Thursday, May 31, 2018

Vegan Summer

As we look forward to summer holiday eats, I think I have found a
usable vegan recipe for my so disposed acquaintances. It is a burger
made from sweet potatoes and chickpeas. One adds spices, oil and
coating to make the patty, followed by a drizzle it with more oil, and
a pop it in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, with 5 of those on broil.
Seems livable...



                                   *     *     *
Bought a dollar store hat to go in the sun: the weather is suddenly full
metal jacket summer. It's a bit of a hunting hat, but the ducks in the water
seemed in good spirits.



                                  *    *     *

And could someone please explain to me what is wrong with a sunset clause
in the NAFTA talks( which would force a review every five years).Sounds
healthy to me!?

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Continents

YouTube to the rescue. Wonderful video by Algol about the emergence of land on
Earth.



Am also looking for a summary of animal life on Earth (eventually linked to that of
of the natural environment). Clearly, proto mammals were around in the Triassic. The smaller
ones made it through. Four legs, close to the ground, with a characteristic jawline...

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Weather Watch

New season of weather watch. I"m such a junkie; but that's because I've
been caught in veritable downpours, and literally swept form the ground on occasion.
The problem: things often change quickly, and one is running on outdated information...



Monday, May 28, 2018

Speaking S

Stumbled unto an interesting article in the Los Angeles Times
about incidents in public places in the US where people were
confronted for speaking Spanish. The speakers feel justified in so doing, and
many argue that it is a form of racism or police profiling for them to be
called out. Often it is a parent addressing a child. We are proud to speak
two languages, it is a form of being smart.

As a Francophone Canadian, I am no stranger to linguistic battles. What strikes me
about these incidents - and the reason I am tempted to meddle in an American situation -
is that we seem to be dealing with some measure of cross-communication.

What is upsetting to people many not be paying taxes to support Spanish speakers,
but the fact that Spanish might be somewhat opaque to an Anglophone. It is a conversation
in a public place and who knows what is being said. Because conversations in public
inevitably have a public component. If you are telling your child to put down the candy,
you are also reassuring the sales clerk that this candy thing is under control. You are
socializing your child in the course of an outing. The mother teaching the child to carry on in Spanish, in turn, is - in this subtext sphere - showing the child to resist intimidation.
Which might not be the primary skill in this situation. The ability to switch back and forth,
as well as to keep a certain distance form the parent, might be more like it. Autonomy is a
delicate thing.

Which is why acquiring citizenship in a new country does involve learning for all members
of a family. Not learning English as such, but knowing where the boundaries and
expectations are. The language issue will resolve itself once that is in place.

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-ln-speak-english-20180528-story.html

Sunday, May 27, 2018

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Selective

Sometimes, reading about a topic one is researching in another language
can bring to the fore information one wasn't really getting. All writing - and reading -
can be a little... er ... selective.

So I've been on a French site about weight training. And was curious to see how the
concept of 'cheat meal' was translating. It is a letting-go meal. Yes, one is cheating
but on one's regimen, not on a healthy diet. In point of fact, one is eating a globally
healthy meal in the midst of a cut (weight-loss or competition strenght gaining motivated)
with a high carb meal. What this does is allow one to keep training ; because muscles do get
depleted of fuel after a while. It also feeds the brain, which runs on sugar, and mood and
concentration also snap back. And done judiciously, it will stop metabolism from going
into starvation mode. So go out with the family for a spaghetti dinner, all in
good conscience!!

On wider concepts of nutrition, I was surprised to see a recommendation for
saturated fats ( with an upper limit of 10% calories of diet). Because the foods that contain
such fats also contain cholesterol, necessary for the production of testosterone in men. Egg yolks
and lean beef are the preferred sources. The discussion below,

Il y a un problème à tout cela : les régimes sans matière grasse et donc sans cholestérol compromettent le taux de testostérone, ce qui peut perturber la capacité de l’organisme à conserver la masse musculaire.

Lorsque le niveau de testostérone baisse, il entraîne le métabolisme dans sa chute. Il vaut donc mieux inclure des jaunes d’oeufs (un oeuf entier pour 3 à 4 blancs d’oeufs) à son régime et consommer du boeuf maigre quotidiennement.

Ces deux aliments fournissent du cholestérol, présent dans les graisses saturées, qui contribue à la augmenter la testostérone. Il est aussi conseillé de consommer du poisson plus gras (saumon, thon) deux fois par semaine : il contient des acides gras polyinsaturés oméga 3 qui contribuent à lutter contre l’inflammation du corps et des muscles.

La testostérone est responsable des caractéristiques masculines telles que la pilosité, la tessiture de voix plus grave, et, bien sûr, une musculature plus développée et plus puissante. D’un autre côté, la testostérone exerce aussi un effet minceur puisqu’elle active le métabolisme, accentue la libération des graisses par les adipocytes (cellule graisseuse) et inhibe la mise en réserve des lipides par l’organisme. Une maitrise alimentaire peut faire une énorme différence si vous voulez avoir assez de testostérone pour développer votre masse musculaire.


So cholesterol is necessary for testosterone, which in turn also activates metabolism, facilitates
liberating fat from cells, and stops the deposit of further fats!!

But here's the food police: there is one class of fats which should be banned altogether, and that
is those (man-made) trans fats. Recommended/allowed quantities: zero. nothing but bad consequences from these.

Quantité

Zéro ! Évitez les fritures, les pâtisseries industrielles, les chips et les biscuits. En cas de doute, vérifiez l’étiquette.
Sources

Omniprésentes dans les aliments fabriqués et la restauration rapide, les huiles partiellement hydrogénées contiennent des acides trans qui peuvent causer des dégâts aux artères. Les frites, le poisson frit, les fritures, les aliments cuits au four, les beignets et les biscuits secs sont généralement riches en acides gras trans.


And for those in doubt, a beignet is a doughnut. Ouch!

https://www.espace-musculation.com/cheat-meals.html

                                 *     *     *
For those intersted in the self-data mouvement, currently developing in
Great Britain, France and Finland.

https://www.lemonde.fr/chronique-des-communs/article/2018/05/25/a-lyon-deux-mille-personnes-testent-deja-la-portabilite-de-leurs-donnees-personnelles_5304353_5049504.html#meter_toaster

Friday, May 25, 2018

Fourteen

My favorite blogger is up again:

http://montrealrampage.com/war-on-women-pouzza-fest/

What would I tell my fourteen year old self . Actually, I think I should leave
that poor beleaguered creature alone, for what is neurotic parenting other than
making sure the new generation doesn't make those same old errors...

Seriously, did I underestimate sexism when I was young. The article gets it:
overcoming sexism is a form of becoming for self.👩‍💻

                                     *     *     *

Been reading that certain Web newspapers are not available today, in Europe
because of compliance issues with the new web regulations. Can't in all conscience
pirate stuff out of America, but the Los Angeles Times is running a charming piece
on a new chain of American Chinese Food currently operating in...Shanghai!




There are eight regional cuisines in China, and this is something different.

Jessica Meyers, from Shanghai