White Lightning Axiom: Redux

Time for more slacking and crufty filler posts:

SPAM SKILLET CASSEROLE
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Casseroles Main dish






Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 Baking potatoes, cut into
-1/8" slices
1 cn SPAM Luncheon Meat, cubed
-(12 oz)
1 c Thinly sliced carrots
1 c Thinly sliced onions
1/2 c Thinly sliced celery
2 Garlic cloves, minced
2 tb Flour
1 t Coarsely ground pepper
3/4 t Dried whole thyme
1 cn No-salt-added green beans,
-drained (16 oz)
1 cn No-salt-added whole
-tomatoes, drained and
-chopped (16 oz)
1 cn No-salt-added vegetable
-juice cocktail (5 1/2 oz)
Butter-flavor vegetable
-cooking spray

Cook potatoes in boiling water 3 minutes or until crisp-tender.
Drain. In skillet, cook SPAM until browned; remove from skillet. Add
carrots to skillet and saute 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add
onion, celery, and garlic; saute until vegetables are tender. Combine
flour, pepper, and thyme. Stir flour mixture into vegetable mixture;
cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add SPAM, green beans, tomato,
and vegetable juice cocktail. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer
5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove skillet from heat; arrange
potato slices over SPAM mixture to cover completely. Spray potato
slices with vegetable cooking spray. Broil 6" from heat source 10
minutes or until golden.

Technorati Tags:Spam | Banalities | Blogging | Food | Health

Labels: Blogging, PSA, Spam

Okay ... it's snowing right now. SNOW. It's farging April. Global warming my ass.

Technorati Tags:Snow | Spring | WTF

Labels: PSA

If you have seen the docudrama 'An Inconvenient Truth' by AlGore, I would recommend that you watch this set of videos (8 parts) of a BBC (of all people!) program that is a counterpoint to the argument.

If you are intrigued, visit the rest:Part2 Part3 Part4 Part5 Part6 Part7 Part8

Technorati Tags:Gas

Labels: Hybrid Cars, PSA, Weather

I have not done this in a bit so I thought I would spice up the week with this tasty little bit of sybarite indulgence.

SPICY SPAM KABOBS

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Main dish Meats

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/4 c Lemon juice
3 tb Minced onion
1 tb Olive oil
1 t Dried leaf thyme
1 Garlic clove, minced
1/2 t Whole oregano leaves
1/4 t Red pepper flakes
16 Pea pods
1 cn Pineapple chunks packed in light juice, drained (8 oz)
1 cn SPAM Luncheon Meat, cut into 24 cubes (12 oz)
1 Red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
4 c Hot cooked rice

Combine first 7 ingredients in 9x12" dish. Wrap pea pods around pineapple chunks. Alternately thread SPAM cubes, pineapple chunks, and bell pepper pieces on eight skewers. Place in dish with marinade. Cover and marinade 2 hours, turning occasionally. Grill kabobs over medium-hot coals 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Or, broil 5" from heat source 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally. Serve with hot cooked rice.

It kinda reminds me of Hawaiian pizza.

Technorati Tags:Spam

Labels: PSA

All I have to say, is "BY ODIN'S GREAT GIRDLE!".

MADRID: Spanish surgeons have successfully performed a double hand transplant on a 47-year-old woman. She had lost both her hands in an explosion in a laboratory where she was studying chemistry nearly 30 years ago. She is recuperating in the hospital, after the 10-hour surgery performed on 30 November.

According to Pedro Cavadas, teach leader of the surgeons at the La Fe de Valencia Hospital in Valencia, where the transplant surgery was performed, her new hands will recover sensation in five or six months. She is likely to be discharged from the hospital this week.

I'm wondering what this could mean for our boys coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan sans limbs.

Technorati Tags:Medicine

Labels: PSA

Back by popular demand ...

Title: SPAM HASHBROWN BAKE
Categories: Main dish
Yield: 8 Servings

1.00 pk Frozen hashbrown potatoes, -thawed slightly (32 oz)
0.50 c Butter[ed: use bacon fat here ... mmmm] or margarine, melted
1.00 t Salt
1.00 t Pepper
0.50 t Garlic powder
2.00 c Shredded Cheddar cheese
1.00 cn SPAM Luncheon Meat, cubed -(12 oz)
1.00 cn Cream of chicken soup -(10 3/4 oz)
1.50 c Sour cream
0.50 c Milk [ed: use heavy cream here]
0.50 c Chopped onion
0.25 c CHI-CHI's Diced Green -Chilies, drained
2.00 c Crushed potato chips [ed: use chow mein or onion fries too!]

Heat oven to 350'F. In large bowl, combine potatoes, melted butter,
salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In another bowl, combine cheese,
SPAM, soup, sour cream, milk, onion, and green chilies. Add SPAM
mixture to potato mixture; mix well. Pour into 2-quart baking dish.
Sprinkle with potato chips. Bake 45-60 minutes or until thoroughly
heated.

Just makes your mouth water, no?

Technorati Tags:Spam | Health Food

Labels: PSA

I've been a bit preoccupied today and thus, did not get to write all the tripe that was fit to print ... or not. So, there is this snippet that my Minnesota Cousin sent me. I've seen it before but it still gives me a chuckle:

DON'T FART IN BED

If this story doesn't make you cry for laughing so hard, let me know and
I'll pray for you.

This is a story about a couple who had been happily married for years.

The only friction in there marriage was the husband's habit of farting
loudly every morning when he awoke.

The noise would wake his wife and the smell would make her eyes water
and make her gasp for air.

Every morning she would plead with him to stop ripping them off because
it was making her sick.

He told her he couldn't stop it and that it was perfectly natural.

She told him to see a doctor; she was concerned that one day he would
blow his guts out.

The years went by and he continued to rip them out!

Then one Thanksgiving morning as she was preparing the turkey for dinner
and he was upstairs sound asleep,

she looked at the bowl where she had put the turkey innards and neck,
gizzard, liver and all the spare

parts and a malicious thought came to her.

She took the bowl and went upstairs where her husband was sound asleep
and, gently pulling back the bed

covers, she pulled back the elastic waistband of his underpants and
emptied the bowl of turkey guts into

his shorts.

Some time later she heard her husband waken with his usual trumpeting
which was followed by a blood

curdling scream and the sound of frantic footsteps as he ran into the
bathroom.

The wife could hardly control herself as she rolled on the floor
laughing, tears in her eyes! After years

of torture she reckoned she had got him back pretty good.

About twenty minutes later, her husband came downstairs in his blood
stained underpants with a look of

horror on his face.

She bit her lip as she asked him what was the matter.

He said, "Honey, you were right.

All these years you have warned me and I didn't listen to you."

"What do you mean?" asked his wife.

"Well, you always told me that one day I would end up farting my guts
out, and today it finally happened.

But by the grace of God, some Vaseline, and two fingers, I think I got
most of them back in."

[+/-] show/hide the rest of this post

Technorati Tags:Gas | Plumbing

Labels: PSA

How can you argue against this? With irrationality of course, but still ... You know, I want one.

Whether or not you believe that we're in the midst of an episode of anthropogenic global warming, it seems to me that burning fossil fuels when there are alternatives is obviously a bad idea. Leaving aside greenhouse gases, burning coal and oil releases all sorts of nasty substances into the air, ranging from the obvious -- like hydrocarbons and soot -- to the not-so-obvious, like the surprising amount of radioactivity released into the atmosphere by burning coal.
<...>
Now some environmentalists are beginning to argue that nuclear power is valuable, and maybe even essential if we are to prevent a global environmental catastrophe. One of them is James Lovelock, who argues that the risks of nuclear power are far smaller than the risks from burning coal and oil:

"We live in a nuclear-powered universe. We're the oddballs by getting energy from burning carbon.
"My justification of nuclear power is that we've reached a stage now where the dire things that threaten us are so great that even the results of an all-out nuclear war pale into insignificance as unimportant compared to what's going to happen."

I think -- and hope -- that Lovelock's greenhouse disaster scenario is overly pessimistic.
As a recent survey article in Popular Mechanics magazine makes clear, there are new approaches to nuclear power in the offing that promise cleaner and more efficient power production with far less risk of "all-out" (or even minor) nuclear war in the process. Of these, perhaps the most promising technology is the pebble bed reactor:

"A typical pebble-bed reactor would function somewhat like a giant gumball machine. The design calls for a core filled with about 360,000 of these fuel pebbles -- "kernels" of uranium oxide wrapped in two layers of silicon carbide and one layer of pyrolytic carbon, and embedded in a graphite shell. Each day about 3000 pebbles are removed from the bottom as fuel becomes spent. Fresh pebbles are added to the top, eliminating the need to shut down the reactor for refueling. Helium gas flows through the spaces between the spheres, carrying away the heat of the reacting fuel. This hot gas -- which is inert, so a leak wouldn't be radioactive -- can then be used to spin a turbine to generate electricity, or serve more exotic uses such as produce hydrogen, refine shale oil or desalinate water.

"The pebbles are fireproof and almost impossible to use for weapons production. The spent fuel is easy to transport and store, though there still remains the long-term problem of where to store it. And the design of the nuclear reactor is inherently meltdown-proof. If the fuel gets too hot, it begins absorbing neutrons, shutting down the chain reaction. In 2004, the cooling gas and secondary safety controls were shut off at an experimental pebble-bed reactor in China -- and no calamity followed, says MIT professor Andrew Kadak, who witnessed the test."

China, with a booming economy, a huge population, and air pollution problems that are already absolutely dreadful, is very interested in pebble bed reactors.

A little science and politics to start the day off. Personally, I think we could use one of these in each US city that has a population exceeding 250K. That would make a fairly robust power grid and it would help with these rolling black-outs we now enjoy during the summer months. Or even better, the ones that California was able to enjoy a ways back or the massive failure in the NorthEast. If these could be 'Micro-Sized', it would certainly make distribution of power a bit more rational. But heym that's just little old me wishing upon a star. A fission star.

Technorati Tags:Gas | Environment | Nuclear Power

Labels: PSA

Since the last post was so popular, here is another that does not involve any deep frying. I suppose you could if you really wanted to. Kind of a spring-roll version of this. But without further ado:

SPAM IMPERIAL TORTILLA SANDWICHES

Serving Size : 6
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 cn SPAM Luncheon Meat (12 oz)
1 pk Cream cheese, softened (8oz)
1/3 c Chopped green onion
2 tb Chopped fresh dill
3 Flour tortillas (8")
1 md Cucumber, peeled and thinly
-sliced
1/4 c Sunflower seeds
1/2 c Alfalfa sprouts

In bowl, combine SPAM and cream cheese. Stir in green onion and dill.
Spread 1/3 of SPAM mixture evenly over each tortilla. Top with 1/3
each cucumber, sunflower seeds, and alfalfa sprouts. Roll up tortilla
jelly roll fashion and wrap in plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining
tortillas. Refrigerate 2 hours. to serve, cut each roll in half.

One thing I noticed here ... no where in the recipie is it mentioned that the spam is to be heated or have any heat at all applied to it. I know it's already cooked, but I just can't get my head around eating cold, ground meats unless there is a sausage involved.

Technorati Tags:SPAM

Labels: PSA

This could save your life ... or end it.

Title: Coconut Beer Batter Spam with Raspberry Horseradish Sauce
Categories: Meats, Condiments
Yield: 4 Servings

2 3/4 c Flour
2 tb Oil
2 Eggs
3/4 c Cold water
2 c Beer, flat
3/4 ts Salt
Dash pepper
1 1/2 ts Garlic powder
12 oz (1 can) Spam or Spam Lite
2 c Shredded coconut
RASPBERRY SAUCE:
1 c Raspberry sauce or jelly
3 tb Horseradish sauce

Open beer and leave at room temperature over night.[ed. ick, already]

Chill beer and then add water, oil and eggs. Mix just
enough to break the egg yokes. In separate bowl, mix
flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add to liquid
ingredients, while stirring slowly. Add coconut and
stir slowly.

Prepare deep fryer as directed by manufacturer. When
oil is ready, dip one inch wide strips of Spam in beer
batter and deep fry until they float to the surface.[ed. much like the cholesterol in your bloodstream]

To make raspberry sauce, combine raspberry syrup or
jelly with horseradish sauce in small bowl.

Dip in raspberry sauce and enjoy.[ed. yesss, enjoy your last meal, foolish mortal ]

FROM: 1996 Alaska State Fair Winner National Best Spam
Recipe Contest by Donna Affinito of Palmer, Alaska

You know, it does sound awfully ... ummm ... awful ... tasty? I wonder if you could substitute scrapple in. Gak.

Technorati Tags:Spam | Health | Food

Labels: PSA

A new supplement ... very contentious one at that. Am I to be swayed yet again? Perhaps ... if it means I can push off the eventual shuffling off of one's mortal coil for a score or so years. Some disagree that we should begin the march of immortality with baby steps though. I've snipped out a few interesting parts of the article below. Of course, in an attempt to skew your perception of this 'wonder supplement', I've avoided putting anything critical or negative into the post. Bias, it's a horrible Yellow Journalism curse to which blogging (including mine) is not immune.

Much of the new focus is on a substance in red wine called resveratrol. The interest in it started three years ago when a group led by Harvard Medical School biologist David Sinclair reported that it boosted yeast cells' life span by 70% via a mechanism resembling CR. He later co-authored a study showing that it also boosts life span in fruit flies and roundworms.
<...>
the Food and Drug Administration doesn't recognize aging as a problem warranting treatment.[ed. perhaps the HMO and Life Insurance companies should though] But if a drug could retard aging, it might delay the onset and possibly the progression of age-related diseases. "When you slow aging," says University of Illinois epidemiologist S. Jay Olshansky, "you push a host of diseases to later ages at one fell swoop -- cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes, as well as everything else that's negative about growing older."

Some researchers believe antiaging drugs could also improve health in late life -- rather than prolong misery -- letting people stay in relatively good shape until a swift demise. Their case rests partly on the svelte, energetic look of old animals on CR. "Often it's hard to identify the cause of death" in post-mortem studies on such animals, says Richard Weindruch, a University of Wisconsin CR researcher. "The only apparent problem is that they died."[ed. Err, yes. A bit of a problem there. Great funeral, nice corpse.]
<...>
The resveratrol doses used in the life-span-extension studies in animals were far higher than the amount people can get by drinking wine -- they were roughly equivalent to hundreds of glasses a day.[ed. LUSH!] Resveratrol is available as a dietary supplement, but to replicate the doses used in the studies, a person would need to take scores of pills a day. (Sirtris says it is developing prescription drugs that work like resveratrol but are hundreds of times more potent.) The dietary supplements haven't been tested in clinical trials, so their efficacy isn't proven, nor is it clear what dose might make people live healthier or longer. And although they seem safe at modest doses, megadoses may not be.[ed. See my issue with the brain hemorrhage supplement ginkgo]

Nevertheless Dr. Sinclair, a 37-year-old Australia native, thinks taking small doses over time may yield health benefits and has been taking the supplements for three years.

The story of resveratrol has its roots in scientists' increased understanding of CR. In 1989 researchers theorized that it activates a "starvation response" whose genetic machinery evolved eons ago to enable survival through periods of food shortage -- such as droughts -- by retarding the rate of aging. The response blocks growth and reproduction in order to free up energy to slow aging. The energy is siphoned to cellular systems that limit damage from harmful "free radical" molecules and other toxins produced as metabolic byproducts in cells.

The theory explained longstanding mysteries about CR, such as the fact that animals on CR become resistant to toxic chemicals and temporarily lose the ability to reproduce. It also had a dismaying implication: Our obesity-fostering, high-calorie diets are putting us in fast-aging-and-reproducing mode. That may be why childhood obesity is closely linked to early puberty, which now begins before age eight in many girls, and why adult obesity is linked to such a wide swath of aging diseases -- cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, even Alzheimer's.
<...>
In a key experiment, Dr. Sinclair showed that yeast cells' machinery for copying chromosomes runs amok as the cells age, eventually killing them. Hailed as a major advance, the discovery got Dr. Guarente on Good Morning America. It also helped him formulate a theory positing that proteins made by SIR genes activate CR's antiaging action. A SIR gene found in mammals, dubbed SIRT1, seems especially important: It makes a protein that Drs. Guarente and Sinclair believe triggers the slowed-aging mode in mammals when calorie intake is low. In their view, it's either the gerontological grail or a crucial part of it -- hence, stimulating it might slow aging.
<...>
Sirtris, the company Dr. Sinclair co-founded, says it has made progress. Test-tube and animal studies suggest that its early-stage drugs may help treat various neurological killers as well as diabetes, says Dr. Westphal. The company plans soon to begin testing a drug in people with MELAS syndrome, a rare metabolic disorder that afflicts youngsters with potentially fatal brain and muscle deterioration.

At a recent meeting on aging research, a Sirtris scientist reported that SIRT1-activating compounds, including resveratrol, dramatically lowered blood levels of glucose and insulin in mice that get diabetes on high-fat diets, as well as helped to keep their weight down -- just as CR does.

[+/-] show/hide the rest of this post

So, given that a great many diseases would be delayed till your 'day of reckoning' (Logan's Run?), would that be so bad? And this business with 'fatal brain deterioration' issues such as Alzheimer's ... hmmm. A lot could be said for that. Imagine having your coffee or morning OJ fortified with the stuff. What do YOU think? (Hat tip to Instapundit for this. Grrr, he gets all the good stuff first.)

Technorati Tags:Red Wine | Multiple Sclerosis | Aging

UPDATE: (Already?) Someone significantly more skeptical than me and more versed in pointing out that the king has no clothes has this to say.

Labels: PSA

Well I'll be jiggered and rolled in bacon. Why I never heard of this before is enigmatic to me, unfathomable even. The article is nearly a year old. Apparently, in my own back yard, we are turning coal into oil.

Earlier last month, Rendell announced a separate initiative to construct a $612 million power plant that not only will produce electricity, but also will convert some of the state's 250 million tons of waste coal into 40 million gallons of synthetic diesel fuel per year. The privately built project is being supported by a $47 million state tax credit, created by a 1999 bill to spur waste coal removal. The state and a consortium of private companies have committed to buying all of the plant's fuel for 10 years after it begins operating.

The process, called liquefaction, will help reduce the massive piles of mining leftovers that are polluting some 6,600 miles of streams and rivers, said William Rathbun, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

I'm not a really big fan of Rendell. He engages in some really unethical acts and fights dirty. Given that, I have to admit his is one hell of a cheer leader for the Great Commonwealth (notice ... Common Wealth ... urk) of Pennsylvania. If I were him, I would certainly be tooting my horn about this. Energy Independence is a KEYSTONE to the War on Terror. Think about it for a moment, it makes sense.

