Scientists have found there is little evidence
that eating red meat causes health problems. Ian Johnson, a
nutritional expert at the UK’s Quadram Institute, welcomed the
new findings, telling Reuters, “This study will, I hope, help to
eliminate the incorrect impression… that some meat products are
as carcinogenic as cigarette smoke, and to discourage dramatic
media headlines claiming that ‘bacon is killing us’.”
The research, led by
Dalhousie University and McMaster University in Canada, counters
official guidance from the World Health Organization, which in
2015 labelled meat a carcinogenic.
The new paper was based
on the research of an international team of specialists and
published on this month in Annals of Internal Medicine. Bradley
Johnston, associate professor at Dalhousie University, said,
“Based on the research, we cannot say with any certainty that
eating red or processed meat causes cancer, diabetes, or heart
disease.”
The study’s author
elaborated, “From 12 randomized controlled trials enrolling
about 54,000 individuals, we did not find a statistically
significant or an important association in the risk of heart
disease, cancer, or diabetes for those that consumed less red or
processed meat."
"In the meantime, the
best we can do is understand the parameters of the evidence that
we do have. While the precise downsides of bacon, for example,
are unclear and possibly nonexistent, what is apparent is that
we don’t really have enough evidence to consider it a bad food."
Some scientists have been pushing to stop meat consumption on
the grounds that it is bad for one’s health, others have led
with the angle that it must be reduced because of the so-called
‘climate emergency’.
Happiness is infectious
and incalculable.
I am overcome with
happiness, especially on a Happy Friday!
Most people are not aware that undersea cables carry over 99% of
the internet and other electronic traffic between continents,
with the small remainder provided by satellites.
The first
transcontinental undersea cable was completed in 1858 to deliver
telegraph messages between the US and England. As of 2019, there
are over 400 active undersea fiber cables in place that stretch
over 745,000 miles (1,198,961km). Cables are laid down using
specially-modified ships that carry the submarine cable on board
and slowly lay it out on the seabed. Undersea cables are
designed for a 25-year life, and so cables are regularly being
retired and replaced.
These cables are owned
by countries, cable operators, and companies, such as Google,
Facebook, etc. Huawei Marine Networks Co., majority owned by the
Chinese telecom giant, recently completed a 3,750-mile cable
between Brazil and Cameroon. It also recently started work on a
7,500-mile cable connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa in addition
to finishing up links across the Gulf of California in Mexico.
There is an average of
about 25 undersea fiber cuts per year, caused by earthquakes,
underwater mudslides, ship anchors, and even a few from sharks.
Repairs are made by ships that pull the cut ends of the fiber to
the surface and splice them back together.
Incidentally,
as an indicator of speed, 4.8 million HD movies could stream
at the same time in high-definition through one strand, in one
direction, of the 4,104 mile (6,600km) Marea cable from Spain
to the United States. The cable is composed of an eight-pairs
fiber-optic thread bundle, a bit larger than the size of a
garden hose.
I was surprised to read researchers found that seventy five
percent of men over fifty were not able to identify the
prostate’s main function correctly. That is a bit troubling as
they are group likely to have problems.
About one man in nine will be diagnosed with prostate cancer
during his lifetime, but only one in thirty nine will die of
this disease. About 80% of men who reach age eighty have cancer
cells in their prostate. According to the American Cancer
Society, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in US
men, behind skin cancer.
The prostate is about the size of a ping pong ball, weighs about
an ounce, and is located between the base of the penis and the
rectum. The gland is responsible for supplying seminal fluid
that mixes with sperm, helping it survive and travel from the
testes.
Just over one-third of respondents were able to correctly
identify associated disorders, such as Erectile Dysfunction
(ED), and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). Benign prostate
hyperplasia (BPH), and erectile dysfunction (ED) are separate
problems, but curable. BPH causes problems in the bathroom and
ED in the bedroom. A range of treatments can relieve enlarged
prostate symptoms, such as medications, minimally-invasive
office procedures, and surgery.
Prostate cancer comes
in many varieties and most are slow growing and non-life
threatening. However, there are some that escape the prostate
and move to other parts of the body. These are called metastatic
prostate cancer and can grow in organs, bones, lymph nodes, etc.
The PSA test is a blood
test used primarily to screen for prostate cancer. It measures
the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood. A
score of less than 4 is considered a safe level, 4 to 10 is
suspicious, and above that is considered dangerous. PSA is a
protein produced by both cancerous and noncancerous tissue in
the prostate. The test became very popular and led to more
aggressive treatment than necessary, so lately doctors are less
apt to prescribe the test for men over 70, because many types of
prostate cancer are slow growing. The problem is that some are
fast growing and if not caught, could be fatal. Another test is
the uncomfortable rectal finger test to find abnormalities on
the prostate surface.
