, who was born physically challenged and extremely premature. In a minute John Ed told her amazing story. I know so many adoptive and foster parents at Lakeside (and in Columbus) I thought it would be a good story to share. Ever the researcher, I then checked the internet for the story, and found it had been featured on a number of TV and news stories. From there I went to the Facebook page of Franciscan Children's Hospital in Boston where Ms. Smith worked and read many more stories of some of the children, parents and staff of a remarkable facility. So now I'm a "follower" of that FB page. https://www.facebook.com/FranciscanChildrens
https://nurse.org/articles/nurse-adopts-baby-no-visitors/
https://lakesideohio.com/about-lakeside/community-organizations/lakeside-womens-club/
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
What has happened to marriage--and families, and churches, and jobs, and morals, and home building and education
In 1949, 78.8% of all U.S. households had married couples. By last year, 47.3% had married couples. And guess what, marriage rates by race tracks with poverty among children. The highest rate of marriage is among Asians; next whites, then Hispanic, and then blacks.
If I find more recent links, I'll add. It has fallen off the radar on topics people want to research. Most meaty articles are about five years old.
Monday, April 25, 2022
Zuby interviews Tyler Alvarez about Homelessness--Housing First hurts!
I really enjoy Zuby's podcasts. He's British with an American accent. His parents are Nigerian. He is conservative and hosts many people on a variety of issues. He's a hip hop artist and a body builder also. In this interview he discusses the Housing First movement with Tyler Alvarez who worked in that program in San Diego and has found it to be a failure. Alvarez estimates that in LA or San Francisco the city spends from $750,000 to $800,000 per homeless person a year in the Housing First programs. It's insane, but it also keeps many people employed who are in the "helping" professions and the housing business. It's a shame. Homelessness increases because the problem is not their home, it's their addictions and their mental health. It's also the enabling of the people who have good intentions. Alvarez estimated that of the 50 people he was able to place in housing, only one really was successful, and she was really motivated to help her five children.
Donating money or food and volunteering he also believes does not help in the long run because of the wages and careers of the staff. He recommends getting involved in your local city politics--know who are the big players getting rich on these schemes. You have to really push to get the real numbers on what this costs your community. Don't accept squishy words or guilting/shaming you. Alvarez calls it "pathological altruism" the way the homeless are treated by do-gooders.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/feb/18/housing-first-promised-to-solve-homelessness-it-fa/
https://www.manhattan-institute.org/housing-first-effectiveness
https://calmatters.org/commentary/2020/03/california-homeless-housing-first-policy-is-failing/
Musk will again attempt free speech as promoted by our Constitution
"SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF/AP) — The Twitter board Monday voted to accept a takeover offer from Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a deal at $44 billion.
Musk took to the social media platform, tweeting out “I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means.”
“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” Musk said. “I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans. Twitter has tremendous potential – I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it. ”The deal took the San Francisco-based company private, purchasing shares at about $54.20 a share.
In a news release, Musk said his goal in acquiring Twitter was to make it better.
Before the opening bell Monday, shares of Twitter Inc. rose 5% with trading halted at the time of the announcement."
Until social media like Google, YouTube, Twitter and others began to control politicians and the news media, I considered it a private matter for a private company to set its own standards. Now, however, Big Tech is controlling the public square where freedom of speech and assembly is to take place. It will still be private and non-government, however from the screams from the Leftist amongst us many are not happy to have unapproved opinions out there where others could be influenced. Journalists, who should be the ones most concerned about cancelling and stifling, have been the most obnoxious.
Adults over 50 as a group don't have good nutrition
Dr. Chris Taylor, PhD, RDN, LD, professor of Medical Dietetics and Family Medicine at Ohio State University says that another group that may need early intervention in nutrition education is older adults. What may surprise many is the age group that needs it.
“We learned that adults in their 50s exhibit the poorest diet quality,” Taylor said. “Many of them are still working full time and are more likely to eat out.” They’re less likely to meet appropriate nutrient thresholds and tend to consume poorer quality food.
