recent tracks:
8.29.2005
Of Reunions and Racism
Not much on the latter, though, save that last night Summer and I went to see Crash at the cheap theater in East Providence, and it was at once thought-provoking and heavy-handed, but overall presented the complexity of race relations quite well (I thought). Don Cheadle must be interested in that sort of thing, given the subject matter of Crash and Hotel Rwanda.
Now for the former, well I ought to first mention that Dan and his friends Kun and Jean came up to Providence Saturday afternoon. Dan was sleep deprived as usual, as was Kun, but they made for good company, and we hung out and helped Jean move in. Plus, since Jean is here to stay and seems like good people, we have pledged to be friends. It's always nice to have friends.
Then Saturday night after minor flying delays Summer finally came in around 12:30 or so(!!!). Her bags were the last off the conveyor, but after that things went smoothly, I think the apartment passed her rigid inspection, and all was well. Then yesterday we went out and made another good-sized target run, aquiring more storage space for the bedroom, curtains to try to block the light directly outside the bedroom window, and various other necessities. Then we also hit up the grocery store and continued our first serious effort at making the apartment into home. It seems to be working well, and Summer is likely unpacking or getting better acquainted with the neighborhood right now as I try to kill time until Criminal Law, having done all the homework currently available to me. I might nevertheless have a bit to do once I'm home, but hopefully tonight should be another night mostly off.
Finally, here is an interesting article on the jihadist movement from the International Herald Tribune:
(Bassam Tibi is a professor at the University of Göttingen, Germany, and a professor-at-large at Cornell University. He is the author of Islam between Culture and Politics.")
More on this later; a bunch of commentary was lost and now it's time for class.
Now for the former, well I ought to first mention that Dan and his friends Kun and Jean came up to Providence Saturday afternoon. Dan was sleep deprived as usual, as was Kun, but they made for good company, and we hung out and helped Jean move in. Plus, since Jean is here to stay and seems like good people, we have pledged to be friends. It's always nice to have friends.
Then Saturday night after minor flying delays Summer finally came in around 12:30 or so(!!!). Her bags were the last off the conveyor, but after that things went smoothly, I think the apartment passed her rigid inspection, and all was well. Then yesterday we went out and made another good-sized target run, aquiring more storage space for the bedroom, curtains to try to block the light directly outside the bedroom window, and various other necessities. Then we also hit up the grocery store and continued our first serious effort at making the apartment into home. It seems to be working well, and Summer is likely unpacking or getting better acquainted with the neighborhood right now as I try to kill time until Criminal Law, having done all the homework currently available to me. I might nevertheless have a bit to do once I'm home, but hopefully tonight should be another night mostly off.
Finally, here is an interesting article on the jihadist movement from the International Herald Tribune:
What can be done to counter jihadism? As a Muslim immigrant living in Europe, I wholeheartedly reject the idea of a "clash of civilizations." But it would be naïve to overlook the reality of an ongoing "war of ideas" - a struggle between global jihad and democratic peace as competing directions for the 21st century.
Instead of giving in to talk of a "clash of civilizations," what is needed is an alliance between Western supporters of democracy and enlightened Muslims against jihadist Islamists.
(Bassam Tibi is a professor at the University of Göttingen, Germany, and a professor-at-large at Cornell University. He is the author of Islam between Culture and Politics.")
More on this later; a bunch of commentary was lost and now it's time for class.
posted by Max Greene at 2:42 PM
1 comments
8.26.2005
Of Chupacabras
A farmer in Texas may have found one? Though another news story says Texas Parks and Wildlife denies having received it, so maybe it's just a hoax. Or a coyote. The last one someone claimed to find was just a coyote with mange. It didn't have the crazy kangaroo tail though......
I have been finding and listening to ambient and electronic music. My first real interest in the genre came from seeing Dosh at the Festival Dancing in Your Head, or maybe way back around Halloween when I saw Iqu (of "Lovin' You" fame). Then Andy told me about Caribou, who are at least more electronic than what I had generally listened to and also very, very good. So since I've been here and had internet, I've been listening to an iTunes radio station, Limbik Frequencies. I wandered from there over to epitonic to find some of the artists I had heard on the radio and perhaps some related artists, and have particularly enjoyed tracks such as "Nationwide Sleep Disorder" by Flowchart, "Giant Sunflowers Swaying in the Wind" by Metamatics, and "Avocet" by Electric Birds, all of which you could download for free from epitonic.
There's a little bit of non-school-related stuff since I'm on reprieve from school for a couple of days. NEXT weekend is actually a long weekend for me, too!!! I haven't had one of those (besides "midterm breaks"--our day off per term--at Carleton), so that'll be exciting.
Also I saw a random blog that instead of listing "mood" or "currently listening to" listed what each of the five senses was doing at the moment. So here goes for me:
I see: Laveranues being active and strange
I smell: nothing, I'm congested right now
I taste: a faint trace of the orange juice I drank a while ago
I feel: the comfortable chair that I got to go with the desk and an itch on my arm
I hear: the fan across the room, "Gee Bee" by Flowchart
Tomorrow is looking busy. Dan is shockingly going to be here briefly, so we'll probably get some lunch, I'll do my preparations for Summer's arrival, and then of course there's the moment itself.
I think I'm going to try to put a Books mp3 up on my ftp server, too, because "The Lemon of Pink Pt. 1" is so good. An Arcade Fire track I've been enjoying lately ("I'm Sleeping in a Submarine") is up there, too. The server should hopefully be working at "ftp colon slash slash 192 dot 168 dot 1 dot 47" as long as my computer is on. Which is not always, though you oughtn't rely on AIM to tell you--I've become quite studious of late. Now it's probably time to do the dishes--I always have to wait a while for the pans to cool down, but it's been over 5 hours.
I have been finding and listening to ambient and electronic music. My first real interest in the genre came from seeing Dosh at the Festival Dancing in Your Head, or maybe way back around Halloween when I saw Iqu (of "Lovin' You" fame). Then Andy told me about Caribou, who are at least more electronic than what I had generally listened to and also very, very good. So since I've been here and had internet, I've been listening to an iTunes radio station, Limbik Frequencies. I wandered from there over to epitonic to find some of the artists I had heard on the radio and perhaps some related artists, and have particularly enjoyed tracks such as "Nationwide Sleep Disorder" by Flowchart, "Giant Sunflowers Swaying in the Wind" by Metamatics, and "Avocet" by Electric Birds, all of which you could download for free from epitonic.
There's a little bit of non-school-related stuff since I'm on reprieve from school for a couple of days. NEXT weekend is actually a long weekend for me, too!!! I haven't had one of those (besides "midterm breaks"--our day off per term--at Carleton), so that'll be exciting.
Also I saw a random blog that instead of listing "mood" or "currently listening to" listed what each of the five senses was doing at the moment. So here goes for me:
I see: Laveranues being active and strange
I smell: nothing, I'm congested right now
I taste: a faint trace of the orange juice I drank a while ago
I feel: the comfortable chair that I got to go with the desk and an itch on my arm
I hear: the fan across the room, "Gee Bee" by Flowchart
Tomorrow is looking busy. Dan is shockingly going to be here briefly, so we'll probably get some lunch, I'll do my preparations for Summer's arrival, and then of course there's the moment itself.
I think I'm going to try to put a Books mp3 up on my ftp server, too, because "The Lemon of Pink Pt. 1" is so good. An Arcade Fire track I've been enjoying lately ("I'm Sleeping in a Submarine") is up there, too. The server should hopefully be working at "ftp colon slash slash 192 dot 168 dot 1 dot 47" as long as my computer is on. Which is not always, though you oughtn't rely on AIM to tell you--I've become quite studious of late. Now it's probably time to do the dishes--I always have to wait a while for the pans to cool down, but it's been over 5 hours.
posted by Max Greene at 10:53 PM
3 comments
Of Class and Such
I've spent the past few days taking classes and doing homework, with the exception of a phone call here and there, a workout most days, and then this evening a trip over to Timmy's for dinner and another chess game--a close victory this time.
I didn't get quite as much work done this evening as I had planned, but I should have time to finish tomorrow what I originally wanted to finish today. That would be all my work through Wednesday. It should be nice to have a real weekend again, more or less, though Saturday there will be a fair amount of cleaning and making sure things are in order.
There's probably more for me to tell you but I think I'll go to bed instead. Maybe another day.
I didn't get quite as much work done this evening as I had planned, but I should have time to finish tomorrow what I originally wanted to finish today. That would be all my work through Wednesday. It should be nice to have a real weekend again, more or less, though Saturday there will be a fair amount of cleaning and making sure things are in order.
There's probably more for me to tell you but I think I'll go to bed instead. Maybe another day.
posted by Max Greene at 12:38 AM
0 comments
8.22.2005
On My Curmudgeonliness
Rants:
C'mon, people, it's the first day. PREPARE FOR CLASS. If you'd done the homework, you'd be able to answer Prof. Zlotnick's questions without those gaping minutes of silence, and we wouldn't be a lesson behind already. Once again, it's the first day of class--the stuff he was asking was not that difficult. In fact, it was simple and straightforward. Brief your cases, think about the questions in the book, maybe even jot out answers, and all will go smoothly.
If you're going to say you know Latin and offer to translate it for the class, please get it right or don't offer to translate it. I don't want to look like a jerk by correcting you on a tangential point in front of 100 people, but it makes me very, very sad inside to hear my beloved language butchered. It's bad enough what legalese does to it, but when you take a straightforward and actually quite appropriate Latin term and render it nonsensical, a little part of me dies.
If you drive in Rhode Island, there is such thing as a TURN SIGNAL. Usually you signal before making a turn. You do not merely slam on your brakes, coming to a complete stop on a 45 mph road, then creep onto the cross-street at a snail's pace without ever indicating your intention to do so. Also, if you're driving a giant SUV it is particularly important that you observe the rules of safe following distance. Don't almost rear-end me twice when the two cars in front of me make slam-on-the-brakes then crawl-like-a-man-dying-in-the-desert right turns. The ungodly size of your vehicle means I would probably be crushed, and you would roll over. Think about this.
If you work for NPR, a woman who moves to Buenos Aires and learns to tango so she can have sex with a yet-to-be-determined Argentinian is not great news. I think it's kind of sad, though I guess it's probably better than just going home with the first Argentinian you meet in a bar.
If you are a conservative, liberals are not ruining the world. In fact, if you've taken a poll recently, conservatives control all three branches of the federal government, yes, even that "activist judiciary." Not to mention that I've yet to hear good evidence that protesting the war undermines the stated goals of the war, but I have read some evidence that the war undermines the war effort, particularly that American presence in the Middle east breeds more anti-American sentiment than Americans protesting American presence in the middle east do. And anti-American sentiment helps draw more middle easterners to radical Islam and terrorism. There are historical data that support this claim. Once again, I've yet to hear a compelling argument that liberals promote terrorism--actually, I've yet to hear anyone attempt such an argument at all (though if you have one, I'd love to hear it)--most folks I've talked to or heard on the radio or read on the internet just state that as if it were an undeniable fact. I have yet to hear from any liberals shooting civilian Iraqis on a regular basis--that is a trait reserved for the more heroic members of our armed forces. And yes, I have heard that from people who have served in Iraq.
Perhaps finally, if you're a decent radio station--not great, but decent--please, please, please don't broadcast karaoke, at least not at 5 pm on a weekday. Maybe late-late-night when there are friends around to exchange hilarious comments with, but spare those of us driving frustratedly home from a frustrating day of school, frustratingly searching for something other than Latin dance-sex and unsupported liberal-bashing on the radio.
* * *
Raves:
I very much appreciate my professors. They can't magically manifest basic facts inside the heads of clueless students. They do thus far seem excellent, and these 100-person classes better than I had anticipated in spite of my rant #1.
Maybe even more, I enjoy legal Latin that actually applies directly to the legal point it references. Mens rea--the mind of the accused, and actus reus--the deed of the accused (not the mind thing and the deed thing!)--the two elements one must consider when applying a law to the facts of a criminal case. I love it!
Furthermore, I'm quite enjoying the material, especially the problem-solving inherent in much of what we've done so far. First day verdict: law school is the place for me.
Cooking for myself has been better than I expected, even now that I've been busy for a week. I made some delicious chicken tacos last night with rice and beans on the side. I am hoping to make a decent pasta sauce tonight...we'll see how that goes.
This weekend should be great. I'm trying to work ahead in my classes so I'll be all set to just have a nice, relaxing Saturday with Summer (or alternately, to be able to do lots of stuff with Summer. Just so long as it doesn't have to do with my classes).
And finally, a preemptive "boy, taking the bus to Bristol tomorrow should be great!" With gas prices as they are and no class until the afternoon, tomorrow's the day to give public transportation a shot.
Booyah.
C'mon, people, it's the first day. PREPARE FOR CLASS. If you'd done the homework, you'd be able to answer Prof. Zlotnick's questions without those gaping minutes of silence, and we wouldn't be a lesson behind already. Once again, it's the first day of class--the stuff he was asking was not that difficult. In fact, it was simple and straightforward. Brief your cases, think about the questions in the book, maybe even jot out answers, and all will go smoothly.
If you're going to say you know Latin and offer to translate it for the class, please get it right or don't offer to translate it. I don't want to look like a jerk by correcting you on a tangential point in front of 100 people, but it makes me very, very sad inside to hear my beloved language butchered. It's bad enough what legalese does to it, but when you take a straightforward and actually quite appropriate Latin term and render it nonsensical, a little part of me dies.
If you drive in Rhode Island, there is such thing as a TURN SIGNAL. Usually you signal before making a turn. You do not merely slam on your brakes, coming to a complete stop on a 45 mph road, then creep onto the cross-street at a snail's pace without ever indicating your intention to do so. Also, if you're driving a giant SUV it is particularly important that you observe the rules of safe following distance. Don't almost rear-end me twice when the two cars in front of me make slam-on-the-brakes then crawl-like-a-man-dying-in-the-desert right turns. The ungodly size of your vehicle means I would probably be crushed, and you would roll over. Think about this.
If you work for NPR, a woman who moves to Buenos Aires and learns to tango so she can have sex with a yet-to-be-determined Argentinian is not great news. I think it's kind of sad, though I guess it's probably better than just going home with the first Argentinian you meet in a bar.
If you are a conservative, liberals are not ruining the world. In fact, if you've taken a poll recently, conservatives control all three branches of the federal government, yes, even that "activist judiciary." Not to mention that I've yet to hear good evidence that protesting the war undermines the stated goals of the war, but I have read some evidence that the war undermines the war effort, particularly that American presence in the Middle east breeds more anti-American sentiment than Americans protesting American presence in the middle east do. And anti-American sentiment helps draw more middle easterners to radical Islam and terrorism. There are historical data that support this claim. Once again, I've yet to hear a compelling argument that liberals promote terrorism--actually, I've yet to hear anyone attempt such an argument at all (though if you have one, I'd love to hear it)--most folks I've talked to or heard on the radio or read on the internet just state that as if it were an undeniable fact. I have yet to hear from any liberals shooting civilian Iraqis on a regular basis--that is a trait reserved for the more heroic members of our armed forces. And yes, I have heard that from people who have served in Iraq.
Perhaps finally, if you're a decent radio station--not great, but decent--please, please, please don't broadcast karaoke, at least not at 5 pm on a weekday. Maybe late-late-night when there are friends around to exchange hilarious comments with, but spare those of us driving frustratedly home from a frustrating day of school, frustratingly searching for something other than Latin dance-sex and unsupported liberal-bashing on the radio.
Raves:
I very much appreciate my professors. They can't magically manifest basic facts inside the heads of clueless students. They do thus far seem excellent, and these 100-person classes better than I had anticipated in spite of my rant #1.
Maybe even more, I enjoy legal Latin that actually applies directly to the legal point it references. Mens rea--the mind of the accused, and actus reus--the deed of the accused (not the mind thing and the deed thing!)--the two elements one must consider when applying a law to the facts of a criminal case. I love it!
Furthermore, I'm quite enjoying the material, especially the problem-solving inherent in much of what we've done so far. First day verdict: law school is the place for me.
Cooking for myself has been better than I expected, even now that I've been busy for a week. I made some delicious chicken tacos last night with rice and beans on the side. I am hoping to make a decent pasta sauce tonight...we'll see how that goes.
This weekend should be great. I'm trying to work ahead in my classes so I'll be all set to just have a nice, relaxing Saturday with Summer (or alternately, to be able to do lots of stuff with Summer. Just so long as it doesn't have to do with my classes).
And finally, a preemptive "boy, taking the bus to Bristol tomorrow should be great!" With gas prices as they are and no class until the afternoon, tomorrow's the day to give public transportation a shot.
Booyah.
posted by Max Greene at 5:11 PM
0 comments
8.20.2005
Of Drugs, Sex, and Cemetaries
This morning I did 3 hours worth of law school suggested service. I arrived a bit after 9 due to oversleeping, but the only person on the street was a drug dealer, I later learned. He asked me what I was looking for, and I said I was going to clean the cemetary. He seemed a little confused. So I wandered around for another half hour before the remainder of the crew showed up. I ended up cleaning up one side of the cemetary's perimeter, finding more dime bags and empty plastic vodka bottles than I expect I'll see in the entire rest of my life combined. I also saw a person in a van pick up a prostitute. It was not dissimilar to what you see in the movies and such.
That finished up around 12:30 and I headed up to tutor training. Training was fine; they still had pizza for me, and I learned a few things here and there. I am going to try to get enough sleep tonight, though I have to be up at 7:30 or so to get to Brandeis by nine tomorrow morning. If I don't get enough tonight I will probably just pass out tomorrow evening. I'm not sure exactly why I feel so tired after what would've been full nights of sleep in college, but it might have to do with the extra stress of all sorts of things just beginning, among them an experience quite a few people rank among the most stressful of their lives. That might do it. Otherwise, I've caught whatever Summer has. At any rate, I tried to do some homework this evening and it just didn't work.
Also not working have been my attempts to watch or listen to the Eagles game. This is frustrating, particularly since espn.com no longer provides a live game center. The nfl.com one just isn't as good. Maybe I should just go to bed.
I am ready for company and a gym membership. The past few days I've driven out at night to pick up equipment listed at craigslist: a treadmill and an exercise bike. The first was too big to go in the car, the second too small to fit me. Alas, I shall keep lifting and occasionally running. At least I remembered about iTunes radio service so I have been listening to enjoyable music between these unsuccessful jaunts.
One week from now Summer will be in the air and hopefully I'll have the apartment spotless and my homework done.
That finished up around 12:30 and I headed up to tutor training. Training was fine; they still had pizza for me, and I learned a few things here and there. I am going to try to get enough sleep tonight, though I have to be up at 7:30 or so to get to Brandeis by nine tomorrow morning. If I don't get enough tonight I will probably just pass out tomorrow evening. I'm not sure exactly why I feel so tired after what would've been full nights of sleep in college, but it might have to do with the extra stress of all sorts of things just beginning, among them an experience quite a few people rank among the most stressful of their lives. That might do it. Otherwise, I've caught whatever Summer has. At any rate, I tried to do some homework this evening and it just didn't work.
Also not working have been my attempts to watch or listen to the Eagles game. This is frustrating, particularly since espn.com no longer provides a live game center. The nfl.com one just isn't as good. Maybe I should just go to bed.
I am ready for company and a gym membership. The past few days I've driven out at night to pick up equipment listed at craigslist: a treadmill and an exercise bike. The first was too big to go in the car, the second too small to fit me. Alas, I shall keep lifting and occasionally running. At least I remembered about iTunes radio service so I have been listening to enjoyable music between these unsuccessful jaunts.
One week from now Summer will be in the air and hopefully I'll have the apartment spotless and my homework done.
posted by Max Greene at 10:13 PM
1 comments
8.18.2005
Of Chess and Other Vices
Well, not necessarily vices, I guess. But I downloaded a chess program (Arasan) since one of my law profs--the director of the honors program--is a chess fan and I need some practice if I want to play him. Which I may or may not, but at any rate he and Timmy have inspired me to spend a good ten minutes total the past three days losing to the program. But I just beat it, bringing the tally to maybe 1-4...hurray!
Hey any by the way classes and orientation and such have been going on now for a bit. There are maybe four or five people I talk to occasionally now, and perhaps there will be more or perhaps less in the weeks to come. I have learned about my various opportunities and am quite looking forward to the whole experience in general--volunteering in class doesn't even seem so bad (after classes with Kim at Carleton), so I was comfortable subjecting myself to Socratic-style humiliation in a 100-person Torts class the other day. I have met all but one of my professors and they all seem to take the good person, difficult prof approach, which I like. I turned in my first assignment today, I've been meeting the right administrators and such people, and all in all it's made for a pretty decent time.
I don't really have much more detail to go into now, and since I was at school from before 8 until 5:30 today, after which I came home and took the whole new and improved SAT for work, I don't especially want to write any more right now. I think a better option might be a quick run, a shower, and sleep. Somewhere in there I have some dishes to do, too. Oh and I think some other random business to take care of--always the random business interfering with things.
Anywayz, peace.
Hey any by the way classes and orientation and such have been going on now for a bit. There are maybe four or five people I talk to occasionally now, and perhaps there will be more or perhaps less in the weeks to come. I have learned about my various opportunities and am quite looking forward to the whole experience in general--volunteering in class doesn't even seem so bad (after classes with Kim at Carleton), so I was comfortable subjecting myself to Socratic-style humiliation in a 100-person Torts class the other day. I have met all but one of my professors and they all seem to take the good person, difficult prof approach, which I like. I turned in my first assignment today, I've been meeting the right administrators and such people, and all in all it's made for a pretty decent time.
I don't really have much more detail to go into now, and since I was at school from before 8 until 5:30 today, after which I came home and took the whole new and improved SAT for work, I don't especially want to write any more right now. I think a better option might be a quick run, a shower, and sleep. Somewhere in there I have some dishes to do, too. Oh and I think some other random business to take care of--always the random business interfering with things.
Anywayz, peace.
posted by Max Greene at 11:27 PM
0 comments
8.16.2005
Lots of Stuff
I have finished my homework for tomorrow, have yet to change out of the clothes I slept in (Tatnall football shorts and a Hugh Douglas jersey) because I need to be dressed in business attire for the reception that will begin orientation later this afternoon. Summer and her mother suggested I get a "first day of law school" picture, so I might try to do that, too.
I'm going to tell you about what else I've been up to for the past day or so, then I'm going to write two more essay-type things, so prepare yourself.
Yesterday evening I had my first session of tutor training. It was ok...not supercool, nor superdreadful, but ok. I still like my supervisor, and I still think I'll be a good fit for the program, and I definitely think I'll enjoy what I'm doing, especially once I get to do subject tutoring as well as test prep. Anyways, I got to drive up to Boston while listening to oft-vitriolic conservative Jay Severin viciously attack the war in Iraq and the way it's shaping up. That was rather interesting. Then, after driving back down, I stopped at Timmy's apartment and met Delphina, who seems like she'll be good to have around should she make the trip from New York with any frequency. I also got delicious red beans with sausage and ham and such. Anyway, the conversation was good and before I knew it it was 1 in the morning and wow! it was time to get home. Then after a nice chat with Summer I did a little work on my briefs and then went to bed. Oh and I also read about the Eagles game, which bettered my expectations on some counts (the young receivers, for example, and actually all the youngsters) and failed to meet them on others (can we say SPECIAL TEAMS). Anyway, I'll be excited to see a game sometime. Too bad tickets are so expensive, or I'd try to see them in New Jersey again.
***
Ok, now for essay/rant number one. Issues: John Roberts, prayer in schools, general church-state doctrine.
Here's the first place instance where I flat-out question the good judge's reasoning. First, Wallace v Jaffree struck down an Alabama statute "authorizing teachers to lead students in a moment of 'silent meditation or voluntary prayer." (Wallace v Jaffree). The sponsor of this bill did not mince words, stating that it was an effort to return prayer to schools, and had no secular purpose. Well, under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, a statute must be overturned if it is found to have no secular purpose. The reasoning there is straightforward, and there are plenty of both religious and secular arguments as to the benefits to both church and state of maintaining such separation.
In this case specifically, the statute in question did not have the effect of "returning voluntary prayer to schools" but rather alienating nonbelievers. In fact, voluntary prayer in school has never been even remotely close to being banned; should such a situation occur you can bet the ACLU will come to the defense of people's right to religious practice. In fact, a student can pray silently whenever and wherever he or she wants, and out loud under any conditions that do not disrupt the classroom. The practice called into question was the establishment of a LAW establishing the right of teachers to lead students in silent meditation OR voluntary prayer. Thus this does not establish a mere moment of silence; in practicality, this statute is designed to let teachers lead students in prayer--remember, the sponsor of the bill said so himself.
Now put yourself in the position of a Muslim, Hindu, or atheist student in a rural Alabama school. You already feel different, undoubtedly. Here comes "voluntary" prayer time. School children can be vicious; if you don't join in the prayer, you know that people will notice. You will be mocked and possibly threatened. But if you do join in the prayer, you violate the tenets of your own faith. Children are placed in difficult situations all the time, but rarely are they placed in situations that require them to either undergo torment at the hands of their classmates or violate the basics of their own faith. If you can't commiserate, let's say you live in an atheist state that allows every teacher at your school (each of whom is very strongly atheistic) to lead his or her class in a moment of denouncing God, Jesus, and indeed every religion out loud in front of you. Not only that, but all believers are evil and will suffer for their beliefs for all eternity. If you think that's a false analogy, try reading some Alabama Baptist sermons. You'd probably find that situation rather uncomfortable, to say the least.
