I cranked out 4 new polaroids last week. Getting ready for Mayfaire By the Lake. This will be my third year in the festival. Each time I have made BIG MONEY. Of course my display is different again. I will post some pictures of the new display. I'm doing a dry run this weekend.

Photoblog To Watch:
What The Heck

This guy has mad skills both seeing and digital production. His images are like(at least to me) a world no longer present. A very unique photographer indeed. Click on his name at the bottom and you will get to see his Portfolio.....

Another week, another travesty with the name Sanjay written all over it. Thank dog for Lulu, who brightened the show up no end.O'Brien: Love the song, and am growing to like Phil more.Timberlite: He'd do much better if he opened his mouth more. [10 word amnesty required: I've never seen anyone try to sing without moving a single facial muscle except a raised eyebrow and a cheesy smirk. The

Darker Matter, the online science magazine, has published Part Two of their "Lost Douglas Adams Interview Tapes".

Part One can be found here.

'Apparently I was a very strange-shaped baby. The nurse carried me down the ward with a towel wrapped round my loins saying "Look, Gandhi" – and the rest of the world has just taken its cue from that ever since.'

Audio

U-Roy - Fisherman Style - Blood and Fire
Mr RAGGAMONICA - Fisherman Melody - Blood and Fire
Dub Spencer and Trance hill - Nitro - Echobeach
Lee Perry - Dreader Locks - Union Square
Burning Spear - Creation Rebel - Soul Jazz
Big Youth - House of Dread Locks - Virgin
Gyptian - Serious Times - XL Recordings
Lucky Jim - You're Lovely to Me - Skint
Devon Sproule - 1340 Cheasapeake St. - The Angel / City Salvage Records
Michael J. Sheehv - Break in the Clouds - Red House records
Camera Obscura - Tears for Affairs - Elefant Records
To Rococo Rot - Mit Dir in Der Gegend (sehr) - Staubgold
Indian Jewelry - Dirty Hands - Monitor Records - mono23
DJ Food & DK - Now listen Again - Ninja tunes / Solid Steel
clatterbox - live in Vienna / Power Surge / Synthetic lifeform / peripheral vision - Z-bop / Touchin/ Bass
The shadow Orchestra - sping 2005 -
Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid - People Be Happy (Audion Remix) - Domino
Mira Calix - Tillsammans - Warp
Fursaxa - Bells of Capistrano - All Tomorrow's Parties
Hauschka - Paddington - Fat Cat
On (Sylian Chauveau / Steven Hess / Pierre-Yves Mace) - Track 2 - Brocoli

I don't know how many of you search for other cool blogs out there in CyberSpace. I try to do it a lot, I have about 35 blogs I check on a daily basis. Photoblogers that use a more alternative process are my favorites. If you know any sites that I should check out please let me know. Anyway, I found one not to long ago, I wrote the lady and told her that her Polaroids are really great and she wrote me back asking me to submit some Polaroids so she could post them for others to see. All in all, just like to give a big thank you to Michael for taking the time to give me some face time on her blog. Please check her blogs out at Insideye

Back in September the Conservative's released their much ballyhooed Clean Air Act. Meant to be the centre piece of their so called green plan, the proposed legislation was immediately panned by the media and opposition parties as a piece of industry friendly rhetoric that does nothing to combat global warming or improve air quality.

Today, that bill was sent back to parliament, drastically rewritten by a special committee to include short-term, mid-term and long-term targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions; a commitment to a system of international emissions carbon trading; and penalties of $20 per ton for any company that exceeds their emissions target. Harper's rented mule has returned as a thoroughbred that will make substantial progress towards reducing greenhouse gases, holding industry accountable and addressing global warming.

The Conservative response? Hint at elections and release a new set of attack ads.

In a clear demonstration of their environmental leadership, next week the Conservatives will be unveiling their latest run of tabloids criticising Liberal leader Stephen Dion. Unfortunately for Harper and his cronies this is a tired ploy. After more than year in office its time for the Conservative's to demonstrate the environmental leadership they have been promising, and stop painting themselves as the policy victims of the previous government. Real leadership would be in passing the revised Clean Air Act that Harper himself sent to the parliamentary committee for revisions.

That committee has put forward a global warming plan that will create real change. And unless the Conservative ads are actually a set of secret announcements that the government will begin cutting greenhouse gases, Harper and company can boast to being no more than a collection of environmental obstructionists who are failing even to do better than the party they have spent 12 months criticising.

Will you be playing the role of pot or kettle Mr. Harper?

A detail of a not yet accepted submission for a comic strip about children and flies.

The BBC has a an article and a short slideshow of the new Gorilla enclosure at London Zoo. Their new home cost about £5.3m to construct.

Gorilla Kingdom consists of a large open island, surrounded by a moat, an indoor "gym" and a back den.

Three western lowland gorillas will live in the enclosure: Bobby, a 23-year-old male; and two females, Zaire, 32, and Effie who is 13.

The £5.3m project means that Bobby can see the sky without bars for the first time since he was captured as a baby.

When I think of pest animals, I envisage tiny blackened tube mice (the Londoners among you will realise to what I am referring), cockroaches, and nasty London two foot long sewer rats. I can stretch the definition of pest to include to the urban fox, but that's pushing it, because foxes are cute. When I think 'pest', I do not think of enormous eyes and nice clean fur:You see alot of possum

Want to make real progress for the environment? Stop crapping on people who are doing something about it.

Over at the Daily Grist is an article titled Keep Your Eyes on the Size: The Impossibility of a green Wal-Mart. After recognizing Wal-Mart's outstanding commitments to greater efficiency - which include a 20% improvement in energy efficiency of all stores, the doubling of the fuel economy of their truck fleet, and the public reporting of their carbon footprint - the article's author, Stacy Mitchell, glibly dismisses the company's efforts because their carbon footprint does not take into account the SUVs that you, the consumer, drive to their stores.

Here's the key issue. Wal-Mart's carbon estimate omits a massive source of CO2 that is inherent to its operations and amounts to more than all of its other greenhouse-gas emissions combined: the CO2 produced by customers driving to its stores.

Let me be perfectly clear. I am not pro "big box" stores. I avoid all of them whenever possible, and I universally boycott Wal-Mart in particular for precisely the reasons Ms. Mitchell points out. However, credit where credit is due. Wal-Mart is making a more substantial commitment to green improvements than virtually any other major corporation, or government for that matter.

The real distraction taking place is the one occurring in the environmental community itself. While green leaders and publications like Grist continue to hunt their demons and dream of lofty ideals, they utterly fail to grasp the fact that long-term change towards sustainability and environmental responsibility is going to occur step-by-step, not by waving a magic wand and wishing for a perfect world.

Big box stores, oil companies and other destructive industries are with us and won't be disappearing anytime over the next several decades. However, with each year that passes they can be transformed, or slowly eliminated, through voluntary actions like Wal-Mart's and through strong government leadership that provides genuinely green rules and incentives. Wal-Mart's commitment to a 20% improvement in energy efficiency is something to be embraced. With that strong beginning taking place, it is now for governments to step in and get the ball rolling faster.

Want to stop Wal-Mart from transporting goods to heartland America from the far corners of the world? Double fuel taxes, cut taxes for local businesses and products, and levy taxes on imported goods. Want to stop the damage caused by consumers commuting to Wal-Mart? Double the fuel efficiency standards for automobiles, invest in urban planning and public transportation, and raise taxes at the gas pump so people won't burn fuel commuting to big box stores built on asphalt covered farmland. People will no longer go to Wal-Mart for 'cheap' products, because it will no longer be cheap to do so.

The responsibility for those changes is the province of government. To change government inaction we, the voters, need to start speaking up to this guy, and this guy, and insist that they stop denying global warming. We need to start talking to our neighbors who elected them in the first place and show them a better alternative, and for the 45% of you who don't bother going to the polls, you need to take a break from voting for the next American Idol and start making your voice heard in favour of the people who will make these changes.

Until that happens, Wal-Mart is making some of the world's biggest improvements towards greener operations. If you're criticizing that, then try planting some trees instead of barking up the wrong one. You'll be doing the environmental movement way more good.

I'm sitting here in my snazzy suite on the 44th floor of the Chicago Marriott, pretending I have a different life. 'Cause this one doesn't seem like mine.

So the deal is, I helped plan this big national conference to be held here in Chicago the last three workdays of March, and I didn't get paid by my professional organization. I get paid now, with perks, I guess. So I'm in my honkin' big suite, looking out over a chilly Chicago as a thick fog rolls in off Lake Michigan. I was supposed to be taking one of my favorite authors, Rick Bragg, to dinner tonight but his flight was delayed, so dinner was also delayed. I head out for late dinner at 8:30.

BUT I was happy to see a "carb conscious" menu here at the hotel. Yay! There are steak & eggs for breakfast. Spinach salads. Shrimp Cocktail. Pan-seared Ahi Tuna with vegetable caponata, and more. Nice touch, Marriott.

Of course, I DID see that french toast on the menu...

More later.

Here's a quick roundup of some Mountain Gorilla links that have caught my eye recently.

Richard Leakey (presenter of the recent Fifth Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture) was interviewed for a National Geographic Podcast about the birth of an endangered Mountain Gorilla. The Gorilla Protection Blog commented on the interview.

The excellent Gorilla Protection Blog again with a post about "What Happens when Poachers Kill Mountain Gorillas?".

Opodo.co.uk with a report that the Ugandan Wildlife Authority has announced plans to bring two more mountain gorilla family groups into Bwindi National Park for eco-tourism purposes.

ThisIsLondon.co.uk with an extensive article about a Alcatraz style island for delinquent gorillas. Lots of great photos.

Will the crate be strong enough? I give it a rattle. Thick welded bars at the front, padlocks, a steel frame and 15 millimetre ply panels. Even Houdini wouldn't have stood a chance.

But Houdini did not weigh a quarter of a tonne, did not possess rippling muscles capable of throwing a grown man several feet into the air - and nor did he have the animal equivalent of an Asbo hanging over him. Even in his weakened state, the crate's inmate, Sid, is growing restless, and this most truculent and traumatised of beasts is capable of causing a lot of trouble.

In addition to this weeks highlights, a quick recap of last week's return to Congress by Al Gore is in order. Visiting Capitol Hill for the first time since overseeing the Senate during Bush's inauguration in 2001, Al Gore completed a celebrity return and made the case before key panels in the US government for sweeping federal action on global warming. His ten key recommendations were:

1. An immediate "carbon freeze" that would cap U.S. CO2 emissions at current levels, followed by a program to generate 90% reductions by 2050.

2. Start a long-term tax shift to reduce payroll taxes and increase taxes on CO2 emissions.

3. Put aside a portion of carbon tax revenues to help low-income people make the transition.

4. Create a strong international treaty by working toward "de facto compliance with Kyoto" and moving up the start date for Kyoto's successor from 2012 to 2010.

5. Implement a moratorium on construction of new coal-fired power plants that are not compatible with carbon capture and sequestration.

6. Create an "ELECTRANET" -- a smart electricity grid that allows individuals and businesses to feed power back in at prevailing market rates.

7. Raise CAFE (auto emissions) standards.

8. Set a date for a ban on incandescent light bulbs.

9. Create "Connie Mae," a carbon-neutral mortgage association, to help defray the upfront costs of energy-efficient building.

10. Have the SEC require disclosure of carbon emissions in corporate reporting, as a relevant "material risk."

Despite wrong doings in 2001 that led to George Bush taking office, the course of history may look back to consider Al Gore's thwarted presidential bid an unlikely moment of good fortune. Free from the shackles of campaign management and the political tight rope, Gore has been able to champion an undiluted and passionate campaign for solving global warming. His uncompromising testimony in Washington further reinforces that commitment, while silencing critics who have dismissed his high profile environmental message as lead in to another run at the presidency.

Maybe one day Gore will run again, but his growing international leadership in this single issue will keep him on the international stage and drive change far more effectively than the special interests of Washington would ever allow.

Let Hillary have the White House. Gore has more important work to do....for now.

Stylized 3D illustration regarding comparison sites for consumer products.

Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, an energy funded climate change denier made famous for saying that global warming is "the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people", was put in his place by the new Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Barbara Boxer, during Al Gore's testimony last week.

After Inhofe attempted to turn the proceedings into a PR spectacle, Ms. Boxer kindly reminded him of what his job is. Film clip below.

A drawing I was commissioned to do by a lawyer with a thriving libido, a kick-ass musical taste and a fat wallet. (Those that fear depictions of the gate to life are advised to just enjoy the warm colours of this work).

Driving to work is a rare occurrence for me at the moment, since I prefer toa) save the $12 parking fee; andb) avoid polluting the world with another car's exhaust fumes and congestion.I have been getting a lift in with Cowboy to start work at 8am, finishing at 3.30pm, walking half an hour to the gym (or on the days I don't go to the gym, filling my time by window-shopping or having a coffee and

The clean energy industry, whose combined revenue jumped 39% last year, is calling on governments to implement three simple steps to ensure the greater use of responsible energy and that the US economy remains strong in the face of the coming low carbon economy. The recommendations are:

• A market-based national policy that will achieve a 60% to 90% long-term decrease of greenhouse gas emissions.

• A realignment of national incentives to stimulate new clean technologies.

• A clarification of company disclosure requirements from the SEC.

There call not only represents responsible policy, but also shows the untapped areas of economic growth available through addressing climate change. Oil companies in both the United States and Canada continue to receive billions of dollars in subsidies to help fuel their bottom line. If the clean energy industry is growing by almost 40% per year without a similar infusion of tax dollars, then there is more than an ethical reason for government to invest in reduced greenhouse gases and clearer skies - it's also business case no-brainer.

Link via DeSmogBlog

words to come.........

Well, the serious packing has commenced, the house-cleaning has begun so the dogsitter doesn't get too grossed out, stress has finally reached the point where it's too overwhelming to even stew over--add to the flying stress and the public speaking stress the newest kink: my elderly mom has fallen and suffered a lumbar fracture and is afraid to stay in Crime City Central alone, so I'll drive her six hours in her back brace and vicodin stupor to stay with a relative before catching my flight to Chicago.

Now, what does all this have to do with diet and weight loss? Uh, can you say "stress eating?" Not to mention "vacation diet?"

Actually, the stress is almost incidental. Always in the past, leaving my home routine for any length of time has meant I'm going from "famine" (diet) to "feast"--pigging out on anything not nailed down in a debauchery of cheesecake and Blue Bell ice cream and anything with caramel in it. In other words, uncontrolled abandon involving foods that I can't have again when I come home and go back to "famine."

I'm going to seriously try not to do that this time. For one thing, I've been trying to accept slower weight loss in exchange for not feeling like I'm in a famine. Now, I can hear it, the voice of my buddy Jimmy Moore in my head. Yes, low carb diets do let you eat more and lose weight faster, but for me personally, I cannot eat with abandon, even consuming no or very low carbs. Sad, sad, sad. But true. But I digress.

I'm trying to shed the "all or nothing" mentality that has sidetracked me so often in the past.

I'm hoping that will allow me to eat out at the dinners and luncheons in Chicago with some degree of self-control. Enough to keep me from feeling sorry for myself watching everyone else eat "normally"; not so much that when I get home I have three months' work wiped out only to have to lose all over again. It took me two months to lose the 10 pounds I gained over my seven-day Christmas trip. Ain't fair, is it?

I'll be posting during the week but will be spotty, so keep checking back!

Audio

Nambo Robinson – First cut – Night & Day
Wackies Rhythm Force – Production rock – Wackies
Pablo Gad – Iration – Sound Village
The Band – All la glory – Capitol
Snow – Bearsville
Frank Stokes – I got mine – Yazoo
Albert Macon & Robert Thomas – Don't nothing hurt me but my back and side – Fat Possum
Dock Boggs – Sugar baby – Yazoo
Gudrun Gut – Move Me – Monika
Maobeat/BMG Las Malas Amistadas – Hay zombies en la playa – Honest Jons
Svarte Greiner – The boat was my friend – Type
Andy Stott – Blocked – Modern love love
Panasonic – Machinist – Blastfirstpetite
John Fahey – Son House – Table of the Elements
Miriam Makeba & The Skylarks - Ndidiwe Zintaba - Rough Guide
Merdeka - Postscript - Dancing Turtles
Toumani Diabate & Ballale Sissoko - Bi Lamban - Rough Guide
The Jesus and the Mary Chain - Can't Stop the Rock - Chemikal Underground Records
Malcolm Middleton - beep beep - Full Time Hobby
Help She Can't Swim - Hospital Drama - Fantastic Plastic
The Low Lows - Elizabeth Pier - Monotreme Records - mono
David a Jaycock - Lost in a Bear pit - Early Winter Recordings
Izdiucz / Thigles2 and Amil Al Chalabi feat. Zohreh Jooya - Hidaz on D - Staubgold
Bracken - Four Thousand style - Anticon records
Fred Anderson & Hamid Drake - Planet E - Thrill Jockey Records

OK! It's time for the final 12. I don't need to explain again: I outed myself here.Let the reviews commence. I had promised to stick to ten words per contestant, and I promise I'll post something more interesting soon to make up for it, but I don't know if I can stick to ten words. Hey, it's a crap shoot, just like the contest. Usually, I'm really bad at recalling contestants' names. However

*yawn* I am tired of looking at Kennesaw Mountain and the surrounding trails. We did the trail to Burnt Hickory and continued until it meets the east trail as you head out to Kolb Farm. ~7 miles of moderately paced hiking on the warmest day of the year.

Probiotics seem to be one of the big buzzes going on in the food industry these days. Some yogurt has them, the new Kashi Vive cereal has them, and the "World's Healthiest Pizza" I'm having for lunch--it's the name of a local company--has them in its crust.

Of course, in the case of yogurt, you also have to do some label reading to make sure you're not taking in a lot of sugar with your probiotics, and since Kashi was bought out by Kellogg's--boo hoo hoo--it's easier to find their products but there's more sugar creeping in, too. (I've tasted Vive, by the way. It tastes kinda like a graham cracker and, yes, it has sugar in it.) Yeast is another probiotic we're all familiar with--that would be live yeast cultures.

So, what are probiotics, and why do I need them?

According to the handy-dandy Physicians Desk Reference, probiotics are microorganisms that can help balance our intestinal microflora. In other words, help our digestive systems run more smoothly.

And it's nothing new. The Bible (Old Testament, no less) makes reference to probiotics. Genesis 18 finds Abraham feedings his guests yogurt. Yogurt appears in several other Old Testament references.

Recent research suggests ingesting dietary probiotics could have anti-cancer properties and reduce systemic inflammation.

Antibiotics are the opposite of probiotics. When you have an infection and take antibiotics, it kills off the good bacteria along with the bad. Probiotics puts it back.

Which makes me wonder. At the risk of sounding too hippy-dippy-chick, could there be a cause-and-effect relationship going on? Could the antibiotic residue we ingest in our meat, poultry and eggs be contributing to the rising rates of chronic inflammation (which in turn is believed to contribute to heart disease, among other things)? If so, perhaps probiotics could tip the scales back in our favor.

Oh well, that's too deep a subject for a Friday morning when I'm stressing out over my upcoming trip, anyway.