“These are adults who aren’t setting a stage for successful aging,” Taylor said. “Typically, we don’t counsel people on nutrition until there’s a problem [like obesity or diabetes]. We need to understand how important nutrition is to successful aging strategies. We need to start talking earlier rather than addressing poor outcomes when adults are in their 60s or 70s.
“The single nutrient perspective makes you miss the important point. Just focusing on one element like low carbohydrates doesn’t help us understand the big picture. What strategies should you employ? You need to look at the influence of the entire diet.”
“We learned that adults in their 50s exhibit the poorest diet quality,” Taylor said. “Many of them are still working full time and are more likely to eat out.” They’re less likely to meet appropriate nutrient thresholds and tend to consume poorer quality food.
“These are adults who aren’t setting a stage for successful aging,” Taylor said. “Typically, we don’t counsel people on nutrition until there’s a problem [like obesity or diabetes]. We need to understand how important nutrition is to successful aging strategies. We need to start talking earlier rather than addressing poor outcomes when adults are in their 60s or 70s.
“The single nutrient perspective makes you miss the important point. Just focusing on one element like low carbohydrates doesn’t help us understand the big picture. What strategies should you employ? You need to look at the influence of the entire diet.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31181765/
Russian Oligarch's yacht is seized--$90 million--in Spain
The first of many, I'm sure. Biden's "helping" with sanctions and boycotts. But our government has the power to shut down any business it doesn't like. Vekselberg isn't a U.S. citizen, he's a Russian, and most likely a bad dude. Plus the yacht was in Spain. His goodies are probably not safe in Russia. Think of all evidence there is that Hunter Biden accepted millions from a Ukrainian firm to buy influence with his father and our government did diddly squat. This court order was only in place a few weeks; the Biden scandal has been going on for years.
"Spanish law enforcement today executed a Spanish court order freezing the Motor Yacht (M/Y) Tango (the Tango), a 255-foot luxury yacht owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. Spanish authorities acted pursuant to a request from the U.S. Department of Justice for assistance following the issuance of a seizure warrant, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which alleged that the Tango was subject to forfeiture based on violation of U.S. bank fraud, money laundering, and sanction statutes. . .
“Today marks our taskforce’s first seizure of an asset belonging to a sanctioned individual with close ties to the Russian regime. It will not be the last,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Together, with our international partners, we will do everything possible to hold accountable any individual whose criminal acts enable the Russian government to continue its unjust war.”
“Today’s action makes clear that corrupt Russian oligarchs cannot evade sanctions to live a life of luxury as innocent Ukrainians are suffering,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Today the Department of Justice delivers on our commitment to hold accountable those whose criminal activity strengthens the Russian government as it continues to wage its unjust war in Ukraine. That commitment is one we are not finished honoring.”
Google Docs has become the latest speech enforcer
We've all seen language evolve, but some of the kinder, sweeter, more leftist inclusive stuff is just nonsense and gag-worthy. Google is now eliminating or suggesting alternates for "mother" or "lord" or "master" in some well-known idiomatic expressions. It reminds me of some of the ridiculous phrase twisting we lived through in the 80s and 90s, like "handicapped" or all the polite ways to say "mentally challenged" instead of "retarded." A whole generation of adolescents had to give up a favorite common insult. The word "challenged" has become a joke. I use it when I tell people I'm math challenged, or directionally challenged. (If I don't have my watch on my left wrist, don't give me directions.) So that has given us pregnant people and assigned sex at birth. Remember a few years back when someone who didn't have a good grasp of English thought "niggardly" was a reference to blacks? People are so incensed with "black face" (used mostly by Democrat entertainers and politicians like Jimmy Kimmel and Joy Behar) last week there was a black DJ at a high school dance accused of wearing black face--that's the live reenactment of being overly sensitive about words. I'm so old I remember when black was the insult and Negro was the correct term. I think even "senior citizen" is on the chopping block.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7dk8m/googles-ai-powered-inclusive-warnings-feature-is-very-broken
Moving right? Where's the plumb line?
