Wednesday, June 6, 2018
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, K 🎈
Yes, you were wrong. And guess what, you are still. The best diet is the next one;
because we have evolved, adapting to various conditions along the way and picking up
different practices. Even cooking food can be seen as problematic, and trans fats
appear the minute we put things in the oven.
So there is no perfect forever optimal diet but one needs to adapt as a function of one's current difficulties and goals. I do not say this lightly; the food guide is not goal, but a reference.
And to get the party started, the ever entertaining Eric the Electric. Poor chap suffers from
low thyroid, often reading his body temp at 95°F in the mornings. Team Electric!!
I'm actually worried this young man might be feeling the beginnings of theobromine
poisoning from all that chocolate: something we, the elderly, are prone to...
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Triassic
Finally found what mammals looked like during the Triassic: this little fellow.
The second is the version found in Africa.
source: Slate(below)
source: Wikipedia
The second is the version found in Africa.
Monday, June 4, 2018
Adaptive
Adapative thermogenesis is the actual term to describe that much maligned
metabolic adaptation experienced by those who loose weight quickly. Makes sense:
the individual is suddenly faced with less food, or needs to be more active, and
metabolism adapts through thermal activities. In effect, the thyroid gland is the main
player here. If it didn't, the individual would be very vulnerable to changes in environmental
conditions, and not much of a candidate for survival. So starving the person starves the
thyroid, with the effects that we observe. The ability to procreate is the last to go.
What can be done to counter this: the fitness community advises - after a show, for example -
reverse dieting. Rather than an abrupt return to normal food intake, the individual slowly adds
foods back to the diet. Metabolic function follows along.
One interesting research finding I stumbled upon had to do with the fate of those who had gone
through bariatric surgery. One might assume that given very large amounts of weight loss, these
individuals would suffer the most form a damaged metabolism. Not at all: it is those who got
thin by dieting who are cursed. The bariatric patients exhibit a return to normal metabolism
because - through no will of their own - they have followed reverse dieting guidelines. From
eating just liquids, then a few solids, a bite more here, another there, they have reset their
metabolism.
http://www.jtsstrength.com/articles/2014/07/11/need-know-metabolic-adaptation/
* * *
Where I would have questions would be with respect to the nature of the foods
ingested. If one suddenly cuts out carbs - which is what a body builder going to
competition might be doing - this might lead to the need for a quick metabolic
adjustment. Whereas a student going on a diet, and cutting out fast foods for a while,
might not see such a quick response because burgers and fries are high fat and protein.
Need to ponder this a bit more...
The Biggest Looser victims were not just cutting down carbs, but also doing more cardio
(which burns quick energy). The body might have adapted because it literally ran out
of cheap fuel. Ingested protein is - on a first pass - used for body building and repair, and broken
down to be used as fuel only if it is in excess of need.
In the same vein, our student dieter cutting out fats might well lack the elements necessary
to produce cholesterol, testosterone (which regulates metabolism) and other thyroid hormones.
So the metabolic slowdown for the student will be the result of another process.
metabolic adaptation experienced by those who loose weight quickly. Makes sense:
the individual is suddenly faced with less food, or needs to be more active, and
metabolism adapts through thermal activities. In effect, the thyroid gland is the main
player here. If it didn't, the individual would be very vulnerable to changes in environmental
conditions, and not much of a candidate for survival. So starving the person starves the
thyroid, with the effects that we observe. The ability to procreate is the last to go.
What can be done to counter this: the fitness community advises - after a show, for example -
reverse dieting. Rather than an abrupt return to normal food intake, the individual slowly adds
foods back to the diet. Metabolic function follows along.
One interesting research finding I stumbled upon had to do with the fate of those who had gone
through bariatric surgery. One might assume that given very large amounts of weight loss, these
individuals would suffer the most form a damaged metabolism. Not at all: it is those who got
thin by dieting who are cursed. The bariatric patients exhibit a return to normal metabolism
because - through no will of their own - they have followed reverse dieting guidelines. From
eating just liquids, then a few solids, a bite more here, another there, they have reset their
metabolism.
http://www.jtsstrength.com/articles/2014/07/11/need-know-metabolic-adaptation/
* * *
Where I would have questions would be with respect to the nature of the foods
ingested. If one suddenly cuts out carbs - which is what a body builder going to
competition might be doing - this might lead to the need for a quick metabolic
adjustment. Whereas a student going on a diet, and cutting out fast foods for a while,
might not see such a quick response because burgers and fries are high fat and protein.
