Yesterday’s post was intended to be sort of tongue-in-cheek; I just wanted an excuse to use the old Cagle ‘toon and see if anyone was still concerned about mad cow. Guess many still are. So I was glad to get this from Roboseyo in Seoul, Korea, where the natives are pretty restless about mad cow. I found it humorous and worth sharing. Says Rob:

“I have good news for all my Korean friends, and even concerned citizens in America.

See, after I got home from a lovely date with girlfriendoseyo, and a delightful walk through all the friendly protesters offering me red signs, and walking like docile cattle through the winding streets around Gwanghwamun, I checked my e-mail.

I got an e-mail from an actual, real scientist… I forget his name because I was so excited that I deleted the e-mail without thinking after I read it, but he went to Harbard or something, I swear, and here’s, like, totally the best news I’ve ever heard, and it’s absolutely totally true, because a real, actual scientist from Harbard told me.

He says that I don’t have to worry about mad cow disease, because kimchi makes you immune to it! He said kimchi’s special combination of garlic, han, spicy chili, and jung kills the prions that cause mad cow, and he showed me some serious, like really actually real science that totally proves it’s true. Here it is: See!

That totally proves it! If you don’t want to catch mad cow disease from American beef, all you have to do is eat it with kimchi, and the kimchi will kill the prions! […]

So just make sure you eat your beef with kimchi, and you’ll be fine! I swear! It’s science! Science is true!

P.S. New definition of Irony: Mad cow beef protester taking a break from shouting slogans for a nice, relaxing cigarette.”

Remember mad cow disease? Did our boycott of foreign beef wipe it out in the U.S.? Is it really safe to go back in the water?

Apparently not, at least according to this web site…

Get in tune with your brain waves

Insomniacs who listened to classical piano created in response to their own brain waves — a technique called brain music therapy — improved their sleep quality in four weeks according to a University of Toronto study. The cutting edge therapy boosts levels of melatonin, a brain chemical linked to sleep.

Snake oil you say? Science, says Dr. Galina Mindlin, MD, PhD, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry in Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Supervising Attending Physician in the Department of Psychiatry in St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center. She has a PhD in neurophysiology and neuropsychology.

According to the Brain Music Treatment web site, brain music therapy is an effective, scientifically proven treatment for stress, insomnia, anxiety, and depression. It has also been found to increase productivity and concentration. Doctors record an individual’s brain waves and convert them into unique musical sounds. These musical sounds correlate to brain waves that promote relaxation and trigger activation in your body. The musical sounds are presented to you in the form of two musical files - one relaxing, and one activating. Playing the files promotes relaxation and activation in your body. The therapy is backed by solid scientific evidence, including double blind studies.

Click to read more ...

You may remember various email hoaxes over the years claiming that cell phones could cook an egg and therefore were frying your brain while you used them. Well, a new version popped up May 28th in the form of YouTube videos purporting to demonstrate how cell phones can pop corn. I’ve received several emails from friends “alerting” me to the danger.

Sorry, folks, but all three videos were illusions produced by Cardo Systems, Inc., a provider of Bluetooth headsets, as part of a marketing campaign to - you guessed it - sell more headsets. Pretty clever, I suppose, but how was it done? Well, someone’s produced a video that purports to “expose” the hoax. The video on the left is one of the three produced by Cardo showing the corn “popping”, the one on the right by someone dismantling a microwave to demonstrate how the trick was conceivably accomplished. Kids, don’t try this at home.

A word of caution seems appropriate here. Cardo refers to their videos as “illusions” without explaining how they were accomplished. The video purporting to expose them was not produced by Cardo and could conceivably be a hoax itself. In any event, attempting to reproduce the illusion as shown in the second video would be, at the very least, dangerous. At worst, you could be electrocuted or burn your house down. Needless to say, I don’t recommend anyone try it.

Our foray into vegetarianism — or more accurately, “pescevegetarianism” — is progressing better than I had expected when we began the trek almost three months ago. Dawn and I have successfully eliminated meat, egg, dairy and animal byproducts from our diets and replaced them with increased amounts of fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and soy. We’re still enjoying the experience, feeling good and, yes, still talking to each other.

