Holiday Events

Part of the joy of December - the brightness in the season of short days - is holiday events. This year I volunteered at two events that ended up being in the same weekend. They were both so much fun I’ll do the same sort of thing next year! Somehow being part of the set up and behind-the-scenes logistics for an event makes it even more of a celebration.

I enjoy the decorations like the ones I posted about yesterday and the ‘pot people’ at the Howard County Conservancy’s Mt. Pleasant farm decked out for the season.

Baking is an integral part of holidays for me…and it is so much better to share the products rather than overindulge. My favorite homemade goodies to donate for events are the always popular oatmeal raisin cookies and coconut macaroons. I was glad there were none leftover this year!

One of my volunteer jobs was to help bundle up donated boxwood and holly - to be sold at one of the events. I bought some and then took some of the remains at the end of the day for a vases and pitchers in my kitchen. It was the final bit of decorating around my house. What a reminder of the ‘good beginning’ of December!

Pomegranate Project

I always enjoy pomegranates this time of year. The jewel-like shape and color of the fruit seems appropriate to the season. Earlier this week I decided to try making designs with the seeds before enjoying them as a snack. I only managed to get 5 designs created, using an upside down white bowl as a platform, before I got too hungry to continue!

Gleanings of the Week Ending November 29, 2014

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

The Chemistry of Ginger – Flavour, Pungency & Medicinal Potential - This article from ‘Compound Interest’ was timely - with my new favorite winter drink being hot ginger water!

This Menacing Carnivorous Plant Time-lapse Is a Horror Movie for Bugs - I remember sending off for a tiny Venus fly trap plant when I was in elementary school - fascinated by the idea of plants that ate bugs. Now I am even more fascinated by the chemistry behind the rapid action the plant takes to trap the bug! The video is under 4 minutes in length - worth a look.

Scientists study effects of sunlight to reduce number of nearsighted kids - There is still research to be done to fully understand the relationship between outdoor time and nearsightedness…but there is enough evidence already to encourage more outdoor time for children to reduce the lifetime risk of nearsightedness.  The ages between 5 and 9 seem to be critical.

Urban Cartography - This is a collection of maps. My favorite is the mapping of sea level rise on the south part of South Bay (San Francisco). Lots of tech company headquarters are in the vulnerable zone with relatively little rise in sea level.

Gifted men and women define success differently, 40-year study finds - From the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth conducted at Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development.  The study involved over 1600 people that were well established in their careers and lives. Collectively they had published 85 books and 7,572 refereed academic articles and secured 681 patents and $358 million in grants. Their scores on measures of emotional well-being, life satisfaction, personal and career direction, and satisfaction with their relationships were universally high. Then the gender differences become more apparent in other areas such as career path, salary, time allocation, priorities, and family. The finding that both the mathematically talented men and women in the study were ‘happy’ says something good about their resilience and the cultural environment.

Update: American Farm Bureau Federation et al. v. EPA Oral Arguments - This update caught my eye because it was about the Chesapeake Bay - something close to home. There is a Total Maximum Daily Load program for the Chesapeake Bay which is coordinated by the EPA in collaboration with the states whose watershed feeds into the bay.

Gingerbread Molasses Scones - Yum! I made these this week. The only changes I made to the ingredients were 1) whole wheat flour instead of plain flour and 2) no topping. I also used the food processor to mix everything. I did the kneading right in the big pan, cut the pieces of dough, separated them a little, and into the oven they went.

These Parasitic Wasps Trick Trees into Building Them Weird Houses - The oak tree hosts quite a few gall wasps. The video show some of the variety.

An Astounding History of Scientific Space Art from the Past 200 Years - Imaginings of other places….

The Complete Crocodilian Primer - Links to articles about the all the different kinds of crocodiles.

Thanksgiving 2014

The cranberry orange relish, pumpkin custard, and gingerbread molasses scones were made yesterday.

The roast is in the crockpot.

The potatoes (sweet and russet) and parsnips (au gratin) are poised to go into the oven.