Plans to build new power plants that would burn gasified coal were announced in Florida and Minnesota last year as part of President Bush's 10-year, $2 billion Clean Coal Power Initiative.

Environmentalists are skeptical about expanding the use of coal, which already provides more than half of the nation's electricity. While technologies to reduce pollutants at coal-fired power plants may improve the air quality, there are still impacts on streams and rivers from mining, said Antonia Herzog, a climate specialist with the Natural Resources Defense Council.[editor note: then let us build nuclear power plants instead, you putz.]

The auto fuel created from coal does not burn any more cleanly in cars and trucks, and the process of converting the coal into the liquid fuel creates additional greenhouse gases, she said.

Rendell said his approach is a practical one aimed at environmental protection and economic prosperity. "I agree with scientists that the climate issue is real and demands our immediate attention. But taking on this issue does not have to be at odds with promoting coal. New more efficient technology enables us to use our coal resources to propel our economy even as we ensure climate stability for the future," he said.

That little clip there makes it look suspiciously like either Rendel is falling in line with Bush: "It's the economy, stupid.". What is the world coming to? Fire from the skies, oceans boiling, Donkeys and Elephants sleeping together! And then there is this:

The technology for converting coal to synthetic oil products has been around since the 1920s but is looking economically attractive once again with crude oil at $50 to $55 a barrel. Coal can be converted for a cost equivalent to about $35 per barrel, according to the National Mining Association. Forty percent of South Africa's transportation fuel comes from converting coal, and China is spending an estimated $6 billion on new coal-to-liquid fuel facilities, according to the mining association.

Anyone want to look up how many coal miners die in accidents in China every year? They have some of the best telecommunications technology and are still considered a 'developing nation'. Don't get me started.

Technorati Tags:Gas | Oil | Coal | Energy

Labels: PSA

Because I've lost track of what day it is .... yeah, I've been distracted of late. Some of you out there are saying "Hey, this Manamana guy is just pretending to be a MSer. Like that guy who pretended to be a lesbian girl blogger to get lots of readers!" Yeah! Pshaw. I'm not a lesbian ... Really. I think. In any event, I'm going to set the record crooked like a spine. I had some rough times with MS ... blindness, vertigo, mild paralisys ... little things. But after I gave up on the ABC drugs, things got much better. And now, with a change in life style ... Well durn it, I should have listened to the prescient Mrs and affixed the change ages ago. Which leads me to my diet. Yep, bad segue there, but hey, ptttthhhhtt! I'm starting to accept that diet, exercise and low stress are helping me out quite a bit. Not really my style, you know. I'm a staunch Anti-Granola type of guy when it comes to dogma and ideology. But hey, if you can't beat them ... eat them! After reading up on MS for years and years and getting much too much information, I made a mental leap. The white matter is getting chewed up by the immune system for no real good reason. And for what it's worth, the places that are getting attacked should not be attacked because they are in an area where white blood cells do not belong. They are getting though the blood-brain barrier in numbers that far outstrip the requirements. The blood brain barrier needs to be reinforced and axon damage needs to be repaired. Well, it turns out that 'dark' fruit (hmmm, dark matter? grey matter, white atter?) has components in it that help reinforce the barrier. Why weaken the immune system with ABC drugs when you can just shore up the defenses? Shovel a load of GLA into the works to rebuild damaged shielding and POW! You do yourself a whole load of good without and durned needles!

Given this approach, I've modified the diet a bit. No more 12 pack of donuts with a liter of Jolt anymore. For breakfast, I suck down the following:

• Coffee, lots
• Evening Primrose oil (GLA), multivitamin, E

Normally, folks would have a bit more wholesome meal, but I just start eating after the vitamins and graze right up until I leave work. Here is my lunch-dump-truck:

• Apple
• orange/Clementine
• banana
• black grapes
• blueberries (dried)
• blueberries,blackberries,raspberries (red/yellow)
• cranberries (dried)
• cherries (dried)
• trailmix - mostly sunflower/soy
• tomato
• bosc pear
• plumb
• pomegranate juice
• green,oolong tea
• cottage cheese
• yogurt
• ramen noodles
• granola bar

Then there is dinner which is mostly leftovers from the tyrants/mrs and bacon fried slices of Trenton pork roll if there is nothing else. On the weekend ... well, its a regular red meat feast. Just walk 'er out and knock the horns off. So no, I'm not much of a vegan. My freezer and refrigerator are considered to be a target rich environment within the theater of operations known as the kitchen. I just eat everything, exercise like a crack-crazed banshee and reserve the meat (chud?) for the weekends.

