The Tao of Politics

One of my main concerns is: how can I make a difference? There are thousands of political blogs out there. It’s easy to get lost in that ocean. So I may blog about politics on occasion, or I may blog about health issues, depending on where my interests lead me, and where I feel I can contribute something of significance.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

I feel better today about the upcoming election. One never knows what Karl Rove has up his sleeve. One never knows what Karl Rove knows. On Halloween, he is the scariest thing for me. So when the Republicans start putting their negative ads out there in the media – when they put them out there because they work – well then I start to worry. The thing is, our side is not helpless. So I was heartened today when I read about the ads the Democrats are now running, reminding the voters of the highly unpopular Iraq war. And I was heartened by new polls released today. One shows Menendez in New Jersey solidifying a lead over Kean, and having an 80/20 probability of winning. Another shows Webb with a lead over Allen in Virginia. I’m not going to get overly optimistic about these races, but I’d rather be ahead going into the last week than be behind. I am disappointed that the Missouri Senate race isn’t looking better. There is a week left, however, and I am mildly optimistic that Claire McCaskill could pull it out. So at the present time it looks like we have a real shot to pick up five seats, and an outside chance to pick up six seats. I won’t be too disappointed if we only pick up four seats. I fully believe that we can gain control of the Senate in 2008 if not 2006. I will be greatly disappointed, though, if we don’t take control of the House. It is time to bring accountability back to government. If the GOP retains control of the House and Senate, then you’re saying you want to stay the course. That means more American troops dead, more Iraqis dead, more billions wasted in Iraq, while the government ignores its own citizens like it did with Katrina. The price is too high to stay the course. Vote Democratic for a change.

Listen to my song, Get the Hell out of Iraq. (See lyrics here.)


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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

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Monday, October 30, 2006

OOPS
I forgot to mention in the earlier article today on curry
that not only is curcumin supposed to help arthritis, but it may also be effective against osteoporosis. Isn't that wonderful?

You know, I often wonder where to find good news? Some of the research coming out these days sounds like good news to me.


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Health Notes

We’ve talked a lot about green tea recently. Here’s another article. The conclusion seems to be that drinking green tea protects against cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes, but not cancer. We’ve done this before. On September 18 I had an article about the anti-cancer properties of EGCG, the ingredient in green tea. In the study I am looking at today, they are talking about drinking five cups per day. It is all I can do to drink two cups a day. One way to increase your intake of EGCG is to take green tea extract, which I have done. When I had a scare with my prostate in 2000 my doctor recommended I take it, as well as lycopene and selenium.


Also, it seems that curry has been in the news a lot recently. Now they're saying that ingredients in curry may be effective in helping those who suffer from arthritis. They are referring to turmeric extract or curcumin. They also say that eating more of the spice probably won’t have an effect on arthritis, but at some point taking the extracts might. Very interesting.


While we’re on this subject I am reminded of an article recently about how curry and onions (antioxidants curcumin and quercetin) may be effective in preventing colon cancer. Wow, they’re doing some great research these days.



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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

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Sunday, October 29, 2006

Health Notes
MetaFilter points out that there is a new tool available to analyze personal nutrition. This tool, known as NATS, was developed by the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois, and is available here.

Here are some tips for trying to prevent breast cancer. They include exercising, controlling your weight, getting enough vitamin D, and eating more fruits and vegetables. See the article for a more detailed discussion. This is a very important topic.

Here is an article about pumpkin as a food. Interesting. Many people think of pumpkins primarily as a seasonal decoration, or a symbol of the holidays, but they are a very healthy food also, presuming that you cook them in a healthy way, using healthy ingredients. Coincidentally I bought some pumpkin seeds last week and roasted them. Of course you can buy them already roasted, with tamari. They are very good as a snack.

Alfred Glenstein asked me this week to mention him here. I haven’t had much time to peruse his blog, but I’m happy to do a favor for a fellow blogger.



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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Health Notes
Doctors say don’t give over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to children, mainly because they are not effective, and could lead to more serious conditions.

Is anyone surprised that an increase in hip and knee replacement is related to obesity? Just one more reason to lose weight.