Bottom line is that it
is good to be tested and not to fear the word cancer when it
comes to prostate. Ninety two percent of men who have caught it
early survive and die of other causes, not because of the
cancer.
Here are a few you might not have known are Canadian: Pamela
Anderson, Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Jim Carrey, Tommy Chong,
Michael J. Fox, Ryan Gosling, Lorne Green, Mathew Perry, Keanu
Reeves (by naturalization), Ryan Reynolds, Seth Rogan, William
Shatner, and Martin Short.
Incidentally Bruce
Willis was born in Germany as was Martin Lawrence, Joaquin
Phoenix born in Puerto Rico, Freddie Mercury born Tanzania,
Lou Diamond Phillips born Philippines, Mel Gibson born in New
York, and Charlize Theron in South Africa.
Wow, 4k is not even the current standard and the TV companies
are already pushing the next generation. It will be a few years
before 4K is standard and a few more years after that for 8K
movies and shows to kick in.
Currently, broadcast
TV, such as CBS, NBC, etc., and cable providers have no short
term plan or intention to even consider 4K. They are too busy
scrambling to squeeze every penny out of current outdated low
resolution shows. They have been given the gift of 4K upscaling
built into new TVs to make pictures look better.
The logo can be used
starting in January 2020.
To use that logo, a TV
must have resolution of "at least 33 million active pixels, with
at least 7680 horizontally and 4320 vertically within a 16:9
viewable window." One or more of the HDMI inputs must support
"7680x4320 pixels; bit depth of 10-bits; frame rates of 24, 30
and 60 frames per second; HDR transfer functions and colorimetry
as specified by ITU-R BT.2100; and HDCP v2.2 or equivalent
content protection." It must also be able to upconvert SD, HD
and 4K video for display at 8K resolution and be able to receive
and render 10-bit 8K images.
Bottom line, if you
need or want a new TV, save your money and get a 4K TV. Experts
recommend a 65 inch as the smallest 4K TV to buy so you can
enjoy the wonderful resolution.
Jelly Belly's inventor, David Klein recently launched a
business called Spectrum Confections that makes jelly beans
infused with cannabidiol, or CBD, the non-psychoactive component
of marijuana. The jelly beans come in 38 flavors and each bean
contains 10 milligrams of CBD.
Roku is the company which supplies TVs with its own operating
system and a number of devices to hook into other TVs for the
purpose of bypassing the cable companies and providing streaming
TV shows and movies. It has 52 million such devices in the
market. Amazon has 30% of the streaming stick market and Roku
37%. In addition, one third of all branded smart TVs use the
Roku operating system.
The Roku name comes
from the Japanese word å… (roku) meaning "six" and was named so
because it was the sixth company that Anthony Wood, founder and
CEO started.
"Thanks are the highest
form of thought and gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." ~
G. K. Chesterton
I never wonder why I
love a Happy Friday!
Sunday, Sept. 29 is National Coffee Day. Restaurants,
convenience stores, and brands are toasting the made-up holiday
by giving away free coffee or serving up discounted brew.
Starbucks does not have a freebie this year, but many fast food
and doughnut places have freebies or deals with coffee
discounts.
One
hundred ninety nine years ago On September 26, 1820 the great
pioneering frontiersman Daniel Boone died quietly in his sleep
at his son’s home near present-day Defiance, Missouri. He was
85.
He was an American
pioneer, explorer, woodsman, and frontiersman whose frontier
exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United
States. He was also a businessman, soldier, and politician who
represented three different counties in the Virginia General
Assembly following the American Revolutionary War. Boone is most
famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now
Kentucky. He was not at the battle of the Alamo, which happened
during 1836.
J
ust as there is a difference between THC and CBD, there is
also a difference between CBD and hemp oil.
Most people use the
words “cannabis,” “hemp,” and “marijuana” interchangeably, but
cannabis is actually the name for the genus of plants. All of
the plants within the cannabis genus contain many compounds
called “phytocannabinoids.” The most well known are THC and CBD,
with THC as the only one that gets you high.
The leaves and flowers
of marijuana plants are used to make joints and edibles because
they typically contain 15-20% THC. CBD oils are made from the
hemp plants, which contain, at most, 0.3% THC, so CBD oils do
not get you high.
