Clipmarks | gingembre's clips

Glucose Shortage In Brain Causes Alzheimer's Disease?

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 08:11:51 GMT

clipped by: valann 47

A slow, chronic starvation of the brain as we age appears to be one of the major triggers of a biochemical process that causes some forms of Alzheimer's disease.

A new study from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine has found when the brain doesn't get enough sugar glucose -- as might occur when cardiovascular disease restricts blood flow in arteries to the brain -- a process is launched that ultimately produces the sticky clumps of protein that appear to be a cause of Alzheimer's.

Robert Vassar, lead author, discovered a key brain protein is altered when the brain has a deficient supply of energy. The altered protein, called elF2alpha, increases the production of an enzyme that, in turn, flips a switch to produce the sticky protein clumps. Vassar worked with human and mice brains in his research.

A team at U Rochester is chasing down what they think is a mechanism by which poor circulation turns on two proteins which block the removal of toxic amyloid beta.

Tags: alzheimers, brain, glucose, aging, health

Look! 70's Rock Musicians and Their Parents' Homes

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 05:27:37 GMT

clipped by: gingembre
clipper's remarks: A bit of nostalgia...

Clip Source: www.apartmenttherapy.com

Look! 70's Rock Musicians and Their Parent's Homes

fascinating series of photos from the archives of LIFE magazine, giving readers a peek inside the homes of the parents/grandparents of some of the most influential musical artists from the 1970's, including the likes of Frank Zappa

Grace Slick with mother Virginia Wing in her mom's home in Palo Alto

David Crosby standing with father Floyd in father's house in Ojai

Donovan and parents in the UK; The Jackson Five in Encino, CA

Eric Clapton with his grandmother Rose in the house he bought her in Surrey

Elton John with his mother Shelia and stepfather Fred Fairebrother in their London apartment

We'd love to see the same sort of series, but with artists from the 80's, 90, 00's-now, and from a variety of genres.

Did Prince grow up with a home with any significant amount of purple in it (like Zappa)?

Tags: nostalgia, music, fashion

Germany's role in managing Peru's jungle forests

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:54:56 GMT

clipped by: gingembre
clipper's remarks: It's good to know that Germany is helping Peru prepare for climate change in the jungle by supporting Peru's new Environment ministry and financing projects for sustainable management of jungle forests. Maybe there is some hope for saving the jungle from loggers bent on exploitation and destruction of these sensitive areas for their own economic gain. And hopefully it is not too little too late.

Clip Source: www.livinginperu.com

Germany to donate two million Euros for sustainable management of forests in Peru

The German government will provide technical guidance on environmental sustainability to Peru’s Ministry of Environment over the next three years, announced the head of the German Cooperation Agency in Peru, Kertin Sieverdingbeck, after signing the agreement in which Germany pledged to donate nearly two million Euros to finance projects for sustainable management of forests in Peru’s central jungle.

During the ceremony, in which the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) provided Peru with one million 932 thousand Euros (over 8 million soles) in order to finance mitigation and adaptation programs for climate change in the jungle, the German official emphasized that her country will actively support the Peruvian Government.

to strengthen the effectiveness of the new Environment ministry in Peru

Tags: environment, sustainability, peru, germany

Why our dogs beg at the table

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:46:34 GMT

clipped by: gingembre
clipper's remarks: Operant conditioning?

"It is a dog’s natural inclination to avoid the leaders of the pack when the leaders are eating. Not doing so in a real pack situation is a good way to get bitten. If your dog sees you as the boss, it will treat you with this same respect.

However, even dogs that normally are respectful can easily be taught to beg at the table. All you have to do is occasionally give them a sample from your plate. Presto. A beggar is born.

The solution? Never feed a dog from the table. It’s a hard behavior to control once started. So don’t start. And don’t let anyone else start, either. It’s really that simple. Start the holidays with well-behaved pets. Keep it that way by not feeding them from the table."