I’ll remind everyone that we’re also eating some fish and shrimp, hence the “pesce” prefix to our form of vegetarianism. But as I’ve explained before, we didn’t begin the journey to conform to any particular definition, make a social or environmental statement or join a club. We simply decided to adopt a healthier diet and our research pointed in this direction.

How’s it been? Well, in a word, enlightening. And fun. We’ve made a few exceptions during our transition but have remained pretty steadily on course. As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, we’ve tried unusual recipes, experienced new foods, met some interesting people and, for the most part, we’re enjoying the ride! But it was a personal decision and neither of us is pushing anyone else to “switch”.

That said, some of you have asked us to share a recipe or two and Dawn has agreed to do so when she gets a little free time. Look for one in the next week or two… (No pressure, Dawn!)

Here’s an interesting story from Ananova that should come as no surprise to many of you:

“Some computer keyboards carry more harmful bacteria than a toilet seat, according to new research. Consumer group Which? said tests at its London offices found equipment carrying bugs that could cause food poisoning.

Out of 33 keyboards swabbed, four were regarded as a potential health hazard and one harbored five times more germs than one of the office’s toilet seats. A microbiologist ordered the worst keyboards to be so dirty he ordered it to be removed, quarantined and cleaned. It had 150 times the recommended limit for bacteria - five times as filthy as a lavatory seat tested at the same time, the research found.

Dr. Wilson, a consultant microbiologist at University College London Hospital, said sharing a keyboard could be passing on illnesses among office workers. ‘If you look at what grows on computer keyboards, and hospitals are worse, believe it or not, it’s more or less a reflection of what’s in your nose and in your gut,’ he said. ‘Should somebody have a cold in your office, or even have gastroenteritis, you’re very likely to pick it up from a keyboard.’

Which? computing editor Sarah Kidner advised users to give their computer ‘a spring clean’.

‘It’s quite simple to do and could prevent your computer from becoming a health hazard,’ she said.”

I have nothing to add to the story; I just wanted an excuse to use this Melissa McEwan graphic of a keyboard that reads “POOP.” BTW, I swam in Miami canals when I was a kid and played with every stray or wild animal that came near me. Dirty keyboards don’t scare me.

This ‘toon from Shannan asks a logical question…

Good to know I wasn’t the first to ask it.

Yes, the title has changed but the cast of characters remains the same…

Let’s see, since Part 2 in this series we’ve debated and settled the burning technical question of whether or not our decision to include seafood in our otherwise vegetarian diet entitled us to wear the mantle of “vegetarian.” You’ll recall that some in the vegetarian community were pretty sensitive about who used the title and, upon learning that we were eating fish, promptly informed us that we didn’t qualify. It was much the same response we’d received from the vegan community who told us we didn’t fit the required profile for membership because we hadn’t shunned leather shoes and car seats, and weren’t wearing hemp clothing.

But thanks to a more forgiving arm of vegetarianism, we accepted the distinction of “pescevegetarians” - otherwise vegetarians that, like us, eat fish and other seafood. And before you point out that the word isn’t in the dictionary, remember that our conversion was aimed at adopting a more healthy diet, not making a political, spiritual or ecological statement. A “title”, at least for us, serves merely to facilitate discussion and simplify ordering in restaurants.

So here we are, nearly two months into our epicurean adventure into pescevegetarianism (impressive non-word, isn’t it?) and an update seems in order. Are we still on program? Yes, pretty much so. Do we miss cheese, dairy, meat? Not terribly. Are we still contributing to methane in the atmosphere? Sometimes, and we haven’t quite nailed down which foods, or combinations of foods, cause us to, uh, contribute. But it’s infrequent, so we’re taking that as a sign our bodies are adjusting.

Click to read more ...

Some of us are deskbound or lead otherwise sedentary lives. Regular exercise gets left at the gate when we’re scheduling our week, month, quarter. There are priorities, things that must be completed on time. Urgent things. So we don’t get enough exercise and our physical wellbeing suffers, right? “Secretary spread” some call it. (Shame on them!) Details, a Steelcase Company, offers a possible solution:

“The Walkstation is the fully integrated combination of an electric height-adjustable worksurface with an exclusively engineered, low speed commercial grade treadmill. And it’s the first product in the entirely new FitWork™ category of products from Details designed to bring healthy habits to sedentary workers while they are actually working.”

Seems a novel idea, doesn’t it? But I wonder how productive it would be in the workplace. I know from personal experience, for example, how difficult it is to run, or even walk at a pace sufficient for a descent cardiovascular workout, while reading. I can’t imagine doing it while performing routine office tasks like keying or taking notes while talking on the phone. Unless, of course, the pace is so slow, as the literature suggests, that you don’t even breathe heavily. In which case, what’s the point?

Well, it turns out there is one. Experts say any amount of exercise is better than none at all. And Sean McCance, a co-director of orthopedic spine surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, points out that sitting still all day is bad for your spine. “When you remain in one position for too long,” says McCance, “your muscles get stiff, putting pressure on the discs of the spine.” By getting up and moving around every 30-45 minutes or so, your back gets to change position, your blood flow increases, and fluid flows back into the area to rehydrate the discs that cushion the spine.

So, if a Walkstation would fit in your cubicle — and your boss will allow it — check it out. It could be just what the doctor ordered.

In November 2006, 21-year-old Ana Carolina Reston, a top Brazilian model, died as a result of anorexia. At the time of her death she weighed just 88 pounds! So last year Spain banned ultra-thin models from catwalks. Good! Everyone else in the fashion industry needs to follow suit.

The French are at least trying. French fashion industry leaders and media companies have said they’re behind a plan by France’s minister of health calling for the promotion of healthier body types. Earlier this month, together with French politicians, they signed a non-binding “charter of good conduct” aimed at promoting healthier body images. Non-binding? Are you kidding me?

Now French lawmakers are saying enough is enough — fashion models are just too thin — and they’re taking a stance against impossibly thin models. According to the Associated Press, the French parliament’s lower house has approved a bill that would make it illegal for anyone — including fashion magazines, advertisers and Web sites — to publicly incite extreme thinness.

The bill is the latest effort to address concerns surrounding the fashion industry’s use of ultra-thin models. Although it’s not clear how the fashion industry would be affected by the rule, its author says she believes the legislation would force changes in how fashion houses depict women by giving judges the power to imprison and fine offenders up to $47,000 $70,000 if found guilty of “inciting others to deprive themselves of food” to an “excessive” degree.

Sounds good in theory, but I hope French lawmakers are prepared to “flesh out” their definitions of “inciting” and “excessive”… More

All right, I’m no supporter of PETA, but I ran across these ads and wondered if its current campaign featuring assorted actors and A-listers declaring their vegetarianism (and support for PETA) actually moves anyone to become a vegetarian.

PETA doesn’t particularly care about our health. They advocate vegetarianism in order to protect animals. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, mind you.

So does anyone really get behind PETA or become a vegetarian because they like seeing Alicia Silverstone or Sophie Monk naked? I mean, I’m a red blooded American male who enjoys seeing naked women as much as the next guy, but I’ve never felt an urge to buy a Caterpillar tractor because a naked actress posed for their calendar…

Your responses to Friday’s post were appreciated and eye-opening. I think it’s safe to conclude that Dawn and I are not now and probably won’t be embracing “veganism”. We’re simply trying to adopt a more healthy diet, one based in part on the conclusions drawn by Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell II in their book, The China Study. Ours was a misuse of the term; what I think we meant to say (we haven’t finished reading the book) was “vegetarianism” or some variation thereof. And since reading your comments, it would appear that our present stage of dietary evolution would best be categorized as “pescevegetarianism” or “semi-vegetarianism” because, while we’re otherwise conforming to a vegetarian diet, we’re also eating fish.

But that, too, may change. I read over the weekend that “95 percent of pesticide residue in our diet comes from meat, fish and dairy products (according to EPA estimates). Fish, in particular, contain carcinogens (PCBs, DDT) and heavy metals (mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium) that cannot be removed through cooking or freezing.” We haven’t yet found support for that assertion in Dr. Campbell’s book but, as I said, we haven’t finished reading it. So, at least for the time being, fish and seafood in general are still on the menu. I’ll keep you posted.

