Health
On being healthy and the myriad reasons that make it difficult to be so.
Just say no to high-fructose corn syrup
We've got the DARE program for drugs, but where is the program to teach kids about the dangers of high-fructose corn syrup? The "Just say no to HFCS" campaign? The stickers with an iconic image to plaster on cans of soda, "juice" drinks, granola bars, crackers, and so many other foods containing HFCS? Sadly, there is no such program. But we sure need one. A recent report from researchers at Princeton University illustrates some of the incredibly detrimental health effects of the sweetener. The report certainly raised my awareness and even though I'm not a lab rat, I'm staying away from HFCS, and I'll teach my daughter to do the same as she grows up.
Read MoreEating right the CSA way
My wife and I just invested a few hundred dollars that we hope will give great returns... all summer. We invested in community-supported agriculture, or CSA. This after we both read In Defense of Food, whose succinct tagline is "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." His reasons are not just tree-hugging hippie ones, either; he explains how giant, commercial farming has reduced the potency of our produce and why smaller, organic farms provide better quality food for us. It'll be an interesting, expensive (and hopefully healthy!) summer of eating for us.
Read MoreMarch flu
I can tell from the volumes of e-mail from my legions of faithful readers that my prolonged absence in posts has caused great concern. Well, it’s not for lack of witty post ideas, but rather that I’ve been very sick. Not sure where it came from (though I have an idea or two; I’m thinking of you, fellow co-worker who was a “trooper” and came to work when ill!) but...
Read MoreOne more reason to be a vegetarian
Don’t let the post title fool you: I’m not a hard-core vegetarian militant. Some of my best friends are meat-eaters (as is my wife). I eat fish. I have leather shoes (but my wallet is duct-tape!). So I’m not here to preach. But sometimes people ask me why I don’t eat meat. Here’s a good answer: factory farms are a horrible place for animals. More proof of this can be...
Read MoreSouthpaw
"Switching" can refer to more than just those who see the light and use a Mac instead of a PC. It can also refer to those who, like me, mouse on the left though right-handed.
Read MoreNow Reading
Planned books:
None
Current books:
The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
Recent books:
- The Santaroga Barrier by Frank Herbert
- Stardust by Neil Gaiman
- Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks
- A Princess of Mars (Penguin Classics) by Edgar Rice Burroughs
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick