Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Science’

Well Worth Repeating

Posted in Education, Environment, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »

We’ve arranged a global civilization in which the most crucial elements — transportation, communications, and all other industries;  agriculture, medicine, education, entertainment, protecting the environment;  and even the key democratic institution of voting, profoundly depend on science and technology.  We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology.  This is a prescription for disaster.  We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.
    —    Carl Sagan
[Yes, I’ve used this quote before.  Somehow, it just feels like an appropriate time to repeat it…   —    kmab]
.
Click here (12 May) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

Read Full Post »

God Is Great!

Posted in Faith, Philosophy, Quotes, Science and Learning, tagged , , , , , , on May 10, 2026| Leave a Comment »

In some respects, science has far surpassed religion in delivering awe.  How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science and concluded, “This is better than we thought!  The Universe is much bigger than our prophets said, grander, more subtle, more elegant.  God must be even greater than we dreamed“?  Instead they say, “No, no, no!  My god is a little god, and I want him to stay that way.“
    —    Carl Sagan
.
Click here (10 May) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

Read Full Post »

A Humble But Worthy Goal

Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, Science and Learning, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on May 8, 2026| 2 Comments »

Modern science has been a voyage into the unknown, with a lesson in humility waiting at every stop.  Many passengers would rather have stayed home.
If we crave some cosmic purpose, then let us find ourselves a worthy goal.
    —    Carl Sagan
.
Click here (8 May) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

Read Full Post »

Searching For Patterns

Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, Science and Learning, tagged , , , , , , , on May 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The search for patterns without critical analysis, and rigid skepticism without a search for patterns, are the antipodes of incomplete science.  The effective pursuit of knowledge requires both functions.
    —    Carl Sagan
.
Click here (2 May) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

Read Full Post »

Programming Not Behavior

Posted in Diets, Health, Philosophy, Quotes, Science and Learning, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 26, 2026| Leave a Comment »

To blame obesity on the obese is the easy answer, but it is the wrong answer.  The current formulation of gluttony and sloth, diet and exercise, while accepted by virtually everyone, is based on faulty premises and myths that have taken hold in the world’s consciousness.  Obesity is not a behavioral aberration, a character flaw, or an error of commission.  When we think about the ravages of obesity, our minds often go first to adults.  But what about kids?  One quarter of U.S. children are now obese;  even infants are tipping the scales!  Once you understand the science, you realize what applies to children also applies to grown-ups.  I know what you’re thinking:  adults are responsible for their own choices and for the food they give their children.  But are they?
…
Obesity and metabolic syndrome overlap, but they are different.  Obesity doesn’t kill.  Metabolic syndrome kills.  Although they travel together, one doesn’t cause the other.  But then, what causes obesity?  And what causes metabolic syndrome?  And what can you do about each?
    —    Dr. Robert Lustig
From his book:  “Fat Chance:  The Hidden Truth About Sugar, Obesity And Disease“
.
Click here (26 March) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

Read Full Post »

“Fat Chance: The Hidden Truth About Sugar, Obesity and Disease” (2012©) — book review

Posted in 2026 Book Review, Book Review, Diets, Disclaimer, General Comments, Health, Juice/Blend Fasting, Politics, Reviews, Science and Learning, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 15, 2026| 2 Comments »