We’ll light the logs in the fireplace and eat a small salad as football blares.

It’s our tradition.

In the short silences of the day -

Maybe on a neighborhood walk after the big meal, during halftime of the football game -

We’ll talk of the wonder of our lives:

That our long careers were satisfying…

That our family is well…

That the future is full of potential…

That we live the way we wish to live…

And we are full of thanks.

Gleanings of the Week Ending November 08, 2014

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Americans' view on obesity is changing: Fewer adults see it as a personal problem of bad choices - A survey asked 50,000 US adults and 50,000 healthcare professionals whether they viewed obesity primarily as a personal problem of bad choices, a community problem of bad food and inactivity, or a medical problem. How would you have answered? For myself - I chose to think of it as a personal problem when I got close being obese and have now been back in the normal range for about 1.5 years because of the lifestyle changes I made. However - I am willing to admit that I benefited from a work environment that encouraged increasing physical activity and a nutrition course on Coursera that honed my knowledge of foods. Both of those would be in the ‘community’ realm.

A Wild Ride: 50 Years of the US Wilderness Act - Reflection on the US Wilderness Act by a Fellow at the International League of Conservation Photographers (includes some great pictures)

'Aging well' must be a global priority, experts say - I liked the very last line in this story: “…think about the benefits that an older, healthier, happier, and more productive older population can bring to society as a whole.” An interesting statistic: by 2020, for the first time in history, the number of people aged 60 years and older will outnumber children younger than 5 years.

Why paper is a necessity - From Richard Watson.

A Stunning View of Sunlit Seas on Titan - A montage of images of Saturn’s moon Titan from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft.

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week #73 - Which picture do you like the best in this collection? I like the sandhill cranes (toward the end).  I was thrilled to get a picture of some sandhill cranes in Florida (below - Orlando airport's cell phone lot)

What do American babies eat? A lot depends on Mom's socioeconomic background - I was surprised that he study found that some 6-12 month olds were being fed candy, ice cream, sweet drinks and French fries. Are pediatricians and health professionals not stressing dietary needs of babies to new mothers?

A Fascinating Documentary on Crows, One of the World's Smartest Animals - One researcher calls crows “feathered apes”

Climate, emerging diseases - It is difficult to establish a direct link between climate change and evolution of pathogens…mostly because both climate change and pathogens are very complex. But there are emerging or re-emerging diseases being studied that can be statistically linked to environmental changes. 

Incredible New Artifacts Found In 2,000-Year-Old Mexican Tunnel - Even in an area that is well known from an archeological stand point…..there are new finds. This one seems spectacular.  I remember going to Teotihuacan in the mid-1960s and climbing the pyramids. Now there will be even more to see there.

Gleanings of the Week Ending November 01, 2014

We had 4 large bags of candy ready for trick-or-treaters last night and handed out 2 --- no tricks. This Halloween was a low in terms of children in the neighborhood for the 20 years we've lived in our neighborhood. The rest of the candy will be given away next week at the places we work or volunteer. Maybe next year I’ll try to figure out what to give away rather than candy.

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Tap into the Potential of Taproots this Fall - There are a lot of root vegetables to try. This article highlights jicama, parsnips, beets, carrots, and celery root.  Carrots are a veggie I always have on hand. The CSA prompted me to try beets and no I have Fruit Beety in the freeze for a pretty and tasty dessert. The other three I’ll probably try this fall. What about adding turnips, radishes and sweet potatoes to the list?

Your Life on Earth - A web site from the BBC that explores what has changed in your lifetime.

New Energy Efficiency Ranks Released - How the states rank based on a score card. Massachusetts  is the best, Maryland is 9th, Arizona is 15th, Texas is 34th.

The Chemistry of the Colours of Blood - Did you know that blood can be red, blue, green or violet? And all the molecules look complex. They all contain iron except for the blue bloods - which contain copper.