I’m sure we’ve talked about this before, but there is new research suggesting that those who eat a lot of curry are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. It’s the curcumin in the turmeric that is supposed to help. Thing is, you don’t have to go to an Indian restaurant in order to eat curry. You can buy curry in the grocery store and use it at home as a spice that is healthy and that spices up dinner. I published a curry recipe that we like. It is very tasty and very healthy. (It is recipe #3 on this page, so you have to scroll down a bit to see it.)

The American Heart Association has suggestions for those who eat a vegetarian diet. Thing is, vegetarians are usually very informed about nutrition, more so, I daresay, than is the average American eating the American diet, so I think we know a thing or two about what is good for us. For those who don’t, the suggestions include:

Eat enough protein. You can try adding soy to your diet, which is protein rich.
Eat plenty of nuts, whole grains, vegetables, and legumes.
Get plenty of iron by eating lots of spinach, beans, dried fruits, and iron-fortified foods.
Try eating foods fortified with vitamin B-12, or consider taking a B-12 supplement.
Avoid foods high in sugar or fat.

I think these suggestions should be published generally, and should not be limited to vegetarians.

Are you worried about cholesterol? A low-fat vegetarian diet may be better at lowering cholesterol than is a conventional low-fat diet.


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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

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Friday, October 27, 2006

I voted! Hooray! Early voting is available at many places throughout the country, so many of you don’t have to wait until November 7 to cast your vote. Voter turnout is going to be important in this election. You can bet that Karl Rove and the GOP are going to turn out the vote. If you want to help increase turnout for our side, organizations like MoveOn.org give individuals an opportunity to volunteer to make phone calls and remind people to vote. They provide you with all the information you need to help turn out the vote. Go here for more information.

This article says that middle class voters are abandoning the GOP. Many Democratic candidates reach out to middle class voters, and it’s difficult to see what the GOP offers them, so it is about time they came around and stopped supporting a political party that does not support them.


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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

Labels:

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Health Notes
Fistein, an antioxidant contained in strawberries, tomatoes, apples, oranges, and other foods, may protect against Alzheimer’s disease.

Poison in the Food: Hydrogenated Oil, by Mike Adams seems like a hard hitting look at hydrogenated oil. This page, which sets forth many of the claims discussed in the book, provides much to think about. I already made up my mind about hydrogenated oil. I make every attempt to avoid it. If there are those who have not reached that decision yet, maybe this book could help them decide one way or the other.

We have talked about calorie restricted diets before, which may help a person live longer. Here is an article from Boing Boing that talks about one person’s experiment with such a diet.

Does anyone need more reason to lose weight? Those who are overweight and develop cancer have a worse prognosis for recovery than those who are not overweight. And those who are overweight may have an increased risk of cancer to begin with.


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What a mess. Five more Americans killed today in Iraq, bringing the October total to 96, the highest number in a year. About ten times as many Iraqis have died this month.

More than 2800 Americans have now died in this ill begotten war.

Now, sixty civilians are said to have been killed in Afghanistan.

What is going right in the war on terror?

If human life is precious, as the GOP seems to believe, and as I believe, then all human lives are precious, even those in Iraq and Afghanistan.


Listen to my song, Get the Hell out of Iraq. (See lyrics here.)


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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

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Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Political Note
I thought Karl Rove’s performance on NPR yesterday was particularly interesting. For those of you who didn’t hear it, or who want to hear it again, listen to it here. Frankly I found the interview a little scary. I guess I can live with the idea of the GOP retaining control of the Senate. If we don’t win control this year, I feel like we might be able to win control in 2008. But I really can’t stand the thought that the GOP might retain control of the House. Every day that Bush and his cohorts control the government is a bad day for me and I think for America.


Low Sperm Count
There have been a lot of articles in the news recently about the kinds of things that cause men to have lower sperm counts. Here are a few:

Using mobile phones can cause a drop in sperm count.

Exercising to exhaustion can cause a drop in sperm count.

Taking Prozac can lower sperm count.

Not eating lots of fruits and vegetables can affect a man’s fertility.

