We’ve heard for so long about how coffee and beer are bad for us that we’ve accepted them both as vices.
Now it’s coming out that this is not true.
Not only are coffee and beer not bad, they’re actually good for us. More and more studies have shown amazing benefits in drinking both beverages, from alleviating asthma to helping prevent cancer, diabetes, gallstones, and even suicide.
Read the full articles about Coffee and Beer on our new spin-off site, GroovyBrew.
A Dartmouth professor, in researching the source of the rule that we should all drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, found — much to his surprise — absolutely nothing to support it. Indeed, he found that under some circumstances it actually may be bad for you.
It’s a bit disconcerting to think that something so widely accepted as a truism has absolutely no basis in reality. Makes you wonder what other things we “know” are actually wrong.
What it boils down to is that, if you’re thirsty, drink something. If you’re not feeling thirsty, then don’t. Funny, that falls right in line with the theory of Eating Awareness … as in, gee, our body actually know how to take care of itself without the help of our intellect.
Last night I attended a seminar for gastric banding and I’m impressed. The procedure is simple, reversible, and seems quite safe. I personally would choose this over other types of weight loss surgery, especially gastric bypass.
The process involves inserting an inflatable band around the top portion of your stomach, which they can inflate or deflate quickly using a syringe and saline solution. This constricts your stomach right where a group of nerves exists – the nerves that signal your brain that your stomach is full. Also, it limits your intake of food, forcing you to eat slower, and eat less.
The surgery itself is laparoscopic, which means they only cut tiny holes and do all the work via remote control with cameras, as opposed to slicing you wide open. This is much safer and allows you to recover fast.
Afterwards they put you on a specific diet, which is the part I found the most interesting. It’s nearly identical to Eating Awareness Training (EAT) developed by Molly Groger back in the 80′s. So, it’s not the Lap-Band itself that causes the weight loss — the Lap-Band forces you to stay on the diet. It leaves you no choice.
That means if you could only keep yourself within the regime of EAT, you wouldn’t need the expense of the surgery. I’ve done EAT, I lost a lot of weight, but I let myself drift off the training and I started gaining weight back. This is not good, because EAT is not really a diet, it’s philosophical and psychological life change that if followed will keep you thin and free of weight-related health problems for the rest of your life. It’s not even hard! But the problem is, EAT is designed to undo programming that causes us to eat for reasons other than being hungry, and we’ve had years and years of this programming, and it’s hard to undo.
So, in essence, I can see where having a Lap-Band installed to enforce this training is not necessarily a copout. However, I would urge anyone thinking of getting the Lap-Band installed to first track down a copy of this book:
Eating Awareness Training
by Molly Groger
…try going through the training first, try sticking with it, and you’ll lose just as much weight as you would with the Lap-Band but without the $16,000 surgery.
If you’re looking for a place to start a blog, and don’t want to invest in your own provider or bother installing software, here’s a list of the major free providers out there. I created this mainly because I searched for such a list and didn’t find one.
Am I missing someone? That is, one that’s free and doesn’t suck? If so please let me know, I’ll add it to the list!
Anyone out there who’s interested in reptiles as pets, specifically lizards, may enjoy our spinoff website MojoLizard.com. It’s only one of many new sites under the umbrella of the newly christened “GroovyMojo Media.”
Why lizards? Because lizards are cool. I’ve been fascinated with them since childhood, and so this is my excuse for keeping up the interest. “I have to do this, you see … I own a website dedicated to them.” The end justifies the means.
Check it out if you’re so inclined… And thanks for reading!
If Monty Python had access to the University of British Columbia’s online English-Latin Dictionary, they would have known the name “Biggus Dickus” isn’t correct (it’s Maximus Erectum).
This Java based translator was written by Djun M. Kim, of the University’s Mathematics Department, and features a slick, fast, and uncomplicated interface.
Anyone who has a love for language will have fun looking up Latin terms, and then discovering the basis for many contemporary words.
Optimus oraculum, baby.
Direct quote from the Dalai Lama (via GMSV) from the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, last Saturday:
“Although Buddhist contemplative tradition and modern science have evolved from different historical, intellectual and cultural roots, I believe that at heart they share significant commonalities, especially in their basic philosophical outlook and methodology.
“On the philosophical level, both Buddhism and modern science share a deep suspicion of any notion of absolutes, whether conceptualized as a transcendent being, as an eternal, unchanging principle such as soul, or as a fundamental substratum of reality.
“Both Buddhism and science prefer to account for the evolution and emergence of the cosmos and life in terms of the complex interrelations of the natural laws of cause and effect.
“From the methodological perspective, both traditions emphasize the role of empiricism. For example, in the Buddhist investigative tradition, between the three recognized sources of knowledge – experience, reason and testimony – it is the evidence of the experience that takes precedence, with reason coming second and testimony last.
“This means that, in the Buddhist investigation of reality, at least in principle, empirical evidence should triumph over scriptural authority, no matter how deeply venerated a scripture may be.
“Even in the case of knowledge derived through reason or inference, its validity must derive ultimately from some observed facts of experience.”
Very interesting. Especially considering the recent endorsement of science given by the Pope himself. So what’s going on in the world when major religions start nodding approval at science?
A burglar broke into a house one night. He shined his flashlight around, looking for valuables, and when he picked up a CD player to place in his sack, a strange, disembodied voice echoed from the dark saying, “Jesus is watching you.”
He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight out and froze. When he heard nothing more after a bit, he shook his head, promised himself a vacation after the next big score, then clicked the light back on and began searching for more valuables. Just as he pulled the stereo out so he could disconnect the wires, clear as a bell he heard, “Jesus is watching you.”
Freaked out, he shined his light around frantically, looking for the source of the voice. Finally, in the corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot. “Did you say that?” he hissed at the parrot.
“Yep,” the parrot confessed, then squawked, “I’m just trying to warn you.”
The burglar relaxed. “Warn me, huh? Who the heck are you?”
“Moses,” replied the bird.
“Moses?” the burglar laughed. “What kind of stupid people would name a parrot Moses?”
The bird promptly answered, “The same stupid people who gave the name ‘Jesus’ to their Rottweiler.”
- From our big dusty archive of funny email
(Author Unknown)
This is an actual Google AdSense ad I plucked right off of Gmail today:
CIA Clandestine Careers
Want to Work with Special Forces? The CIA is Hiring. Apply Online Now.
www.CIA.gov
The CIA is getting desperate for spooks? So much so they’re advertising?
That’s just weird!
Quick, simple, lactose-free and (most importantly) YUMMY!
Set aside a lightly greased baking sheet (greased with Fat free Pam, if available). Drain diced tomatoes and combine with olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Bruise oregeno and basil, stir into tomato mixture, and let stand for fifteen minutes or so.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Slice bread approximately 3/4″ thick and place on baking sheet. Spoon approximately a tablespoon of bruschetta onto each piece of bread, sprinkle cheese on top of each piece, and bake between fifteen to twenty minutes, until the edges of the bread are slightly toasted and the cheese is melted.
Serves between 1 to 8 bloggers. Enjoy!