I saw an opinion piece (based I'm sure on someone's academic research while quarantined happily) that American voters are moving to the right. I suspect that depends on where you place center. Yes, more blacks and Hispanics are fleeing the Democrat party. That doesn't mean the spineless Republicans have any appeal. Their personal values, particularly on sex and children, are probably more conservative than whites, who are a mishmash of many races and cultures. Minorities made huge gains under Trump, and all Biden has provided is promises and high inflation. If CRT and wokeism in the classrooms of first graders is the plumb line, and if social media are considered the standard for American voters, I suppose it looks like we're moving to the right. But I don't see it, particularly not in my community of Upper Arlington, Ohio. Our public library has a miniscule collection for conservative Christians of any denomination, and as far as politics and social issues, you might find one or two authors against hundreds of the other ilk. Our churches seem as lost in the fog as the media. I'll have to check and see if any of my conservative friends have taken off their muzzles and face masks.
Obama's North Star certainly isn't the Constitution
"Obama comes out to get mad about disinformation: Yesterday [April 21] at Stanford, President Obama gave a sweeping speech about disinformation, my favorite thing to complain about people complaining about. He called for more government regulation of platforms (they should be “be required to have a higher standard of care when it comes to advertising on their site”) and criticized big tech’s business model (“inflammatory content attracts engagement”).
“These companies need to have some other north star other than just making money and increasing market share,” the former president said.
We have an idea of what that North Star can be: how about the constitution? There’s a First Amendment in there that seems like a pretty great articulation of what the values of a social media company ought to be." Nellie Bowles, "Common Sense" April 22, 2022
Sunday, April 24, 2022
Alcohol deaths during the Covid lockdowns
"The number and rate of alcohol-related deaths increased approximately 25% between 2019 and 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rates increased prior to the pandemic, but less rapidly (2.2% mean annual percent change between 1999 and 2017). The rate increase for alcohol-related deaths in 2020 outpaced the increase in all-cause mortality, which was 16.6%.
Previous reports suggest the number of opioid overdose deaths increased 38% in 2020, with a 55% increase in deaths involving synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. There were similar increases in the number of deaths in which alcohol contributed to overdoses of opioids (40.8%) and, specifically, synthetic opioids (59.2%).
Deaths involving alcohol reflect hidden tolls of the pandemic. Increased drinking to cope with pandemic-related stressors, shifting alcohol policies, and disrupted treatment access are all possible contributing factors. Whether alcohol-related deaths will decline as the pandemic wanes, and whether policy changes could help reduce such deaths, warrants consideration.
Study limitations include inaccurate death certificates, such as underreporting of alcohol involvement,6 and unclear causal relationships among listed causes of deaths. Provisional data are subject to change when more death certificates are processed."
Previous reports suggest the number of opioid overdose deaths increased 38% in 2020, with a 55% increase in deaths involving synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. There were similar increases in the number of deaths in which alcohol contributed to overdoses of opioids (40.8%) and, specifically, synthetic opioids (59.2%).
Deaths involving alcohol reflect hidden tolls of the pandemic. Increased drinking to cope with pandemic-related stressors, shifting alcohol policies, and disrupted treatment access are all possible contributing factors. Whether alcohol-related deaths will decline as the pandemic wanes, and whether policy changes could help reduce such deaths, warrants consideration.
Study limitations include inaccurate death certificates, such as underreporting of alcohol involvement,6 and unclear causal relationships among listed causes of deaths. Provisional data are subject to change when more death certificates are processed."
Saturday, April 23, 2022
Advice on using less plastic--or how we lived in the 40's and 50s
Sometimes you have to wonder about the modern "sustainable" and eco-friendly life style. I can still remember when we were encouraged to use plastic bags to save trees. I have about 6 reusable bags, but during the pandemic we weren't allowed to bring them into the stores! They can get pretty yucky. I remember when no one paid for bottles of water. All straws in restaurants were paper, in fact, most people didn't eat in restaurants. We all used cloth diapers; if there were disposable diapers, they were used for trips in the car. A few people had freezers, but they were for their home grown food. There were not 1500 kinds of air freshener and floor cleaners confusing one at the store. My Tupperware pieces (not many) are probably 50 years old. Can't compost--where would I put it that it wouldn't draw rodents or other animals.