Clip Source: www.coloradoan.com

Let's look at this from the dog's perspective. Let's say you are in a room with a bunch of people. The people are sitting around tables loaded with money, counting and stacking the bills while you watch. You have nothing better to do so you step closer. Then out of the blue, one of the people sitting at the table suddenly turns and hands you a big wad of cash. You are dumfounded.

As you stand there in shock, someone else turns and hands you another big wad of cash. You can't believe it. You find yourself gravitating to the different tables, collecting bundles of cash from several of them. Sometimes, one of the people will yell at you to get lost, but there's always someone else who turns a kind eye your way and tosses you a big bunch of bills.

Does this sound familiar?

It should if you have a dog that begs at the table.

People covet money. Dogs covet food. The principles are the same.

Dogs don’t come into life knowing how to beg at the table. They are taught to do so by people.

Tags: psychology, pets and pet care

How the turtle got its shell

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:01:28 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver

Clip Source: www.cosmosmagazine.com

PARIS: A stunningly intact 220-million-year-old turtle fossil with a shell on its front, but not its back, appears to have settled a long-simmering debate over reptile evolution: how did the turtle get its shell?

In a study published today in the British journal Nature, scientists report the discovery of a missing-link species – Odontochelys semitestacea ('toothed, half-shell turtle') – whose outer shell emerged directly from the ribs and backbone and not from the skin, as some have argued.

The find also suggests that turtles originated in water rather than on land, and pushes back the group's first known appearance on Earth by some 10 million years.

in the absence of hard evidence, scientists have argued since the early 1800s over exactly how this reptilian mobile home came into being.

One school of thought said the shell evolved from skin

The competing theory said that the plastron formed first

followed by an outgrowth and widening of the ribs and backbone to form the hard-shell carapace

Tags: animal life

The Nutty Art of Corlette T Baylock

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 01:20:55 GMT

clipped by: gingembre
clipper's remarks: Pistachio Nut Shell Art I love whimsical (nutty) art like this!

The HGTV site has Corlette's instructions for making a shadow box (nut case) to showcase your own pistachio nut shell art.

Clip Source: www.artonthehalfshell.com

The Nutty Art of Corlette T Baylock

Clip Source: www.artonthehalfshell.com

Clip Source: www.hgtv.com

Corlette T. Baylock

Corlette is one hip Clevelander with a story to tell. But what's almost more interesting than his stories is what he uses to tell them--pistachio nut shells! It all started when he tried to entertain his children while waiting for a doctor's appointment. As the children grew restless, Corlette pulled out a handful of pistachios from his pocket, divied them up, and started drawing faces on the nuts in one child's hand and a body on the child's palm. Although some may have thought Corlette was nuts, the entertaining trick took off and soon he was incorporating pistachios into paintings and drawings. Now, there is no end to Corlette's nutty projects, from men's ties to women's bracelets and decorative bar stools to playful children's shadow boxes.

Tags: art, creative, fun, nuts, whimsy

4 Simple Steps to Start the Exercise Habit

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 01:01:31 GMT

clipped by: gingembre
clipper's remarks: You can use these 4 steps to start any habit.

Regular exercise is one habit that I really need to develop. It's tough getting started.

The 4 steps are:

1. Set one easy, specific measurable goal (with a trigger to remind you)
2. Log it daily
3. Report to others.
4. Add motivation as needed.

Don't just give up. Get moving!

Clip Source: zenhabits.net

4 Simple Steps to Start the Exercise Habit

Here are the 4 simple steps to start the exercise habit (and keep it going). I should note that you can use these 4 steps to start any habit.

Set one easy, specific, measurable goal.

Written: Write this down. Post it up. If you don’t write it down, it’s not important.

Easy: Don’t — DO NOT — set a difficult goal. Set one that is super, super easy. Five minutes of exercise a day. You can do that.

Specific

what activity are you going to do, at what time of day, and where?

Trigger

what will you do right before you exercise?

Measurable

One goal

Stick to this one goal for at least a month

Log it daily.