So the basic point is that no choice is actually being removed or even challenged; school children and teachers are welcome to pray on their own time (even on school premises), or even to ignore their lessons and pray silently. Religion is in no way harmed by the removal of "voluntary" teacher-lead school prayer. The same thing applies to Ten Commandments monuments at courthouses; removing them does not "remove religion from the public square"--the judges will still be informed by their religious beliefs, whether you or I like that or not, churches will still dot the American countryside, and you will still hear the voices of the faithful in the media--nearly every single person holding national political office, for example (President, Congress, Supreme Court). Roberts, therefore, is simply incorrect in stating that Wallace v Jaffree is "indefensible," and I now recognize my first shred of evidence that he might not be the candidate he has seemed to be 'til now.
***
Rant number two: women.
I used to meet claims of gender inequality with a questioning attitude; while I don't think I ever got to the point of this guy, I had not personally perceived such inequality in my rather liberal scholastic upbringing--no girls were told they wouldn't succeed at math or science, and pretty much the only form of feminism at Tatnall was listening to Ani DiFranco and being angry without citing any reasons. The only thing that gave me pause in high school was when our headmaster refused to allow any wrestlers on our team to wrestle girls on other teams; we had to forfeit any weight class in which an opposing team sent out a varsity female. This seemed ridiculous to me, but since I couldn't play field hockey (not that I wanted to), I figured it was pretty even.
Since then, I've heard of cases where professors have told female students not to bother with math and science classes because of their gender. I've noticed that people who were not priveleged enough to attend my elementary, middle, and high school--and that was, I recognize, a privelege--tend to split along gender lines much more than we did in high school. The proportion of women in my math classes as Carleton was much smaller, and I met many more females who claimed to be terrible at math--disproportionate doesn't even begin to describe the gender difference in that case, so few males will claim the same inability. This has led me to question my old questioning...while I would not attribute these differences to Carleton professors, I would be curious to trace each of these women's education back and see how they were treated by their math and science teachers. I am not even alleging an active discrimination in most cases, but perhaps one of those sneaky ones that simply makes teachers treat students differently based on preconceived notions rather than students' abilities.
I have been led into this line of thinking even more by seeing the success some of these students have had after the fact and despite being "terrible at math." Too often, though, I think it becomes a pervasive attitude causing young women to doubt themselves into failure. I would be curious, though, to read some actual research on this rather than relying upon my own experience and conjectures. That practice has led me from one pole to another, and I wouldn't be surprised if the actual truth is somewhere slightly off in another direction.
***
Ok, that's all. Time to shower and put on nice clothes. Peace dawgs.
I'm going to tell you about what else I've been up to for the past day or so, then I'm going to write two more essay-type things, so prepare yourself.
Yesterday evening I had my first session of tutor training. It was ok...not supercool, nor superdreadful, but ok. I still like my supervisor, and I still think I'll be a good fit for the program, and I definitely think I'll enjoy what I'm doing, especially once I get to do subject tutoring as well as test prep. Anyways, I got to drive up to Boston while listening to oft-vitriolic conservative Jay Severin viciously attack the war in Iraq and the way it's shaping up. That was rather interesting. Then, after driving back down, I stopped at Timmy's apartment and met Delphina, who seems like she'll be good to have around should she make the trip from New York with any frequency. I also got delicious red beans with sausage and ham and such. Anyway, the conversation was good and before I knew it it was 1 in the morning and wow! it was time to get home. Then after a nice chat with Summer I did a little work on my briefs and then went to bed. Oh and I also read about the Eagles game, which bettered my expectations on some counts (the young receivers, for example, and actually all the youngsters) and failed to meet them on others (can we say SPECIAL TEAMS). Anyway, I'll be excited to see a game sometime. Too bad tickets are so expensive, or I'd try to see them in New Jersey again.
***
Ok, now for essay/rant number one. Issues: John Roberts, prayer in schools, general church-state doctrine.
"I would have no objection to such a position statement," Roberts wrote to his boss, White House Counsel Fred Fielding. "Many who do not support prayer in school support a 'moment of silence,'" he said.The "conclusion" in the 1985 ruling [Wallace v Jaffree] "that the Constitution prohibits such a moment of silent reflection --or even 'silent prayer' -- seems indefensible."
Here's the first place instance where I flat-out question the good judge's reasoning. First, Wallace v Jaffree struck down an Alabama statute "authorizing teachers to lead students in a moment of 'silent meditation or voluntary prayer." (Wallace v Jaffree). The sponsor of this bill did not mince words, stating that it was an effort to return prayer to schools, and had no secular purpose. Well, under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, a statute must be overturned if it is found to have no secular purpose. The reasoning there is straightforward, and there are plenty of both religious and secular arguments as to the benefits to both church and state of maintaining such separation.
In this case specifically, the statute in question did not have the effect of "returning voluntary prayer to schools" but rather alienating nonbelievers. In fact, voluntary prayer in school has never been even remotely close to being banned; should such a situation occur you can bet the ACLU will come to the defense of people's right to religious practice. In fact, a student can pray silently whenever and wherever he or she wants, and out loud under any conditions that do not disrupt the classroom. The practice called into question was the establishment of a LAW establishing the right of teachers to lead students in silent meditation OR voluntary prayer. Thus this does not establish a mere moment of silence; in practicality, this statute is designed to let teachers lead students in prayer--remember, the sponsor of the bill said so himself.
Now put yourself in the position of a Muslim, Hindu, or atheist student in a rural Alabama school. You already feel different, undoubtedly. Here comes "voluntary" prayer time. School children can be vicious; if you don't join in the prayer, you know that people will notice. You will be mocked and possibly threatened. But if you do join in the prayer, you violate the tenets of your own faith. Children are placed in difficult situations all the time, but rarely are they placed in situations that require them to either undergo torment at the hands of their classmates or violate the basics of their own faith. If you can't commiserate, let's say you live in an atheist state that allows every teacher at your school (each of whom is very strongly atheistic) to lead his or her class in a moment of denouncing God, Jesus, and indeed every religion out loud in front of you. Not only that, but all believers are evil and will suffer for their beliefs for all eternity. If you think that's a false analogy, try reading some Alabama Baptist sermons. You'd probably find that situation rather uncomfortable, to say the least.
So the basic point is that no choice is actually being removed or even challenged; school children and teachers are welcome to pray on their own time (even on school premises), or even to ignore their lessons and pray silently. Religion is in no way harmed by the removal of "voluntary" teacher-lead school prayer. The same thing applies to Ten Commandments monuments at courthouses; removing them does not "remove religion from the public square"--the judges will still be informed by their religious beliefs, whether you or I like that or not, churches will still dot the American countryside, and you will still hear the voices of the faithful in the media--nearly every single person holding national political office, for example (President, Congress, Supreme Court). Roberts, therefore, is simply incorrect in stating that Wallace v Jaffree is "indefensible," and I now recognize my first shred of evidence that he might not be the candidate he has seemed to be 'til now.
***
Rant number two: women.
I used to meet claims of gender inequality with a questioning attitude; while I don't think I ever got to the point of this guy, I had not personally perceived such inequality in my rather liberal scholastic upbringing--no girls were told they wouldn't succeed at math or science, and pretty much the only form of feminism at Tatnall was listening to Ani DiFranco and being angry without citing any reasons. The only thing that gave me pause in high school was when our headmaster refused to allow any wrestlers on our team to wrestle girls on other teams; we had to forfeit any weight class in which an opposing team sent out a varsity female. This seemed ridiculous to me, but since I couldn't play field hockey (not that I wanted to), I figured it was pretty even.
Since then, I've heard of cases where professors have told female students not to bother with math and science classes because of their gender. I've noticed that people who were not priveleged enough to attend my elementary, middle, and high school--and that was, I recognize, a privelege--tend to split along gender lines much more than we did in high school. The proportion of women in my math classes as Carleton was much smaller, and I met many more females who claimed to be terrible at math--disproportionate doesn't even begin to describe the gender difference in that case, so few males will claim the same inability. This has led me to question my old questioning...while I would not attribute these differences to Carleton professors, I would be curious to trace each of these women's education back and see how they were treated by their math and science teachers. I am not even alleging an active discrimination in most cases, but perhaps one of those sneaky ones that simply makes teachers treat students differently based on preconceived notions rather than students' abilities.
I have been led into this line of thinking even more by seeing the success some of these students have had after the fact and despite being "terrible at math." Too often, though, I think it becomes a pervasive attitude causing young women to doubt themselves into failure. I would be curious, though, to read some actual research on this rather than relying upon my own experience and conjectures. That practice has led me from one pole to another, and I wouldn't be surprised if the actual truth is somewhere slightly off in another direction.
***
Ok, that's all. Time to shower and put on nice clothes. Peace dawgs.
posted by Max Greene at 1:28 PM
2 comments
8.15.2005
RIP Powerbook 3400C
You shall be missed. Actually probably not. Nor will you likely rest quite as much as you have the past few years.
No more Powerbook 3400C = a new print cartridge (new print cartridge = map of Brandeis University) + $25 in my wallet. Hurray hurray hurray!
Now that the weather's actually decent I was amazed to sleep in this morning. It was strange not waking up in a puddle of head sweat. Mmm.
In approximately 2 hours, or maybe less, I will be on my way to training. After training, I will stop by Timmy's apartment and meet Delphina and maybe even collect a tupperware container of red beans and rice, which Timmy assures me will be chock full o'delicious meat. Mmm.
It is exciting to be able to print AND to be seeing real live people again! Awkward cash/product exchanges between craigslist users don't seem to fill the void of not seeing people. Luckily the count 'til much-anticipated permanent company is down to 12 days! !!!
No more Powerbook 3400C = a new print cartridge (new print cartridge = map of Brandeis University) + $25 in my wallet. Hurray hurray hurray!
Now that the weather's actually decent I was amazed to sleep in this morning. It was strange not waking up in a puddle of head sweat. Mmm.
In approximately 2 hours, or maybe less, I will be on my way to training. After training, I will stop by Timmy's apartment and meet Delphina and maybe even collect a tupperware container of red beans and rice, which Timmy assures me will be chock full o'delicious meat. Mmm.
It is exciting to be able to print AND to be seeing real live people again! Awkward cash/product exchanges between craigslist users don't seem to fill the void of not seeing people. Luckily the count 'til much-anticipated permanent company is down to 12 days! !!!
posted by Max Greene at 2:51 PM
1 comments
8.14.2005
Last day of summer vacation EVER
I tried to go see March of the Penguins, but was in no mood to pay $10 to see a movie by myself. Even with a $2 off coupon, I find that ridiculous. Hopefully the second-run theater in East Providence will get the movie, or at least put together a better lineup than it has now.
Instead I enjoyed jazz, lightning, and air conditioning on the way home, then read about a man who likes to have sex with rabbits.
Today's other news is that I picked up the VCR and stupid box today; the TV works just fine, but the VCR seems to be having typical VCR issues, despite an email assurance that it works. I am wondering if it is dying, if it needs repairs, or if it needs cleaning. Bah.
Also I can't find a decent way to connect the computer to the TV so I can watch movies. I might try again after writing this.
It's been a pretty uneventful day, but not in a nice, lazy, last day of vacation kind of way. I don't think my brain is entirely functional right now, otherwise I might come up with something more interesting to write.
Instead I enjoyed jazz, lightning, and air conditioning on the way home, then read about a man who likes to have sex with rabbits.
Today's other news is that I picked up the VCR and stupid box today; the TV works just fine, but the VCR seems to be having typical VCR issues, despite an email assurance that it works. I am wondering if it is dying, if it needs repairs, or if it needs cleaning. Bah.
Also I can't find a decent way to connect the computer to the TV so I can watch movies. I might try again after writing this.
It's been a pretty uneventful day, but not in a nice, lazy, last day of vacation kind of way. I don't think my brain is entirely functional right now, otherwise I might come up with something more interesting to write.
posted by Max Greene at 9:53 PM
1 comments
8.13.2005
Sad
I accidentally kicked one of these
today at Beavertail State Park. Now I feel bad...it seemed like a nice snake at the time, but I wasn't sure. I wish there were some way to apologize to a tiny, scared reptile that lives 45 minutes away from me somewhere.
The park, by the way, was quite beautiful. Rocky shores and lots of little tiny coves the right size for just a few people (and all occupied as such, unfortunately). Also I saw more than one person going in to swim naked. That was strange.
On a different note, thank you for the comments lately. I'm glad to hear that people might be getting something from this other than just knowing the mundanities of my life. Hopefully something else will pique my curiosity this evening so I can put an intereresting entry together.
And finally I'm going to stupid myself up tomorrow by getting a VCR and a TV with rabbit ear antenna, both from craigslist, a fantastic little site. This will primarily be used for watching football and movies, I think, at least until Summer gets back (and assuming I have time for each of those pursuits, anyway).
As for right now, I'll either do my dinner (gnocchi al pesto rosso, insalata degli spinacci) dishes or perhaps try to sell Powerbook 3400c on craigslist. Au revoir, les enfants.
today at Beavertail State Park. Now I feel bad...it seemed like a nice snake at the time, but I wasn't sure. I wish there were some way to apologize to a tiny, scared reptile that lives 45 minutes away from me somewhere.
