health

Nastiness in the Grocery Store

I will try to keep the grossness factor to a bare minimum here but a recent article published by Mother Nature Network exposes some little-known facts about what we eat, especially if it comes from the US.  They flipped through the Food and Drug Administration’s rules and found that some of them are pretty darn loosey-goosey when it comes to stuff you or I would find unpalatable.  It’s even more reason to make sure your purchase is packed in Canada.   …

Smokescreen

Recently in Arizona and Nevada, with the sun beaming down on us through a cloudless sky in a temperature of 108F, we didn’t have any sun protection on.  Oh I had slathered us both with Neutrogena’s 110 SPF sunscreen but it turns out that it was about as effective as covering our bodies with chicken fat.

Liver Long and Prosper

There is documented proof on this website that I’m not a fan of comic Mike MacDonald. Years ago, I sat stone-faced through his gala set at the Just For Laughs Festival gala in Montreal.  He was never funny to me.  But he has been dubbed Canada’s funniest comic by the adoring press and has thousands of fans.  And my feelings about his act aside, the man needs help and fast.   …

Needling a Closed Case

I believe that that some conspiracy theories are probably based on facts.  Maybe there was a cover-up of aliens at Area 51.  Maybe owners of fast-food – no, I’m sorry, quick-service restaurants – are putting additives in the grub that make us crave more fat and sugar.  But I know this:  terrorists brought down the twin towers in New York City.  Flouride in the water strengthens tooth enamel.  And vaccinations prevent a whole host of diseases that used to be fatal.   …

In The T-Zone

I’ve made a conscious effort to be less cynical.  Unlike a skeptic who can be convinced by evidence, a cynic closes themselves off from a lot of experiences in life and I realized I had become one.  So when I decided to move to London it seemed like a good time to try a new approach. Oh, I can call up a good chunk of cynicism when the situation calls for it but in my everyday life, not being so cynical leaves me available to the spontaneous things life has to offer.  This evolution served me well this week. …

The Nose Knows

For years now I’ve been told I have mild sleep apnea.  Next week I’ll get the results of my third sleep study at which, I am predicting, they will suggest that I get a C-PAP machine.  That’s the Darth Vader mask that’s attached to a machine with a water reservoir and a steady stream of air to keep your throat open.  It has given new life to both my brother and one of my brothers-in-law plus many other people I know.   …