And thanks, Angel, for the Michael Cain cartoon; it hit the proverbial nail on the head!

Since reading my March 6 post (Am I Becoming a Vegan?), several of you have asked how our attempt to convert from carnivorism to veganism, skipping altogether the transitional step of vegetarianism, is progressing. Well, after getting off to a somewhat rocky start, both Dawn and I are still on program. Of course, we’ve been subjected to some mild heckling and a generous amount of good natured ribbing from family and friends. My son, Rick, for example, called last night from San Diego to describe how great the steaks he had on the grill looked, smelled and were definitely going to taste. Yet we’re undeterred. In fact, we’ve both commented that, now that our bodies are becoming better adjusted to certain foods (no, we haven’t revisited brown rice), we’re feeling great!

However, our conversion hasn’t been without its share of obstacles. Aside from some pretty impressive grumbling from our digestive tracts, learning to be a vegan entails frequent trips to the grocery store with long lists of unusual ingredients neither we nor many store employees have heard of. Searching for unfamiliar items and reading labels to assure they contain no animal products takes far longer than we’re used to.

On one recent shopping outing to our local Nugget Market, I was armed with a lengthy list of twenty-five or so necessary ingredients for recipes Dawn wanted to try. After scouring aisles for nearly forty-five minutes with only marginal success, I ran into Store Director Randy Wehman who offered to help. After perusing the list and scratching his head (I couldn’t even tell him what recipes the ingredients were for!), he recruited two more employees, one a vegan, and between them found most of the things on my list. That’s customer service with a capital “C” and yet another reason we love this store!

So we’ve persevered. And we have to admit, almost all the meals we’ve prepared so far have been delicious! Of course, I’ve admittedly avoided revisiting the dreaded brown rice since nearly exploding after eating it the first time. But I know I can’t avoid it indefinitely; my appointment with the evil stuff is looming. And there have been a few other unpronounceable things I suspected of causing digestive problems since we began our quest, but I can’t say with certainty which parts of the meals were actually the culprits. So trial and error have become additional necessary adjustments along the road to veganism. I’ll keep you posted as we continue the journey.

By the way, I’ll be preparing “Popeye Pasta” for dinner this evening. Wish me luck!

This should come as no surprise to cat owners, but the rest of you may be interested to learn that owning a cat is apparently good for your health. A new study finds that non-cat owners are 30-40 percent more likely to die of cardiovascular disease or a heart attack than those with a feline friend.

The findings emerged from an analysis of data on nearly 4,500 men and women, ages 30 to 75, who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study. All were free of cardiovascular disease when they entered the study in the 1970s.

Compared with cat owners, people who never had a pet cat were 40% more likely to die of a heart attack over the 20-year study period. They were also 30% more likely to die of any cardiovascular disease, including stroke, heart failure, and chronic heart disease.

How about dogs? The study found no similar beneficial link. More

Dawn is reading The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell II. In it, the authors proffer that dairy and meat are bad for our health and should be omitted from our diets, and support their opinions with science. Now, those of you that know Dawn know that she’s already a quasi-vegetarian — she eats no beef, pork or lamb — but now she’s leaning toward following the authors’ recommendations and becoming “fully fledged”. That means no more chicken or turkey. What does it mean for me? Well, unless we want to be preparing separate meals, it looks like I’ll be joining her.

It doesn’t really bother me. I mean, I’m all for healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle. In fact, we’ve already begun eating brown rice — processed foods, like white rice, are taboo — and an assortment of whole grains and organic fruits and vegetables. Most fish are “good” foods, too. And the vegetarian meals we’ve enjoyed so far have been great. However, the authors warn that some of the foods will take some getting used to since we’re not used to digesting them. The aforementioned brown rice comes immediately to mind. But we’re told that, after a couple of weeks, our bodies will be on track.

We’ve been grocery shopping at El Dorado Hills’ new Nugget Market and found their fresh veggies and fruits to be wonderful. And Randall Munroe came up with this funny yet handy Fruit Chart I’m using to help with fruit selection, so we’re off and running. I’ve reserved the right to enjoy an occasional steak or a good buffalo burger from time to time, but I’m giving this the old college try. I’ll keep you posted!