The park, by the way, was quite beautiful. Rocky shores and lots of little tiny coves the right size for just a few people (and all occupied as such, unfortunately). Also I saw more than one person going in to swim naked. That was strange.
On a different note, thank you for the comments lately. I'm glad to hear that people might be getting something from this other than just knowing the mundanities of my life. Hopefully something else will pique my curiosity this evening so I can put an intereresting entry together.
And finally I'm going to stupid myself up tomorrow by getting a VCR and a TV with rabbit ear antenna, both from craigslist, a fantastic little site. This will primarily be used for watching football and movies, I think, at least until Summer gets back (and assuming I have time for each of those pursuits, anyway).
As for right now, I'll either do my dinner (gnocchi al pesto rosso, insalata degli spinacci) dishes or perhaps try to sell Powerbook 3400c on craigslist. Au revoir, les enfants.
posted by Max Greene at 7:48 PM
5 comments
Mild Redesign
I think it looks rather nicer, and is perhaps more readable. Agree?
posted by Max Greene at 1:16 AM
0 comments
8.12.2005
I was thinking today
***NOTE***
If you happen to have read this post without reading the two edits at the bottom, you should take the time to at least skim the second edit...
***END***
--I can't remember why; maybe it was from reading nutrition information on the can of soup I had for lunch--but my thinking was centered on whether there is a rational basis for my unease regarding sugar. In the spirit of my previous post, I realized I sometimes make "knowing" inferences to the evils of "processed sugars" without really knowing what I'm talking about. So I decided to find out what I'm talking about, with the result that I now trust my intuition about such things more than I did before.
Here's a start, from the Society for Neuroscience's Brain Briefings:
Well, that's interesting. But is it necessarily bad? I looked to WebMD for some answers:
And a little more explanation:
Obesity and diabetes aside, simple processed sugars apparently fuel cancer in ways that complex carbohydrates do not. I'll let you navigate around here on your own.
I'm sure there's more there; I'll let you know if I find it.
Then I've also said "processed sugars are in everything these days" which sounds especially paranoid, but it turns out to be true, too, (disregarding my rhetorical exaggeration) according to this article by Carol Sorgen.
So my efforts to always buy 100% juice (although apparently even that's not great), to avoid desserts, and to cook using primarily fresh foods are not as much the products of paranoia (and this awful sluggish/jittery feeling I get from. I had had my doubts, but now they have been pretty much alleviated.
Did I mention that I had delicious hot Italian sausage and spinach and tomato salad for dinner tonight, with a multi-grain European roll? Mmmm.
Anyway, results of that curiosity aside, today I did some errands I've been needing to do, but nothing especially exciting. I got school supplies, paid some people who needed paying, sent a couple other things, and looked into finding a bank that actually has local branches. I also did laundry and a bit of grocery shopping. Tomorrow I think I might go to a state park and wander around. That sounds like a nice thing to do.
***
EDIT:
Here's some more stuff from a Dr. Donald Roth, with some examples first...
Complex Carbs:
Legumes, such as lentils, peas and beans. Vegetables, such as beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, corn, lettuce, peppers, potatoes. Grains, nuts and seeds, including whole-grain bread, pasta, cereal and flour.
Refined Carbs:
Most unsweetened, but refined (non-whole-grain) cereal, bread, granola, pasta, general baked goods.
Simple Carbs:
Candy, honey, pop, donuts, sweetened cereal, cakes, sweet fruit, fruit juice, white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup, molasses, sucrose, glucose, fructose, dextrose, and other "...ose" variations.
Health Effects of Simple, Refined & Complex Sugar / Carbs:
Medical problems developing as a result of consuming refined or complex carbohydrates are generally of a digestive nature, such as longer transit time (refined carbs), or abdominal bloating (complex carbs), or they adversely affect mineral uptake and balance (iron, calcium, zinc...). With the exception of dental caries that can be linked to the consumption of various types of carbs, medical problems resulting from ingesting simple carbs (sugar, honey, molasses, syrup, candy, pop, cakes, any sweet / overripe fruit...) are much more significant:
• In contrast to complex carbs, simple carbs require more resources of specific nutrients such as biotin, Vitamin C, manganese and chromium.
• Manganese is unaffected by complex carb intake, but simple carbs lower manganese levels in those with hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) tendencies, and they raise manganese levels in individuals with an inclination for hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).
• Simple carbs (including fructose from fruit) promote the formation of VLDL triglycerides, while refined or complex carbs don't, so in contrast to complex carbs, simple carbs raise the risk for cardiovascular disease.
• Simple carbs decrease omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) and germanium levels (which have blood thinning properties), and complex carbs support or enhance both.
• Unlike simple carbs, complex carbs are fiber-rich, which:
- improves digestive health and transit time,
- may result in lower absorption / bioavailability of specific minerals, particularly calcium, iron, zinc...
- slows glycogen conversion, which better stabilizes blood sugar.
• Unlike complex carbs, simple carbs (sweets) can cause pain when in contact with exposed dental roots.
• Simple carbs can promote osteoporosis in trabecular bone through the chromium / parathyroid mechanism, while complex carbs can promote osteoporosis in cortical bone through a calcium-lowering effect, which they have in common with high protein / phosphate sources.
• Simple carbs - unlike complex carbs - trigger more medical symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, depression, drowsiness, skin eruptions, mucus / throat discomfort, or sugar withdrawal symptoms.
• Simple carbs - unlike complex carbs - can be a causative, or contributing factor with mood disorders, and - particularly with children - behavioral problems. (see also Acu-Cell Disorders "ADD / ADHD" and Acu-Cell "Chocolate").
• According to some research, simple carbs - unlike complex carbs - promote free radicals.
• Simple carbs - unlike complex carbs - effect an opposing change in hyper / hypoglycemics, resulting in a higher sodium / potassium ratio with hyperglycemics, and a higher potassium / sodium ratio with hypoglycemics, which can subsequently lead to an increase in blood pressure with the former, and a decrease in blood pressure with the latter.
• In contrast to complex carbs, ingesting simple carbs reduces the WBC's ability to destroy bacteria (phagocytosis). In sugar-intolerant types, this can lead to increased pus formation, and in patients with leukemia to an increased WBC count. There is also an inhibiting effect on the immune system by the formation of AGE's (advanced glycosylation end product).
***
And more! This time from a Dr. Nancy Appleton, with references, thank goodness. References always make me feel better about the information I'm getting.
76 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health
Contributed by Nancy Appleton, Ph.D
Author of the book Lick The Sugar Habit
In addition to throwing off the body's homeostasis, excess sugar may result in a number of other significant consequences. The following is a listing of some of sugar's metabolic consequences from a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications.
1. Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defenses against infectious disease.1,2
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body: causes chromium and copper deficiencies and interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium. 3,4,5,6
3. Sugar can cause can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline, hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.7,8
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol and a decrease in good cholesterol.9,10,11,12
5. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function.13
6. Sugar feeds cancer cells and has been connected with the development of cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, biliary tract, lung, gallbladder and stomach.14,15,16,17,18,19,20
7. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose and can cause reactive hypoglycemia.21,22
8. Sugar can weaken eyesight.23
9. Sugar can cause many problems with the gastrointestinal tract including: an acidic digestive tract, indigestion, malabsorption in patients with functional bowel disease, increased risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.24,25,26,27,28
10. Sugar can cause premature aging.29
11. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.30
12. Sugar can cause your saliva to become acidic, tooth decay, and periodontal disease.31,32,33
13. Sugar contributes to obesity.34
14. Sugar can cause autoimmune diseases such as: arthritis, asthma, multiple sclerosis.35,36,37
15. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections)38
16. Sugar can cause gallstones.39
17. Sugar can cause appendicitis.40
18. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.41
19. Sugar can cause varicose veins.42
20. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.43
21. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.44
22. Sugar can cause a decrease in your insulin sensitivity thereby causing an abnormally high insulin levels and eventually diabetes.45,46,47
23. Sugar can lower your Vitamin E levels.48
24. Sugar can increase your systolic blood pressure.49
25. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.50
26. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar molecules attaching to and thereby damaging proteins in the body).51
27. Sugar can interfere with your absorption of protein.52
28. Sugar causes food allergies.53
29. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.54
30. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.55
31. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.56,57
32. Sugar can impair the structure of your DNA.58
33. Sugar can change the structure of protein and cause a permanent alteration of the way the proteins act in your body.59,60
34. Sugar can make your skin age by changing the structure of collagen.61
35. Sugar can cause cataracts and nearsightedness.62,63
36. Sugar can cause emphysema.64
37. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in your body.65
38. Sugar lowers the ability of enzymes to function.66
39. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson’s disease.67
40. Sugar can increase the size of your liver by making your liver cells divide and it can increase the amount of liver fat.68,69
41. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney such as the formation of kidney stones.70,71
42. Sugar can damage your pancreas.72
43. Sugar can increase your body's fluid retention.73
44. Sugar is enemy #1 of your bowel movement.74
45. Sugar can compromise the lining of your capillaries.75
46. Sugar can make your tendons more brittle.76
47. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.77
48. Sugar can reduce the learning capacity, adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders.78,79
49. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves which can alter your mind’s ability to think clearly.80
50. Sugar can cause depression.81
51. Sugar can increase your risk of gout.82
52. Sugar can increase your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.83
53. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalances such as: increasing estrogen in men, exacerbating PMS, and decreasing growth hormone.84,85,86,87
54. Sugar can lead to dizziness.88
55. Diets high in sugar will increase free radicals and oxidative stress.89
56. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.90
57. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration and is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.91,92
58. Sugar is an addictive substance.93
59. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.94
60. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.95
61. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.96
62. Your body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.97
63. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.98
64. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).99
65. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.100
66. Sugar can slow down the ability of your adrenal glands to function.101
67. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.102
68. I.V.s (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to your brain.103
69. Sugar increases your risk of polio.104
70. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.105
71. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.106
72. In intensive care units: Limiting sugar saves lives.107
73. Sugar may induce cell death.108
74. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44 percent drop in antisocial behavior.109
75. Sugar dehydrates newborns.110
76. Sugar can cause gum disease.111
References
1. Sanchez, A., et al. Role of Sugars in Human Neutrophilic Phagocytosis, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Nov 1973;261:1180_1184. Bernstein, J., al. Depression of Lymphocyte Transformation Following Oral Glucose Ingestion. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.1997;30:613
2. Ringsdorf, W., Cheraskin, E. and Ramsay R. Sucrose, Neutrophilic Phagocytosis and Resistance to Disease, Dental Survey. 1976;52(12):46_48.
3. Couzy, F., et al. "Nutritional Implications of the Interaction Minerals," Progressive Food and Nutrition Science 17;1933:65-87
4. Kozlovsky, A., et al. Effects of Diets High in Simple Sugars on Urinary Chromium Losses. Metabolism. June 1986;35:515_518.
5. Fields, M.., et al. Effect of Copper Deficiency on Metabolism and Mortality in Rats Fed Sucrose or Starch Diets, Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1983;113:1335_1345.
6. Lemann, J. Evidence that Glucose Ingestion Inhibits Net Renal Tubular Reabsorption of Calcium and Magnesium. Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1976 ;70:236_245.
7. Goldman, J., et al. Behavioral Effects of Sucrose on Preschool Children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.1986;14(4):565_577.
8. Jones, T. W., et al. Enhanced Adrenomedullary Response and Increased Susceptibility to Neuroglygopenia: Mechanisms Underlying the Adverse Effect of Sugar Ingestion in Children. Journal of Pediatrics. Feb 1995;126:171-7.
9. Scanto, S. and Yudkin, J. The Effect of Dietary Sucrose on Blood Lipids, Serum Insulin, Platelet Adhesiveness and Body Weight in Human Volunteers, Postgraduate Medicine Journal. 1969;45:602_607.
10. Albrink, M. and Ullrich I. H. Interaction of Dietary Sucrose and Fiber on Serum Lipids in Healthy Young Men Fed High Carbohydrate Diets. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1986;43:419-428. Pamplona, R., et al. Mechanisms of Glycation in Atherogenesis. Med Hypotheses. Mar 1993;40(3):174-81.
11. Reiser, S. Effects of Dietary Sugars on Metabolic Risk Factors Associated with Heart Disease. Nutritional Health. 1985;203_216.
12. Lewis, G. F. and Steiner, G. Acute Effects of Insulin in the Control of Vldl Production in Humans. Implications for The insulin-resistant State. Diabetes Care. 1996 Apr;19(4):390-3 R. Pamplona, M. .J., et al. Mechanisms of Glycation in Atherogenesis. Medical Hypotheses. 1990;40:174-181.
13. Cerami, A., Vlassara, H., and Brownlee, M. "Glucose and Aging." Scientific American. May 1987:90. Lee, A. T. and Cerami, A. The Role of Glycation in Aging. Annals of the New York Academy of Science; 663:63-67.