This is the list recommended by Lifetime Fitness. For younger people, it might be a learning curve. We are all addicted to "convenience." My age group at least remembers a different time. The trash figures are stunning, however, there are no citations for how the authors came up with them. The worst environmental damage in recent years was caused by Covid and mask mandates. Billions of masks made from fossil fuel are everywhere. The number of food containers for carry out must have been a real boost to that industry. Probably came from China, like the masks.
This is the list recommended by Lifetime Fitness. For younger people, it might be a learning curve. We are all addicted to "convenience." My age group at least remembers a different time. The trash figures are stunning, however, there are no citations for how the authors came up with them. The worst environmental damage in recent years was caused by Covid and mask mandates. Billions of masks made from fossil fuel are everywhere. The number of food containers for carry out must have been a real boost to that industry. Probably came from China, like the masks.
1. Invest in a reusable glass or stainless-steel water bottle. People around the world buy a million plastic bottles every minute; in the United States, more than 60 million end up in landfills and incinerators every day. (We don't buy throw away plastic bottles for water, but I do have plastic bottles I can reuse, thank you. Don't like carrying glass bottles around.)
2. Opt for cloth rather than disposable diapers. Americans discard some 20 billion plastic diapers annually. (I've seen the cost comparisons about 40 years ago and adding the cost of hot water and soap and electricity to dry so you don't save a lot.)
3. Bring your favorite mug or travel container to the coffee shop for filling up.
4. Skip the plastic straw. If a straw is a must, purchase a reusable stainless-steel or glass straw.
5. Stock up on reusable grocery bags. Americans use and discard some 102 billion plastic bags annually. Each of these can take 1,000 years to degrade.
6. Pass on prepared frozen foods: The packaging is mostly plastic or cardboard coated with plastic.
7. Eschew chewing gum — it’s pretty much made from plastic. [Note: I didn't realize this until about 5 years ago and gave up a very bad habit I'd had since childhood.]
8. Use matches instead of disposable plastic lighters, or invest in a refillable metal lighter.
9. Avoid plastic wrap to cover leftovers, cheeses, and other refrigerated food by using a dish cloth or parchment paper. [This isn't going to happen, but I do use reuseable plastic storage containers.]
10. Cook with cast-iron instead of nonstick pans. Teflon, the most common nonstick surface, is a fluoropolymer plastic. [I prefer this, but it's not safe on a glass top stove, nor can I lift them safely.]
11. Make your own cleaning products. They’re less toxic, and you can reuse spray bottles, eliminating the need for multiple plastic bottles filled with cleaners. (For recipes, see “Make Your Own Spring-Cleaning Kit“.) [Good in theory, but I've moved on to hiring at cleaning service.]
12. Decline plastic flatware with your takeout orders; pick up bamboo or other reusable flatware for picnics and traveling. [I use cheap stainless ware picked up at yard sales and reuse. But Covid made this carry-out trend grow immensely.]
13. Buy food in bulk when possible and pack it in your own reusable jars or containers. You’ll save money and limit unnecessary packaging. [Not a useful tip for 2 person household.]
14. Bring your own containers for vegetables and fruits to the farmers’ market, where you can refill them.
15. Pack your lunch in reusable containers and bags. Skip foods packed in single-serving plastic cups.
16. Mix up your own hand salves, lotion bars, and deodorants instead of buying personal-care items sold in plastic containers. Coconut oil is a great base for all of these. (For more ideas, see “DIY Beauty“.) [I use a lot of coconut oil as moisturizer.]
17. Replace your Tupperware with a set of reusable glass storage containers for leftovers. [Not going to happen. Glass is too heavy.]
18. Compost your food waste to reduce the number of plastic bags needed to haul it to the landfill. [No place to put it.] https://experiencelife.lifetime.life/article/18-ways-to-live-with-less-plastic/?
Masks are gone for now
The cruelty of our states and our federal government show us their totalitarian direction these last two years and how far the USA has fallen on the freedom scale. It's not progressive, or democratic, despite their attempt to change the language. The frenzy from the Left about Elon Musk's desire to make Twitter a free public space again is really alarming--not the freedom of speech but the Left's effort to stop it. The battle for the minds of young children is another arena where we see evil taking over.
