Maggie's FarmWe are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for. |
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Tuesday, October 18. 2022Questions about pooping
It Was Once Someone’s Job to Chat With the King of England While He Used the Toilet, “Groom of the Stool” could be a crappy role, but it came with great benefits. Monday, October 17. 2022What does the government have to do with your nutrition?
The Executive Branch should tell me what to eat and drink as if I were an infant? Apparently people want to increase the $750/month SNAP poverty allowance for food.
Friday, October 14. 2022Sex (gender) changes
So I do not hate cosmetic surgery. It makes plenty of doctors very wealthy, but it is not me. When it comes to elective sexual mutilation, though, I have to draw some sort of a line. In fact, I can't imagine a physician who would be willing to do it. See this: Doctors against dissent, trans edition
Thursday, October 13. 2022Organic Chemistry is not so difficult if you know the tricks
First year Organic is often viewed as one of the sieves to sort out chemists, biochemists, medical aspirants of all sorts, and so forth. First year Organic does not require Calculus, but it certainly requires a grip on all pre-calc maths. Lots of equations. As a non-STEM college major, I figured out the tricks of Chem 1 and Organic quickly. It's just logic based on relatively simple math. Here are my tricks: 1. Have a smart study partner to challenge you, and to teach. 2. Approach manipulating carbon molecules as fun puzzles. 3. As with General Chem (Chem 1), make sure you can reconstruct the equations by understanding them, and not by memorization. If you understand them you don't need to trust memorization on an anxiety-producing exam. My Organic Prof was useless, and the TA grad students were just annoyed with us wasting their research time. They just said "Study the textbook." This Prof seems like a real teacher: NYU students wonder why they didn't get an A for effort in organic chemistry class He was fired. Related from Chronicle: NYU’s Firing of a Chemistry Professor Caused a Furor. Here’s What He Has to Say About It.
Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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15:38
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Wednesday, October 12. 2022Elementary
It takes months to feel, or see, results. The nutritional part is the easy part. 8 hours of sleep is ridiculous. No adult needs that much.
Weight-lifting and the brainHigh-intensity resistance training is good for your brain, according to a new Israeli study. There is nothing wrong with low-intensity exercise (better than not moving at all), but as for heart, muscles, bones - and now maybe brain - the harder it is, the better. Unfortunately, hard things are unpleasant. Self-improvement is not fun, but it's just a choice.
Thursday, October 6. 2022Is it Time to Mandate Treatment of the Dangerously Mentally Ill?Many city people are asking that question. From a Psychiatric point of view, here are some of the difficulties: First, prediction of dangerousness (like predictions of dangerousness to self) are notoriously unreliable. Only reliable after the fact. Second, medical treatment without consent is typically illegal (assault, in fact) except in extreme circumstances. Third, treatments for the chronically psychotic are commonly ineffective or only partially effective. Furthermore, many chronically-ill do not follow-up with treatments for a variety of reasons. Fourth, perhaps the most dangerous category is Psychopathy which is a personality abnormality at its extremes. I doubt it is treatable, but it doesn't matter because these people lie and do not seek help anyway. That's not to mention civil liberties. There are other issues, but that's enough for now. AVI is an expert in the topic, so I hope he has something to add.
Wednesday, October 5. 2022He was told he had months to liveFrom Jack Thomas: I just learned I only have months to live. This is what I want to say. I’ve been a journalist for more than 60 years. So after doctors delivered the news, I sat down to do what came naturally, if painfully: Write this story.
Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:08
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Thursday, September 29. 2022Long Covid and related vague complaints
There is a basket of vague medical complaints which include things sometimes diagnosed as Epstein-Barr, Long Covid, Chronic Lyme Disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and so forth. I don't know what to think about these things. They used to be known as Neurasthenia. Here's a piece in The Atlantic: Long COVID Has Forced a Reckoning for One of Medicine’s Most Neglected Diseases. Only a couple dozen doctors specialize in chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Now their knowledge could be crucial to treating millions more patients.