Last night I completed “Fat Chance:  The Hidden Truth About Sugar, Obesity and Disease,” (2012©) written by pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Robert Lustig.  This is a book I’ve been meaning to get to for about three years.  It was given to me by my sister who is a (mostly) vegetarian because I do (did) frequent “swamp juice” diets / fasts.  Like the author, my sister is one of “those” voices warning about sugar and processed foods and has been since long before “ultra‑processed” became a buzzword.  I finally got around to opening it up…
So, what’s the book about?  It’s about the metabolic consequences of modern food, particularly the way fructose, insulin, and leptin interact to create obesity, diabetes, and a host of chronic diseases typically falling under the umbrella of “Metabolic Disease Syndrome“.  Dr. Lustig walks through the biochemistry of how the liver processes sugar, why “calories‑in / calories‑out” is not accurate (a half‑truth at best), and how the food industry (aided by the government) has engineered products that bypass normal satiety signals.  The book mixes biology science, public‑health history, and a fair amount of policy critique.  It’s part biology lesson, part food industry / government regulation indictment, and part call to action.
The book is strongest when Dr. Lustig explains mechanisms — how fructose is metabolized like alcohol, how insulin resistance develops, why leptin signaling breaks down, and why “just eat less” is a near completely useless recommendation for most people.  He’s a clinician, so he’s seen the consequences firsthand in his own practice.  He also does a good job showing how the food industry has used marketing, subsidies, and “bliss point” engineering to push sugar into almost everything.  If you’ve ever wondered why a loaf of bread needs added sugar, Dr. Lustig explains it simply.
Where the book is weaker is in the solutions section.  Dr. Lustig offers general proposals:  reduce sugar consumption, regulate the food industry, improve school lunches, tax sugary beverages, teach people to cook, and so on.  All reasonable.  All theoretically possible.  And all, unfortunately, “wave your hand and make it so” ideas without much discussion of how to get any of it passed into law or implemented in a society that can’t agree on what day it is.  He also doesn’t fully address the economic and political forces that make processed food cheaper and more accessible than whole food.  The science (as explained) appears solid;  the policy roadmap is vague.
Another limitation:  the book is now over a decade old.  Some of the science has advanced, and some (too few) of the policy battles have shifted.  But the core message:  “sugar and processed food are driving metabolic disease” has continued to prove true.  If anything, the situation is worse.  Dr. Lustig was earlier than many, but he has not been shown wrong.
Bottom line:  This book is an easy‑to‑follow explanation of why obesity and metabolic disease are not simply failures of willpower but failures of biology, economics, and public policy.  It’s informative, occasionally infuriating, and very readable.  But it doesn’t offer much in the way of practical procedures or steps for how an individual or a society can realistically fix the problem.  It’s more diagnosis than treatment.  (I understand there is a follow book of appropriate meal menus / recipes.)
Practical advice:  When shopping for food:  Don’t shop while hungry.  Stick to the outside of your supermarket / don’t go up the isles.  If it has an ingredients label, it’s almost certainly (ultra) processed – don’t buy it.  Don’t eat it.  Avoid sugar (fructose) in all forms.  Try to have protein (in some form) with every meal.  Don’t eat four hours before going to bed.  Get lots of sleep.  Drink water or milk;  never drink soda, rarely (if ever) drink juice.  (Eat the fruit;  don’t drink it!)
Final recommendation:  Very high recommendation!  If you’ve lived under a rock for the last twenty years, or if you’ve been getting your nutrition advice from food‑industry marketing, this book will be eye‑opening.  If you’ve already been following the science of insulin resistance, leptin, and processed food, there’s not a lot that’s new here, but Lustig puts it all in one place and explains it clearly.  Its value is in the clarity of the mechanisms and the urgency of the message.  This is one of the best written and most easily readable books on the science of eating disorder and the corresponding cause (processed food) which I’ve ever read.
Final note:  This book was “current” as of 2012.  It probably is not any longer.  The food industry has doubled down on ultra‑processed products, metabolic disease has continued to increase (sky-rocket), and public‑health policy has mostly gone in the opposite direction of Dr. Lustig’s recommendations.  Still, the book remains a solid primer on how we got here — and why getting out won’t be easy.  As with most of today’s intractable problems:  “Follow the money!!“
Full Disclosure:  This review was “drafted” by AI using my prior book reviews as samples of writing style, content and format.  All personal comments, asides and the final recommendation are my own.  I have received no compensation for this review.
.
Click here (15 March) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

Read Full Post »

Far More Compelling And Exciting

Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, Science and Learning, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »

I believe that even a smattering of such findings in modern science and mathematics is far more compelling and exciting than most of the doctrines of pseudoscience, whose practitioners were condemned as early as the fifth century B.C. by the Ionian philosopher Heraclitus as “nightwalkers, magicians, priests of Bacchus, priestesses of the wine-vat, mystery-mongers.”  But science is more intricate and subtle, reveals a much richer universe, and powerfully evokes our sense of wonder.  And it has the additional and important virtue — to whatever extent the word has any meaning — of being true.
    —    Carl Sagan
.
Click here (29 January) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

Read Full Post »

Advancement Requires Tempered Openness

Posted in Education, Faith, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, Science and Learning, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 28, 2026| Leave a Comment »

But our openness to the dazzling possibilities presented by modern science must be tempered by some hard-nosed skepticism.  Many interesting possibilities simply turn out to be wrong.  An openness to new possibilities and a willingness to ask hard questions are both required to advance our knowledge.  And the asking of tough questions has an ancillary benefit:  political and religious life in America, especially in the last decade and a half, has been marked by an excessive public credulity, an unwillingness to ask difficult questions, which has produced a demonstrable impairment in our national health.  Consumer skepticism makes quality products.  This may be why governments and churches and school systems do not exhibit unseemly zeal in encouraging critical thought.  They know they themselves are vulnerable.
    —    Carl Sagan
.
Click here (28 January) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