Technorati Tags:Multiple Sclerosis | Food

Labels: Multiple Sclerosis, PSA

Lately, I've been watching a show called Jericho. It's not my usual fare mind you, but since I managed to get in at the beginning, I'm stuck with it. A bit more realistic (for now) than Lost, but it's still a 'what if' type of drama. Now, back in the day when 'Duck-n-Cover' was a sure-fire way to foil them Damn Pinko Commies and their stolen atomic bombs, Fall-out shelters were the right thing to do for every respectable Suburban Middle-class family. You know, you have to tow the line and fight the good fight against the Rising Red Tide, you bet-cha. And then Regan had to go and scare the living bajeepers outta them poor Reds by telling them that we are ready and we will survive whatever you got. Ooooh, and throw in a DeathStar Orbital Platform just for kicks. Yep, that turned all those shelters into storage rooms. Well, except for the Mormons. And Where I lived for a bit in Utah, what they were doing made perfect sense. Have some water stored up for a goodly spell of need. A bit of food for you and your 36 children ... one wife though and boy was she pooped!

Well, it looks like the disappointment of Y2K has left us with a whole mess of supplies and it might not be such a bad thing to be prepared. Like a Boy Scout ... or a Michigan Militia member. Of course, there is some logic to this. Look at the folks who got knocked about by Katrina. They never really had to deal with that kind of disaster. The Florida folk go through that drill a couple times a year. Ever been to the MidWest during the annual Twister Festival? And now there is this. Even my Minnesota Brethren are in on the fad.

Last night at the Adult Confab we were talking about generators and emergency supplies, and talking to the other dads I learned something interesting. Not surprising, but interesting. No one is prepared for anything. I don’t consider myself well-prepared for Something, but I have some basic stuff, and keep my emergency kits stocked and refreshed. Today I considered erring on the side of paranoia, and buying some iodine tablets in case there’s some nuclear botheration. Chances I’d ever use it? Slight, I think. But if something happened, and I didn’t have a tablet to give my kid, and I could have bought the tablets for a double-sawbuck, I wouldn’t be happy with myself. So I went to Amazon to get some stuff.

Yes, it's time for me to come clean. I've got a good amount of water in the basement stacked upon the top of the wine racks (mostly empty wine racks). We have a LOAD of nonperishable canned and dried food in the root celler too. Heck, because of the nearby nuclear facility, we even haveNukePills for the kids .... but I'm not this paranoid yet. However ... shouldn't we really consider the more mundane natural disasters? Acts of God like, say ... flood, fire, wind, snow, earthquake. The times when you really cannot run out to the local corner store to horde milk, bread and toilet paper. Quick side trip here; ever notice it's cheaper to get a case of beer than a case of bottled water? Just something to remember. In any event, be you a fully capable survival freak or one of the segment of society who will need a hand, shouldn't we take this sort of thing a litle more serious? When was the last time you saw a Civil Defense arm-band? Just saying, you know.

Technorati Tags:Disaster Preparedness | Multiple Sclerosis

Labels: PSA

Over the years, I've heard many MS and Non-MS folk lament over the loss of the intellectual acumien. This is blamed on many things: MS, college parties, aging, etc. Of course, we would all like to be as bright and energetic as we were years before. But with age comes wisdom, or horse sense. And along for the ride we find the imp of lost accuity in our mental facilities.

I wanted my ability to balance a spreadsheet in my mind while remembering a half years worth of appointments back. I wanted to be able to pick up highly abstract ideas and integrate them with my higly organized base of knowledge that was once like stacking childrens blocks. Enter stage right, the snake oil salesmen. Ginko is the cure for what Ails you my brothers!!! Just a few pills a day and you'll look down on Oppenheimer like a dullard! Mozart and Bach will be organ grinders! Jefferson, Plato and the rest will welcome your new found brillance as a breath of fresh air. And I ate the tripe up as if it were a feast of the kings. Swill down those energy drinks for they are the abrosia of the gods. Reality hit not too much further down the road but too late to spare me a healthy dent in the budget.

I'm going to pick on one suppliment today. You see, I wouldn't put too much faith in Ginko, the FDA has reviewed the studies and the relationship between memory and ginko suppliments is highly suspect due to the way that the studies have been done. Researchers have been funded by 'interests' that have a conclusion they want to market, but need some supporting facts. Facts they are willing to pay for with grants. And those grants will keep coming so long as the results are sufficient enough to keep the public duped. Given that, a true double-blind test with a sufficiently robust base would be extraordinary in expense and would return only marginal results. Nothing a purveyor of mercury as a cure for consumption would be able to use.

Let's get a rudimentary understanding of how memory works. Essentially, you have short term memory and long term memory. The the hippocampus is understood to be involved in spatial learning and declarative learning ... which is built upon short term memory. Damage to connective white matter in patients and subsequent memory flaws is a indicator of this. It could be that damage to this connective tissue, or to a pathway develope through the damaged region is actually the cause of the deficit.