Wednesday, September 28. 2022Fitnesss goals are simpler than most life goals
Fitness goals are simple and measurable. Furthermore, the relative mindlessness of it is a relief from the stresses that other life goals give us. For me, workout sessions lift me out of my mind into a pure animal zone of bodily effort. It is my form of meditation (if meditation implies emptying one's mind). Playing sports does something like that, as does sex. Regardless of age, don't underestimate the importance of sex. I do not mean to say that sports are mindless, but once you get used to a sport, much of it is reflex. That is training: Down the line or cross-court. Recreation: Hiking, sports, swimming, and general functioning/vitality are rewards for fitness.
Thursday, September 22. 2022Sex lives of the English in the Medieval PeriodIt was lively. Poor John of York.
Thursday, September 8. 2022Maintaining fitness and reasonable weight: Strategy/Habits vs. Willpower
If you care about fitness and functionality, staying trim and strong is a good idea. Staying strong is easy: Go to the gym or something daily with weights and cardio and calisthenics. It is rewarding if not exactly fun. Exercise will not keep many people trim. It's an American thing. I don't know why because many parts of the world are full of cheap, tasty fast foods. Without wanting to seem obnoxious to any overweight readers, I have to offer the best article I've seen about nutrition and weight. It's a bit of a long read, but entirely reasonable: Behavioral Nutrition. The authors are correct. For many people, willpower doesn't work. Habits do. A quote:
Tuesday, August 30. 2022"Clean your plate"?
According to the stats, adult Americans are overfed or, more accurately, are overeating. Food is a pleasure, usually. Too much of a good thing makes us slothful, if not foggy or sleepy. The trick is to consume food until the moment that any feeling of hunger disappears. It is a "Stop" signal. The challenge for many is that the sensation of satiety lags behind food intake by 15 or 20 minutes. If you eat quickly, you can miss that signal especially when the offering is delicious. My advice (feel free to ignore it) is, unless underweight, to quit eating when a feeling of hunger disappears. It doesn't take much food if you eat slowly and chat with whoever is with you. After all, the reason to sit down with others is to socialize. Most restaurants have "small plates" these days. They are usually plenty for most people. The point is that there is no law that we must clean our plates anyway. The Hunger Scale: Mindful Eating for Weight Loss
Friday, August 26. 2022Is "gender dysphoria" a mental disability?
I do not know what it is, but I know there is some sort of mass hysteria going on about it and it will not end well.
Thursday, August 25. 2022Sex drive
How often do men really think about sex?
I believe that most humans are highly sexual and sexually-motivated creatures. Many fantasies, if not action. It's about mostly-private thoughts. It is not as if men are always ready to go (although it is true that men are easily interested or seduced). Still, womens' sexual interests and fantasies are underestimated. Women always check out other women's clothing, but they check out men just as often. Human biology.
Wednesday, August 17. 2022Is evolution Progress?Progress is a funny word. There is no doubt that Homo sapiens is remarkable in the ability to change and control the planet to meet its own needs and wants, with a population boom as a result. The Problems of Evolution as a “March of Progress”
Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss
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16:16
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Covid-19 is now endemic
Now it appears to be a new virus on the endemic list. It might appear on the CVS annual jab lists in the future. IS COVID OVER?
Friday, August 12. 2022Politics and Medical Institutions
Wednesday, August 3. 2022Creatine supplements for strength training
It is the stress and mild damage (and repair) of muscle that builds strength, it is not a bad idea to assist intensity. Without high intensity there is little gain. Why Do Trainers Suggest A Creatine Loading Phase? To load or not to load—it's one of the biggest questions surrounding creatine monohydrate. Clear up the confusion with this look at the evidence for creatine loading, pro and con. Here's more about how it helps:
Monday, August 1. 2022StairsStair work is excellent cardio, whether machines or just on stairs like Rocky. Your Do-Anywhere Guide to Stair Workouts
High intensity interval trainingFriday, July 29. 2022Jordan Peterson discusses gender identificationSeratonin and Depression
Here's the inside scoop: Few people in the field ever believed that depression was caused by a "seratonin imbalance." Far too simplistic. There is no single "depression" anyway. What is termed "depression" is a grab bag of miserable signs and symptoms which can be associated with some (undiagnosed) cancers and Bipolar Disorder to neurotic and/or personality vulnerabilities. SSRI meds help some people with depression remarkably well, but probably not most.
Thursday, July 28. 2022Autism updateAfter 100 Years of Research, Autism Remains a Puzzle. One geneticist is determined to piece together the causes.
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