Maoists in the Mist by Melissa Mackenzie
"Masks are gone, for now. Biden and his totalitarians have decided to appeal the decision by a Federal judge that the CDC exceeded its authority with the Federal mask mandate. I write about the ways the totalitarians harassed Americans in big and small ways.
My biggest concern is the people who cannot see their own Maoist impulse through this public health debacle. The indifference to ruining people's careers and harming their ability to care for their families when they worked through the pandemic and took all the risk up front is astonishing.
The Keyboard Klass™ is contemptuous of nurses, for example, who worked through the pandemic. These men and women got COVID, are immune and then were FIRED for refusing to take an experimental genetic therapeutic (it's not a vaccine.) It was their choice to not get vaccinated, said the self-righteous unaffected.
Nancy Pelosi sat in a business her policies shut down and violated her own rules for her hair. 43% of small businesses in California went out of business while this woman had her hair done.
This is evil stuff.
I wrote up the indignities supposedly free people faced over the last couple of years.
Civilization is a thin veneer. Too many people would like to impose their will on their neighbors and gladly do it and feel morally superior in the process.
I hope that freedom-loving people remember what happened these last two years.
Maoists in the Mist by Melissa Mackenzie
"Masks are gone, for now. Biden and his totalitarians have decided to appeal the decision by a Federal judge that the CDC exceeded its authority with the Federal mask mandate. I write about the ways the totalitarians harassed Americans in big and small ways.
My biggest concern is the people who cannot see their own Maoist impulse through this public health debacle. The indifference to ruining people's careers and harming their ability to care for their families when they worked through the pandemic and took all the risk up front is astonishing.
The Keyboard Klass™ is contemptuous of nurses, for example, who worked through the pandemic. These men and women got COVID, are immune and then were FIRED for refusing to take an experimental genetic therapeutic (it's not a vaccine.) It was their choice to not get vaccinated, said the self-righteous unaffected.
Nancy Pelosi sat in a business her policies shut down and violated her own rules for her hair. 43% of small businesses in California went out of business while this woman had her hair done.
This is evil stuff.
I wrote up the indignities supposedly free people faced over the last couple of years.
Civilization is a thin veneer. Too many people would like to impose their will on their neighbors and gladly do it and feel morally superior in the process.
I hope that freedom-loving people remember what happened these last two years.
The mask mandates--they didn't work
The graph tracks the results of a natural experiment that occurred nationwide during the pandemic. Eleven states never mandated masks, while the other 39 states enforced mandates. The mandates typically began early in the pandemic in 2020 and remained until at least the summer of 2021, with some extending into 2022. The black line on the graph shows the weekly rate of Covid cases in all the states with mask mandates that week, while the orange line shows the rate in all the states without mandates. As you can see from the lines’ similar trajectories, the mask mandates hardly controlled the virus. . . If you add up all the numbers on those two lines, you find that the mask mandates made zero difference. The cumulative rate of infection over the course of the pandemic was about 24 percent in the mandate states as well as in the non-mandate states. Their cumulative rates of Covid mortality were virtually identical, too (in fact, there were slightly more deaths per capita in the states with mask mandates).
But now we have people addicted to and dependent on masks. Sigh.
First really great day of the spring and it's 83!
We cleaned off the deck and washed the furniture and had our dinner outside--beef roast, potatoes, carrots and yellow peppers, fresh fruit and a giant cookie. What an amazing day. Our neighbor's dog, Kerry, stopped by to visit. She loves Bob. He takes her on walks and feeds her when her owners are gone. She didn't want to go home, but I think she could smell the beef roast! Later in the day I took a walk and enjoyed the flowering crab apple trees. I'm wearing my head phones in the photo while enjoying a podcast about Liturgy of the Hours. Had a visit with a new neighbor Mark who moved in last week, and an old neighbor Jan (but younger than me). So many of my neighbors are planting flowers. It was a beautiful time.
Friday, April 22, 2022
Bottom of the news barrel
Research finds that a high-sugar diet supplied by tourists is giving Bahamian rock iguanas the lizard equivalent of high blood sugar.
"Northern Bahamian rock iguanas (Cyclura cychlura), already listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, face a grave new threat: adoring tourists who regularly offer them grapes as if they’re paying tribute to Dionysus, the Greek god of wine.