14. Takahashi, E., Tohoku University School of Medicine, Wholistic Health Digest. October 1982:41:00
15. Quillin, Patrick, Cancer’s Sweet Tooth, Nutrition Science News. Ap 2000 Rothkopf, M.. Nutrition. July/Aug 1990;6(4).
16. Michaud, D. Dietary Sugar, Glycemic Load, and Pancreatic Cancer Risk in a Prospective Study. J Natl Cancer Inst. Sep 4, 2002 ;94(17):1293-300.
17. Moerman, C. J., et al. Dietary Sugar Intake in the Etiology of Biliary Tract Cancer. International Journal of Epidemiology. Ap 1993.2(2):207-214.
18. The Edell Health Letter. Sept 1991;7:1.
19. De Stefani, E."Dietary Sugar and Lung Cancer: a Case control Study in Uruguay." Nutrition and Cancer. 1998;31(2):132_7.
20. Cornee, J., et al. A Case-control Study of Gastric Cancer and Nutritional Factors in Marseille, France. European Journal of Epidemiology 11 (1995):55-65.
21. Kelsay, J., et al. Diets High in Glucose or Sucrose and Young Women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1974;27:926_936. Thomas, B. J., et al. Relation of Habitual Diet to Fasting Plasma Insulin Concentration and the Insulin Response to Oral Glucose, Human Nutrition Clinical Nutrition. 1983; 36C(1):49_51.
22. Dufty, William. Sugar Blues. (New York:Warner Books, 1975).
23. Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica. Mar 2002;48;25. Taub, H. Ed. Sugar Weakens Eyesight, VM NEWSLETTER;May 1986:06:00
24. Dufty.
25. Yudkin, J. Sweet and Dangerous.(New York:Bantam Books,1974) 129
26. Cornee, J., et al. A Case-control Study of Gastric Cancer and Nutritional Factors in Marseille, France, European Journal of Epidemiology. 1995;11
27. Persson P. G., Ahlbom, A., and Hellers, G. Epidemiology. 1992;3:47-52.
28. Jones, T. W., et al. Enhanced Adrenomedullary Response and Increased Susceptibility to Neuroglygopenia: Mechanisms Underlying the Adverse Effect of Sugar Ingestion in Children. Journal of Pediatrics. Feb 1995;126:171-7.
29. Lee, A. T.and Cerami A. The Role of Glycation in Aging. Annals of the New York Academy of Science.1992;663:63-70.
30. Abrahamson, E. and Peget, A. Body, Mind and Sugar. (New York: Avon, 1977.}
31. Glinsmann, W., Irausquin, H., and Youngmee, K. Evaluation of Health Aspects of Sugar Contained in Carbohydrate Sweeteners. F. D. A. Report of Sugars Task Force. 1986:39:00 Makinen K.K.,et al. A Descriptive Report of the Effects of a 16_month Xylitol Chewing_gum Programme Subsequent to a 40_month Sucrose Gum Programme. Caries Research. 1998; 32(2)107_12.
32. Glinsmann, W., Irausquin, H., and K. Youngmee. Evaluation of Health Aspects of Sugar Contained in Carbohydrate Sweeteners. F. D. A. Report of Sugars Task Force.1986;39:36_38.
33. Appleton, N. New York: Healthy Bones. Avery Penguin Putnam:1989.
34. Keen, H., et al. Nutrient Intake, Adiposity, and Diabetes. British Medical Journal. 1989; 1:00 655_658
35. Darlington, L., Ramsey, N. W. and Mansfield, J. R. Placebo Controlled, Blind Study of Dietary Manipulation Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lancet. Feb 1986;8475(1):236_238.
36. Powers, L. Sensitivity: You React to What You Eat. Los Angeles Times. (Feb. 12, 1985). Cheng, J., et al. Preliminary Clinical Study on the Correlation Between Allergic Rhinitis and Food Factors. Lin Chuang Er Bi Yan Hou Ke Za Zhi Aug 2002;16(8):393-396.
37. Erlander, S. The Cause and Cure of Multiple Sclerosis, The Disease to End Disease." Mar 3, 1979;1(3):59_63.
38. Crook, W. J. The Yeast Connection. (TN:Professional Books, 1984).
39. Heaton, K. The Sweet Road to Gallstones. British Medical Journal. Apr 14, 1984; 288:00:00 1103_1104. Misciagna, G., et al. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1999;69:120-126.
40. Cleave, T. The Saccharine Disease. (New Canaan, CT: Keats Publishing, 1974).
41. Ibid.
42. Cleave, T. and Campbell, G. (Bristol, England:Diabetes, Coronary Thrombosis and the Saccharine Disease: John Wright and Sons, 1960).
43. Behall, K. Influ ence of Estrogen Content of Oral Contraceptives and Consumption of Sucrose on Blood Parameters. Disease Abstracts International. 1982;431437.
44. Tjäderhane, L. and Larmas, M. A High Sucrose Diet Decreases the Mechanical Strength of Bones in Growing Rats. Journal of Nutrition. 1998:128:1807_1810.
45. Beck, Nielsen H., Pedersen O., and Schwartz S. Effects of Diet on the Cellular Insulin Binding and the Insulin Sensitivity in Young Healthy Subjects. Diabetes. 1978;15:289_296 .
46. Sucrose Induces Diabetes in Cat. Federal Protocol. 1974;6(97). diabetes
47. Reiser, S., et al. Effects of Sugars on Indices on Glucose Tolerance in Humans. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1986;43:151-159.
48. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Aug 2000
49. Hodges, R., and Rebello, T. Carbohydrates and Blood Pressure. Annals of Internal Medicine. 1983:98:838_841.
50. Behar, D., et al. Sugar Challenge Testing with Children Considered Behaviorally Sugar Reactive. Nutritional Behavior. 1984;1:277_288.
51. Furth, A. and Harding, J. Why Sugar Is Bad For You. New Scientist. Sep 23, 1989;44.
52. Simmons, J. Is The Sand of Time Sugar? LONGEVITY. June 1990:00:00 49_53.
53. Appleton, N. New York: LICK THE SUGAR HABIT. Avery Penguin Putnam:1988. allergies
54. Cleave, T. The Saccharine Disease: (New Canaan Ct: Keats Publishing, Inc., 1974).131.
55. Ibid. 132
56. Pamplona, R., et al. Mechanisms of Glycation in Atherogenesis. Medical Hypotheses . 1990:00:00 174_181.
57. Vaccaro O., Ruth, K. J. and Stamler J. Relationship of Postload Plasma Glucose to Mortality with 19 yr Follow up. Diabetes Care. Oct 15,1992;10:328_334. Tominaga, M., et al, Impaired Glucose Tolerance Is a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease, but Not Fasting Glucose. Diabetes Care. 1999:2(6):920-924.
58. Lee, A. T. and Cerami, A. Modifications of Proteins and Nucleic Acids by Reducing Sugars: Possible Role in Aging. Handbook of the Biology of Aging. (New York: Academic Press, 1990.).
59. Monnier, V. M. Nonenzymatic Glycosylation, the Maillard Reaction and the Aging Process. Journal of Gerontology 1990:45(4):105_110.
60. Cerami, A., Vlassara, H., and Brownlee, M. Glucose and Aging. Scientific American. May 1987:00:00 90
61. Dyer, D. G., et al. Accumulation of Maillard Reaction Products in Skin Collagen in Diabetes and Aging. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 1993:93(6):421_22.
62. Veromann, S.et al."Dietary Sugar and Salt Represent Real Risk Factors for Cataract Development." Ophthalmologica. 2003 Jul-Aug;217(4):302-307.
63. Goulart, F. S. Are You Sugar Smart? American Fitness. March_April 1991:00:00 34_38. Milwakuee, WI
64. Monnier, V. M. Nonenzymatic Glycosylation, the Maillard Reaction and the Aging Process. Journal of Gerontology. 1990:45(4):105_110.
65. Ceriello, A. Oxidative Stress and Glycemic Regulation. Metabolism. Feb 2000;49(2 Suppl 1):27-29.
66. Appleton, Nancy. New York; Lick the Sugar Habit. Avery Penguin Putnam, 1988 enzymes
67. Hellenbrand, W. Diet and Parkinson's Disease. A Possible Role for the Past Intake of Specific Nutrients. Results from a Self-administered Food-frequency Questionnaire in a Case-control Study. Neurology. Sep 1996;47(3):644-650.
68. Goulart, F. S. Are You Sugar Smart? American Fitness. March_April 1991:00:00 34_38.
69. Ibid.
70. Yudkin, J., Kang, S. and Bruckdorfer, K. Effects of High Dietary Sugar. British Journal of Medicine. Nov 22, 1980;1396.
71. Blacklock, N. J., Sucrose and Idiopathic Renal Stone. Nutrition and Health. 1987;5(1-2):9- Curhan, G., et al. Beverage Use and Risk for Kidney Stones in Women. Annals of Internal Medicine. 1998:28:534-340.
72. Goulart, F. S. Are You Sugar Smart? American Fitness. March_April 1991:00:00 34_38. Milwakuee, WI,:
73. Ibid. fluid retention
74. Ibid. bowel movement
75. Ibid. compromise the lining of the capillaries
76. Nash, J. Health Contenders. Essence. Jan 1992; 23:00 79_81.
77. Grand, E. Food Allergies and Migraine.Lancet. 1979:1:955_959.
78. Schauss, A. Diet, Crime and Delinquency. (Berkley Ca; Parker House, 1981.)
79. Molteni, R, et al. A High-fat, Refined Sugar Diet Reduces Hippocampal Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor, Neuronal Plasticity, and Learning. NeuroScience. 2002;112(4):803-814.
80. Christensen, L. The Role of Caffeine and Sugar in Depression. Nutrition Report. Mar 1991;9(3):17-24.
81. Ibid,44
82. Yudkin, J. Sweet and Dangerous.(New York:Bantam Books,1974) 129
83. Frey, J. Is There Sugar in the Alzheimer’s Disease? Annales De Biologie Clinique. 2001; 59 (3):253-257.
84. Yudkin, J. Metabolic Changes Induced by Sugar in Relation to Coronary Heart Disease and Diabetes. Nutrition and Health. 1987;5(1-2):5-8.
85. Yudkin, J and Eisa, O. Dietary Sucrose and Oestradiol Concentration in Young Men. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 1988:32(2):53-55.
86. The Edell Health Letter. Sept 1991;7:1.
87. Gardner, L. and Reiser, S. Effects of Dietary Carbohydrate on Fasting Levels of Human Growth Hormone and Cortisol. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. 1982;169:36_40.
88. Journal of Advanced Medicine. 1994;7(1):51-58.
89. Ceriello, A. Oxidative Stress and Glycemic Regulation. Metabolism. Feb 2000;49(2 Suppl 1):27-29.
90. Postgraduate Medicine.Sept 1969:45:602-07.
91. Lenders, C. M. Gestational Age and Infant Size at Birth Are Associated with Dietary Intake among Pregnant Adolescents. Journal of Nutrition. Jun 1997;1113- 1117
92. Ibid.
93. Sugar, White Flour Withdrawal Produces Chemical Response. The Addiction Letter. Jul 1992:04:00 Colantuoni, C., et al. Evidence That Intermittent, Excessive Sugar Intake Causes Endogenous Opioid Dependence. Obes Res. Jun 2002 ;10(6):478-488. Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Society, Toronto, June 17, 2001 www.mercola.com/2001/jun/30/sugar.htm
94. Ibid.
95. Sunehag, A. L., et al. Gluconeogenesis in Very Low Birth Weight Infants Receiving Total Parenteral Nutrition Diabetes. 1999 ;48 7991_800.
96. Christensen L., et al. Impact of A Dietary Change on Emotional Distress. Journal of Abnormal Psychology.1985;94(4):565_79.
97. Nutrition Health Review. Fall 85 changes sugar into fat faster than fat
98. Ludwig, D. S., et al. High Glycemic Index Foods, Overeating and Obesity. Pediatrics. March 1999;103(3):26-32.
99. Pediatrics Research. 1995;38(4):539-542. Berdonces, J. L. Attention Deficit and Infantile Hyperactivity. Rev Enferm. Jan 2001;4(1)11-4
100. Blacklock, N. J. Sucrose and Idiopathic Renal Stone. Nutrition Health. 1987;5(1 & 2):9-
101. Lechin, F., et al. Effects of an Oral Glucose Load on Plasma Neurotransmitters in Humans. Neurophychobiology. 1992;26(1-2):4-11.
102. Fields, M. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Aug 1998;17(4):317_321.
103. Arieff, A. I. Veterans Administration Medical Center in San Francisco. San Jose Mercury; June 12/86. IVs of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain.
104. Sandler, Benjamin P. Diet Prevents Polio. Milwakuee, WI,:The Lee Foundation for for Nutritional Research, 1951
105. Murphy, Patricia. The Role of Sugar in Epileptic Seizures. Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients. May, 2001 Murphy Is Editor of Epilepsy Wellness Newsletter, 1462 West 5th Ave., Eugene, Oregon 97402
106. Stern, N. & Tuck, M. Pathogenesis of Hypertension in Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes Mellitus, a Fundamental and Clinical Test. 2nd Edition, (PhiladelphiA; A:Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000)943-957.