The Future of Lifelong Learning - I was a little disappointed that the infographic did not pick up on my demographic and learning rationale a bit more. I think people that are post-career are significant participants in the MOOCs particularly and they are motivated by personal interest primarily. They are often learning for the joy of learning something new. The application may be when they travel (i.e. taking an architectural course then noticing more architectural features when in a new location) or volunteer (i.e. applying ideas from an education course when leading a nature hike for children). But there may not be any application at all. It’s not about graduation or certification either. Educators need to internalize this when they are evaluating their offerings.

Does having children make us any happier? - My husband and I fit the ‘older parents’ and ‘more educated’ demographic....and we sustained the higher level of happiness after our daughter was born over 20 years ago just as the study found.

Interview with Janet Echelman - This is an recent interview. There is also a TED talk from 2011 by this artist available here that I had watched previously. It was good to get an update on what she has been doing since the talk.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins - I collect pumpkin muffin recipes. I like this one because it has a lot of pumpkin…but maybe I’ll use honey or maple syrup instead of the sugar. Sometimes I substitute butternut squash or sweet potatoes for the pumpkin (it has to be something yellow/orange!).  I bought another pie pumpkin at the grocery store this week since they all seem to disappear right after Halloween.

Is There A Limit To How Big Vegetables Can Grow? - And one more item about pumpkins - huge pumpkins.  I can’t image one that would weigh 2,323 pounds! Are they edible?  If they are that would be a lot of pies and muffins!

What School Should Be: The Strength of Student Voice - Results from a workshop for high school students about the way schools are/should be.

Eggs in a Nest

My favorite concoction in recent weeks has been ‘eggs in a nest.’ It is a veggie stir fry with eggs added at the last minute into a well in the center. On my stove, I turn the burner off and put a lid on the skillet until the eggs are cooked. I’ve made it three times this month

The first time I stir fried the stems of the chard (yellow and red) a little before adding the leaves, arugula, mushrooms, and a scallion. I used a little table blend Mrs. Dash and some orange peel. When it was cooked I added sesame ginger sauce and stirred it in. I made a well in the center of the mass and poured in two eggs. Then I turned off the burner and put a lid on the skillet. After I put the whole on a plate, I put crumbled kale chips on top (the ones that had a little too much garlic salt). The egg yokes were a little soft in the center but the whites were thoroughly cooked. It was a little like an inside out omelet - more veggies because they did not have to be contained in the egg!

The nest for the second ‘eggs in a nest’ was made with eggplant, onions, mushrooms, arugula, and kale chips with spicy spaghetti sauce added at the last minute. The sauce gave it a very different flavor - I’ve always like tomatoes with eggs.

I was really hungry when I started the ‘eggs in a nest’ for a third meal. I stir fried kohlrabi (bulb, stems and leaves!), mushrooms, onion, and garlic. The sauce was the sesame ginger sauce. It was my big meal of the day!

What a yummy way to include eggs as the main protein at lunch or dinner!

Gleanings of the Week Ending October 18, 2014

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Corruption of health care delivery system?  - Most of us probably realize - at least occasionally - that the US healthcare system is a profit-driven service industry, where commercial interests overcome just about everything. I know that I don’t trust my doctor as much now as I did 20 years ago! Unfortunately - this study was more about documenting the problem rather than suggesting a solution.

Video Proof That Cats Are Furry Work Saboteurs - Fun! Anyone that has a computer and a cat can identify with the antics in this video.

These Are the 100 Most Interesting Geologic Spots In The British Isles - From the Geological Society.  The site that the article highlights is here.

Two posts about things Tucson….where I may travel later this year: Rehabbing Trails in Saguaro National Park and Surpassing Expectations Tucson Streetcar Ridership Enjoys Great Beginning

These Mirrors Are Part of the Biggest Space Telescope - The silver and gold mirrors for the James Webb Space Telescope

Conservation and Food Security: The $115 Billion Question - Increasing focus is on crop wild relatives (CWRs) - plans that are closely related to domestic agricultural crops. Over the past 30 years, at least 60 CWRs have contributed more than 100 beneficial traits to 13 major crops such as wheat, rice, tomato, and potato.