Research published today (April 21) in the Journal of Experimental Biology shows that iguanas that live on islands frequented by grape-slinging tourists are unable to regulate their blood glucose levels as well as those that live on more remote islands to which humans rarely venture. The study focused on two subspecies of the rock iguana—the Allen Cays rock iguana (ssp. inornata) and the Exuma rock iguana (ssp. figginsi)—both of which are critically endangered."
"Northern Bahamian rock iguanas (Cyclura cychlura), already listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, face a grave new threat: adoring tourists who regularly offer them grapes as if they’re paying tribute to Dionysus, the Greek god of wine.
Research published today (April 21) in the Journal of Experimental Biology shows that iguanas that live on islands frequented by grape-slinging tourists are unable to regulate their blood glucose levels as well as those that live on more remote islands to which humans rarely venture. The study focused on two subspecies of the rock iguana—the Allen Cays rock iguana (ssp. inornata) and the Exuma rock iguana (ssp. figginsi)—both of which are critically endangered."
A quick look at the article shows that neither the tourists nor the scientists were too bright about this. It seems the tourists were told originally to give them grapes rather than bread, and that some tourists are actually holding inappropriate diet items, like lettuce in their own mouths to feed the iguanas! Grapes are very high in sugar and even for humans aren't included in low carb diets. Also, the indangered iguanas on a poor diet are thriving
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Our Friday night date--a little history
Tomorrow night we'll be going to our Friday date night spot, The Rusty Bucket. Our Friday night dates go way back--sometime in the 60s. The Bucket is just one of many restaurants where we've been regulars over the years. I accidentally came across a blog about how we ended up there about 17 years ago.
"Last night [March 18, 2005] we switched from "Old Bag of Nails" in the Tremont Shopping Center to "The Rusty Bucket" in the Lane Avenue Shopping Center for our Friday night date. Our suburb's recent non-smoking ordinance has moved all the smokers out of the Old Bag down to Grandview Heights, which means a lot of the alcohol sales are also gone. So in this one location, the owners have changed the menu and raised the prices, moving to more dinners. We like the "pub" atmosphere and seeing our friends and neighbors, so we decided to try Bucket, which opened about a year ago. The decor is just about the same with a little more of a sports bar feel (more TV screens than Old Bag), similar menu, and cheery young ladies to wait the tables. We thought the food was tasty, hot and well-prepared, and the noise level wasn't too painful. We'll probably go back--although we didn't see a soul we knew even though the two restaurants are within a mile of each other."
Let's see if we have any photos.
2010
New Year's Eve 2019 with Sloughs
With Kunzes in Worthington Rusty Bucket
Visual Arts Ministry Sept. reunion 2010
2015
Tucker on Biden--the composite of clips
I don't like it when people speak disrespectfully of the cognitively challenge. Unfortunately, Joe Biden provides too many opportunities. After protecting him for years, the media seems to turning, but why?
Will we protect Finland's border and not our own?
"Should Finland join NATO, the United States, under Article 5 of the NATO treaty, would be obligated to go to war with the world’s largest nuclear power to retrieve Finnish lands that an enraged Russia might grab.
Moscow has already indicated that, should Sweden and Finland join NATO, Russia will introduce new nuclear weapons into the Baltic region.
Why is it wise for us to formally agree, in perpetuity, as NATO is a permanent alliance, to go to war with Russia, for Finland?
Given the war in Ukraine and concomitant crisis in Eastern Europe, it is understandable why Stockholm and Helsinki would seek greater security beneath the U.S. nuclear umbrella."
Moscow has already indicated that, should Sweden and Finland join NATO, Russia will introduce new nuclear weapons into the Baltic region.
Why is it wise for us to formally agree, in perpetuity, as NATO is a permanent alliance, to go to war with Russia, for Finland?
Given the war in Ukraine and concomitant crisis in Eastern Europe, it is understandable why Stockholm and Helsinki would seek greater security beneath the U.S. nuclear umbrella."
Pat Buchanan has been needling the right and left for as long as I've been paying attention. He didn't like President Bush. You won't be able to accept all his warnings and logic, but often right, and I don't mean just politically.
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