Here is an article that covers a couple of aspects of male fertility, as well as other topics.


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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

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Tuesday, October 24, 2006

This is pretty good news: Researchers in South Korea say they have genetically engineered a cold virus to kill cancer cells. See, this is what I think scientists should be doing, trying to cure cancer instead of tinkering with the food supply.

I don’t know if I believe this, but mothers who don’t take vitamin E during pregnancy may be likely to have a child who suffers from asthma. It is probably really important to take prenatal vitamins. And it is probably really important to take them with the advice of your doctor.

One third of Americans are obese, and illnesses associated with this condition cost the US health care system more than ninety billion dollars per year.

Statin drugs like Lipitor and Zocor are said to improve the lung health of smokers and former smokers. They think the reason this works is because of the anti-inflammatory properties of the drugs.

Check out A Blue Guy in a Red State for more interesting stories.



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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

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Monday, October 23, 2006

Talk about something being a bummer, scientists are reporting that human embryonic stem cells injected into the brains of Alzheimer patients might have the unintended result of causing brain tumors. Oh well, maybe they’ll get it right someday.

Here are some homeopathic uses for ginger. In addition to fresh ginger, which can be purchased at most health food stores and grocery stores, there is Ginger Tea, and Ginger Essential Oil, Organic and Non-Organic. I don't like ginger all that much personally, but there are some people who love it. And if it could help with some of life's aches and pains, then I would use it.

Sea Buckthorn juice, of all things, has been said to lower cholesterol. Interestingly enough, Sea Buckthorn seed oil is available at Amazon. It is amazing what all you can get these days with an internet connection and a credit card.

This article advises you to be sure and get enough riboflavin. That’s a B vitamin, of course. Vegetarians especially need to be sure and get adequate amounts of B vitamins.

This is a really cool site that helps you calculate how many calories you are burning each day, based on age, weight, height, and amount of exercise.


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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

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Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Thanks to Crooks and Liars for posting this video from last night’s installment of Countdown dealing with the president’s signing of a law that does away with habeas corpus. I got the feeling, from watching this segment, that Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace, shown in the background behind Bush, was not particularly happy with the signing ceremony. He’s not smiling. His eyes seem furtive, and they are blinking a lot. Contrast this with the appearance of CIA chief Michael Hayden, who looks positively Rovian in his impassivity. A lot of Americans are not particularly happy about doing away with habeas corpus.


Barack Obama is coming out with a new book, The Audacity of Hope. A lot of people speculate that he may run for president in 2008. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but can someone whose middle name is Hussein ever be elected president? I know a person’s name should not matter, but there are a lot of people, especially in the Red States, who think it should matter. And if it matters in the Red States, then it matters, believe me. A lot of people would not vote for a woman either. That’s why I think Hillary Clinton faces an uphill battle, especially in the Red States. The Democratic Party needs to nominate someone in 2008 who can win. We need to be pragmatists. After eight years of George War Bush the stakes will be too high to nominate someone who cannot compete in the Red States.


Listen to my song, Get the Hell out of Iraq. (See lyrics here.)


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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

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Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Bush and Rove are said to be optimistic that Republicans will maintain control of Congress on November 7. It reminds me of 2000 when Bush would forcefully assert in his speeches that he was going to win. That is an election ploy. It’s like a self-fulfilling prophesy. You say you’re going to win. Voters want to side with a winner, so they vote for you. There’s nothing of substance involved. It’s all about image. The thing that does bother me, however, is that there are still three weeks before the election, and that is still plenty of time for the GOP to do something to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. I fear that Rove et al still might come in with an October surprise. Bush might announce, for example, that he is pulling all American troops out of Iraq. I don’t trust the crew in the White House. They might still have some tricks up their sleeves. We just have to keep on telling the truth for the next twenty one days. We have to get our message out. Then I am sure we will win.

As far as I’m concerned any trans fat is too much, because it raises bad cholesterol and lowers good cholesterol. Denmark passed a law in 2003 limiting the amount of trans fat allowable, and apparently their food still tastes good. So this can be an example to New York City, which is trying to ban the bad fat: don’t worry, your food will still be good (maybe even better) and your customers will be healthier because of the ban.