This is the key habit

date, time, and what you did

Report to others

you have to report your daily workout to other people

Add motivation as needed

The most powerful motivators, in my experience, are logging your habit and public pressure.

don’t just give up

add a new motivation

Rewards, more public pressure, inspiration, whatever it takes

Tags: exercise, fitness, habits

Art on Wheels: The Magnificent Truck Art of Pakistan

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 03:28:24 GMT

clipped by: gingembre
clipper's remarks: Beautiful, ornate artwork moving about the roads of Pakistan.

"Jamal Elias breaks down the motifs for truck art into the following 5 categories:

1. Idealized elements of personal and communal life.
2. Elements of political and national life.
3. Talismans, trinkets, and clothing.
4. Talismans or religious symbols.
5. Obvious religious symbols and images."

"Unlike vanity plates and ‘pimp-my-ride’ style modifications, Pakistani truck art is about cultural history and tradition, storytelling, passion, and sometimes playful one-upsmanship.'

Clip Source: weburbanist.com

The under-appreciated, indigenous Pakistani tradition of truck painting has an extraordinary history, starting in the days of the Raj. As early as the 1920’s, competing transportation companies would hire craftsmen to adorn their buses in the hopes that these moving canvases would attract more passengers. The technique worked so well that pretty soon you couldn’t purchase a ticket without seeing dozens of beautifully painted trucks waiting to take you to your destination. While the art doesn’t serve the same purpose anymore, it is still as prevalent as ever and has become more intricate and developed a deeper cultural significance over time.

[Video]

beautiful moving canvases covered in poetry, folk tales, and ‘…religious, sentimental and emotional worldviews of the individuals employed in the truck industry,’ making it one of the biggest forms of representational art in the country.

every little adornment on the trucks has a special significance

each province has its own distinct style

Tags: pakistan, art, automotive

Barack Obama: The Best TIME Photographs

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:48:56 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.time.com

A commemorative volume tracks the President-elect's path to the White House. TIME Photographer Callie Shell has been with him every step of the way.

Clip Source: www.time.com

Looking Like a Winner

Clip Source: www.time.com

Ready for Showtime

Clip Source: www.time.com

A Mile in His Shoes

Clip Source: www.time.com

The Rock Star

Clip Source: www.time.com

Fueling Up

Clip Source: www.time.com

Competitive Streak

Clip Source: www.time.com

No Time for Rest

Clip Source: www.time.com

The First Couple

Clip Source: www.time.com

There Can Only Be One

Clip Source: www.time.com

The Winner Is

Clip Source: www.time.com

The Turning Point

Clip Source: www.time.com

Meet the Obamas

Clip Source: www.time.com

Man with a Mission

Tags: photography, obama, time

The Human Spirit

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:44:48 GMT

clipped by: gingembre
clipper's remarks: Heartrending resilience of the innocents.

Clip Source: bildungblog.blogspot.com

It's not impossible to extinguish the human spirit.

But it's hard.

Tags: afghanistan, war, children, human nature

Symbols, a reference guide

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:18:12 GMT

clipped by: gingembre
clipper's remarks: Many more symbols at the source, IAC.

Clip Source: independentartistscompany.com

All Seeing Eye

A universal symbol representing spiritual sight, inner vision, higher knowledge, insight into occult mysteries. Look at your $1 bill. EYE in top Triangle of the PYRAMID: Masonic symbol for the all-seeing eye of god - an mystical distortion of the omniscient (all-knowing) Biblical God.

Ankh

An Egyptian cross symbolizing a mythical eternal life, rebirth, and the life-giving power of the sun.

Peace Symbol

Gerald Holtom designed the peace symbol in 1958 for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Triangle

Associated with the number 3. Pointing upwards, it symbolizes fire, male power and counterfeit view of God. To Christians, it often represents the Trinity. Pointing down, it symbolizes water, female sexuality, and homosexuality.

Butterfly

To many pagans, its mythical meaning is linked to the soul (of the deceased) in search of reincarnation. To Christians it represents the transformation that takes place through Christ's redemption.