Yosemite Nature Notes: Monarchs and Milkweed - A short video about milkweed and all the insects (and birds) that come to it.  Are you ready to go out and plant some milkweed?

South Australia Achieves 100% Renewable Energy for a Whole Working Day - So - it can be done. How long will it be before some part of the US is able to do this?

Photo Break: America Puts on Its Fall Colors - I couldn’t resist at least one ‘fall’ post this week. Our area of Maryland is quite colorful.

CSA Week 19

Wow - I ate a lot of veggies in the past week. All that was left of the week 18 share was a few leaves of kale which I used in a stir fry with onions, mushrooms, edamame and carrots last night. I used the last of some roasted garlic hummus to make the ‘sauce.’

This week 19 of the CSA there are a lot of greens again. I’m celebrating and have meals in mind to use it all up before week 20!

Half the dinosaur kale and collards will become ‘chips’ (I project for tomorrow afternoon) and the rest will be used in stir fry.

Romaine lettuce, tender beet leaves, mizzuna and cauliflower are for salad.

Beets will become fruit beety (another project for tomorrow afternoon).

The larger beet leaves and tougher stems will be used in stir fry.

We’re cooking a big pot of chili this week and those green stir fries (kale, arugula, collard) will make a good ‘bed’ for it when I want a light meal.

CSA Week 18

When the CSA shares first started back in June, I always tried to have both crispers pretty empty when I picked up the weekly share. It didn’t work this week because I was away for too much of the week. I had Romaine lettuce, green beans, hot peppers, and escarole left (having made kale chips to get the kale out of the refrigerator earlier in the day!). All that fresh produce filled almost an entire crisper.

Unfortunately - all the items for week 18 are in the refrigerator now along with what is left from week 17. The crispers are overflowing with the added:

• Red leafed lettuce (upper right)
• Red Russian kale (lower left)
• Rainbow chard (yellow and pink stems at the top)
• Broccoli (upper left)
• Arugula (lower right)
• Scallions (the green tips peeking out to the left of the broccoli)
• Eggplant (purple and white with an elfish looking cap)

I managed to eat the last of the green beans, a hot pepper, two chard leaves, and some arugula in a stir fry for dinner which helped the crowding a little. Then again - the crowding is really bounty worth celebrating...good eating in the days ahead.

Sweet Potato Crop 2014

I clipped the leaves from my sweet potato plant was grew in a trough on my deck all summer over a week ago … enjoying that bounty in salads. Now I have harvested the sweet potatoes themselves. There are 5 good size sweet potatoes and two smaller ones. I cut up the enlarged roots (about the diameter of my little finger but orange inside) for a stir fry before I remembered to take a picture!

I planted a sweet potato that sprouted last October and enjoyed it as a house plant during the winter.

It went out on the deck as soon as the weather was warm and I added a bell pepper and zinnias to the pot. But the sweet potato vine was the dominate plant. I’ve already got the ends of the vines rooting in my kitchen and I’m preparing to plant them as houseplants. Now that I know the leaves are edible, I might trim the plants for fresh salad ingredients this winter - long after this crop of sweet potatoes has been consumed.

On Eating Out

While I was traveling, I was still able to cook or prepare most of my meals….but there were enough meals out that I discovered that eating out is not something that is as ‘good’ as I used to perceive it.

A fast food hamburger and French fries seems bland except for the fatty ‘sauce.’ I was surprised to realize that the meal is not all that enjoyable. If I do it again it will only be to savor the relationships with people that do still crave hamburgers and French fries.

Chinese food has been a favorite of mine for years. Now I am realizing that I need to select dishes that have less meat and more veggies. The sesame chicken that has been a recent favorite is now too skewed toward meat. And I don’t really like rice that well either.

I went to a steak place and discovered that the organic steaks we buy and prepare at home have better taste! Maybe the more expensive restaurants would have better steaks, but how does one know in advance when traveling?