Also, the Disney theme parks are planning to serve healthier foods. (It's about time.) I don’t want to get my hopes up, but it seems like we are beginning to care more about the health of people than we care about big corporations? One can only hope.


Listen to my song, Get the Hell out of Iraq. (See lyrics here.)


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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

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Friday, October 13, 2006

Here’s another reason to vote Democratic: economists surveyed think that a win by the Democrats would boost the economy.

Britain’s Army chief has added his voice to the chorus of those who are saying we should get the hell out of Iraq.

I can’t wait for the 2006 elections to take place. I don’t know why the election season is so long. I made up my mind long ago. And now this article discusses how people are already gearing up for the 2008 presidential election. (You know, it occurs to me that 2008 provides more opportunities for the Democrats to make gains in Congress.) So if the election season seems long, it is. We are two years out from 2008, and people are already busy. Well, at least it keeps us busy too, I guess.

How about Speaker Pelosi? Sounds good to me. Didn’t Ted Turner say recently that men should be barred from public office for a hundred years? Ted might have a point there. Men have a tendency to screw things up sometimes, from the Foley scandal, to the occupation of Iraq, etc. Women would have never screwed things up like men have.


Listen to my song, Get the Hell out of Iraq. (See lyrics here.)



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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

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Thursday, October 12, 2006

Apparently Mark Warner won’t be running for president in 2008. I’m surprised anyone runs, actually, the way politics is right now. I certainly wouldn’t want to end up being a politician like Ken Mehlman or Patrick McHenry, but in some ways you have to be like that in order to win. Good luck to Mark Warner. Maybe he’ll run sometime in the future.

Here’s something else on how plant sterols help lower cholesterol. You know, orange juice is available in the grocery store now with sterols added. It’s called something like heart healthy or something else. And of course you can buy supplements that contain plant sterols. I have used Cholesterin, with and without niacin. There are other supplements, but I haven’t tried them.

I’ve lost about ten pounds recently. Part of that was on purpose. Part of it was due to a summer cold I caught back in August. But I’ve been maintaining my weight at like 142 or so, and I have been wondering why that has seemed so easy. Of course I have been exercising more, watching my diet pretty carefully, and trying to eat fewer snacks. And I have been drinking two cups of green tea per day. Maybe that has been helping? Apparently EGCG, an ingredient in green tea, helps boost the metabolism? Coke is coming out with a new drink, Enviga, that contains green tea and is supposed to help burn calories. Very interesting. But that’s ok, I think I’ll just stick to straight green tea. Besides, one reason I started drinking green tea is because I didn’t want all the caffeine that is found in coffee, and green tea is supposed to have beaucoup health benefits even if it does also boost metabolism.


Listen to my song, Get the Hell out of Iraq. (See lyrics here.)



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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

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Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Here is a chronology concerning the situation in North Korea. It contains links that are very important.

Deborah White at US Liberals has a list of reasons why Democrats should remain nervous for the next several weeks. Of course, it’s never good to be complacent, so if staying nervous gives us a competitive edge, I’m all for it. I just wish the election would go ahead and happen already. For a person who has made up his/her mind already, the election season is long. Of course, if it gives us more opportunities to seal the deal, then I’m all for that.

This article says that plant stanols help lower LDL cholesterol levels. Here is more info on plant stanols. Of course, you can always google this to find out more. Plant stanols and phytosterols are available at places like iherb.com. They are supposed to block cholesterol so that it can’t be absorbed into the blood. I have used Cholesterin in the past. It comes with or without Niacin.

Omega-3s from fish oil may slow Alzheimer’s disease.

For those who use garlic to help prevent heart disease, a new product from Nutra Products, Inc – Garli-Eze – seems to be an alternative to chewing fresh garlic.

Eating a high-fat meal has negative effects on the arteries. Eating walnuts might actually protect the arteries from these negative effects, perhaps even be better than olive oil.

Does obesity negatively affect mental functioning? Maybe. Just another reason to watch what I eat.

Does a Mediterranean Diet prevent Alzheimer’s? Maybe. To me it’s worth trying. I don't eat the American diet anymore. Too corporate. Too unhealthy.