Need to ponder this a bit more...
The Biggest Looser victims were not just cutting down carbs, but also doing more cardio
(which burns quick energy). The body might have adapted because it literally ran out
of cheap fuel. Ingested protein is - on a first pass - used for body building and repair, and broken
down to be used as fuel only if it is in excess of need.
In the same vein, our student dieter cutting out fats might well lack the elements necessary
to produce cholesterol, testosterone (which regulates metabolism) and other thyroid hormones.
So the metabolic slowdown for the student will be the result of another process.
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Bioethics
The French Parliament will be receiving, Monday June 4, 2018, a report on
bioethics with respect to genetic engineering. The main argument is troubling:
the current direction in which the domain is moving - thanks to a powerful technology
which allows to cut an paste genes - is quite contrary to medical ethics as we understand it.
Medicine corrects inequality, genetic engineering widens it.
Of particular concern are interventions that affect not just the individual, but his offspring and
eventually, the future of mankind. Such practices are illegal for the moment in France. And
removing lineages of terrible sickness can be done legally by only re-implanting embryos that
are healthy with respect to a certain gene (good-by Einstein with that wagging tongue thing).
Chilling reading, no doubt.
What do I think about it? Take it easy, guys. Science (and culture generally) is a form of post facto
record-keeping to processes that are in fine spiritual.That's what I think about it.
https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2018/06/01/axel-kahn-impossible-de-savoir-quels-seront-les-bons-genes-dans-deux-siecles_5308154_3232.html
Saturday, June 2, 2018
NDDay
OMG I missed National Doughnut Day (USA) 🍩, which was yesterday.
Can I ever catch up?
Seriously, I'm pretty angry about the whole calorie counting thing. It's - at
one level - a truism that one will loose weight by cutting calories. But it is also
disturbingly stupid to approach weight management from the calorie ingested
perspective; and then decry metabolic adaptation: the fact that the body will
switch to do more with less after a period of deprivation. Of course it will, that too is a
a survival mechanism.
I think back to that female doctor in the 1930s who - herself gaining weight - had the
flashy idea to approach dieting through calories. If I just keep the calorie count down,
weight loss will result without having to worry about this and that, ie incidentally, she thought.
Thus calorie restricted weight loss was born.To the damn of subsequent generations.
Was it a stupid idea, a fat and lazy approach to a serious issue. There was an insight there,
that science does provide markers. Actually, it was ge-ni-ous, as current internet culture
would define it. A bad good idea one needs to approach with a grain of salt.
So that expanding doctor had a problem, born of a shifting context: as sugary treats
became widely available, people could gain weight not always knowing why. Because the context
of social control was no longer up the evolution of the technical parameters ie available foods.
What is the current context, and is it truly failing us. Abundant food is a joyous thing
for us smart apes. In an information and marketing-driven culture, every day is Doughnut
Day. Hoorah! And there is a manic party on the Web with eaters of all varieties
celebrating it all. Hoorah, Hoorah. So lets celebrate weight control, because not only do we
have abundant food, but we have abundant foods of all kinds, which allows us to fine-tune
our appearance and well-being.
I didn't eat a doughnut yesterday, but it was raining and I dug out a fancy raisin bun from
the freezer to cheer myself a bit. ( I had half, with cheese, to both enjoy the treat and avoid
the insulin roller coaster. In point of fact, these two tasted great together, and I felt not only
pleasure but a sense of satiety eating it.) A portion of cottage cheese is currently thawing on the
counter, which I will eating with a banana for today's breakfast. A whole banana, you diet police of
yesterday who said to never eat a whole banana, if at all for calorie restriction.
Cheers, as I sip my morning brew - black - because it will help that sweet banana go down later!!
Can I ever catch up?
Seriously, I'm pretty angry about the whole calorie counting thing. It's - at
one level - a truism that one will loose weight by cutting calories. But it is also
disturbingly stupid to approach weight management from the calorie ingested
perspective; and then decry metabolic adaptation: the fact that the body will
switch to do more with less after a period of deprivation. Of course it will, that too is a
a survival mechanism.
I think back to that female doctor in the 1930s who - herself gaining weight - had the
flashy idea to approach dieting through calories. If I just keep the calorie count down,
weight loss will result without having to worry about this and that, ie incidentally, she thought.
Thus calorie restricted weight loss was born.To the damn of subsequent generations.
