Sacred white elephants
were and are kept by some Southeast Asian monarchs. Possessing a
white elephant was regarded, and still is in Thailand and Burma
(Myanmar) as a sign that the monarch reigned with justice and
power, and that the kingdom was blessed with peace and prosperity.
It derives from stories that the kings of Siam would make a
present of one of these animals to courtiers who were obnoxious or
unpleasing, in order to ruin the recipient by the cost of its
maintenance. A white elephant was a valuable, but burdensome
possession, which its owner could not dispose of and whose cost
and upkeep was out of proportion to its usefulness or worth.
These days a white elephant can mean an object, business venture,
etc., that is without practical use or value. The term is used in
business and even more frequently used during the gift-giving
holiday season as friends and relatives strive to find unique
gifts to give. Many people consider dried fruit cakes as white
elephants.
Nov 8, 2013
Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the intrinsic pressure
within your arteries and veins. Your body needs this pressure to
adequately supply all your tissues and organs with nutrients. Like
the plumbing in your house, adequate pressure is needed, but if
that pressure gets too high it causes problems.
High blood pressure is a combination of environmental risk factors and genes. High blood pressure is defined as any systolic pressure (top number) above 140 or diastolic (bottom number) higher than 90.
High blood pressure is not a disease itself, but indicates a risk factor for several other conditions like heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. The most beneficial way to control blood pressure is naturally. This is because medications that control blood pressure come with serious side effects. These side effects can sometimes be more harmful than the high blood pressure itself.
Things like lack of exercise and bad eating habits can cause a buildup of plaque inside your arteries. Excessive plaque on the interior walls of your arteries makes them smaller, known as “Atherosclerosis”. When the pipes that transport fluid get smaller, the pressure that same volume of fluid exerts goes up. If the blood pressure gets too high, arteries have a greater chance of bursting. Arteries get larger or smaller depending on the needs of the body. Excessive plaque makes this increasingly more difficult for a body to achieve.
A person’s blood pressure can also be too high due to genetics. A landmark study published in Nature in 2011 found 29 genetic variants that affected blood pressure. The authors found any one variant in a gene did not increase risk of hypertension, but people with multiple variants were much more likely to have high blood pressure.
High blood pressure is a combination of environmental risk factors and genes. High blood pressure is defined as any systolic pressure (top number) above 140 or diastolic (bottom number) higher than 90.
High blood pressure is not a disease itself, but indicates a risk factor for several other conditions like heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. The most beneficial way to control blood pressure is naturally. This is because medications that control blood pressure come with serious side effects. These side effects can sometimes be more harmful than the high blood pressure itself.
Things like lack of exercise and bad eating habits can cause a buildup of plaque inside your arteries. Excessive plaque on the interior walls of your arteries makes them smaller, known as “Atherosclerosis”. When the pipes that transport fluid get smaller, the pressure that same volume of fluid exerts goes up. If the blood pressure gets too high, arteries have a greater chance of bursting. Arteries get larger or smaller depending on the needs of the body. Excessive plaque makes this increasingly more difficult for a body to achieve.
A person’s blood pressure can also be too high due to genetics. A landmark study published in Nature in 2011 found 29 genetic variants that affected blood pressure. The authors found any one variant in a gene did not increase risk of hypertension, but people with multiple variants were much more likely to have high blood pressure.
Bat Myths Debunked
Bats eyes are very functional. Bats'
retinas have an abundance of rods (a prerequisite for night
vision) and also two types of cones: the ordinary, that serves
them well in daylight conditions, and UV-sensitive that gives them
night vision. Bats use, but do not depend exclusively on their
sonar. Some bats can see better than others, but none are
blind. Some varieties of bats can see color and others can
only see black and white.
Bats groom themselves by meticulously licking and scratching themselves and each other for hours. Bats are the only mammals that can fly. An average bat lives about thirty years. Out of the 900 species of bats, there are only three vampire bats in the entire world and they are generally found in South America. The remaining species of bats over the world feed off of fruit, nectar, pollen, and insects.
Bats groom themselves by meticulously licking and scratching themselves and each other for hours. Bats are the only mammals that can fly. An average bat lives about thirty years. Out of the 900 species of bats, there are only three vampire bats in the entire world and they are generally found in South America. The remaining species of bats over the world feed off of fruit, nectar, pollen, and insects.
Wayback Machine
Did you know there is a site that serves
up web pages that are no longer active? The site is https://archive.org/web/
and is known as the Wayback Machine, because it goes way back to
show pages that have long since been gone. It works kind of like
Google, but for old, rather than current web pages. Interesting
place to go if you are looking for old facts or to check how a
story changes over time. It is especially interesting to see
how politicians change their story depending on which way the
wind blows.
Nov 1, 2013
Daylight Savings
Nov 3, 2013 is time to turn back your
clocks. Benjamin Franklin often gets credited with the idea, but he
only mentioned it in jest in a satirical essay. The idea was never
seriously pushed until 1895 when George Vernon Hudson, presented the
idea as a way for people to have more daylight and consequently more
leisure time after work. While there was interest in Hudson’s idea,
it still didn't catch on until 1916 when Germany adopted DST as a
method to save fuel during World War I. Others, including the US and
Great Britain, used DST during World War I and II, yet reverted to
standard time during peace years.