Read Full Post »

We Are One With The Universe

Posted in Faith, Philosophy, Quotes, Science and Learning, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on January 10, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Every living being is an engine geared to the wheelwork of the universe.  Though seemingly affected only by its immediate surrounding, the sphere of external influence extends to infinite distance.
    –     Nikola Tesla
.
Click here (10 January) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

Read Full Post »

A Task Well Started Is A Task Half Done

Posted in Education, Faith Family and Friends, Family and Friends, General Comments, Philosophy, Quotes, Reading, Science and Learning, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 4, 2026| 2 Comments »

Begin at the beginning, and do not allow yourself to gratify a mere idle curiosity by dipping into the book, here and there.  This would very likely lead to your throwing it aside, with the remark “This is much too hard for me!” and thus losing the chance of adding a very large item to your stock of mental delights.
    —    Lewis Carroll
From:  “Symbolic Logic” (1896)
The above quote was found in the Preface to:  “The Art of Computer Programming, Volume 4B Combinatorial Algorithms, Part 2“
Written by:  Donald E. Knuth
[This book was my wife’s 2025 Christmas present to me.  She said, “Now, you BETTER read this one!”  My reply:  “I’ll have to go back and re-start Volume 1…”  LoL    —    kmab]
.
Click here (4 January) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

Read Full Post »

I Confess…

Posted in Education, Other Blogs, Philosophy, Quotes, Science and Learning, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on December 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »

…  I confess I still cling to the old faith that culture is vastly more important than politics or some pre-professional training in algorithms and software systems.  I’m convinced that consuming culture furnishes your mind with emotional knowledge and wisdom;  it helps you take a richer and more meaningful view of your own experiences;  it helps you understand, at least a bit, the depths of what’s going on in the people right around you…
…
The hard sciences help us understand the natural world.  The social sciences help us measure behavior patterns across populations.  But culture and the liberal arts help us enter the subjective experience of particular people:  how this unique individual felt;  how this other one longed and suffered.  We have the chance to move with them, experience the world, a bit, the way they experience it.
     —     David Brooks
From: “How Art Creates Us”
Appearing in:  The New York Times, January 26, 2024
I found this excerpt at one of the blogs I follow:  Live & Learn
The site is located at:  https://davidkanigan.com/
The specific post address is:  https://davidkanigan.com/2024/01/26/you-are-no-longer-the-same-after-experiencing-art/
[A larger section of the original post appeared on my blog a year ago, but I felt these two “bits” deserved a little more emphasis.      —    kmab]
.
Click here (18 December) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

Read Full Post »

Contemplating The Approaching Mystery

Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, Science and Learning, tagged , , , , , , on November 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »

The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be.  Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us — there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation as if a distant memory, of falling from a height.  We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries.
    —    Carl Sagan
.
Click here (3 November) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

Read Full Post »

Encouraging A Constructive Use Of Criticism

Posted in Education, Leadership, Philosophy, Quotes, Science and Learning, tagged , , , , , , , on October 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Widespread intellectual and moral docility may be convenient for leaders in the short term, but it is suicidal for nations in the long term.  One of the criteria for national leadership should therefore be a talent for understanding, encouraging, and making constructive use of vigorous criticism.
    —    Carl Sagan
.
Click here (7 October) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

Read Full Post »

Like #47:DonTheClown At The United Nations

Posted in Environment, Philosophy, Quotes, Science and Learning, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on October 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Those who are skeptical about carbon dioxide greenhouse warming might profitably note the massive greenhouse effect on Venus.  No one proposes that Venus’s greenhouse effect derives from imprudent Venusians who burned too much coal, drove fuel-inefficient autos, and cut down their forests.  My point is different.  The climatological history of our planetary neighbor, an otherwise Earthlike planet on which the surface became hot enough to melt tin or lead, is worth considering — especially by those who say that the increasing greenhouse effect on Earth will be self-correcting, that we don’t really have to worry about it, or (you can see this in the publications of some groups that call themselves conservative) that the greenhouse effect is a “hoax”.
    —    Carl Sagan
.
Click here (4 October) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

Read Full Post »

The Courage To Explore

Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, Science and Learning, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 2, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Those afraid of the universe as it really is, those who pretend to nonexistent knowledge and envision a Cosmos centered on human beings will prefer the fleeting comforts of superstition. They avoid rather than confront the world. But those with the courage to explore the weave and structure of the Cosmos, even where it differs profoundly from their wishes and prejudices, will penetrate its deepest mysteries.
    —    Carl Sagan
.
Click here (2 October) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started