Given this, we know very well that once an axion is damaged, it can heal via scarring or die. These cells are not replaced. We are forced to make due with what we have available after an age when the brain ceases growing. Brain development continues into adolescence. Then, cell death begins and we must reroute pathways around the degrading areas as best as we can. So the only salvation we can hope for is some way to help us reorganize our vital information. Now, let's look at the claims:
Here we see some bad news:

The brain: mechanisms of ginkgo biloba that cause cognitive impairment
Studies have shown that this extract can affect the brain in four major ways through blood circulatory and neurotransmitter systems, as an antioxidant, and a component of glucose utilization. In both antioxidant activity and in the circulatory system, ginkgo allows for increased blood flow to the brain. In the circulatory system, blood vessels are widened, allowing for increased blood flow as well as reduced risk of stroke. The aggregation of blood platelets and the formation of clots are also inhibited.

But it goes on to say, 'Never mind that sub-dermal hemotoma!':

Ginkgo biloba extract plays a role in the body’s use of glucose by increasing its absorption in the frontal and parietal cortex. As a result, areas of the brain that are vital for processing sensory information are made more efficient. Neurotransmitters in the brain undergo changes when ginkgo enters the body. The production of norepinephrine is increased as well as the release of gamma-amino butyric acid. Lastly, as an antioxidant, ginkgo biloba lessens free radical activity that can damage neurons and alleviate the effects of cerebral ischemia.

Does it work every time? No.

Over-the-counter treatments often claim to improve memory, attention and cognitive function. In a six-week double-blind study (placebo-controlled with parallel group), two hundred and nineteen participants over the age of sixty were randomly assigned to receive a treatment of ginkgo (40 mg, three times per day) or a matching placebo. Outcomes were measured by tests of verbal and nonverbal learning and memory, attention and concentration and also questionnaires. After analyzing this sample, no significant differences were seen between the two groups. These results show that ginkgo biloba did not alter the performance of elderly adults on neuropsychological tasks.

Ginkgo biloba Heath Benefits to those without previous cognitive impairment
Although ginkgo is known to affect older adults, its effect on those without mental impairments is still questionable. For six weeks, a group of healthy adults was given 40 mg of ginkgo extract three times a day or a placebo. The results showed no difference in memory scores, self-reported perception, or rating by spouses, friends, and relatives after the duration of the trial. Ginkgo provided no short-term benefits in people with healthy cognitive function.

However, a similar study that was conducted has conflicting results. Again using healthy people, a group received 180 mg a day of ginkgo for six weeks. Compared to placebo, the supplement improved memory score and significantly improved self-perception of memory. In this study, those who received ginkgo rated their overall ability to remember as "improved" compared to those receiving the placebo. This correlates well with previous studies indicating a potential short-term benefit to ginkgo supplementation.

So, if you have damage, this is not going to help. The article goes on to state that after a time, the results degrade and you soon develop a 'tolerance' and your gains fade away.
Then there is the less than desirable effects of the wonderous brain supplement.

Adverse Ginkgo Biloba Side Effects and interaction with other drugs
The most serious side effect associated with ginkgo biloba is the increased risk of bleeding as it acts as a blood thinner. For this reason, it is not suggested that individuals taking anti-coagulants, such as aspirin, should try this supplement. In addition, those taking MAOI anti-depressent drugs or pregnant women are in danger. Convulsions are also a possible side effect after consuming a large amount of gingko nuts. The seeds of this plant are toxic and can potentially destroy vitamin B within the body.

Other side effects of Gingko biloba, it may cause spontaneous hyphema (bleeding from the iris into the anterior chamber of the eye) in rare cases. Restlessness, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting can result from taking this supplement. Other severe side effects, although rare, can include headaches and GI tract and dermatology reactions. In a double-blind placebo study, the adverse effects of ginkgo were tested. There was no difference found between the control and experimental group in terms of adverse effects. Although positive effects were seen as a result of consuming the extract, outcomes varied with duration of the treatment.

Interaction with Other Supplements
Although very few, there are some possible interactions for ginkgo biloba and other supplements. For example, if used in conjunction with St John’s wort, side effects such as muscle stiffness, rapid heartbeats, fever, restlessness and sweating may occur. The combination of ginkgo and hawthorne can possibly affect blood pressure levels. When taken with products that also increase the risk of bleeding, such as garlic and vitamin E, the risk for the symptom is merely amplified. Oppositely, blood sugar levels can be lessened if ginkgo is taken with a bitter melon supplement. However dosage may have to be altered when taken more than one supplement concurrently.

