Eclectic Living
PrefaceThe following is advice for my 18-year-old daughter and my 15-year-old son. Not all of it is applicable to both of you. It should be noted that both of you are already following the most important principle: you are good people. In many ways, you are better adjusted human beings than I was at your... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
A few years ago I embarked on a three-day fast after reading a Harper's article by Steve Hendricks, Starving your way to vigor (sorry, you have to subscribe to Harper's to read it), about the many potential health benefits of fasting. I wrote about my experience on the Mr. Money Mustache blog. It was a fun challenge; enough... Continue Reading →
Food is a problem for a good chunk of the planet. There are over 800 million undernourished people in the world, and millions more that have other forms of malnutrition. According to Mark Bittman, the problem is more one of poverty than of a lack of food. Maybe this is true, but almost all of the potential... Continue Reading →
Poppa's Cottage 