Quips: Quick commentary on politics, technology and life, I think.

Tuesday, June 29

Insights: What I'm reading, thinking and maybe even doing

Over the weekend, we went to Scot's birthday party and sat with old friends and even some people I knew in high school, which was many years ago. And we agreed that we should try to update our blogs more often since it provides a nice work diversion and a porthole into far-away lives that we'd like to keep up on. And so I'll agree try to do my part to let you know what's going on based on my viewpoint of the world.
  Today's link might not be visible after midnight, so I quote a little more than usual:

Supermarket aisles are filled with foods that have been stripped of calories, sugar, fat and carbs. But new research questions whether altering foods may actually interfere with the body's instincts and trick people into eating too much. ...
  The question is whether by consistently eating sweet foods with no calories, a person can eventually lose an instinctive ability to distinguish between high- and low-calorie sweet foods. ... And while adults can obviously read labels to figure out the calories they're eating, the issue is whether sugar-free or fat-reduced foods also throw off the body's subtle, internal signals about food intake -- causing us to overeat a few calories more here and there. ...
  "When you substitute artificial sweetener for real sugar, the body learns it can no longer use its sense of taste to gauge calories," says Susan E. Swithers, associate professor of psychological sciences and the study co-author.
  ... And the best way to avoid confusion is to eat whole foods like fruits, vegetables and fish and cut back on processed foods.
  "We appear to have these automatic signals that can help us modulate our food intake, but when we start to consume foods that violate those signals, it makes it harder," says Dr. Swithers. "We're people, and we can use other mechanisms to regulate body weight, but the evidence suggests that we don't do it particularly well."

Posted by jb, 7:13 PM :: :: #

Monday, June 14

Roundup, with a Reagan flavor

From my favorite section in journalism (not to be confused with my favorite page in journalism):

• A Nation Divided? Who Says?: "The bulk of the American citizenry is somewhat in the position of the unfortunate citizens of some third-world countries who try to stay out of the cross-fire while Maoist guerrillas and right-wing death squads shoot at each other." - part of the conclusion in the forthcoming book Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America.
• Why America Sees the Silver Lining: "Americans have always had a stronger belief in the ability of the individual than reality would support. The key is the idea of social mobility, the Horatio Alger vision. There's enough truth to that idea for it to survive, but never as much social mobility as the myth suggests." - Alan Brinkley, a professor of history at Columbia University
• And, Yes, He Was a Great Communicator - by the author of Going Nucular

Posted by jb, 11:02 PM :: :: #

Thursday, June 10

Reminders of Europe

Since my European adventure, I perk up when certain things reminiscent of the Old World pop into view. Today, got two such blips on the radar.

• Venice is being overrun by tourists.
• Smart cars are coming to America, sooner or later.

Posted by jb, 10:12 PM :: :: #

Tuesday, June 1

Who's ignoring doctrine here?

Ever wonder why certain clerics have picked certain issues to admonish their flocks when considering voting for certain candidates. Us too.

"It is jarring to hear a small minority of bishops single out Democratic politicians for their pro-choice thinking and seemingly not singling out Republican pro-choice Catholics, or pro-death-penalty Catholics of any stripe."
  — Kevin Doyle, who runs New York State's Capital Defender Office and said he considered himself a faithful Catholic

I'd hate to think religion is getting a partisan divide, especially when neither side seems to follow all of the teachings of Scripture. (The Roman Catholic Church is big on the sanctity of life.) Nevermind having to take non-Judeo-Christian scriptures into acccount.

Posted by jb, 10:53 PM :: :: #

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