It wasn't until about 40 years ago, during the energy crisis of the 1970s, that Daylight Savings Time was made permanent in many areas.
It wasn't until about 40 years ago, during the energy crisis of the 1970s, that Daylight Savings Time was made permanent in many areas.
Wordology
I find it fascinating how some words can be a
definition of themselves, such as 'word' is a word that tells us it
is a word. Here are a few more self explanatory words:
English - Not German
Erudite - Scholarly word that means scholarly.
Noun - Is a noun
Used - This word has been used
Polysyllabic - This word has multiple syllables
Common - This word is
Unhyphenated - This word is
Floccinaucinihilipilificatious - A worthless word meaning to estimate worthless
Obfuscatory - Is and means not easy to understand
Suffixed - Has a suffix
Hyphen-bearing - Contains a hyphen
Monepic - Describes a one-word sentence
Cacophony - Sounds like and describes disagreeable sounds
Parallel - The Ls are
English - Not German
Erudite - Scholarly word that means scholarly.
Noun - Is a noun
Used - This word has been used
Polysyllabic - This word has multiple syllables
Common - This word is
Unhyphenated - This word is
Floccinaucinihilipilificatious - A worthless word meaning to estimate worthless
Obfuscatory - Is and means not easy to understand
Suffixed - Has a suffix
Hyphen-bearing - Contains a hyphen
Monepic - Describes a one-word sentence
Cacophony - Sounds like and describes disagreeable sounds
Parallel - The Ls are
Texas Motor Speedway
Last chance, NASCAR is out with a
beer-and-bacon milkshake combining real bits of bacon with vanilla
ice cream and half a bottle of Rahr & Sons Ugly Pug Black Lager.
It is a 16-ounce drink, dubbed the "Shake'N Bacon Brew," and will be
available for NASCAR's AAA Texas 500 races (Fort Worth, Texas) until
Nov. 3. The bacon bits are candied and bacon-flavored syrup is also
added into the mix. The whole thing is topped with whipped cream. Thought
you might like to know.
What's in a Name, Snake Oil
Snake oil is now a generic term
meaning a substance with no medicinal value sold as a remedy for
physical ailments. The term most likely comes from the use of oil
derived from Chinese water snakes as a topical lotion. Chinese
immigrants working on the construction of the Transcontinental
Railroad in the 1860s would use it to alleviate joint pain. This
ancient Chinese remedy was laughed at by other medicine salesmen,
who called it a scam. In time, the term “snake oil” developed a
negative connotation.
In the mid-1980s, a California psychiatrist named Richard Kunin decided to explore the question if snake oil was quackery or was it a legitimate treatment for joint pain, like the Chinese laborers claimed it was. He shared his findings in a 1989 letter to the Western Journal of Medicine.
Snake oil, especially the oil from the fatty tissue found in Chinese water snakes was unusually high in omega-3 fats. Kunin concluded, this meant that it could actually do what its advocates claimed, "snake oil is a credible anti-inflammatory agent and might confer therapeutic benefits. Since essential fatty acids are known to absorb transdermally, it is not far-fetched to think that inflamed skin and joints could benefit by the actual anti-inflammatory action of locally applied oil just as the Chinese physicians and our medical quacks have claimed.”
Kunin believed that snake oil actually worked. Subsequent research suggests that he was right. Unfortunately, while Kunin’s conclusions are mostly correct, there is one significant omission. The Chinese snake oil came from water snakes, which, perhaps coincidentally fed on fish which themselves contained high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. American-sold snake oil came from rattlesnakes, which do not have anywhere nearly the omega-3 amounts needed to provide the promised therapeutic benefits.
In the mid-1980s, a California psychiatrist named Richard Kunin decided to explore the question if snake oil was quackery or was it a legitimate treatment for joint pain, like the Chinese laborers claimed it was. He shared his findings in a 1989 letter to the Western Journal of Medicine.
Snake oil, especially the oil from the fatty tissue found in Chinese water snakes was unusually high in omega-3 fats. Kunin concluded, this meant that it could actually do what its advocates claimed, "snake oil is a credible anti-inflammatory agent and might confer therapeutic benefits. Since essential fatty acids are known to absorb transdermally, it is not far-fetched to think that inflamed skin and joints could benefit by the actual anti-inflammatory action of locally applied oil just as the Chinese physicians and our medical quacks have claimed.”
Kunin believed that snake oil actually worked. Subsequent research suggests that he was right. Unfortunately, while Kunin’s conclusions are mostly correct, there is one significant omission. The Chinese snake oil came from water snakes, which, perhaps coincidentally fed on fish which themselves contained high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. American-sold snake oil came from rattlesnakes, which do not have anywhere nearly the omega-3 amounts needed to provide the promised therapeutic benefits.