Listen to my song, Get the Hell out of Iraq. (See lyrics here.)



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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Today is World Mental Health Day. The United Nations, today, is calling for greater effort in preventing suicide, which is responsible for about a million deaths each year. This is a very worthwhile appeal. My wife killed herself about two years ago, so I certainly understand the urgency in addressing this issue.


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Political Notes
I thought Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM) was good last night on Hardball. He really seems to know what he’s talking about, and is a voice of reason in this crazy world. With his credentials he has a great deal of credibility. He is the kind of Democrat who needs to step up in 2008 to lead our country in a new direction. There may be others, but I like Bill Richardson. I do think he might consider losing a little weight and getting in better shape. We don’t want our leaders having heart attacks, you know.


Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is doing a fundraiser in Florida on Friday. This is the kind of thing she needs to do in order to be successful in 2008. I have spoken about this many times: Hillary needs to take at least one Red State, and Florida seems to be the most likely one. I admit that I doubt Hillary could be elected. However, with Bill Clinton campaigning for her, she may not be able to lose.


Health Note
They say they may stop using the word/label/diagnosis ‘schizophrenia.’ That’s fine with me. Sometimes people are misdiagnosed – I know someone in particular who was – and it is a serious thing to be sentenced, especially unjustly, to a lifetime as a schizophrenic.



Listen to my song, Get the Hell out of Iraq. (See lyrics here.)




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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

Monday, October 09, 2006

Here is an opinion piece from ThePressOfAtlanticCity.com:


Banning trans fats: Let's make choices, not new laws
Published: Monday, October 9, 2006
We ignored it when New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed banning the city's eateries from serving anything containing more than trace amounts of so-called trans fats — or partially hydrogenated oil.

The stuff is in all kinds of snack foods, vegetable shortening and anything fried in hydrogenated oil — which often is exactly what tasty things like french fries and doughnuts are fried in.

Health officials say there is no safe level of trans fat, which increases the level of bad cholesterol. The hydrogenated oil has been linked to heart disease, obesity and diabetes. It certainly sounds like something sensible people would limit in their diets. And there are alternatives.

Still, Bloomberg's proposal seemed a bit over-reaching — the nanny state on steroids, so to speak. We stayed quiet however — and not just because our mouths were full. This was New York's problem.

But now ... now ... a New Jersey state senator — who apparently thinks the Legislature has done such a bang-up job tackling issues like tax reform and corruption that it now has time to regulate menus — wants to ban trans fats in the Garden State.

State Sen. Ellen Karcher, a Monmouth County Democrat and generally a sensible legislator, says the time is right to ban trans fats in New Jersey. The restaurant industry — hit recently with a smoking ban and a proposal to ban the sale of foie gras — is understandably outraged. New Jersey could become a food-police state.

Yes, this newspaper has some nanny-state leanings. We supported the smoking ban — because indoor tobacco smoke can harm everyone, not just the smoker. And yes, we've supported helmets for young people on bicycles — but children need nannies!

A ban on restaurants using trans fats, however, sounds like government run amok. Are there really people who don't know that french fries and doughnuts aren't exactly tofu and sprouts? If you don't want to eat trans fats, they aren't that hard to avoid. Fried food — pretty much no matter what it is fried in — isn't the healthiest thing you can eat. Avoid it and candy bars and other junk food if you want to avoid trans fats.

Karcher, a vegetarian, means well, of course. But she made her choice about diet. The rest of us can make our own choices, too.

You know, these people always say that things like these are a matter of choice. I’d like to know how many people actually choose to eat trans fat. I think the reality of the situation is that there are no choices. Have you ever tried to find food that did not contain trans fats? It is almost impossible, and at the very least can be frustrating. It often becomes a matter of having to eat unprocessed fruits and vegetables in order to avoid trans fats.

Part of it is also a matter of ignorance. I’m not dumb or uneducated, but I only learned about the dangers of trans fat recently. Therefore I spent decades eating the stuff. Even today it is difficult to avoid. Go to Wendy’s, for example. Get a bowl of Chili and some crackers. The crackers contain trans fat. You might say that they don’t contain much, but trans fats can add up over the course of a day or a week if you eat them from various sources.