I couldn't resist passing along this photo. It's supposed to be a window display at Selfridges department store on Oxford Street in London. The store's website says it's hosting a "Surrealism and the Shop" exhibition at the store through June 24--I don't know if this is part of the exhibit but it's definitely surreal. So if you have a lot of jellybeans lying around that you didn't eat up before starting your low-carb diet...

Usually this space is reserved for idiotic new food products--you know, like Life cereal with "chocolatey" bits or strangely colored, sugar-free Peeps.

But today I want to talk about a new cell phone. Specifically, the sleek and attractively slim Philips 598.

Designed for women, the phone has all the features we modern women like to have at hand 24/7: shopping lists, discount sale organizers, body weight index....

Whaaa??????

Yes, the phone has BMI and basal metabolic rate measurements built in.

I'm envisioning it all now. I've downloaded the old Dave Edmunds song "Girl You Let the Knife and Fork Dig Your Grave" and am using it as my ringtone. As the song's verse intones "...wearing a size 44, you have to turn sideways to get through the door" my new phone flashes my BMI just in case I forgot since my last phone call.

And, I have to wonder, what is the male version of this? Prostate dimensions? Beer gut measurement?

I mean, really. Who thinks of this stuff?

National Geographic with news that Asia's critically endangered Irrawaddy river dolphin may closer to extinction than scientists previously thought.

According to Touch Seang Tana, chair of Cambodia's Commission for Mekong Dolphin Conservation, there are now about 160 dolphins in the upper Mekong River, up from only 90 when the Cambodian government banned the practice of net fishing last year.

But researchers who study the rare dolphin have expressed deep skepticism that such a dramatic turnaround could have occurred.

They said it would be biologically impossible for the dolphins to rebound so quickly, because their gestation period is 11 months and the animals generally only have one offspring every two years.

Read on at National Geographic...

Today a friend of mine referred to me as part of the "hoparazzi" of Atlanta. That was a bit... different. Perhaps it has to do with one of my other domains, hoppyending.com?

I just accidentally stumbled across this video segment on YouTube. As soon as it started playing I spotted the narrator immediately, and eventually realized that the audio was taken from the Last Chance To See audio book. The short film was made by YouTube user m3ttt.

Wheresgeorge.com is an interesting concept. Users type in information on the particular dollar bill (or any bill really) they have, and as they do, Wheresgeorge.com keeps track of it. Eventually a database of travel is logged for that particular bill, and you can see where it's been. Interesting waste of time. :-)read more | digg story

Isabella Brant was the wife of Peter Paul Rubens,a famous painter from the classical era. Isabella died at the age of 35. After her death, Rubens married Hélène Fourmet a relative of Isabella, Fourment was only 16 years old.......

First and foremost, my apologies to readers for this late posting on the Canadian federal budget. The Conscious Earth has spent the last week flu ridden and away from the terminal.

On Monday, the Conservatives handed down the 2007 federal budget. To little surprise, the Tory platform continued to side step the issue of climate change despite the increasingly urgent calls of the world community, environmentalists, scientists, economists and Canadians.

The Green Budget Coalition, a representative group of 20 top environmental organizations, also panned the Conservative's lack of climate change commitment. They did however, highlight the following positive announcements for the environment:

• $110 million for more effective protection of species at risk
• $10 million for protected areas in the Northwest Territories
• $225 million for conserving ecologically sensitive private lands
• The creation of nine new marine protected areas
• $300 million for administering the Canadian Environmental Protection Act
  

Also of note is that the Conservatives announced an end to federal subsidies in the tar sands (but not until 2015), and they are encouraging fuel-efficient vehicles by charging a carbon tax on new gas-guzzling automobiles and providing a rebate on highly efficient cars. Good steps, but meanwhile they're strategy on global warming still hinges on intensity based targets that allow industry greenhouse gas emissions to continue to rise into the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Harper and company continue to ignore the ongoing threat of global warming, and the fact that it is this single issue that is gavlanizing public attention and a rising environmental awareness among Canadians.

A stronger proposal came before the weekend from Liberal Leader Stephane Dion. Dion proposes hard caps on greenhouse gases and fines for all sectors of Canadian industry in a plan custom tailored to bring Canadian greenhouse gas emissions down to responsible levels. Most importantly, it highlighted what are in fact the small costs associated with doing this - just a $1/barrel cost increase for the oil sands in particular. In a market that sees oil prices range between the $50 - $70, this is no cost to pay for protecting the Earth's climate.

That is a message voters need to remember come next election.

Today's total gut-busting wonderment is two-fold.Firstly, I squatted a new personal best: 35kgs for 3 sets of 7.Secondly, I chose to offset the merits of the aforementioned achievement by partaking of Chinese take-away. I don't know why, I was just into the idea of food that I haven't had to cook myself. After last weekend's rice-burning pan-blackening incident, my confidence in the kitchen has

to tired to think of words... hope everyone is having a good week.

Cindy's comment on the last post (thanks, Cindy!) was so on target for me. I hate hate hate speaking in front of a group. I'd rather have teeth pulled. I'd rather have teeth pulled without anesthesia. I'd rather re-enact Dustin Hoffman's dental scene from "Marathon Man." I'd rather...well, you get the idea.

The only thing keeping me from freaking out about the public speaking on my upcoming trip is my dread of the airplane flight to Chicago. As soon as that plane lands, baby, I'm all over that nervous breakdown.

Seriously, though, it made me start thinking about why-oh-why I keep accepting "invitations" to do things like this speaking engagement/conference planning thing. It always sounds like fun at the time but, even when I accept, I know it's going to be sheer misery when the time arrives.

Could it be I have a problem saying no? Well, yes.

I recognize this problem in myself. I guess I am pathetically anxious to please. People might not like me if I say no. Is it because, as someone with a lifelong weight problem, I always felt I had to try harder and be more accommodating in order to be accepted? Or am I just a weak-willed wuss?

Probably a little of both. And some of that leftover Puritanical "I should do things that are good for me even if they're unpleasant" karma. I'm a lot better at saying no than I used to be, believe it or not. By the time I'm 80 I should have it nailed.

Well, make that singular. That would be ME on a plane, actually. I leave next Monday for a trip to Chicago where I have to do a number of things that really stress me out: Fly, speak in front of a group of 400 peers--several times, fly, help keep a huge four-day event I co-chaired running smoothly, and fly. Did I mention I hate to fly?

It isn't a fear the plane will crash, though I surely hope it doesn't. It's the old fat-person's fear and loathing of squishing into an airplane seat. Should I get the window, where I can press into the side of the plane, or the aisle, where I can hang out in the middle? Will someone be sitting in the center seat and be horrified/angered/obnoxious about having to sit next to someone who's overweight? Will my seatbelt fasten? Will someone complain? Will I have to buy an extra seat?