A Diversion
This guy moves like Mercury. If you want to
give your mind a break for a few minutes, watch this video. LINK
Still More Inventions by Women
In 1949, Marion Donovan's
first successful invention called "Boaters" was a waterproof baby
diaper cover that prevented diaper rash. She also created the
disposable diapers, Pampers in 1961.
Hedy Lamarr the actress, patented a secret communications system in 1941. The system manipulated radio frequencies with an unbreakable code to prevent classified messages from being intercepted by enemies. The device was meant to be used against the Nazis in WWII, but in actuality it came into use 20 years later. Lamarr was raised in Austria, grew to despise the Nazis and eventually escaped to London and then to the U.S.
African American, Alice H. Parker filed the first U.S. patent for the precursor to a central heating system in 1919. The system was able to regulate the temperature of a building and carry heat from room to room. The drawings included for the patent show a heating furnace powered by gas. An entire house required several heating units, each controlled by individual hot air ducts. The ducts directed heat to different parts of a building structure.
Hedy Lamarr the actress, patented a secret communications system in 1941. The system manipulated radio frequencies with an unbreakable code to prevent classified messages from being intercepted by enemies. The device was meant to be used against the Nazis in WWII, but in actuality it came into use 20 years later. Lamarr was raised in Austria, grew to despise the Nazis and eventually escaped to London and then to the U.S.
African American, Alice H. Parker filed the first U.S. patent for the precursor to a central heating system in 1919. The system was able to regulate the temperature of a building and carry heat from room to room. The drawings included for the patent show a heating furnace powered by gas. An entire house required several heating units, each controlled by individual hot air ducts. The ducts directed heat to different parts of a building structure.
BMI and Life Expectancy
A comprehensive review published
in 2013 in the 'Journal of the American Medical Association'
examined the relationship of BMI (Body Mass Index) to death rates.
The study researchers found that increasing levels of obesity were
associated with progressively higher premature death rates.
Mildly obese people, however, did not have a significantly greater risk of death compared to those with a normal BMI. In fact, the finding that people classified as overweight but not obese had a lower overall death rate compared to those with a normal BMI. Researchers are exploring possible reasons for this finding.
The 'International Journal of Obesity' published a study in 2012 comparing BMI and waist circumference as predictors of life expectancy. The authors reported that waist circumference is a better predictor of death from any cause than BMI. The researchers also found that adults with a high waist circumference had an increased risk of death regardless of BMI. Although neither BMI nor waist size can accurately foretell the life expectancy of any individual, waist circumference may be a better tool for estimating longevity. In other words, they are saying 'we cannot accurately tell life expectancy with either of these measurements, but it does help get us grants and headlines'.
Mildly obese people, however, did not have a significantly greater risk of death compared to those with a normal BMI. In fact, the finding that people classified as overweight but not obese had a lower overall death rate compared to those with a normal BMI. Researchers are exploring possible reasons for this finding.
The 'International Journal of Obesity' published a study in 2012 comparing BMI and waist circumference as predictors of life expectancy. The authors reported that waist circumference is a better predictor of death from any cause than BMI. The researchers also found that adults with a high waist circumference had an increased risk of death regardless of BMI. Although neither BMI nor waist size can accurately foretell the life expectancy of any individual, waist circumference may be a better tool for estimating longevity. In other words, they are saying 'we cannot accurately tell life expectancy with either of these measurements, but it does help get us grants and headlines'.
New Potato Chip Flavor
Starting this month, Lay's Canada
has a new flavor, 'Maple Moose'. Trying them will not be on my
to do list.
Six Cooking Tips from HGTV
When you deep-fry, hold
each piece of food with long tongs as you add it to the oil. Hold it
just below the oil's surface for five seconds before releasing it.
This will seal the exterior and stop it from sticking to the pot or
the other food.
If you need more oil in the pan when sautéing, add it in a stream along the edges of the pan so that by the time the oil reaches the ingredient being cooked, it will be heated.
Do not use oil in the water when boiling pasta, because it will keep the sauce from sticking to the cooked pasta. Also, After you drain pasta, while it's still hot, grate some fresh Parmesan on top before tossing it with your sauce to give the sauce something to stick to.
When making burgers, add in a bit (or a lot) of bacon bits or pork bits while mixing for added flavor.
When making mashed potatoes, after you drain the potatoes, return them to the hot pan, cover tightly and let steam for 5 minutes. This allows the potatoes to mash with a beautiful texture and soak up the butter and cream more easily.
If you need more oil in the pan when sautéing, add it in a stream along the edges of the pan so that by the time the oil reaches the ingredient being cooked, it will be heated.
Do not use oil in the water when boiling pasta, because it will keep the sauce from sticking to the cooked pasta. Also, After you drain pasta, while it's still hot, grate some fresh Parmesan on top before tossing it with your sauce to give the sauce something to stick to.
When making burgers, add in a bit (or a lot) of bacon bits or pork bits while mixing for added flavor.
When making mashed potatoes, after you drain the potatoes, return them to the hot pan, cover tightly and let steam for 5 minutes. This allows the potatoes to mash with a beautiful texture and soak up the butter and cream more easily.
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