More warnings of Adverse Effects:

Ginkgo extract appears to be very well tolerated. Infrequent side effects include mild gastrointestinal disturbances, headache, and allergic skin reactions. Four cases of serious bleeding, including subdural hematoma, have been reported. One case suggests an interaction with warfarin (Coumadin®) and one an interaction with aspirin. In one of the few studies examining a possible ginkgo-warfarin interaction, there was found no increase in the INR (prothrombin time) when volunteers taking warfarin were given ginkgo. Considering the antiplatelet activity of ginkgo and the limited information available, patients should be advised to discuss ginkgo and warfarin therapy when used together with their physician or pharmacist.

The risks and benefits of taking ginkgo with aspirin, clopidogrel, ticlopidine or other antiplatelet agents (including fish oil and high dose vitamin E) must be weighed carefully and patients should be advised of the bleeding risk.

And the most reputable study, what of that? The FDA thought it was good enough, no? No. In fact, if the FDA HAD approved it, it would have been in direct violation of their own requirements. Here is the skeptic's line:

But in dozens of published studies, including a major trial in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the evidence doesn't support ginkgo as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease or for boosting memory power in otherwise healthy people.
<...>
One recent study of gingko for Alzheimer's avoided some of these pitfalls-the study published in JAMA in 1997. Hundreds of patients with early Alzheimer's took 120 mg of ginkgo per day for a full year, and were tested periodically. The study suggested that ginkgo delayed the progression of the symptoms for up to six months. These widely-publicized findings influenced many people to take ginkgo in hopes of preventing or treating Alzheimer's disease.

But when other researchers took a close look, they found flaws-some fairly serious. For one thing, some of the people in the placebo group did not worsen as much as they should have without treatment. "It was not as it ought to be, and it leaves you wondering if these are truly patients with dementia," observes Paul Solomon, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Williams College in Massachusetts. Also, the change in mental skills detected by the study was small-about 25 percent of what would be expected in a patient treated with existing Alzheimer's drugs, Solomon says.

The real kicker was the fact that researchers could not tell the difference between treated subjects and those on placebo. In other words, the study could not prove that the effect of ginkgo on these people was clinically significant. Based on information provided by caregivers and family members, the researchers did document a difference, although it was relatively small: for every seven people treated with ginkgo, caregivers and family members detected improvement in one person on ginkgo.

"The outcome measure that is required in the United States is that observers who are blinded can notice a difference in the patients, and no one could notice any difference," Solomon notes. "If that study was submitted to the FDA to have a drug approved, it would not be acceptable."

NAIL:

Gingko works in some ways similar to prescription anticoagulation medication, and it is thought to enhance the effects of drugs such as Coumadin or warfarin. A few patients on these medications who also started taking ginkgo have been reported to suffer intracranial hemorrhages shortly after beginning the gingko, and it is considered unwise to mix the herb with these drugs.
Other vitamin and herbal anti-platelet supplements, such as garlic and Vitamin E can also increase the effects of gingko. Therefore it is important to discuss the use of this herb with your physician, especially if you are taking prescription medications or other herbal supplements. There are no data on the safety of gingko in pregnancy, and it is not recommended for use in children or infants.

COFFIN:

This study, together with results from other trials, suggest that the published benefits of ginkgo - improved memory, attention, and mental flexibility - do not persist beyond the first few days of treatment. The authors of this study have reported a similar trial in healthy young volunteers, and found a similar lack of effect on memory and attention after 6 weeks; they also found no effect on mental flexibility in young subjects.

Clearly the measurable effects of ginkgo are small and fleeting, at best. It seems likely that tolerance to the substance develops; in other words, the body fails to react to repeated doses because the tissues become 'used to' the presence of the molecules and fail to react to it, or the substance is broken down and removed more rapidly by the body over time, which is a known occurrence with certain drugs. Either way, taking ginkgo in the recommended doses has little to recommend it.

Because ginkgo decreases blood platelet aggregation (stickiness), there is some concern that it may increase risk of intracranial (brain) hemorrhage; in fact, there have been several reports of bleeding complications associated with ginkgo use. It would be unadvisable, therefore, for people to self-medicate with ginkgo at high doses in the hope of obtaining effectiveness.

In closing, don't be fooled. You may get a boost, you may not. It might even be better for you to take aspirin instead of ginko. It's good for your heart, helps with strokes and costs about a buck for a bottle of 100 pills.

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Something I did not know:
There are 990,000 words in English.
Oddly enough, there are only 110,000 in French.
In total, there are 340 words in Creole.
Goes to show you that once the French and English get together, they don't have much to talk about.

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Just as a friendly tip, I think one should be acutely aware of the ratio between the volume of one's fluid intake over the course of the day and the maximum bladder volume at which one may remain comfortable. Factor in the diuretic effects of caffeine and try to keep it with a reasonable level ... say, 10:1. Anything beyond that is asking for trouble should the local facilities have unreliable access. If you fail to make note of this and you do not produce the same fluid level that you consumed, remain calm and step away from the vehicle. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to fit the SuperSaturn with pontoons.

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