February 24 Link Log

Categories: Animals, Announcement, Christian-Phobia, Food (Yuck), Food (Yum), Fun Stuff, Introverts.

Obligatory Fundraising Link 

I notice that you've not made your contributions yet. No doubt you're wondering when the official hunger strike begins. Indiegogo originally said March 6, though now they're showing something about a thirty-day extension. I'm not going to commit to take that unless I see the first $1000 by the first day of March.

http://igg.me/at/frugalgraciouslivingchallenge/x/997637

The right to haggle about some (incredibly stale, lame, out-of-touch) argument some readers might want to make, about ways they fantasize this project being funded without their contributions, is our Secret Perk reserved for contributors. Nevertheless, in the comments on this post, an e-friend brushed up against the boundaries of that Secret Perk. Please make sure you've read the post and comments before you type in any more obnoxious comments.

http://blogjob.com/priscillaking/2016/02/23/this-is-not-a-happy-post/

Animals

How did thirteen eagles come to die in one place?

http://www.washingtonian.com/2016/02/22/officials-are-offering-a-ten-thousand-dollar-reward-for-information-on-dead-eagles/

Sponsor-friendly pet post here...I'm hoping to see a nice, bland, sponsor-friendly discussion of different animals and their preferences, but I did chortle when someone tweeted, "My wolverine liked chewing on my leg." (Foreign readers could look this up, but to save them time, wolverines aren't related to wolves--they're more like giant super-weasels. If you've ever lived with even a cute little ferret...)

http://blogjob.com/priscillaking/2016/02/24/do-your-pets-have-food-preferences/

Announcement 

It's time...after all these years, I'm going back to "curate" this web site. That's because, local folks apart, it's sponsored only by Amazon, and Amazon's not installing the contextual ads I want. I will be adding some contextual ads. And some updates. And possibly some photos that weren't in the public domain a few years ago, but are now. This site will become less friendly to older or smaller browsers. I think I can get away with that because cross-posting to Live Journal and Freedomworks is allowed, and both of those sites are friendly to older and smaller browsers. I've often said that web sites should give people a choice between high-graphics and graphics-free versions, so now, when and as other demands on my time allow, I'll give readers that option.

Material posted by correspondents will stay where and as it is.

Christian-Phobia

Hate runs amok in (traditionally Lutheran) Norway:

http://eaglerising.com/30748/the-government-seizes-five-children-because-their-parents-are-too-christian/

Food (Yuck)

Even animals that were fed on GMO grain, we probably shouldn't eat. I don't eat pork, but what's true for swine is probably true for cows and chickens in this case--they eat even more grain. The photo is not pretty. It's a science gross-out...comparison of normal and GMO-fed hogs' stomachs.

http://gmojudycarman.org/New-Study-Shows-that-Animals-Are-Seriously-Harmed-by-GM-Feed/#prettyPhoto...

Jane Goodall weighs in:

http://www.naturalnews.com/049206_Jane_Goodall_GMOs_industry_science.html#

Food (Yum)

Delicious.

http://www.motherearthliving.com/food-matters/carrot-maple-walnut-salad-recipe.aspx

This meal includes a similar carrot salad, a "diabetic dessert":

http://blogjob.com/newwaystoeat/2016/02/23/wings-and-carrot-salad/

For those who want a warm and hearty vegan dinner...y'know what would make this one gluten-free and tasty, with a bit of crunch, and gluten-free? (Interesting little tie-in with my pet food post on Blogjob...) Pumpkin seeds, a.k.a. pepitas...crushed or minced, but not ground to meal. Substitute in equal proportions for the wheat germ.

http://www.motherearthliving.com/food-matters/quinoa-black-bean-stuffed-peppers-recipe.aspx

Fun Stuff

Lee County in the news...mostly the one in Alabama, but the story's a short, fun, factual read anyway.

http://nowiknow.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2889002ad89d45ca21f50ba46&id=965680d5d3&e=30f140a4bc

Health News 

Many doctors recommend regular colonoscopies to screen for the possibility of colon cancer. It's a moderately uncomfortable, expensive procedure with a (very small) possibility of serious complications. (I only ever heard of one person who died from a botched colonoscopy, but he was a relative.) Dr. John McDougall reports that at least one medical board has finally pronounced this yucky business obsolete: there are safer, simpler alternatives. (And it's a fact...nobody knows exactly why some people get colon cancer and others don't, but there is some general correlation between colon cancer and an unhealthy diet. Vegans, who usually eat a very high-fibre diet, tend to have clean healthy colons.)

http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=5e58f59d97611f910916b6276&id=c47bf7beb4&e=4d57a9fdfb

Speaking of Dr. McDougall...Yesterday I read that some young e-friends are trying to do weight-loss diets. I rode the "weight-loss diet" yo-yo briefly in grade ten, gained some dietary deficiencies and ugly flab, and recommend that those trying to maintain a healthy weight focus on exercise not food. If you're under 25, you're still growing; daily weight checks won't change that, or help anything else. However, if you're not medically hypothyroid, pregnant, or growing a tumor, using the McDougall diet plan will help you maintain a slim, sleek, healthy look. (Even if you are hypothyroid or pregnant, a well balanced "vegan diet with lapses" can be part of your program.) Not convinced? There's no charge for joining the skinny doctor's online seminar...just sign up today, because it takes place tomorrow.

https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/webinars/

Introverts

Are social media keeping young people from recognizing and accepting their introvert selves? The teenagers I know don't seem to be so badly affected as the ones William Deresiewicz knows; it's possible that his young friends don't have introvert selves, in which case their obsessive-compulsive texting may at least be keeping them quiet. I'm more concerned about staying off their friends lists, myself. Who wants to receive text updates every time somebody brushes his/her teeth?

http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=6614