Granted, I have lost 65 pounds (yea!) since I last flew but, what a nightmare that was. It was a couple of years ago, actually, on a short jaunt from New Orleans to Houston, via Southwest. I got there ridiculously early so I could get the bulkhead seat, but there were continuing passengers that already had them, so I picked a window seat. On the way over I squeezed as close to the window as I could and began reading "The Purpose Driven Life," which my church was doing a study of at the time. A man sat on the aisle seat, and the middle seat was thankfully empty. But then the man struck up a conversation. We chatted a few minutes about the book I was reading, and then he said: "I hope you don't think this is too personal a question to ask, but have you ever considered weight-loss surgery?"

Well, thank you Mr. Complete Stranger. That is WAY too personal a question to ask. But I covered well and told him that, yes, I had considered it but my insurance wouldn't pay for it. So then he told me about his wife, who had had the surgery, and it ended up not being as awkward a conversation as it could have, but still. Sheesh.

Here's a couple of smashing YouTube videos of Kakapo chicks up close and personal. From YouTube user sparkie567389.

The BBC has a very good article on the work of Thomas Hildebrandt and his team, from the Berlin Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research, who are working tirelessly to prevent the Northern White Rhino from going extinct. The article is highlighted on the BBC's Science and Nature pages because the story will feature prominently in tomorrow night's Horizon special on BBC Two. "Horizon: The Elephant's Guide to Sex" airs on Tuesday, 20 March 2007, at 2100 GMT.

Only one northern white rhino baby born has been born in the last six years. Now the Berlin team are working with six captive animals, at the Dvur Kralove Safari Park, 110km (68 miles) north-east of Prague, in the Czech Republic.
[...]
Later this year the team will start to harvest eggs from the northern white rhino in the Czech republic, and if all goes well, create baby northern whites. With so few northern white rhinos remaining they hope to use southern white rhinos as surrogate mothers.

Yesterday I drove to Unicoi State Park, just north of Helen, GA, for a hike on the Appalachian Trail (AT) from Unicoi Gap toward Tray Mountain.

That section of the AT doesn't go through the part of the park we were in. Oops.

A quick carpool 10 miles up the road we found the trail at Unicoi Gap. Up the trail we head. Its 6.2 miles (one way) to Tray Mountain, but we were not planning on going the entire distance. We broke up the team into 2 groups, those who wanted to hike 3 hours and those wanting to hike 4.5 hours. Each team left the same time and was instructed to turn around after half of their time had elapsed (i.e. 1.5 hours out).

I was sweeping — in the back of the pack to make sure everyone was OK — for the longer group, so I started up the trail at the back of the pack with Sandy and her dog Eva. The first climb was from Unicoi Gap to Rocky Mountain, an elevation change of over 1000' in 1.3 miles. This was an unrelenting climb all the way to the top! After stopping and grabbing some pictures I headed down again and met up with the 3 and 4.5 hour groups at Indian Grave Gap where everyone was having a bite to eat. The 4.5 hour group headed off about 10 minutes ahead of me, giving me some great time alone on the trail. It was a beautiful, but cold, day and I was enjoying a little solitary hiking.

And then it happened. Sandy had passed all the members on the shorter hike and decided she better catch up to the rest of us. I have no idea how she did it, but she ran right up behind me. I picked up the pace and we hiked out to just before the trail climbs to Tray Gap. The group had assembled there to take in the view of Tray Mountain and the surrounding area from a beautiful rock outcropping.
After some pictures, we turned back to Indian Grave Gap and started back up to the top of Rocky Mountain...

The legs were willing, the lungs were not. It was a long, hard hike for me and another hiker ,who was also having trouble breathing, as we came up to the ridge a few minutes behind the rest of the pack. Thankfully its downhill all the way back to the cars, I don't think I could have taken on another long, steep trail! By now the ice on the trail had melted, making the descent muddy, so I was happy to get back to the trail head, back to my car and out of my hiking boots.

Overall we hiked ~8.4 miles in a little more than 4 hours.

One question remains: Can someone explain how ice forms like this? I swear it looks like fiberglass fibers strewn on the ground.

Now here's a story for you. The most recent issue of the International Journal of Obesity reports the case of a 59-year-old teetotaler who set off the breathalyzer alarm bells when he attempted to drive a car fitted with an alcohol-detection device. The problem?

He was on a ketogenic diet, and if you've ever done Atkins or other very low-carb diet, you know all about ketosis and keto-breath. Apparently, when your body goes into ketone mode, you release a form of acetone when you exhale. In some people, it can be significant enough to register a "false-positive" on a breath test.

"This 'side effect' of ketogenic diets needs further discussion by authorities when people engaged in safety-sensitive work (e.g. bus drivers and airline pilots) submit to random breath-alcohol tests," the authors conclude.

Pretty funny, eh?

Warning: this will be a long post!

I’m currently reading Fat Land by Greg Critser, and while it’s a less-intriguing read than The Omnivore’s Dilemma, this weekend I came across one of the clearest explanations I’ve seen of the impact of the pervasive (since the 1980s, especially) presence of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) in American foods. Since farm subsidies for corn in the ‘70s made corn cheap and plentiful, and HFCS could be had much cheaper than real sugar, or sucrose, more and more manufacturers began using it.

Critser summarizes the effect:

“For years, food technologists and academics alike knew that, in addition to its properties of sweetness and stability (which made it so useful to convenience food makers) there was something else unique about fructose. Unlike its cousin sucrose, fructose is selectively ‘shunted’ toward the liver; it does not go through some of the critical intermediary breakdown steps that sucrose does. This was interesting, but for years no one knew exactly what it meant. Eventually, cell biologists figured out that fructose was being used in the liver as a building block of triglycerides. This it did by mimicking insulin’s ability to cause the liver to release fatty acids into the bloodstream (as demonstrated by Zammit in Scotland). Bombarded by fatty acids, muscle tissue develops insulin resistance. Whether humans consume enough high fructose corn syrup to activate the effect was something that eluded scientists until the year 2000, when researchers at the University of Toronto in Canada fed a high-fructose diet to Syrian golden hamsters, which have a fat metabolism remarkably similar to that of humans. In weeks, the hamsters developed high triglyceride levels and insulin resistance.”