107. Christansen, D. Critical Care: Sugar Limit Saves Lives. Science News. June 30, 2001; 159:404.
108. Donnini, D. et al. Glucose May Induce Cell Death through a Free Radical-mediated Mechanism.Biochem Biohhys Res Commun. Feb 15, 1996:219(2):412-417.
109. Schoenthaler, S. The Los Angeles Probation Department Diet-Behavior Program: Am Empirical Analysis of Six Institutional Settings. Int J Biosocial Res 5(2):88-89.
110. Gluconeogenesis in Very Low Birth Weight Infants Receiving Total Parenteral Nutrition. Diabetes. 1999 Apr;48(4):791-800.
111. Glinsmann, W., et al. Evaluation of Health Aspects of Sugar Contained in Carbohydrate Sweeteners." FDA Report of Sugars Task Force -1986 39 123 Yudkin, J. and Eisa, O. Dietary Sucrose and Oestradiol Concentration in Young Men. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 1988;32(2):53-5.
If you happen to have read this post without reading the two edits at the bottom, you should take the time to at least skim the second edit...
***END***
--I can't remember why; maybe it was from reading nutrition information on the can of soup I had for lunch--but my thinking was centered on whether there is a rational basis for my unease regarding sugar. In the spirit of my previous post, I realized I sometimes make "knowing" inferences to the evils of "processed sugars" without really knowing what I'm talking about. So I decided to find out what I'm talking about, with the result that I now trust my intuition about such things more than I did before.
Here's a start, from the Society for Neuroscience's Brain Briefings:
Recent behavioral tests in rats further back the idea of an overlap between sweets and drugs. Drug addiction often includes three steps. A person will increase his intake of the drug, experience withdrawal symptoms when access to the drug is cut off and then face an urge to relapse back into drug use. Rats on sugar have similar experiences. Researchers withheld food for 12 hours and then gave rats food plus sugar water. This created a cycle of binging where the animals increased their daily sugar intake until it doubled. When researchers either stopped the diet or administered an opioid blocker the rats showed signs common to drug withdrawal, such as teeth-chattering and the shakes. Early findings also indicate signs of relapse. Rats weaned off sugar repeatedly pressed a lever that previously dispensed the sweet solution.
Well, that's interesting. But is it necessarily bad? I looked to WebMD for some answers:
A 12 ounce can of non-diet soda contains about 150 calories and between 40 and 50 grams of sugar. If someone drinks one can a day without cutting back on other calories, that alone can lead to a 15-pound weight gain in only one year, says Apovian, a diabetes and nutrition specialist. Generally, each pound of weight gain results from an intake of an additional 3,500 calories not burned off with exercise.
Past studies have also suggested that the odds of becoming obese increase 1.6 times for each additional sugar-sweetened beverage consumed each day. Sugar-sweetened sodas, but not diet varieties, also have a high glycemic value, triggering an immediate spike in blood sugar levels that may boost diabetes risk.
And a little more explanation:
We do emphasize the consumption of foods that do not cause a major surge in sugar, which then triggers a release of large amounts of insulin. The reason for this is that insulin is a hormone that not only promotes lowering of blood sugar but it will inhibit the breakdown of stored fat and it enables ingested sugars and carbohydrates to be converted into fat which is typically stored as triglycerides in the abdominal area promoting obesity.
Obesity and diabetes aside, simple processed sugars apparently fuel cancer in ways that complex carbohydrates do not. I'll let you navigate around here on your own.
I'm sure there's more there; I'll let you know if I find it.
Then I've also said "processed sugars are in everything these days" which sounds especially paranoid, but it turns out to be true, too, (disregarding my rhetorical exaggeration) according to this article by Carol Sorgen.
The amount of sugar used in this country is somewhere betweeen 40 and 60 pounds per person per year, [Lisa Ritchie, EdD, RD, LD] tells WebMD. For the year 2000, says Ritchie, that translated into 21.5 million tons, which included the sugars found in baked goods, yeast breads, cereal products, and the high-fructose corn syrup used to sweeten soft drinks.
That there's sugar in those items shouldn't surprise you. But you may be surprised to learn that there's sugar in ketchup, canned vegetables, luncheon meats, bacon, fast-food hamburgers, even sushi, says Nancy Appleton, PhD, author of Lick the Sugar Habit and Lick the Sugar Habit Sugar Counter.
Part of the reason for our high intake of sugar is that many foods contain hidden sugars where you'd least expect to find them, Appleton tells WebMD. And don't be fooled by products that are labeled "low-fat" or "diet," she adds. Many of these are loaded with sugar to make them taste better.
So my efforts to always buy 100% juice (although apparently even that's not great), to avoid desserts, and to cook using primarily fresh foods are not as much the products of paranoia (and this awful sluggish/jittery feeling I get from. I had had my doubts, but now they have been pretty much alleviated.
Did I mention that I had delicious hot Italian sausage and spinach and tomato salad for dinner tonight, with a multi-grain European roll? Mmmm.
Anyway, results of that curiosity aside, today I did some errands I've been needing to do, but nothing especially exciting. I got school supplies, paid some people who needed paying, sent a couple other things, and looked into finding a bank that actually has local branches. I also did laundry and a bit of grocery shopping. Tomorrow I think I might go to a state park and wander around. That sounds like a nice thing to do.
***
EDIT:
Here's some more stuff from a Dr. Donald Roth, with some examples first...
Complex Carbs:
Legumes, such as lentils, peas and beans. Vegetables, such as beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, corn, lettuce, peppers, potatoes. Grains, nuts and seeds, including whole-grain bread, pasta, cereal and flour.
Refined Carbs:
Most unsweetened, but refined (non-whole-grain) cereal, bread, granola, pasta, general baked goods.
Simple Carbs:
Candy, honey, pop, donuts, sweetened cereal, cakes, sweet fruit, fruit juice, white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup, molasses, sucrose, glucose, fructose, dextrose, and other "...ose" variations.
Health Effects of Simple, Refined & Complex Sugar / Carbs:
Medical problems developing as a result of consuming refined or complex carbohydrates are generally of a digestive nature, such as longer transit time (refined carbs), or abdominal bloating (complex carbs), or they adversely affect mineral uptake and balance (iron, calcium, zinc...). With the exception of dental caries that can be linked to the consumption of various types of carbs, medical problems resulting from ingesting simple carbs (sugar, honey, molasses, syrup, candy, pop, cakes, any sweet / overripe fruit...) are much more significant:
• In contrast to complex carbs, simple carbs require more resources of specific nutrients such as biotin, Vitamin C, manganese and chromium.
• Manganese is unaffected by complex carb intake, but simple carbs lower manganese levels in those with hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) tendencies, and they raise manganese levels in individuals with an inclination for hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).
• Simple carbs (including fructose from fruit) promote the formation of VLDL triglycerides, while refined or complex carbs don't, so in contrast to complex carbs, simple carbs raise the risk for cardiovascular disease.
• Simple carbs decrease omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) and germanium levels (which have blood thinning properties), and complex carbs support or enhance both.
• Unlike simple carbs, complex carbs are fiber-rich, which:
- improves digestive health and transit time,
- may result in lower absorption / bioavailability of specific minerals, particularly calcium, iron, zinc...
- slows glycogen conversion, which better stabilizes blood sugar.
• Unlike complex carbs, simple carbs (sweets) can cause pain when in contact with exposed dental roots.
• Simple carbs can promote osteoporosis in trabecular bone through the chromium / parathyroid mechanism, while complex carbs can promote osteoporosis in cortical bone through a calcium-lowering effect, which they have in common with high protein / phosphate sources.
• Simple carbs - unlike complex carbs - trigger more medical symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, depression, drowsiness, skin eruptions, mucus / throat discomfort, or sugar withdrawal symptoms.
• Simple carbs - unlike complex carbs - can be a causative, or contributing factor with mood disorders, and - particularly with children - behavioral problems. (see also Acu-Cell Disorders "ADD / ADHD" and Acu-Cell "Chocolate").
• According to some research, simple carbs - unlike complex carbs - promote free radicals.
• Simple carbs - unlike complex carbs - effect an opposing change in hyper / hypoglycemics, resulting in a higher sodium / potassium ratio with hyperglycemics, and a higher potassium / sodium ratio with hypoglycemics, which can subsequently lead to an increase in blood pressure with the former, and a decrease in blood pressure with the latter.
• In contrast to complex carbs, ingesting simple carbs reduces the WBC's ability to destroy bacteria (phagocytosis). In sugar-intolerant types, this can lead to increased pus formation, and in patients with leukemia to an increased WBC count. There is also an inhibiting effect on the immune system by the formation of AGE's (advanced glycosylation end product).
***
And more! This time from a Dr. Nancy Appleton, with references, thank goodness. References always make me feel better about the information I'm getting.
76 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health
Contributed by Nancy Appleton, Ph.D
Author of the book Lick The Sugar Habit
In addition to throwing off the body's homeostasis, excess sugar may result in a number of other significant consequences. The following is a listing of some of sugar's metabolic consequences from a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications.
1. Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defenses against infectious disease.1,2
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body: causes chromium and copper deficiencies and interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium. 3,4,5,6
3. Sugar can cause can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline, hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.7,8
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol and a decrease in good cholesterol.9,10,11,12
5. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function.13
6. Sugar feeds cancer cells and has been connected with the development of cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, biliary tract, lung, gallbladder and stomach.14,15,16,17,18,19,20
7. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose and can cause reactive hypoglycemia.21,22
8. Sugar can weaken eyesight.23
9. Sugar can cause many problems with the gastrointestinal tract including: an acidic digestive tract, indigestion, malabsorption in patients with functional bowel disease, increased risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.24,25,26,27,28
10. Sugar can cause premature aging.29
11. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.30
12. Sugar can cause your saliva to become acidic, tooth decay, and periodontal disease.31,32,33
13. Sugar contributes to obesity.34
14. Sugar can cause autoimmune diseases such as: arthritis, asthma, multiple sclerosis.35,36,37
15. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections)38
16. Sugar can cause gallstones.39
17. Sugar can cause appendicitis.40
18. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.41
19. Sugar can cause varicose veins.42
20. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.43
21. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.44
22. Sugar can cause a decrease in your insulin sensitivity thereby causing an abnormally high insulin levels and eventually diabetes.45,46,47
23. Sugar can lower your Vitamin E levels.48
24. Sugar can increase your systolic blood pressure.49
25. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.50
26. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar molecules attaching to and thereby damaging proteins in the body).51
27. Sugar can interfere with your absorption of protein.52
28. Sugar causes food allergies.53
29. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.54
30. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.55
31. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.56,57
32. Sugar can impair the structure of your DNA.58
33. Sugar can change the structure of protein and cause a permanent alteration of the way the proteins act in your body.59,60
34. Sugar can make your skin age by changing the structure of collagen.61
35. Sugar can cause cataracts and nearsightedness.62,63
36. Sugar can cause emphysema.64
37. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in your body.65
38. Sugar lowers the ability of enzymes to function.66
39. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson’s disease.67
40. Sugar can increase the size of your liver by making your liver cells divide and it can increase the amount of liver fat.68,69
41. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney such as the formation of kidney stones.70,71
42. Sugar can damage your pancreas.72
43. Sugar can increase your body's fluid retention.73
44. Sugar is enemy #1 of your bowel movement.74
45. Sugar can compromise the lining of your capillaries.75
46. Sugar can make your tendons more brittle.76
47. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.77
48. Sugar can reduce the learning capacity, adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders.78,79
49. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves which can alter your mind’s ability to think clearly.80
50. Sugar can cause depression.81
51. Sugar can increase your risk of gout.82
52. Sugar can increase your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.83
53. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalances such as: increasing estrogen in men, exacerbating PMS, and decreasing growth hormone.84,85,86,87
54. Sugar can lead to dizziness.88
55. Diets high in sugar will increase free radicals and oxidative stress.89
56. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.90
57. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration and is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.91,92
58. Sugar is an addictive substance.93
59. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.94
60. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.95
61. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.96
62. Your body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.97
63. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.98
64. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).99
65. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.100
66. Sugar can slow down the ability of your adrenal glands to function.101
67. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.102
68. I.V.s (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to your brain.103
69. Sugar increases your risk of polio.104
70. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.105
71. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.106
72. In intensive care units: Limiting sugar saves lives.107
73. Sugar may induce cell death.108
74. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44 percent drop in antisocial behavior.109
75. Sugar dehydrates newborns.110
76. Sugar can cause gum disease.111
References
1. Sanchez, A., et al. Role of Sugars in Human Neutrophilic Phagocytosis, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Nov 1973;261:1180_1184. Bernstein, J., al. Depression of Lymphocyte Transformation Following Oral Glucose Ingestion. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.1997;30:613
2. Ringsdorf, W., Cheraskin, E. and Ramsay R. Sucrose, Neutrophilic Phagocytosis and Resistance to Disease, Dental Survey. 1976;52(12):46_48.
