8:30: Get up
8:30 – 10:00: Wash myself, prepare and eat breakfast
10:00 - 14:00: Work (either renovation or leaning)
14:00 - 15:00: Have lunch
15:00 – 16:30: Walk outdoors, usually the river front park
16:30 – 18:30: Skip rope, stretch exercise and shower
18:30 – 20:30: Prepare and eat super
20:30 – 23:00: Play pool, read or watch a movie or browse internet
23:00 – 23:30: Wash
23:30: go to bed
Breakfast: slice of Tofu, slice of cheese, one apple, 7 halves of walnuts, one egg, a cup of tea
Lunch: miso soup, one slice of Pumpernickel bread, half of avocado
Super: coconut milk rice dish with pacific wild salmon, broccoli and onion, a radish salad, one glass of wine, a bowl of frozen grapes and a cup of coffee.
AH, IS THIS NOT HAPPINESS!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Idlers' asylum
On CBC, there is an interesting story about a young Asian man disguised himself in order to get into Canada (here). It’s surprising to find so many anti-immigration (and/or anti-refugee) Canadians by reading the comments of this article. But that is not the point I wish to make here.
I read somewhere that it is better to be a slacker in a market economy than in a socialist one, since one is rewarded with productivity in a market economy. However, in non-market economies low-productive members may be seen as parasites - it is hence better to be a slacker who could work hard but don't want to in a capitalist system than (say) in a socialist system.
In China in the seventies, anyone who could work but don’t want to work would for sure be sent to a labor camp. In reality, nobody was allowed to choose what type of work one wanted to do. If I had time traveled and had disguised myself and flew into Canada to seek asylum because I wanted to be an idler (or part time one until I made enough money to be a full time idler), I would have been ridiculed worse than this young man and been sent back to where I came from.
In North America, I believe that there are only two cities that are most suitable for idlers, Montreal and San Francisco. You need certain numbers of same kind in a society in order to survive. Montreal is full of people who prefer to make less money and have some time to idle. In San Francisco, idlers probably call themselves thinkers, but I could be wrong.
I read somewhere that it is better to be a slacker in a market economy than in a socialist one, since one is rewarded with productivity in a market economy. However, in non-market economies low-productive members may be seen as parasites - it is hence better to be a slacker who could work hard but don't want to in a capitalist system than (say) in a socialist system.
In China in the seventies, anyone who could work but don’t want to work would for sure be sent to a labor camp. In reality, nobody was allowed to choose what type of work one wanted to do. If I had time traveled and had disguised myself and flew into Canada to seek asylum because I wanted to be an idler (or part time one until I made enough money to be a full time idler), I would have been ridiculed worse than this young man and been sent back to where I came from.
In North America, I believe that there are only two cities that are most suitable for idlers, Montreal and San Francisco. You need certain numbers of same kind in a society in order to survive. Montreal is full of people who prefer to make less money and have some time to idle. In San Francisco, idlers probably call themselves thinkers, but I could be wrong.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Rene Girard's arguments on Christianity
Listened to a very interesting conversation with Rene Girard regarding Christianity. Interesting to me since I am atheist turned agnostic and I believe in the actions of Jesus Christ. I would like to believe in God and be part of the Christian community. Rene Girard offers an explanation that is more acceptable perhaps to those with more logic minds. Here it is:
For those who prefer reading, Amazon sells his books in English:
The Girard Reader
Violence and the Sacred
The Scapegoat
For those who prefer reading, Amazon sells his books in English:
The Girard Reader
Violence and the Sacred
The Scapegoat
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Krill and Black Fungus
I bought some dried black fungus (also called cloud ear fungus) and some dried krill from Chinatown. One thing I noticed that the Chinese people (& some other cultures) eat a lot of calorie poor, micro nutrient rich food. In North America, both foods will be considered not worthwhile for consumption (quote-unquote “there is nothing in them”) or too weird.
150 gram of dried krill only contains 80 calories; while a bag of 100 g of dried black fungi contains 200 calories. The former is about 4 servings and the latter is at least 10 servings. In both cases, each serving is about 20 calories.
Krill is a great source of omega-3 fatty acid.