“Preliminary human studies also indict concentrated fructose. Two years ago, the clinical nutritionist John Bantle at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis fed two dozen healthy volunteers a diet that derived 17 percent of total calories from fructose—the percentage that Bantle believes about 27 million Americans eat regularly (particularly all of those fast-food “heavy users” and drinkers of 32-ounce Cokes). Bantle then measured the volunteers’ blood fats and sugars, and then switched them to a diet sweetened mainly with sucrose. The results were dramatic. The fructose diet produced significantly higher triglycerides in the blood—in men about 32 percent higher—than the sucrose-sweetened diet. The fructose diets also made triglyceride levels peak faster—just after the meal, when such fats can do the most conservative American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published one article that bluntly (and uncharacteristically) concluded that ‘these deleterious changes [by dietary fructose] occur in the absence of any beneficial effect…and these abnormalities…appear to be greater in those individuals already at an increased risk for coronary artery disease.’ ”

“The fructose trouble hardly ends there. Fructose consumption—it now constitutes 9 percent of the average individual’s daily energy intake (and up to 20 percent of the average child’s diet)—has lately prompted science to look at another, more controversial, theory—that fructose consumption itself may have led to increased rates of obesity, not merely through increased calories but through a variety of complex chemical reactions it stimulates in the human body.”

The book goes on to cite a number of studies conducted more recently that show a direct correlation between the rise in HFCS consumption and the rise in average BMI, however flawed that indicator of fitness might be. It also notes that public health workers and nutritionists have been “reluctant’ (understatement!) to single out HFCS since “most of their careers had been made in demonizing dietary fat.”

Now, all of a sudden, the cost of corn—and, as a result, HFCS—has increased dramatically leading Coca-Cola to consider returning to the use of real sugar in their soft drinks instead of HFCS. Could it be the beginning of a shift away from HFCS, and could a return to sucrose as the primary sweetener help tip the scales back in the other direction—figuratively if not literally? Only time will tell, but that’s probably wishful thinking on my part. I really don’t believe I’ll ever be able to actually “have my sugar-sweetened cake and eat it too.”

I, Richard Pearson no longer will let the Machine control my life its time to say goodbye...You served your purpose and now its my turn to be committed to the things that are important in my LIFE. I have wasted valuable time and energy trying to play your game, almost lost friends, family, and a relationship with the Lord. You will not hold my creative abllity in box, you will not make me feel disposable, the abuse is over and the happy face is gone. You will be forgotten, and I will never look back...never look back.......

Cincinnati.com has an article on The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium about Manatees.

At its enclosed Manatee Coast and Discovery Reef exhibit, visitors learn about ocean reef ecosystems, the colorful fish that inhabit them, and the endangered manatee - thought to be the mythical creature of mermaid lore, as spun by old-world mariners.

The zoo's goal is to present the animals in exhibits that best mimic the natural environs in which they live, and warm-water enclosures house the manatees, unicorn tangs and other aquatic creatures on display.
[...]
Since the exhibit opened in 1999, zoo visitors have contributed more than $40,000 to manatee conservation. These donations have supported research and conservation programs for manatees in the United States, Belize, Brazil and Colombia.

Actually, more Scottish, but it's all in the family.

Happy St. Paddy's Day to ye all. Here in New Orleans, of course, we love any excuse for a parade, and today was parade day. In addition to throwing beads from floats (green, of course), float riders hand out...yep...cabbages. Here's a photo from today's parade.

And here's one of my favorite ways to cook it.

Take green or red cabbage, and chop coarsely. Stir fry in olive oil with garlic and chopped onion. Add balsamic vinegar just before serving. Yum!

The clocks went back an hour in NZ last night. Which is serving only to make my hangover take twice as long to dissipate. I'm trying to blog my way through it, so indulge me with this book meme, if you will...It came with instructions. I don't read instructions. "If you want to play along, simply take the list below, paste it into your own blog, put READ next to those you’ve read, WANT TO next

Audio

Massive Music – Find a way (Kode9 remix) – Hyperdub
Thilges – Oudische - Staubgold
Volga – Unknown Russian track!
Municiple – Reflector dub – mp3
OMFO – Orbital hora – Essay Recordings
Omar Souleyman – Jani (2) – Sublime Frequencies
Alexei Barisov & Anton Nikkila – Leon Theremin – N+B Research Digest
D Meteo – Save music – Meteosound
Gudrun – Rock bottom riser – Monika
Milenasong - Love feel you do – Monika
Esse Jain – No mistake– Bada Bing
Ignatz - I was not there – Kraak Records
Reuber – Sudpol – Staubgold staubgold
Cursor Miner - Grimewatch - Combat
Komonasmuk & White Boi (HENCH) - Apocalypse - Combat
James Yorkston - Woozy with cider (KOde 9 Remix) - Domino
Kush Aura - Ending Times - Record label Records
Dephazz - Better world - Phazzdelic
Reggie Steppa - Drum Pan sound
DJ Zinc - recah out (Remix)
Bobby Kray - Bam Bam Sunland Remix -
Thomas Mapfumo - Sweet Maria - Sheer sound
Joi - Praying for you - Realworld
Nightmares on wax - African Pirates (TroubleMan Remix) - Warp -
Lightin' Hopkins - Trouble in MInd - Fuel
The Pogues - Dingle Regatta - Warners

March's edition of the Dian Fossey Field News is now online. Sadly it includes news of the death of Umurava, a silverback from Pablo's Group.

At the end of February, Umurava, one of the subordinate silverbacks of Pablo’s group died, after a series of adventures. Pablo’s group is an enormous group of mountain gorillas that our staff at the Karisoke Research Center track and monitor.
[...]
Recently he had left and re-entered his natal group several times. After his latest separation, however, he was eventually found weakened and near death. Despite emergency efforts to save him, this fascinating silverback died and we now mourn his loss.

And Emmy Award winning CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper has posted a couple of video reports on the threats of gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the despicable trade of baby gorilla trafficking.

And finally...

September 24, 2007 marks the 40th anniversary since the legendary Dr. Dian Fossey set up her groundbreaking work with mountain gorillas in Africa. Escorted by John Fowler who worked with Dian Fossey at the Karisoke Research Center, you will learn more about Dian Fossey first hand, experience the mountain gorillas up close, and celebrate our 40th at Karisoke with field staff.
Sign up for your trip of a lifetime.

Whew--there's been quite some exchange here in the past couple of days that I think pretty much shows the tensions between the low fat camp and the low carb camp. So, just for the record, here is what I believe.

1. Eating dietary fat does not make you fat. Fat in does not equal fat on the body.

2. Eating simple carbs is the same as eating sugar. Sugar, white potatoes, white rice, etc., convert to glucose equally fast (actually, it's been shown that potatoes turn to glucose faster than table sugar).