Was it a stupid idea, a fat and lazy approach to a serious issue. There was an insight there,
that science does provide markers. Actually, it was ge-ni-ous, as current internet culture
would define it. A bad good idea one needs to approach with a grain of salt.
So that expanding doctor had a problem, born of a shifting context: as sugary treats
became widely available, people could gain weight not always knowing why. Because the context
of social control was no longer up the evolution of the technical parameters ie available foods.
What is the current context, and is it truly failing us. Abundant food is a joyous thing
for us smart apes. In an information and marketing-driven culture, every day is Doughnut
Day. Hoorah! And there is a manic party on the Web with eaters of all varieties
celebrating it all. Hoorah, Hoorah. So lets celebrate weight control, because not only do we
have abundant food, but we have abundant foods of all kinds, which allows us to fine-tune
our appearance and well-being.
I didn't eat a doughnut yesterday, but it was raining and I dug out a fancy raisin bun from
the freezer to cheer myself a bit. ( I had half, with cheese, to both enjoy the treat and avoid
the insulin roller coaster. In point of fact, these two tasted great together, and I felt not only
pleasure but a sense of satiety eating it.) A portion of cottage cheese is currently thawing on the
counter, which I will eating with a banana for today's breakfast. A whole banana, you diet police of
yesterday who said to never eat a whole banana, if at all for calorie restriction.
Cheers, as I sip my morning brew - black - because it will help that sweet banana go down later!!
Friday, June 1, 2018
Steel
Hard to tell what is going on in this steel tariffs business. It will be remembered
that the US initially imposed hefty tariffs on Chinese steel in 2016 because that
country was subsidizing its steel industry, and dumping cheap steel on world markets.
What that did in effect was force others (like Canada) to offer cheaper steel to the US.
Extending tariffs to friendly trading partners now can be seen as making things fairer
for China in its offer to the US. The fundamental issue is ever the same: China is looking for a spot
on the world steel front, the US is a heavy enough player to worry about its economy in both
jobs and import prices under various decisions.
What is perhaps troubling to the pundits in Washington is that such complex matters are
normally handled by Congressional committees, gathering all elements ofinformation over
a long period. This administration plays fast and loose. Hard to tell what the thinking is, and how accurately it foresees outcomes.
that the US initially imposed hefty tariffs on Chinese steel in 2016 because that
country was subsidizing its steel industry, and dumping cheap steel on world markets.
What that did in effect was force others (like Canada) to offer cheaper steel to the US.
Extending tariffs to friendly trading partners now can be seen as making things fairer
for China in its offer to the US. The fundamental issue is ever the same: China is looking for a spot
on the world steel front, the US is a heavy enough player to worry about its economy in both
jobs and import prices under various decisions.
What is perhaps troubling to the pundits in Washington is that such complex matters are
normally handled by Congressional committees, gathering all elements ofinformation over
a long period. This administration plays fast and loose. Hard to tell what the thinking is, and how accurately it foresees outcomes.
Consent
Sex Ed: 'How would you feel, if a girl has more than one boyfriend'
For the last fifteen years or so, there have been classes in colleges
enabling debate around notions of intimacy, listening, respect, consent.
LE MONDE
author: Mattea Battaglia
translation: doxa-louise
"Is it difficult, at thirteen, to create relationships with girls" The nine level 4 students
to whom Christine Héritier, couple and family coach working at Bluets-Trousseau
Family Planning (Paris, Arrondissement 12), ask the question on this Friday at the end of May,
don't really see any problem. It is with amazing truthfulness that these youngsters between
13 and 15, for whom sex life is still, most often, at the projection stage, answer in the negative.
Add up and count again the girls they find attractive. Call each other out as 'seducers' and
'polygamists'...
Next to Christine Héritier, a woman from school personnel cuts in to remind them they are not
there to speak about themselves but about love relationships 'in general'. It is the very aim of
these sequences of sex ed inscribed in law for the last fifteen years ( three sessions a year, by age
group),but which one quarter of schools, according to the Haut Conseil à l'égalité, still don't
take advantage of.
"I would be gripped by hatred."
In this ZEP college (putting priority on staying in school) from easterly Paris, where the
students are often from immigrant families, and don't talk about 'that', in a family setting,
there is work to be done.And the nine boys seem to understand: on procreation, contraception
and puberty, they are top-notch, acknowledges the coach. With respect to everything having to do with a love relationship, it is harder to find agreement.