3. Couzy, F., et al. "Nutritional Implications of the Interaction Minerals," Progressive Food and Nutrition Science 17;1933:65-87
4. Kozlovsky, A., et al. Effects of Diets High in Simple Sugars on Urinary Chromium Losses. Metabolism. June 1986;35:515_518.
5. Fields, M.., et al. Effect of Copper Deficiency on Metabolism and Mortality in Rats Fed Sucrose or Starch Diets, Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1983;113:1335_1345.
6. Lemann, J. Evidence that Glucose Ingestion Inhibits Net Renal Tubular Reabsorption of Calcium and Magnesium. Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1976 ;70:236_245.
7. Goldman, J., et al. Behavioral Effects of Sucrose on Preschool Children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.1986;14(4):565_577.
8. Jones, T. W., et al. Enhanced Adrenomedullary Response and Increased Susceptibility to Neuroglygopenia: Mechanisms Underlying the Adverse Effect of Sugar Ingestion in Children. Journal of Pediatrics. Feb 1995;126:171-7.
9. Scanto, S. and Yudkin, J. The Effect of Dietary Sucrose on Blood Lipids, Serum Insulin, Platelet Adhesiveness and Body Weight in Human Volunteers, Postgraduate Medicine Journal. 1969;45:602_607.
10. Albrink, M. and Ullrich I. H. Interaction of Dietary Sucrose and Fiber on Serum Lipids in Healthy Young Men Fed High Carbohydrate Diets. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1986;43:419-428. Pamplona, R., et al. Mechanisms of Glycation in Atherogenesis. Med Hypotheses. Mar 1993;40(3):174-81.
11. Reiser, S. Effects of Dietary Sugars on Metabolic Risk Factors Associated with Heart Disease. Nutritional Health. 1985;203_216.
12. Lewis, G. F. and Steiner, G. Acute Effects of Insulin in the Control of Vldl Production in Humans. Implications for The insulin-resistant State. Diabetes Care. 1996 Apr;19(4):390-3 R. Pamplona, M. .J., et al. Mechanisms of Glycation in Atherogenesis. Medical Hypotheses. 1990;40:174-181.
13. Cerami, A., Vlassara, H., and Brownlee, M. "Glucose and Aging." Scientific American. May 1987:90. Lee, A. T. and Cerami, A. The Role of Glycation in Aging. Annals of the New York Academy of Science; 663:63-67.
14. Takahashi, E., Tohoku University School of Medicine, Wholistic Health Digest. October 1982:41:00
15. Quillin, Patrick, Cancer’s Sweet Tooth, Nutrition Science News. Ap 2000 Rothkopf, M.. Nutrition. July/Aug 1990;6(4).
16. Michaud, D. Dietary Sugar, Glycemic Load, and Pancreatic Cancer Risk in a Prospective Study. J Natl Cancer Inst. Sep 4, 2002 ;94(17):1293-300.
17. Moerman, C. J., et al. Dietary Sugar Intake in the Etiology of Biliary Tract Cancer. International Journal of Epidemiology. Ap 1993.2(2):207-214.
18. The Edell Health Letter. Sept 1991;7:1.
19. De Stefani, E."Dietary Sugar and Lung Cancer: a Case control Study in Uruguay." Nutrition and Cancer. 1998;31(2):132_7.
20. Cornee, J., et al. A Case-control Study of Gastric Cancer and Nutritional Factors in Marseille, France. European Journal of Epidemiology 11 (1995):55-65.
21. Kelsay, J., et al. Diets High in Glucose or Sucrose and Young Women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1974;27:926_936. Thomas, B. J., et al. Relation of Habitual Diet to Fasting Plasma Insulin Concentration and the Insulin Response to Oral Glucose, Human Nutrition Clinical Nutrition. 1983; 36C(1):49_51.
22. Dufty, William. Sugar Blues. (New York:Warner Books, 1975).
23. Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica. Mar 2002;48;25. Taub, H. Ed. Sugar Weakens Eyesight, VM NEWSLETTER;May 1986:06:00
24. Dufty.
25. Yudkin, J. Sweet and Dangerous.(New York:Bantam Books,1974) 129
26. Cornee, J., et al. A Case-control Study of Gastric Cancer and Nutritional Factors in Marseille, France, European Journal of Epidemiology. 1995;11
27. Persson P. G., Ahlbom, A., and Hellers, G. Epidemiology. 1992;3:47-52.
28. Jones, T. W., et al. Enhanced Adrenomedullary Response and Increased Susceptibility to Neuroglygopenia: Mechanisms Underlying the Adverse Effect of Sugar Ingestion in Children. Journal of Pediatrics. Feb 1995;126:171-7.
29. Lee, A. T.and Cerami A. The Role of Glycation in Aging. Annals of the New York Academy of Science.1992;663:63-70.
30. Abrahamson, E. and Peget, A. Body, Mind and Sugar. (New York: Avon, 1977.}
31. Glinsmann, W., Irausquin, H., and Youngmee, K. Evaluation of Health Aspects of Sugar Contained in Carbohydrate Sweeteners. F. D. A. Report of Sugars Task Force. 1986:39:00 Makinen K.K.,et al. A Descriptive Report of the Effects of a 16_month Xylitol Chewing_gum Programme Subsequent to a 40_month Sucrose Gum Programme. Caries Research. 1998; 32(2)107_12.
32. Glinsmann, W., Irausquin, H., and K. Youngmee. Evaluation of Health Aspects of Sugar Contained in Carbohydrate Sweeteners. F. D. A. Report of Sugars Task Force.1986;39:36_38.
33. Appleton, N. New York: Healthy Bones. Avery Penguin Putnam:1989.
34. Keen, H., et al. Nutrient Intake, Adiposity, and Diabetes. British Medical Journal. 1989; 1:00 655_658
35. Darlington, L., Ramsey, N. W. and Mansfield, J. R. Placebo Controlled, Blind Study of Dietary Manipulation Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lancet. Feb 1986;8475(1):236_238.
36. Powers, L. Sensitivity: You React to What You Eat. Los Angeles Times. (Feb. 12, 1985). Cheng, J., et al. Preliminary Clinical Study on the Correlation Between Allergic Rhinitis and Food Factors. Lin Chuang Er Bi Yan Hou Ke Za Zhi Aug 2002;16(8):393-396.
37. Erlander, S. The Cause and Cure of Multiple Sclerosis, The Disease to End Disease." Mar 3, 1979;1(3):59_63.
38. Crook, W. J. The Yeast Connection. (TN:Professional Books, 1984).
39. Heaton, K. The Sweet Road to Gallstones. British Medical Journal. Apr 14, 1984; 288:00:00 1103_1104. Misciagna, G., et al. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1999;69:120-126.
40. Cleave, T. The Saccharine Disease. (New Canaan, CT: Keats Publishing, 1974).
41. Ibid.
42. Cleave, T. and Campbell, G. (Bristol, England:Diabetes, Coronary Thrombosis and the Saccharine Disease: John Wright and Sons, 1960).
43. Behall, K. Influ ence of Estrogen Content of Oral Contraceptives and Consumption of Sucrose on Blood Parameters. Disease Abstracts International. 1982;431437.
44. Tjäderhane, L. and Larmas, M. A High Sucrose Diet Decreases the Mechanical Strength of Bones in Growing Rats. Journal of Nutrition. 1998:128:1807_1810.
45. Beck, Nielsen H., Pedersen O., and Schwartz S. Effects of Diet on the Cellular Insulin Binding and the Insulin Sensitivity in Young Healthy Subjects. Diabetes. 1978;15:289_296 .
46. Sucrose Induces Diabetes in Cat. Federal Protocol. 1974;6(97). diabetes
47. Reiser, S., et al. Effects of Sugars on Indices on Glucose Tolerance in Humans. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1986;43:151-159.
48. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Aug 2000
49. Hodges, R., and Rebello, T. Carbohydrates and Blood Pressure. Annals of Internal Medicine. 1983:98:838_841.
50. Behar, D., et al. Sugar Challenge Testing with Children Considered Behaviorally Sugar Reactive. Nutritional Behavior. 1984;1:277_288.
51. Furth, A. and Harding, J. Why Sugar Is Bad For You. New Scientist. Sep 23, 1989;44.
52. Simmons, J. Is The Sand of Time Sugar? LONGEVITY. June 1990:00:00 49_53.
53. Appleton, N. New York: LICK THE SUGAR HABIT. Avery Penguin Putnam:1988. allergies
54. Cleave, T. The Saccharine Disease: (New Canaan Ct: Keats Publishing, Inc., 1974).131.
55. Ibid. 132
56. Pamplona, R., et al. Mechanisms of Glycation in Atherogenesis. Medical Hypotheses . 1990:00:00 174_181.
57. Vaccaro O., Ruth, K. J. and Stamler J. Relationship of Postload Plasma Glucose to Mortality with 19 yr Follow up. Diabetes Care. Oct 15,1992;10:328_334. Tominaga, M., et al, Impaired Glucose Tolerance Is a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease, but Not Fasting Glucose. Diabetes Care. 1999:2(6):920-924.
58. Lee, A. T. and Cerami, A. Modifications of Proteins and Nucleic Acids by Reducing Sugars: Possible Role in Aging. Handbook of the Biology of Aging. (New York: Academic Press, 1990.).
59. Monnier, V. M. Nonenzymatic Glycosylation, the Maillard Reaction and the Aging Process. Journal of Gerontology 1990:45(4):105_110.
60. Cerami, A., Vlassara, H., and Brownlee, M. Glucose and Aging. Scientific American. May 1987:00:00 90
61. Dyer, D. G., et al. Accumulation of Maillard Reaction Products in Skin Collagen in Diabetes and Aging. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 1993:93(6):421_22.
62. Veromann, S.et al."Dietary Sugar and Salt Represent Real Risk Factors for Cataract Development." Ophthalmologica. 2003 Jul-Aug;217(4):302-307.
63. Goulart, F. S. Are You Sugar Smart? American Fitness. March_April 1991:00:00 34_38. Milwakuee, WI
64. Monnier, V. M. Nonenzymatic Glycosylation, the Maillard Reaction and the Aging Process. Journal of Gerontology. 1990:45(4):105_110.
65. Ceriello, A. Oxidative Stress and Glycemic Regulation. Metabolism. Feb 2000;49(2 Suppl 1):27-29.
66. Appleton, Nancy. New York; Lick the Sugar Habit. Avery Penguin Putnam, 1988 enzymes
67. Hellenbrand, W. Diet and Parkinson's Disease. A Possible Role for the Past Intake of Specific Nutrients. Results from a Self-administered Food-frequency Questionnaire in a Case-control Study. Neurology. Sep 1996;47(3):644-650.
68. Goulart, F. S. Are You Sugar Smart? American Fitness. March_April 1991:00:00 34_38.
69. Ibid.
70. Yudkin, J., Kang, S. and Bruckdorfer, K. Effects of High Dietary Sugar. British Journal of Medicine. Nov 22, 1980;1396.
71. Blacklock, N. J., Sucrose and Idiopathic Renal Stone. Nutrition and Health. 1987;5(1-2):9- Curhan, G., et al. Beverage Use and Risk for Kidney Stones in Women. Annals of Internal Medicine. 1998:28:534-340.
72. Goulart, F. S. Are You Sugar Smart? American Fitness. March_April 1991:00:00 34_38. Milwakuee, WI,:
73. Ibid. fluid retention
74. Ibid. bowel movement
75. Ibid. compromise the lining of the capillaries
76. Nash, J. Health Contenders. Essence. Jan 1992; 23:00 79_81.
77. Grand, E. Food Allergies and Migraine.Lancet. 1979:1:955_959.
78. Schauss, A. Diet, Crime and Delinquency. (Berkley Ca; Parker House, 1981.)
79. Molteni, R, et al. A High-fat, Refined Sugar Diet Reduces Hippocampal Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor, Neuronal Plasticity, and Learning. NeuroScience. 2002;112(4):803-814.
80. Christensen, L. The Role of Caffeine and Sugar in Depression. Nutrition Report. Mar 1991;9(3):17-24.
81. Ibid,44
82. Yudkin, J. Sweet and Dangerous.(New York:Bantam Books,1974) 129
83. Frey, J. Is There Sugar in the Alzheimer’s Disease? Annales De Biologie Clinique. 2001; 59 (3):253-257.
84. Yudkin, J. Metabolic Changes Induced by Sugar in Relation to Coronary Heart Disease and Diabetes. Nutrition and Health. 1987;5(1-2):5-8.
85. Yudkin, J and Eisa, O. Dietary Sucrose and Oestradiol Concentration in Young Men. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 1988:32(2):53-55.
86. The Edell Health Letter. Sept 1991;7:1.
87. Gardner, L. and Reiser, S. Effects of Dietary Carbohydrate on Fasting Levels of Human Growth Hormone and Cortisol. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. 1982;169:36_40.