Salads are generally better but they are boring in terms of the number of ingredients and the diversity of salad dressings. I’m spoiled by the CSA bounty of this summer!

So - I am rethinking the way I eat when I travel. Often there is not time or place to prepare a meal for myself….so other restaurants or other menu items or ‘to go’ items from a grocery store are ideas I’ll be considering.

CSA Week 17

The CSA week 16 produce was packed in ice chests and taken with us on a trek to Newport RI where we have been tourists this week. We knew we would have a kitchen so planned meals around the veggies. We ate well!

TheCSA  week 17 share may be the last of the tomatoes….but we have cauliflower! The collection of veggies each week always prompts meal ideas. My challenge this week might be how to use all the poblano and padron peppers!

Going Vegetarian

More and more of my meals are plant based these days. I think of myself as along a path toward becoming a vegetarian. There have already been several steps along the way. Over the past few years, I’ve eliminated some things completely.

• Dairy. I discovered that I felt better when I didn’t drink milk…then gradually eliminated cheese and, last of all, yogurt when they seemed to bother me. I now read the labels on salad dressings that might contain dairy products. I do still have butter occasionally (l love the flavor on baked sweet potatoes and butternut squash) and it does not seem to bother me, probably because it is mostly fat rather than lactose. It was very easy to switch to Almond Milk as my primary source for calcium.
• Pork. Ham, pork chops, and bacon - I opted to stop eating pork because of the high salt content (ham and bacon) and the commercial farm production methods for hogs. Occasionally I want the flavor of bacon with a salad….and satisfy it with the soy based ‘bacon bits.’
• Turkey. I didn’t eat it frequently anyway. Now I don’t eat it at all.

Some things I have just cut back on.

• Beef. We are eating organic beef…and eating less of it than we did a few years ago. Eventually we’ll probably cut back more to reduce our overall carbon footprint.
• Chicken. We are eating organic chicken. Like with beef we eat less. The meat component of our meals is not the ‘main dish.’
• Eggs. My husband and I eat about a dozen eggs a month. I use them in my occasional baking (yummy butternut squash custard, for example), hard boiled eggs for salads, and scrambled eggs for breakfast.

So - since what are my favorite sources of protein these days?

• Chickenless-nuggets. My grocery story has a great version of these that does not have too much breading. I like them cooked and cut up to top a salad….or to include in a stir fry.
• Veggie crumbles. These do best in recipes that are highly seasoned otherwise like a stir fry with lots of veggies and flavorful sauce.
• Dry roasted soybeans. They fit into meal preparation the same as peanuts do!
• Beans + grain.
• Quinoa.
• Mushrooms are one of my favorite stir fry ingredients.

At the rate I am going - I’ll probably be totally vegetarian within 5 years or less!

CSA Week 16

I finished everything from the week 15 CSA share….and harvested my own sweet potato leaves for good measure. They make nice green bouquets in multiple vases of water in my kitchen.

Then the week 16 share included sweet potato leaves as well. I’ll eat them first because they are more wilted looking.  They are with a lot of other greens: chard, lettuce, Portuguese kale, and Pac Choi.

The peppers, 2 types of eggplant and the butternut squash are the non-greens for the week! Hurray for fresh veggies!

Edibles

This summer I’ve been surprised by parts of veggies that I had not realized were edible previously ---- and I’m sure that are probably more surprises to come. Here’s the list to date.

Garlic scapes. These were in one of the early CSA shares. They are cut from the top of the plant in the spring so that the garlic bulbs will form better. There is a small window when they are available but are a short term seasonal treat.  Their general curling form appeals to me too!

Sweet potato leaves and stems. It had never occurred to me that the sweet potato leaves were edible when I made my small harvest in the past. They are good in salads and stir fries (and probably soups too). I even chop up the stems. At first I thought the stems would be too tough for salads but they are no tougher that fresh green beans. Again - the CSA share was my first exposure to the ‘new food.’