All mammals naturally
produce compounds called “endocannabinoids.” Endo means
“within”– within your body. All these compounds work together to
keep your body’s endocannabinoid stems functioning normally.
Phytocannabinoids, phyto meaning “plant”– as a compound that
occurs naturally in a plant work with the endocannabinoid
system.
Many CBD products are
made from hemp extract oil, but there are also products
called hemp seed oil, which is different. Hemp seed oil is
derived only from the seeds of the hemp plant, no
phytocannabinoids. The oil is rich in healthy omega-3 fatty
acids, so it can help skin issues, but does not have the same
benefits as CBD oil.
CBD works with your
body’s natural systems to help you manage, among other benefits,
everyday stress, sleep better, reduce pain, and function at a
higher level. As with all products, the best way to ensure that
the CBD is up to the standards you would have for everything
else you consume is to use products from companies that you
trust. It might be difficult to judge the effectiveness of the
new CBD sports bras, bath salts, and doggie treats, but have
fun. There does not appear to be negative side effects, at least
so far.
Bottom line, hemp oil
is better for cosmetics, skin conditions, and eating hemp seeds
is rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids, while CBD compounds are
taken internally and also used as oils, creams, and in other
consumables, used to relieve pain, anxiety, depression, acne,
heart disease, promote more restful sleep, etc.
Incidentally, the
FDA has approved the first CBD medicine for reducing seizures.
It is pronounced GOR-bel-eed and means having
a large belly: fat. From gorbelly (large belly), from gor (gore)
+ belly, from Old English belig (bag). Earliest documented use:
1529.
“Falstaff: Hang ye, gorbellied knaves, are ye undone? No, ye fat
chuffs. ”William Shakespeare; Henry IV, Part 1; 1623.
T
he game seems to originate in hand games from
China, likely going back a few thousand years. The trail gets
more clear starting around the 17th century when some of these
games migrated to Japan and explicit references to them in
surviving text. One of those games, in turn, spread from Japan
throughout the world in recent times.
There were a myriad of these hand games using a series of hand
gestures, sometimes even using various chants. As for the many
three hand gesture variants, these are called sansukumi-ken.
As variant of this, the Japanese “mushi-ken” used hand gestures
representing a frog, a slug, and a snake. The specific gestures
were the thumb as the frog, which defeats the slug. The slug is
represented by the pinky finger and defeats the snake. The snake
is represented by the index finger and defeats the frog.
The direct ancestor to
Rock, Paper, Scissors is the game of jan-ken, which has been
played in Japan going back to around the 17th century and uses
the Rock, Paper (or cloth), Scissors trio of hand gestures we
are all familiar with.
Up until relatively recently, these games were primarily used as
drinking games, particularly popular at Chinese and Japanese
brothels. Yakyūken is a version of Rock, Paper, Scissors played
in Japan that is the game of choice for the hand gesture
equivalent of strip-poker.
It then spread to the
world between the 1920s and the 1950s. For example, some of the
earliest references of the game outside of Japan include one
account in France in 1927 where it was called “chi-fou-mi”, or
another in Britain in 1924 where it was called “zhot”.
As to why this particular hand gesture game caught on in the
wider world when so many others did not, it is speculated that
it is because it is one of the simplest to understand and play,
as well as that it makes a very effective and seemingly random
way to settle a dispute or decide something between two
individuals.
Fast-forwarding to today, the game has even become a competitive
sport with various organizations formed in different countries.
For example, in 2002, the brothers Walker formed the World RPS
Society and formalized the rules for international competition.
They held the “Rock, Paper, Scissors World Championships” in
Toronto every year from 2003 to 2009, which was televised on Fox
Sports Net at one point.
If someone wins, they are more likely to make the same choice
the next time. If they lose, however, they are likely to choose
the next item in the sequence from the one they just lost with.
So, if one loses with rock, they are likely to choose paper the
next time. If they lose with paper, they are more likely to
throw scissors the next time. Thus, they are picking the thing
that they just lost to.
Players who repeat the same sign twice are extremely unlikely to
throw the same sign a third time, allowing you to improve your
odds slightly by ruling that one out as something they will pick
in most cases. Thus, if they throw scissors twice, your next
throw should be paper, as they are likely to choose either paper
or rock, improving your odds of a tie or win.
Incidentally, In America, another name for Rock, Paper,
Scissors is “Rochambeau.” The commonly held story is that it
is from a French general by the name of Jean-Baptiste Donatien
de Vimeur de Rochambeau.