Black fungus has been used in Chinese herbal medicine for increasing the fluidity of the blood and improving circulation. It is given to patients who suffer from atherosclerosis. Recently Western medicine seems to confirm its anticoagulant property. Eat your daily black fungus instead of aspirin.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Compound in plants (Luteolin) reduces age-related memory deficits
Recent study suggests that luteolin improves cognitive health by acting directly on the microglial cells to reduce their production of inflammatory cytokines in the brain (here).
Luteolin is a common flavonoid found in many plants, including carrots, peppers, celery, olive oil, peppermint, rosemary, oregano and chamomile. It is thought to play an important role in the human body as an antioxidant.
"The researchers next turned their attention to the effects of luteolin on the brains and behavior of adult (3- to 6-month-old) and aged (2-year-old) mice. The mice were fed a control diet or a luteolin-supplemented diet for four weeks. The researchers assessed their spatial memory and measured levels of inflammatory markers in the hippocampus, a brain region that is important to memory and spatial awareness.
Normally, aged mice have higher levels of inflammatory molecules in the hippocampus and are more impaired on memory tests than younger adult mice. Aged mice on the luteolin-supplemented diet, however, did better on the learning and memory task than their peers, and the levels of inflammatory cytokines in their brains were more like those of the younger adult mice."
Luteolin is a common flavonoid found in many plants, including carrots, peppers, celery, olive oil, peppermint, rosemary, oregano and chamomile. It is thought to play an important role in the human body as an antioxidant.
"The researchers next turned their attention to the effects of luteolin on the brains and behavior of adult (3- to 6-month-old) and aged (2-year-old) mice. The mice were fed a control diet or a luteolin-supplemented diet for four weeks. The researchers assessed their spatial memory and measured levels of inflammatory markers in the hippocampus, a brain region that is important to memory and spatial awareness.
Normally, aged mice have higher levels of inflammatory molecules in the hippocampus and are more impaired on memory tests than younger adult mice. Aged mice on the luteolin-supplemented diet, however, did better on the learning and memory task than their peers, and the levels of inflammatory cytokines in their brains were more like those of the younger adult mice."
Friday, October 8, 2010
Facts about Sugar (2)
Came across this video through the Daily Lipid regarding fructose.
In my previous blog, I indicated that sugar is bad for us because we ate too much (which leads to fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis) and because refined sugar is empty calorie.
It is still true that excessive sugar is bad for us as when our body have too much of any one of the three dietary monosaccharides (glucose, fructose & galactose), fatty acids and triglycerides will be synthesized. Fatty acids get stored and make us look fat. Too much triglyceride is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
However, according to Dr. Robert Lustig, fructose is simply toxic. While glucose can be metabolized by every cell in the body, fructose can only be metabolized in the liver. Therefore, in this regard, consuming high fructose is like consuming high alcohol, which damages liver. And the byproducts of fructose metabolism are toxic, one being uric acid, the agent in gout. Galactose (mostly found in milk) is also metabolized in the liver, but we usually do not consume excessive amount.
So I stand corrected. Not all sugar is created equal. On the other hand, it is probably too radical to label fructose toxic. If eating whole fruits is healthy, then fructose cannot be toxic.
In my previous blog, I indicated that sugar is bad for us because we ate too much (which leads to fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis) and because refined sugar is empty calorie.
It is still true that excessive sugar is bad for us as when our body have too much of any one of the three dietary monosaccharides (glucose, fructose & galactose), fatty acids and triglycerides will be synthesized. Fatty acids get stored and make us look fat. Too much triglyceride is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
However, according to Dr. Robert Lustig, fructose is simply toxic. While glucose can be metabolized by every cell in the body, fructose can only be metabolized in the liver. Therefore, in this regard, consuming high fructose is like consuming high alcohol, which damages liver. And the byproducts of fructose metabolism are toxic, one being uric acid, the agent in gout. Galactose (mostly found in milk) is also metabolized in the liver, but we usually do not consume excessive amount.