Carrot tops. Most of the carrots I buy are already sliced or peeled…their tops long gone. This year I have a few carrots in my own deck garden and the CSA share has provided carrots with their green tops. I had no idea that the fresh tops tasted like parsley (probably with similar nutrition)….until I went to a lecture on food preservation. Now I manage to use some of the tops fresh in salads and then put the rest in the smoothie maker with water to create slurry to freeze in an ice cube tray; they’ll add a fresh green to soups this winter!

Now I’m wondering what else I am putting in the compost pile that should really be part of dinner instead….

3 Free eBooks - September 2014

It’s time again for the monthly post about eBooks that are freely available on the Internet. The three below are my favorites for September 2014.

Calvert, Albert Frederick. Southern Spain - Painted by Trevor Haddon. London: A&C Black. 1908. Available from the Internet Archive here. I particularly liked the images of courtyards….beautiful outdoor spaces.

Moore, Frederic. The Lepidoptera of Ceylon. London: L. Reeve & Co. 1890. Three volumes from the Internet Archive: one, two, three.  The author was very active in India as well. I’ve looked at all the volumes for Ceylon and have started the ones for India. I wonder how many of the species still exist?

Brown, Leanne. Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day. New York. 2014. Available from the author’s website. You’ll get hungry just looking at recipes in this book!  I got caught on the first one (tomato scrambled eggs)…made it for lunch before I finished the rest of the book!

Enjoy some wonderful images (and some good food ideas)!

Favorite Snacks

Favorite snacks come and go. I took stock this week of what I am eating as ‘mini-meals’ between the three majors. These are all very easy prep and not too high in calories…generally high in nutrition too.

Carrot chips and hummus. At one time I thought I would make my own hummus, but my grocery story has their own brand of hummus that is reasonably priced. My favorite seasonings are roasted garlic, roasted red pepper, and lemon/dill. My grocery also stocks carrot chips so I buy them when I don’t have a big supply of carrots from the CSA. This snack works very well as a component of a picnic lunch as well!

Smoothie. As the weather gets cooler this one might come off my list but on warm days it is a favorite. This morning it included some frozen watermelon, frozen lemon wedges and sweet potato leaves.

Fruit. I always try to have seasonal fresh fruit on hand. Earlier this month peaches were at the top of the list. Now I have some nectarines and oranges….and lots of apples.

Popcorn. Since I bought the Nordic Ware bowl for popping corn in the microwave, this is again on the ‘healthy’ snack list. I use pumpkinseed oil or lemon infused olive oil on it rather than butter.

Kale chips. This snack is the one that requires the most prep. I cook a lot at one time and store the chips in a plastic container. I keep thinking that they will last a week or so but I always eat them faster than I anticipate. My favorite seasoning is salt….somehow it just seems right for ‘chips.’

How will things change for when it is colder? I’ll have to decide and then stock the ingredients. Snacking wisely requires some planning ahead!

Rhythm of Days

School and then my career set the rhythm for most of my days for almost 60 years! The clock was a driver for when I got up in the morning…when I left home…when I did things all during the day…when I got home. It was quite an adjustment when that ended. What would the new anchors be? Did I want to rejoice in wild variety every day? It took me over a year to settle into the rhythm that fits me best (for now). The ‘anchors’ are very basic: sleeping and eating!  I re-discovered very quickly that sleeping and eating at about the same times every day made is easier for me to feel healthy and ready for just about anything I wanted to do for the other times of the day.

Waking up. I don’t use an alarm clock any more (unless I have to get to the airport really early) but I am definitely a morning person. My rule is that if I wake up and it’s after 5 AM - I get up. Usually that happens between 5 and 6. I am dressed and going down for breakfast within about 30 minutes. The house is generally very quiet while I eat my breakfast and read…another 30 minutes.