3. High fructose corn syrup is pervasive and at least partially to blame for much of today's obesity epidemic and related increase in cases of diabetes.

4. Diabetes is caused by diet or, in some cases, medications (prednisone, for example). But the tendency toward diabetes--who develops it, and who doesn't--has a huge genetic factor.

5. Complex carbs, which the body must work harder to break down into glucose, are better for blood-sugar levels than simple carbs. But they still work into glucose more than the nutrient-dense protein and fat.

6. Both low-fat diets and low-carb diets work, using different pathways. But low-carb works faster and offers greater satiety.

7. Calories DO count, but it isn't as simple as calories in-calories out as far as weight loss is concerned. Individual metabolism plays a role, as does the makeup of those calories.

Ok. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Fire away.

Get your mind out of the gutter.
Steph and I watched "Shut Up and Sing", a documentary about the Dixie Chicks, last night. Now I've been listening to their latest album, Taking the Long Way, with a new perspective. Particularly the song So Hard...

I have no idea what this little thing is. It was spongy,and grew near the grass. This is a little marco shot taken in the Hilochee wildlife managment area

At first glance, this new study from Sweden seems pretty ho-hum. Abnormally high blood sugar has a direct correlation to heart disease. That diabetics are prone to heart disease is nothing new, is it?

So, the answer remains: what to do about the precipitous rise in cases of Type 2 Diabetes that are being diagnosed?

Researcher Par Stattin has the answer: eat less dietary fat.

Hoo boy, here we go again.

Okay, let's say I want to control my blood sugar so I don't get diabetes so I don't, in turn, develop heart disease. I follow the advice of my doctor and the medical experts and cut down on my dietary fat. Gee, I sure am hungry. I can't eat more fat; more protein means more fat; so I guess I'll ratchet up my carb intake. Sugar has no fat; potatoes have no fat; rice has no fat. I'll make up those lost calories with carbs.

Oh, wait! My blood sugar is rising anyway! I'm headed toward diabetes! I'm getting heart disease! What am I doing wrong?

It's a vicious circle, and a wheel of death that just keeps turning. Is it any wonder people can't really tell good fats from fat-headedness?

A recent episode of BBC Radio 4's "Excess Baggage" featured an interview with Philip Briggs, a travel writer and tour leader specialising in eastern and southern Africa.

Philip has been travelling in East Africa since 1986 when he went backpacking in Uganda and has been back regularly since. Tourism is an important part of the economy and Uganda’s main tourist attraction is its wildlife.

He talks about the sometimes easy, and sometimes difficult task of tracking Mountain Gorillas through the forest. He is also the author of the soon-to-be-released "Uganda, 5th: The Bradt Travel Guide" travel guidebook.

Another shot from Hilochee.

We all know them--people in our lives who are so sure that calories in vs calories out is all there is to weight loss. If you use up more energy than you take in, you'll lose weight.

Bull puckey.

Can you eat unlimited amounts of calories and not gain weight? No. But it's not just a numbers game. There's the old mystery wheel of metabolism at play.

In the latest issue of New Scientist (sorry, to read the whole story you have to subscribe but I'll do a full review here), is a story about the results from a study by scientists at Sweden's Linkvping University. They set out to replicate author Morgan Spurlock's death-by-McDonald's results in his documentary drama-queenization, "Supersize Me."

Can you tell I wasn't a fan of the Spurlock piece and, in fact, thought he was a serious drama queen with a questionable method?

Anyway, scientist Fredrik Nystrvm put 18 volunteers through a supersize regime, feeding them an estimated 6,600 calories a day on energy-dense fast foods and keeping exercise at a minimum.

If you recall, when Spurlock did a similar McDonald's regimen after a month he had a "sagging libido and soaring cholesterol" to go with his 13% gain in body weight and, he claimed, pending liver damage.

In the Swedish re-enactment, the results were surprisingly different. The volunteers' body changes were all over the map.

The article used nursing student Adde Karimi as one example of the surprising results. At the end of the binge, Karimi did gain about 10 pounds, half of which was muscle. Rather than soaring, his cholesterol was a little bit lower. The maximum amount of weight the volunteers were allowed to gain was 15 percent of their body weight. Some of the volunteers never reached that despite their diet; others gained that much in two weeks, starting from the same beginning weight and eating the same number of calories.

"We're used to being told that if we're overweight, the problem is simply too much food and too little exercise, but Nystrvm has been forced to conclude that it isn't so straightforward," the article says. "Some people are just more susceptible to obesity than others."

Quoting again: "If you're lucky, your body can adapt to cope with an extra cream doughnut or even a blow-out dinner by burning off the excess energy in the form of heat. He suspects many of his volunteers fall into this category because they were all slim on their normal diet and because they often commented on feeling warm all the time while overeating. If Nystrvm is correct, this is what makes his study so unusual and potentially valuable. Most research into obesity is done on people who are already overweight; in other words, those least resistant to calories."

The researchers point out that the ability to store excess energy as fat was an advantage to our ancestors who had to deal with feast or famine.

Nystrvm hopes that by studying the data from this experiment he will be able to identify new approaches to tackling the obesity epidemic. "Because we have such a huge amount of data we should be able to start teasing apart some of the influences that make some people more susceptible to obesity than others," he said.

Now, what does all this mean?

It should give those who are unconvinced yet another reason to look again at the "metabolic advantage" of the low carb or carb-conscious way of eating, for one thing. Probably not much else, realistically.

For me, the "calories in, calories out" mantra is preached to me by people who've never had more than five or 10 pounds to lose. Anyone with an obesity-prone metabolism knows it just isn't that simple.

Okay, I'll admit I was a pretty fierce anti-Greek back in the day, oh about a million years ago, when I was a college coed.

But what do you see when you look at the college girls pictured above? I see a group of pretty girls with their whole lives ahead of them who should be focused on their futures.

What their sorority sisters at the Delta Zeta sorority at DePauw University in Indiana saw was: ick! fat! ugly! geeky! So they threw them out of the sorority after deeming these 23 members as "not committed" and claiming they wanted to improve the sorority's image for recruiting purposes. More than a little fishy since the sorority, which already had declining membership interest, had been characterized in a student survey as "socially awkward." Heaven forbid!

When they compared notes, the 23 ousted sorority members realized everyone who was overweight or of an ethnic background were ousted. All the cute skinny blondes that were popular with the frat boys were kept.

According to the New York Times, "The mass eviction battered the self-esteem of many of the former sorority members, and some withdrew from classes in depression. There have been student protests, outraged letters from alumni and parents, and a faculty petition calling the sorority’s action unethical."

