How Leptin and Insulin Signal Satiety  Source for Graphic: Wiki.Brown.edu ____________________ I have been stamping my feet and complaining for the last six weeks because of having to wear a CPAP mask ( Continuous Positive Airway Pressure , a therapy designed for people who stop breathing during sleep, and, therefore, wake up several times during the night. Sleep-deprived people can experience serious medical problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity, among other ailments). I grumble every single night. My better half must be sick of my constant kvetching... But for the first time since I can remember, I’m getting good sleep and waking up energetic and exercising regularly. About four weeks into the CPAP therapy, I also noticed something else: my appetite has started to regulate itself, which has been a total surprise to me because I have always had an out-sized appetite. I never really knew the difference between hunger and satiety – I would go fr

“Bathroom Bills” Are A “Solution in Search Of A Problem” – Chris Wallace, Fox News Host __________________   I am absolutely gobsmacked at the passion that this non-issue has created in such a short period of time; I (and others) have been blocked on Facebook by hysterical parents who feel that pedophiles will molest their children if we allow transgender people to use the restroom of the gender that does not match their birth certificate. Well, let’s get this truth out of the way right now: Male or female, you, like it or not, have most likely shared a public restroom with a transgender person and didn’t even know it. As the law stands now, a muscled, tattooed guy is not likely to hang out in the ladies’ room, and a lithe, frilly gal is not going to stand next to you at the urinal. But mull on these unintended consequences of Gender Laws for Public Restrooms: 1.        If laws specifying that if people must use the rest room that matches their birth certifica

Stop. Stop complaining about Donald Trump. Stop acting like you don’t know or understand how he got to where he got. He is exactly the result of your politics, which, along with your propaganda arm FOX News, manifest into this beast slouching towards the throne you decided you wanted, even at the expense of the country it rules over. Trump is not doing anything you haven’t been doing yourselves, for years. Lying? Your entire platform is based on lying and distortion. You are incapable of having an honest discussion. Death Panels? Obamacare? Weapons of Mass Destruction? Bragging? Do you guys not hear yourselves talk? America #1, despite only being #1 in mostly really shitty categories, like imprisonment and wealth disparity, while being terribly ranked in education, civil liberties, science, job security, etc. Racism? Bigotry? Your boy Ronnie Reagan with his “Welfare Queens.” Do you really think we don’t know what “States Rights” means? Waving Confederate flag

Koctopus Goes to Kochopolis ____________________ If you want to know why the U.S. is pivoting to the far right in local and state elections, you should read Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right , by Jane Mayer.  In this shocking exposé of how dark money is manipulating the ignorant and the naive (low information voters) into angry citizens, the reader is taken to the deepest depths of spending depravity, designed to steer this country into an Oligarchy, defined as “a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.” – Dictionary.com   If this very possibility doesn’t scare you, it should; we may be at a tipping point in our history in which true Democracy may be in serious peril – that the Koch brothers, Donald Trump, and other powerful money people may evolve into the Kim Jong Un of the U.S. in which all decisions become top-down. It looks as thoug

A giant green Ferrian grossular garnet, recently acquired. From the Kayes region, in Mali. It weighs 6.72 pounds. Other than the crusty dirt coating, this is 100% green garnet. From what I can gather from my research, this is a fairly unusual size for a garnet. The famous Subway Garnet weighs almost 10 pounds. While its size and shape is better than mine, the Subway garnet is totally opaque; mine is very sparkly, and shows evidence of transparency.

You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen, it said “Parking Fine.” So that was nice.  – Tim Vine _____________________ While we were in Sioux City last month, we borrowed my aunt’s car, which has a handicapped placard. Given that we don’t need to take a handicapped space, we just parked in a regular space at HyVee. Makes sense, right? I’m just thankful that we don’t *need* special consideration. Well. When we finished our shopping, we found the above “Parking Citation” on our windshield. We thought a family member was just playing a joke, but no one would ‘fess up. My question: if one is driving a car with a handicapped placard, is one obligated to park in a handicapped space?

Background: * “Soy-whey-protein-diet” by Peggy Greb _________________________      My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people. – Orson Welles ______________________ In late July, I woke up in the middle of the night with the worst acid reflux that I have ever experienced in my life – so bad that I could barely breathe. If you have ever experienced acid reflux, you know how unpleasant and scary it can be. Well, multiply this event by 10. I was on vacation and had (ahem) eaten some things I had should not have eaten so close to bedtime – at least without taking my Zantac 75. But I got cocky. You think I would have learned by now, but evidently not. Sooooo... When I returned from my vacay, I decided to (once again) start taking better care of myself and watch what I eat and, most importantly, when I eat it. Now I don’t want to rebrand this site back into a “diet” blog – I do have varied interests, and I want