Eclectic Living
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The earliest version of this iteration of the Pledge of Allegiance (which incidentally didn’t include “the United States” or “under God”) was written in... Continue Reading →
A little morning uitwaiien in subzero temps Bodhi stops at a recently deposited pile and inhales deeply. But he longs to experience this more fully, so he gulps some down before his owner can yank him away. "Bad dog, that's disgusting, Bodhi!" The excrement makes its way through Bodhi's system and is eventually deposited again,... Continue Reading →
Through his narcissism, mendacity, greed, ignorance, misogyny, racism, anti-democracy, un-Americanism, and sociopathy, Donald Trump has inadvertently begun a process that could Make America Great. Trump has galvanized most Americans to push for progressive reforms and policies that could ultimately usher in a new era of prosperity, equality, environmentalism, and (one hopes) a UNITED States of... Continue Reading →
In my November 3, 2016, post, "Scientific Policy," I wrote: "It is one week from the U.S. presidential election, and Science magazine has compiled a list of six areas of science in which the new president will need to be well-versed in order to lead our country down the right path." The first area Science emphasized was pathogens. "[N]ew... Continue Reading →
My optimism stems largely from a belief in progress. Progress is the inevitable outcome of accumulated knowledge and enlightenment. As we understand the world better, understand ourselves better, we come to understand how to improve the world and our place in it. The Progressive approach is guided by reason and virtue. In many regards (hunger,... Continue Reading →
Car rights supporters are up in arms about measures that have curbed their freedom. The most egregious of these car controls is speed limits on how fast one can drive. "By imposing these limits on how fast I can drive," Carl, a car rights activist said, "they have taken my freedom to go as fast... Continue Reading →
https://youtu.be/fmghBnJZTLw A few years ago I worked with some colleagues to write a paper about the potential for entomophagy to address undernutrition. We titled it, fittingly enough, "The potential for entomophagy to address undernutrition," and it was published in the Ecology of Food and Nutrition journal. Entomophagy is the fancy word for insect eating. My brother and I... Continue Reading →
What kind of world would we live in if politics were largely guided by science rather than greed or special interests? Under new prime minister Justin Trudeau, Canada is revamping its environmental policy to "ensure that decisions on major projects are based on science, facts, and evidence." Funny that this is, in the words of Science... Continue Reading →
I'm in my fourth month of time-restricted intermittent fasting - primarily eating in a six-hour window between 2 and 8 p.m. Along the way, I've been getting my cholesterol tested (results forthcoming). In addition to intermittent fasting, I've instituted three different diet phases. After the initial whatever/whenever diet (not so good for my cholesterol or... Continue Reading →
Bariatric surgery often helps people lose weight - just ask Al Roker. But it turns out the weight loss associated with bariatric surgery may have less to do with having a smaller stomach and more to do with how the surgery permanently changes one's gut microbiota. A new study found that people who have undergone bariatric surgery... Continue Reading →
Poppa's Cottage 