The university president issued a letter of reprimand, and 12 of the sorority members deemed "worthy" quit in protest.

Finally, yesterday -- justice. DePauw kicked the sorority out, severing all ties. The national HQ of Delta Zeta, which has declined to comment on the matter, issued only a statement that "Delta Zeta national leadership is extremely disappointed that after 98 years, university officials have unilaterally closed the chapter."

Grrrrrr.

Proving that politicians are concerned with self interest and not principles, the Bush Administration is opposing a proposed coal mine on the Canadian side of the BC - Montana border, citing potential downstream environmental impacts in the US.

Federal officials chose not to address the inherent hypocrisy of shouting down a coal mine affecting Montana's environment, while endorsing mountain top removal mining that is destroying entire valleys in the Appalachian states.

For those not familiar with the process, mountain top removal is essentially sawing the top off a mountain and dumping the refuse into neighbouring valleys in order to cheaply access coal seems lying underneath - for the apparent purpose of boosting mercury levels in water and and destroying global climate.

The main difference between the case in BC and mountain top removal in the US being that the latter is far more destructive, and more importantly, that the coal companies working in the Appalachians had the had the good sense to contribute to Bush's campaign, whereas the one in BC did not.

Having said that, BC citizens will take whatever help they can get in ensuring environmentally responsible industry at home.

Great Britain is poised to leap into the international lead in addressing global warming in the coming months. The UK's Environment Secretary David Miliband has unveiled a new draft Climate Change Bill that calls for legally binding carbon reduction targets as a prime part of a strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions 60% by 2050.

Unlike the debate on this side of the Atlantic, the proposed legislation is being welcomed by opposition parties, with the major criticism being that it does not go far enough in ensuring government accountability. Miliband's plan calls for an independent panel to set ministers a "carbon budget" every five years. However, opposition parties and environmentalists are calling for yearly reduction targets to ensure success and accountability.

As posted here a couple months back, both timelines are likely extreme. Yearly targets do not allow proper flexibility in the cases of extreme weather events, and could unduly restrict policy, whereas 5 year targets place the deadlines outside of single election terms, and will leave new governments holding the baggage for previous party's mistakes. Targets of two to three years would better serve both aims.

PRLeap.com has news of the launch of a new online Science Fiction magazine "Darker Matter". They are launching with extracts from a 28 year old, never before heard, taped interview with Douglas Adams.

The long lost interview dates back to the days when Douglas Adams was tasting the first fruits of fame – and celebrating by taking out a £20,000 mortgage to buy his first apartment.

The original cassette tapes of the three-hour interview were only rediscovered recently, after gathering dust in the bottom of a cupboard since 1979.

The interview, which is rich in anecdotes and previously unpublished detail about Adams’ early career, is being serialized in three parts, in the first three monthly issues of Darker Matter (www.darkermatter.com).

Full story at PRLeap.com.

After leaving the Heartland Brewery I met up with Chris Prosise, Will Chan — two of the Foundstone founders — and Eric Heitzman, an old coworker for dinner at OG in the East Village. We had a great dinner and then headed down the road to Burp Castle for some beers. Going to places like OG and Burp Castle remind me why I love NYC. Hearing what my coworkers pay for rent reminds me why I will never, ever live there.

It was great seeing some of the old Foundstone gang again. I miss these guys, their intellectual curiosity and just hanging out with them. Foundstone has changed as the old guard has slowly left and new folks come on board. Its not bad... its just different.

Off to waste 3 hours at Newark International Airport while I wait for my flight...

1/2 medium head cauliflower, grated
4 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1-2 tablespoons butter, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium-large nonstick skillet, cook the bacon and onion until they just start to brown. Add the cauliflower; cook and stir until the cauliflower is tender and nicely browned all over. You can add a couple tablespoons of butter during cooking. This will speed up the browning and add nice flavor. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Submitted by Grumblebee

Thanks to all of you who sent in veggie recipes. I've drawn the name of Marcelle Wyzdyx to receive the prize: a new copy of the mammoth book The World's Healthiest Foods. Congrats, Marcelle! Please contact me at waisted@cox.net and let me know how to send the book to you.

The nature of blogs being what they are, if I haven't heard from Marcelle in sevendays, I will draw another name. I'll let you know when the book has been claimed. Thanks for participating, everyone!

Here are the links to your recipes:

Cauliflower Hash Browns
Coleslaw
Coon-Ass Veggies Love this name!
Creamed Spinach
Garlic Green Beans
Grilled Ratatouille
Head-Hunger Soup
Mock Potatoes
Potatoes a la Kanchara
Quick & Easy Veggies
Ratatouille
Roasted Asparagus
Sauteed Asparagus
Sesame Kale
Spinach Koottoo
Spinach Soup With Lentils & Lemon
Squash & Peppers
Windy Swede
Zucchini & Jicama Salad

COON-ASS VEGGIES

A little piece of cajun flavor for you

1 Onion
2 Bell Peppers
2 Stalks Celery
3 Cloves of Garlic
2 Cans of Corn
2 Cans of Red Beans
Rice

Toss the onion, bell pepper and celery in a frying pan with a little olive oil and the garlic. Add black pepper, creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's if you got it), and little crushed red pepper. Saute them till the onions are transparent. Add the corn and the beans and saute for another 10 mins. Serve the veggies over the rice of your choice. Dee-licious. I guar-an-tee (with a nod to Justin Wilson!)

Submitted by Michael

Shredded cabbage, or bagged coleslaw mix (or mix ½ bag coleslaw
mix plus ½ bag broccoli slaw )
½ cup mayonnaise
2-3 Tbsp pickle juice from sugar-free sweet pickles (or use 2-3
Tbsp of vinegar and 1-2 Tbsp Splenda)

Put coleslaw into mixing bowl. In another bowl, combine mayo and pickle juice (or vinegar/Splenda) and stir until combined. Stir "dressing" into coleslaw and chill until ready to eat. For crunchy slaw, stir in chopped walnuts or flaxseeds.

Submitted by renegadediabetic

About 1 lb green beans, fresh or frozen
Extra Virgin Olive Oil to coat bottom of skillet
1 -2 tsp Thyme
1 Garlic clove, pressed
Salt & Pepper to taste
Chicken broth, about 1/8 – 1⁄4 cup

Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add beans, garlic, thyme, salt & pepper.

Saute until beans start to change color.

Add a little chicken broth. Reduce heat to low and let beans simmer until tender. You may need to add more chicken broth before the beans are done.

Submitted by renegadediabetic