So I stand corrected. Not all sugar is created equal. On the other hand, it is probably too radical to label fructose toxic. If eating whole fruits is healthy, then fructose cannot be toxic.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The importance of gut flora
Some say that you are the average of 5 of your friends. This may be true in social and financial status. When it comes to health, you may be whom you invite to live with. I am talking about microbes that live on your body.
Wikipedia put it this way about the gut flora: “The human body, consisting of about 100 trillion cells, carries about ten times as many microorganisms in the intestines. The metabolic activities performed by these bacteria resemble those of an organ, leading some to liken gut bacteria to a "forgotten" organ. It is estimated that these gut flora have around 100 times as many genes in aggregate as there are in the human genome.”
Studies have linked the microbes in our intestines to beneficial effects, including breaking down fiber into fatty acids; repressing the growth of harmful microorganisms; training the immune system to respond only to pathogens; and defending against some diseases and they are also linked to diseases such as obesity, colon-rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and colitis. In a study released today, scientists show that gut bacteria in zebra fish modulate an important signaling pathway where colorectal cancer takes root. The pathway happens to be the wnt pathway, which is known to play a key role in the homeostasis of many tissues; furthermore, its signaling via ß–catenin (one of Wnt’s several receptors) is perturbed in a variety of tumors. Now two complementary papers have demonstrated that Wnt may play a causative role in aging (ouroboros).
My mother has this ailment that I always considered it as a neurosis. Whenever she is nervous, upset or tired, she has diarrhea. This disease is passed on to all her four children. Now all of her children are over 40 years of age and no longer suffer from this ailment. I talked to a family practitioner about it 10 years ago and was told that it was pure nonsense. Reading studies about gut flora made me realize that this ailment has something to do with gut flora, since we all acquire our gut flora from our mothers. In my own case, it took about 20 years after leaving home to be rid of this nuisance. Now my gut flora is probably very different from my mother. I have no doubt that gut flora is as important as scientists claim. Therefore, studies should look at long term couples (different genetics, same gut flora) to see what roles genetics play and what roles gut flora play in cancer development and other diseases.
Wikipedia put it this way about the gut flora: “The human body, consisting of about 100 trillion cells, carries about ten times as many microorganisms in the intestines. The metabolic activities performed by these bacteria resemble those of an organ, leading some to liken gut bacteria to a "forgotten" organ. It is estimated that these gut flora have around 100 times as many genes in aggregate as there are in the human genome.”
Studies have linked the microbes in our intestines to beneficial effects, including breaking down fiber into fatty acids; repressing the growth of harmful microorganisms; training the immune system to respond only to pathogens; and defending against some diseases and they are also linked to diseases such as obesity, colon-rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and colitis. In a study released today, scientists show that gut bacteria in zebra fish modulate an important signaling pathway where colorectal cancer takes root. The pathway happens to be the wnt pathway, which is known to play a key role in the homeostasis of many tissues; furthermore, its signaling via ß–catenin (one of Wnt’s several receptors) is perturbed in a variety of tumors. Now two complementary papers have demonstrated that Wnt may play a causative role in aging (ouroboros).
My mother has this ailment that I always considered it as a neurosis. Whenever she is nervous, upset or tired, she has diarrhea. This disease is passed on to all her four children. Now all of her children are over 40 years of age and no longer suffer from this ailment. I talked to a family practitioner about it 10 years ago and was told that it was pure nonsense. Reading studies about gut flora made me realize that this ailment has something to do with gut flora, since we all acquire our gut flora from our mothers. In my own case, it took about 20 years after leaving home to be rid of this nuisance. Now my gut flora is probably very different from my mother. I have no doubt that gut flora is as important as scientists claim. Therefore, studies should look at long term couples (different genetics, same gut flora) to see what roles genetics play and what roles gut flora play in cancer development and other diseases.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
AH, IS THIS NOT HAPPINESS (4)
We had planned a day of driving through the countryside of Vermont just to soak in the beautiful fall weather with the leaves changing. Unfortunately, it rained and will probably rain the whole day.
Instead, Husband plastered the ceiling where there was water damage and I repaired and altered an old jersey shirt. I have been repairing old cotton clothes recently as they are so much more comfortable just before they get worn out.
AH, IS THIS NOT HAPPINESS!!!
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