88. Journal of Advanced Medicine. 1994;7(1):51-58.
89. Ceriello, A. Oxidative Stress and Glycemic Regulation. Metabolism. Feb 2000;49(2 Suppl 1):27-29.
90. Postgraduate Medicine.Sept 1969:45:602-07.
91. Lenders, C. M. Gestational Age and Infant Size at Birth Are Associated with Dietary Intake among Pregnant Adolescents. Journal of Nutrition. Jun 1997;1113- 1117
92. Ibid.
93. Sugar, White Flour Withdrawal Produces Chemical Response. The Addiction Letter. Jul 1992:04:00 Colantuoni, C., et al. Evidence That Intermittent, Excessive Sugar Intake Causes Endogenous Opioid Dependence. Obes Res. Jun 2002 ;10(6):478-488. Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Society, Toronto, June 17, 2001 www.mercola.com/2001/jun/30/sugar.htm
94. Ibid.
95. Sunehag, A. L., et al. Gluconeogenesis in Very Low Birth Weight Infants Receiving Total Parenteral Nutrition Diabetes. 1999 ;48 7991_800.
96. Christensen L., et al. Impact of A Dietary Change on Emotional Distress. Journal of Abnormal Psychology.1985;94(4):565_79.
97. Nutrition Health Review. Fall 85 changes sugar into fat faster than fat
98. Ludwig, D. S., et al. High Glycemic Index Foods, Overeating and Obesity. Pediatrics. March 1999;103(3):26-32.
99. Pediatrics Research. 1995;38(4):539-542. Berdonces, J. L. Attention Deficit and Infantile Hyperactivity. Rev Enferm. Jan 2001;4(1)11-4
100. Blacklock, N. J. Sucrose and Idiopathic Renal Stone. Nutrition Health. 1987;5(1 & 2):9-
101. Lechin, F., et al. Effects of an Oral Glucose Load on Plasma Neurotransmitters in Humans. Neurophychobiology. 1992;26(1-2):4-11.
102. Fields, M. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Aug 1998;17(4):317_321.
103. Arieff, A. I. Veterans Administration Medical Center in San Francisco. San Jose Mercury; June 12/86. IVs of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain.
104. Sandler, Benjamin P. Diet Prevents Polio. Milwakuee, WI,:The Lee Foundation for for Nutritional Research, 1951
105. Murphy, Patricia. The Role of Sugar in Epileptic Seizures. Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients. May, 2001 Murphy Is Editor of Epilepsy Wellness Newsletter, 1462 West 5th Ave., Eugene, Oregon 97402
106. Stern, N. & Tuck, M. Pathogenesis of Hypertension in Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes Mellitus, a Fundamental and Clinical Test. 2nd Edition, (PhiladelphiA; A:Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000)943-957.
107. Christansen, D. Critical Care: Sugar Limit Saves Lives. Science News. June 30, 2001; 159:404.
108. Donnini, D. et al. Glucose May Induce Cell Death through a Free Radical-mediated Mechanism.Biochem Biohhys Res Commun. Feb 15, 1996:219(2):412-417.
109. Schoenthaler, S. The Los Angeles Probation Department Diet-Behavior Program: Am Empirical Analysis of Six Institutional Settings. Int J Biosocial Res 5(2):88-89.
110. Gluconeogenesis in Very Low Birth Weight Infants Receiving Total Parenteral Nutrition. Diabetes. 1999 Apr;48(4):791-800.
111. Glinsmann, W., et al. Evaluation of Health Aspects of Sugar Contained in Carbohydrate Sweeteners." FDA Report of Sugars Task Force -1986 39 123 Yudkin, J. and Eisa, O. Dietary Sucrose and Oestradiol Concentration in Young Men. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 1988;32(2):53-5.
posted by Max Greene at 10:44 PM
2 comments
8.11.2005
and verizon said...
let there be internet!
and there was.
two days ahead of schedule, too...ah verizon, you've redeemed yourself.
soo it's good to be back. i've turned down the kohl's job and accepted the tutoring one after a fun little interview on monday. this past weekend alex and lauren and taylor were here, and there were movies and scrabble and sheepshead and good food. today i went grocery shopping with timmy (and trashed him at chess, i should add), then went on a minor odyssey, following a UPS truck to the depot to pick up my DSL modem. i have since been enjoying reading about TO and setting up a fantasy football league (email or comment if interested), among other things.
other than that, life remains the same. i will likely set up a network router, purchase a desk so i don't have to lie on the floor anymore to use the computer, and ship a little package to someone important tomorrow. i think i have a couple other things to do, like watching casino, which we rented this weekend but never watched, doing laundry, and briefing a couple of cases to prep for next week, which will be a hectic mix of job training and school orientation.
speaking of briefing cases and school orientation, i figure i'll weigh in officially on judge roberts and say that i think he's a good supreme court nominee. from what i've read, he hasn't let personal politics interfere with his judicial decision-making, and thus comes across as a pretty middle-of-the-road kind of guy. i guess we'll find out once he gets to the bench, though. in-depth analysis, no? well it seems that's about as much as anyone can muster; most news stories mention the same few facts about j. roberts, trying to interpret them as political leanings: he has written a memo about what he perceives to be faulty decision-making in roe v. wade, he has argued cases on behalf of environmental groups, and he has written (i believe) a dissenting opinion in favor of land developers' interests. what it all seems to come down to is simply that logic and established law are more important to him than personal preferences, which seems a pretty reasonable stance to take, provided he recognizes the capacity of the courts as defenders of minority rights as well (which seems likely given his pedigree). i was approached the other day to sign a petition opposing his nomination, and had i been by myself (and lonely enough to want to engage in potentially contentious conversation with a stranger) might have asked the petitioner on what grounds he based his opposition. fervent antagonism to a man with such a scant judicial record but very decorated academic record seems characteristic of knee-jerk leftism, not careful consideration. one of very few places i'll credit ann coulter is the point in her anti-liberal raving where she accuses the left of uninformed posturing, citing primarily hollywood celebrities as examples--while celebrities don't exactly make up a representative sample of the american left, it does seem to me that there's too much knee-jerking and not enough thought going on on either side.
i would contend that this is at least partly a result of dwindling discourse between sides. a recent op-ed piece in the providence journal, which you would unfortunately have to pay to read fully, would agree with me. the gist of the article is that people have replaced actual dialogue (which tends to result in positions informed both by information and an understanding of opposing positions) with inferences of intellectual superiority--this op-ed writer, chip benson, takes coulter's approach in citing a celebrity as a prime example:
TOM CRUISE: No, you see. Here's the problem. You don't know the history of psychiatry. I do.
...
TOM CRUISE: Matt. Matt, Matt, you don't even-- you're glib. You don't even know what Ritalin is. If you start talking about chemical imbalance, you have to evaluate and read the research papers on how they came up with these theories, Matt, okay. That's what I've done.
note, if you read the whole interview, that cruise fails to provide a single grain of support for his position other than "i know more than you do." one generally has to demonstrate one's knowledge to make a case capable of convincing others.
not dissimilarly, the main fault of coulter's overarching argument (that liberals are mean, stupid people--and no, i'm not exaggerating), which applies throughout her whole book (slander) is a combination of the fallacies of broad generalization and argumentum ad populum--she assumes that all liberals are alike in their ignorance of facts and conservative beliefs, and doesn't bother to support that claim because she assumes her audience will agree with her. such is the state of discourse--plenty of claims, and no actual support--at least among celebrities and political pundits in coulter's vein, but i think the same tendencies seep down into the masses (read: those of us not likely to appear on a talk show any time soon), too. it would pay off for us to approach politics in a more open-minded way...i.e. (to get back to where we started) even pretty staunch liberals (read: me) can approve of the nomination of j. roberts, particularly when many of us (read: me) were expecting a nominee more ideologically aligned with the very ideologically-minded (read: socially conservative) president. i might, however, have to send j. roberts a copy of evan gerstmann's same-sex marriage and the constitution, just as food for thought...and just in case he turns out to be the nominee i was expecting in the first place.
well, that was an unintended little rant. i suppose it's time to lay me down to bed and prepare for the tasks tomorrow holds. i get to mark off another day in my planner, which means it's one closer to the 27th...i wonder how summer will find me upon her return--stressed out and exhausted, or exuberant with ever-increasing knowledge and joy at her return? given my enthusiasm for issues legal these days, and my decline of the kohl's job in favor of tutoring, which i tend to enjoy quite a lot, and, of course, the excitement of the 27th, i'm betting on the latter.
goodnight.
and there was.
two days ahead of schedule, too...ah verizon, you've redeemed yourself.
soo it's good to be back. i've turned down the kohl's job and accepted the tutoring one after a fun little interview on monday. this past weekend alex and lauren and taylor were here, and there were movies and scrabble and sheepshead and good food. today i went grocery shopping with timmy (and trashed him at chess, i should add), then went on a minor odyssey, following a UPS truck to the depot to pick up my DSL modem. i have since been enjoying reading about TO and setting up a fantasy football league (email or comment if interested), among other things.
other than that, life remains the same. i will likely set up a network router, purchase a desk so i don't have to lie on the floor anymore to use the computer, and ship a little package to someone important tomorrow. i think i have a couple other things to do, like watching casino, which we rented this weekend but never watched, doing laundry, and briefing a couple of cases to prep for next week, which will be a hectic mix of job training and school orientation.
speaking of briefing cases and school orientation, i figure i'll weigh in officially on judge roberts and say that i think he's a good supreme court nominee. from what i've read, he hasn't let personal politics interfere with his judicial decision-making, and thus comes across as a pretty middle-of-the-road kind of guy. i guess we'll find out once he gets to the bench, though. in-depth analysis, no? well it seems that's about as much as anyone can muster; most news stories mention the same few facts about j. roberts, trying to interpret them as political leanings: he has written a memo about what he perceives to be faulty decision-making in roe v. wade, he has argued cases on behalf of environmental groups, and he has written (i believe) a dissenting opinion in favor of land developers' interests. what it all seems to come down to is simply that logic and established law are more important to him than personal preferences, which seems a pretty reasonable stance to take, provided he recognizes the capacity of the courts as defenders of minority rights as well (which seems likely given his pedigree). i was approached the other day to sign a petition opposing his nomination, and had i been by myself (and lonely enough to want to engage in potentially contentious conversation with a stranger) might have asked the petitioner on what grounds he based his opposition. fervent antagonism to a man with such a scant judicial record but very decorated academic record seems characteristic of knee-jerk leftism, not careful consideration. one of very few places i'll credit ann coulter is the point in her anti-liberal raving where she accuses the left of uninformed posturing, citing primarily hollywood celebrities as examples--while celebrities don't exactly make up a representative sample of the american left, it does seem to me that there's too much knee-jerking and not enough thought going on on either side.
i would contend that this is at least partly a result of dwindling discourse between sides. a recent op-ed piece in the providence journal, which you would unfortunately have to pay to read fully, would agree with me. the gist of the article is that people have replaced actual dialogue (which tends to result in positions informed both by information and an understanding of opposing positions) with inferences of intellectual superiority--this op-ed writer, chip benson, takes coulter's approach in citing a celebrity as a prime example:
TOM CRUISE: No, you see. Here's the problem. You don't know the history of psychiatry. I do.
...
TOM CRUISE: Matt. Matt, Matt, you don't even-- you're glib. You don't even know what Ritalin is. If you start talking about chemical imbalance, you have to evaluate and read the research papers on how they came up with these theories, Matt, okay. That's what I've done.
note, if you read the whole interview, that cruise fails to provide a single grain of support for his position other than "i know more than you do." one generally has to demonstrate one's knowledge to make a case capable of convincing others.
not dissimilarly, the main fault of coulter's overarching argument (that liberals are mean, stupid people--and no, i'm not exaggerating), which applies throughout her whole book (slander) is a combination of the fallacies of broad generalization and argumentum ad populum--she assumes that all liberals are alike in their ignorance of facts and conservative beliefs, and doesn't bother to support that claim because she assumes her audience will agree with her. such is the state of discourse--plenty of claims, and no actual support--at least among celebrities and political pundits in coulter's vein, but i think the same tendencies seep down into the masses (read: those of us not likely to appear on a talk show any time soon), too. it would pay off for us to approach politics in a more open-minded way...i.e. (to get back to where we started) even pretty staunch liberals (read: me) can approve of the nomination of j. roberts, particularly when many of us (read: me) were expecting a nominee more ideologically aligned with the very ideologically-minded (read: socially conservative) president. i might, however, have to send j. roberts a copy of evan gerstmann's same-sex marriage and the constitution, just as food for thought...and just in case he turns out to be the nominee i was expecting in the first place.
well, that was an unintended little rant. i suppose it's time to lay me down to bed and prepare for the tasks tomorrow holds. i get to mark off another day in my planner, which means it's one closer to the 27th...i wonder how summer will find me upon her return--stressed out and exhausted, or exuberant with ever-increasing knowledge and joy at her return? given my enthusiasm for issues legal these days, and my decline of the kohl's job in favor of tutoring, which i tend to enjoy quite a lot, and, of course, the excitement of the 27th, i'm betting on the latter.
goodnight.
posted by Max Greene at 1:15 AM
3 comments
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