"The guy can, in his own head, not think of himself as in a couple relationship, while the
girl does", suggests Mourad. "The inverse is also true, whispers Christine Héritier. How
would you feel about a girl with many boyfriends?" "I would be gripped by hatred", answers
Killian.
"I would feel like hitting her", adds Karim. "Vengeance": the word resonates among the boys
(the girls are in another room, for their own session), without a clear indication of who said it.
The anecdotes begin. "If the girl sent photos of herself, on can post these to social media", argues
Karim. 'That way, everybody sees them, even her friends, even her mother", multiplies Mourad.
"Taking vengeance on betrayal, one can feel like doing it but know how to hold oneself back from
doing it, corrects Christine. To the others, What is your opinion. A number of the boys feel
that vengeance is justified. Even Kilian, who is yet taken with the story of a girl who "after
publication of a video, mutilated herself". 'I don't understand; what is the purpose,then, of
filming oneself?"
The exchange, in all its spontaneity, permits putting up for debate notions of intimacy, listening,
respect, consent. Terms which are then elevated to become principles which society takes up
"by expecting young people to articulate and put in practice,while all this is still terribly difficult for
adults" admit the women to themselves in aparté.
Asking a young woman if they can kiss her, or 'go beyond that' leaves these
young men speechless. "If a girl put this question to me, I would find that pretty weird"
suggests Adam. " Not if she is a dog!", joke the guys. "Keep in mind that not being in the
mood, and not daring to say it, happens often, concludes Christine Héritier. Because one
can be surprised, feel shy, not ready...Because desire fluctuates."
For the last fifteen years or so, there have been classes in colleges
enabling debate around notions of intimacy, listening, respect, consent.
LE MONDE
author: Mattea Battaglia
translation: doxa-louise
"Is it difficult, at thirteen, to create relationships with girls" The nine level 4 students
to whom Christine Héritier, couple and family coach working at Bluets-Trousseau
Family Planning (Paris, Arrondissement 12), ask the question on this Friday at the end of May,
don't really see any problem. It is with amazing truthfulness that these youngsters between
13 and 15, for whom sex life is still, most often, at the projection stage, answer in the negative.
Add up and count again the girls they find attractive. Call each other out as 'seducers' and
'polygamists'...
Next to Christine Héritier, a woman from school personnel cuts in to remind them they are not
there to speak about themselves but about love relationships 'in general'. It is the very aim of
these sequences of sex ed inscribed in law for the last fifteen years ( three sessions a year, by age
group),but which one quarter of schools, according to the Haut Conseil à l'égalité, still don't
take advantage of.
"I would be gripped by hatred."
In this ZEP college (putting priority on staying in school) from easterly Paris, where the
students are often from immigrant families, and don't talk about 'that', in a family setting,
there is work to be done.And the nine boys seem to understand: on procreation, contraception
and puberty, they are top-notch, acknowledges the coach. With respect to everything having to do with a love relationship, it is harder to find agreement.
"The guy can, in his own head, not think of himself as in a couple relationship, while the
girl does", suggests Mourad. "The inverse is also true, whispers Christine Héritier. How
would you feel about a girl with many boyfriends?" "I would be gripped by hatred", answers
Killian.
"I would feel like hitting her", adds Karim. "Vengeance": the word resonates among the boys
(the girls are in another room, for their own session), without a clear indication of who said it.
The anecdotes begin. "If the girl sent photos of herself, on can post these to social media", argues
Karim. 'That way, everybody sees them, even her friends, even her mother", multiplies Mourad.
"Taking vengeance on betrayal, one can feel like doing it but know how to hold oneself back from
doing it, corrects Christine. To the others, What is your opinion. A number of the boys feel
that vengeance is justified. Even Kilian, who is yet taken with the story of a girl who "after
publication of a video, mutilated herself". 'I don't understand; what is the purpose,then, of
filming oneself?"
The exchange, in all its spontaneity, permits putting up for debate notions of intimacy, listening,
respect, consent. Terms which are then elevated to become principles which society takes up
"by expecting young people to articulate and put in practice,while all this is still terribly difficult for
adults" admit the women to themselves in aparté.
Asking a young woman if they can kiss her, or 'go beyond that' leaves these
young men speechless. "If a girl put this question to me, I would find that pretty weird"
suggests Adam. " Not if she is a dog!", joke the guys. "Keep in mind that not being in the
mood, and not daring to say it, happens often, concludes Christine Héritier. Because one
can be surprised, feel shy, not ready...Because desire fluctuates."
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