The article says, if you don’t want to eat trans fats, they aren’t hard to avoid. Wrong. Sometimes a can of food will indicate 0 grams trans fat, whereas if you read the ingredient list, partially hydrogenated oil is one of the ingredients. Furthermore, they are hard to avoid. If you’re not a flaming health nut or vegan (like I am); if you try to eat in the mainstream of the American diet, or even on the fringes, then trans fats are probably impossible to avoid unless someone steps in and bans them. Good for Ellen Karcher. Let’s hope she can push through the bill to ban trans fats in New Jersey. Let’s stop protecting Big Business and start protecting the people for a change.



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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

Saturday, October 07, 2006

The Big C? (Chemo, that is.) Chemotherapy is said to alter brain metabolism, which accounts for the cognitive difficulties patients often have for years after the “therapy.”


A new study says that lowering cholesterol levels may lower a person’s risk of developing prostate cancer. I don’t know why this is news. I’ve known this for years. The thing is, this kind of “news” doesn’t seem to get much coverage. It is my belief that doctors would rather use their expensive machines to perform their highly profitable and painful biopsies instead of counseling men to try some alternatives first, like lowering their cholesterol levels, drinking green tea, taking lycopene and selenium, eating a low fat diet, etc. In case you haven’t already guessed, I think too many unnecessary biopsies are performed based on the highly unreliable PSA test.


Drinking Cola soft drinks is said to be associated with loss of bone density in women.


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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Well, this is one way to handle the Mark Foley scandal: just label him a Democrat and move on from there.



Thing is, the people who watch Fox News are probably not going to vote Democratic anyway, so this label is probably not going to influence their vote. But just like the fact that a huge number of Americans believe Saddam Hussein actually ordered the attacks on 9/11, a huge number of Americans may now believe that the Foley scandal is a Democratic scandal, not Republican. But the Right will continue to assert that the American people are smart enough to figure things like this out, while some on the Right continue to disseminate misinformation like this.

Curcumin, a chemical found in curry, may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease (AD). If it works, it does so by boosting the immune system to clear the amyloid plaque before it accumulates. If this is true, then you would expect a very low incidence of the disease in India, whose population consumes a lot of curry. I googled this idea. The consensus seems to be that there is less Alzheimer’s in India, although it does occur. Some of the reasons why AD might be less in India include inadequate reporting, and also lower life expectancy – i.e., people might not live long enough to show symptoms of the disease. In any event, I plan to eat lunch today at the Indian restaurant, if I don’t forget.

Eating carbs at bedtime will not necessarily cause you to gain weight. The focus should be on total calories consumed in a day, not on the time of day it is consumed. Like the detainees at Gitmo. They sometimes consume 4200 calories per day. That is the way someone gains weight. In the case of those at Gitmo, some might consider gaining that much weight as cruel and unusual punishment. And in the ultimate insult, they are now getting to be just like Americans -- obese.

Aspirin may cut off the blood supply to tumors. Before you go out and by a bottle of aspirin, though, researchers are talking about results seen from taking very high doses. There is still a lot of research yet to be done on this, but this kind of aspirin therapy does seem to hold some promise for the future, once they get it right, that is.

Click for www.electoral-vote.com Click for www.electoral-vote.com


Listen to my song, Get the Hell out of Iraq. (See lyrics here.)



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NOW AVAILABLE

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

If you are National Security Adviser and you receive a briefing on July 10 that there is an imminent threat that al Qaeda is planning to strike America, a threat of 10 on a scale of 1 to 10; and you receive a document August 6 that says Bin Laden Determined to Strike Inside US; and even though there may be no actionable intelligence involved, don’t you think you would do SOMETHING??? In eight years under Bill Clinton I had a feeling that those in charge were actually in charge and were actively involved in protecting our country. Then you hand the ball off to the Bush team and they do NOTHING??? And then they say, Oh I don't remember that briefing. I am appalled. Al Gore would have done SOMETHING!!!


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