Morning activity 1. There is a lot of variety in the activities during the day….but not so much the first one. Usually it is at the computer - meal planning, starting online coursework, checking news headlines, responding to email. Groceries stores open early enough that sometimes the weekly grocery shopping gets done in this time….or I may leave for a volunteer gig.

Snack. Since I don’t eat a big breakfast, I almost always have a snack between 9 and 10….a piece of fruit is probably my favorite.

Morning activity 2. The activity times before and after lunch seem to be the most variable of the day - house cleaning, gardening, volunteer gig, course work, reading or writing, or exercise.  I do a lot at the computer but it is not sedentary time - I bounce and lean on my Swopper chair all the time I am in front of the computer.

Lunch is always around 11:30. I am realizing that I rarely cook involved meals. A big salad, stir fry or soup are all quick meals if all the ingredients are already in the kitchen!

Afternoon activity 1. Add to the list of morning activities the possibility of a nap. This is the time slot if I take a nap…not a frequent occurrence but it does happen.

Snack. Hummus and carrot chips about 3PM - yummy and it fuels my afternoon.

Afternoon activity 2. In the winter time this may be the best time for outdoors exercise to catch the best warmth of the day.

Dinner. I like dinner between 5:30 and 6. It’s early enough that most of the year we have sunlight to see food we are cooking on the gas grill.

Evening activity 1. I am always trying to finish the blog for the next day or the videos for a course during this activity period….so it is usually in front of the computer again.

Reading/going to sleep.  Reading is my way of winding down for the day. Sometimes I can tell my metabolism is slowing down and I wrap myself in a small blanket to be warm and comfy in the easy chair…and then about 10 I am sleepy enough to go to bed.

One of things I’ve gotten better about over the past few years is preserving the basic “wakeup --> snack --> lunch --> snack --> dinner --> sleep” rhythm even when I am traveling. It takes planning but is well worth the effort to sustain the good way I feel physically at home when I am away.

Gleanings of the Week Ending September 6, 2014

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Training your brain to prefer healthy foods - Research on people that participated in a weight loss program. It appears that the program changes what foods are tempting to people (based on MRI analysis)…toward healthier diet. Of course, even if this is true there is an uphill battle with all the media pushing food that is not healthy (low nutritional value). Has our culture (the media, social interactions, vending machines, etc.) been training our brains to eat poorly?

Who Should Rule These Scottish Islands? - The intricacies of politics in Orkney….desiring greater autonomy.

Growing mushrooms in diapers - Mexican scientists are designing technology (and running small scale proof-of-concept trials) to degrade disposable diapers. Mexico is the third largest consumer of disposable diapers globally but worldwide there must be a huge number of diapers going to landfills. They will not be a simple to recycle as glass or plastic jugs or milk cartons….but anything that is still a major component going to landfills needs to be considered for re-processing rather than burying. Making it economically feasible is a challenge.

Why Doesn’t Honey Spoil? – The Chemistry of Honey - An infographic and article. It’s antibiotic properties are due to its low water content and pH….details in the article.

Brown marmorated stink bug biology, management options - It seems like there are a few of them around all the time now and sometimes there is a marked increase in their numbers…even inside the house.  The full article is available from here.

Humiliation tops list of mistreatment toward med students - It is not just med students….this happens to other grad students too. There is a significant amount of institutional hazing of students if they choose to continue beyond their undergraduate studies in academia.

Exposure of pregnant women to certain phenols may disrupt growth of boys during fetal development and first years of life - Scary result. Are OB/GYNs educating their patients about these results? There are still some products with parabens and triclosan which could be avoided. Even though more research needs to be done, most women would err on the side of caution during their pregnancy and after the child is born too…if they were provided the information.

Housing America’s Older Adults - From the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University and AARP Foundation.  The housing needs of the US population are changing faster than the available housing can change.

Top 10 Solar Energy States per Capita (US) - The full report (downloadable via a link at the bottom of this article) has data for other states. The top 10 have a lot higher

Exceptionally well preserved insect fossils from the Rhône Valley found - An aquatic bug that would have thrived in brackish water.