Tags: symbols

Remember What Will Rogers Said About Congress?

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:06:03 GMT

clipped by: gingembre
clipper's remarks: The timeless wit of Will Rogers applied to Mark Foley's reprehensible actions.

Clip Source: mydungeonspace.com

I had the misfortune of hearing about an interview today with former FL Representative Mark Foley (he of the page scandal fame a couple years back) where he said he wasn't a pedophile because the boys involved weren't "prepubescent." Right. They were 16-year old kids and you were a 50+ year old authority figure that was supposed to watch out for them. Asshat.

In his most dubious "honor," I give you all this (cause the alternative is righteous anger that he has the nerve to stick his head out now, from under his rock)....

Q: What's the difference between the US Congress and the Library of Congress?

A: In the Library of Congress they don't let you lick the pages.

Clip Source: thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com

Mr. Foley, a Republican, broke his silence in an interview with the Associated Press and acknowledged that what he did was “extraordinarily stupid.”

Tags: political humor, child abuse, congress

Petition to Obama: Pardon a Shelter Pooch

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:13:40 GMT

clipped by: gingembre
clipper's remarks: Please support adoption of shelter dogs by petitioning President-Elect Obama to choose one for his daughters.

Clip Source: www.presidential-pooch-pardon.com

Tags: dogs, pets, animal shelters, obama, petition

We Must Never Forget

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:53:06 GMT

clipped by: gingembre
clipper's remarks: Too many egregious Republican party acts to fit in this clip, so be sure to go to the source to read the rest and add to the growing list in the comments.

Here are a few more:

"We must never forget that the Republican party gave us a president whose chief confidant and advisor was a political hit man and professional liar named Karl Rove."

"We must never forget that the Republican party gave us a president who created a gulag in Guantanamo and sanctioned the torture of prisoners."

"We must never forget that the Republican party gave us a president whose inner circle participated in the outing of a CIA agent as political retribution."

"We must never forget that the Republican party gave us a president who commuted the sentence of convicted perjurer (and unconvicted traitor) Scooter Libby."

"We must never forget that the Republican party gave us a president who tried to privatize Social Security."

Clip Source: www.dailykos.com

Today Atrios wrote in his typically pithy and sarcastic style that "We will all agree to forget that the press pretty much fell asleep after Bush was first elected."

I hope that we will never forget it. Indeed, in spite of our natural inclination to let bygones be bygones, to look to the future, etc., we must never forget any of our recent history.

We must never forget that the Republican party put Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court.

We must never forget that the most prominent spokesman for the Republican party for the past 20 years has been Rush Limbaugh.

We must never forget that the Republican party stole the 2000 election.

We must never forget that the Republican party gave us a president who let Dick Cheney choose himself to be vice-president and wield unprecedented and unjustifiable power in that office.

We must never forget that the Republican party gave us a president who joked about not finding WMD in Iraq.

We must never, ever forget.

Tags: politics, usa

The Greying of Canada

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:23:36 GMT

clipped by: gingembre
clipper's remarks: Will there be a national strategy to cope with the massive numbers of aging Canadians or creation of a national home-care program for seniors?

"The older we get, it seems, the longer we want to live – and, indeed, are living. Like almost every other developed country, Canada is greying, big-time, as the population bulge known as baby boomers closes in on senior status, with the first wave turning 65 in 2011. They will live longer than their forebears; not only has Canadian life expectancy doubled in the past century, to 82 for men and 85 for women, but many more of us will live to be 100."

"I tell old people: you have to pay attention to what you like, what gives you pleasure. I love clothes. I love food. I still cut out recipes even though I can't cook any more. I love to read. If you love reading, you've got it for life. I'm grateful to my friends and my children. I know there are grand gardens around the city but I couldn't be happier with my little garden."

Clip Source: www.thestar.com

In Toronto's literary and cultural circles, she is a strong presence – the internationally respected Phyllis Grosskurth, Ph.D., Order of Canada, English professor and author of acclaimed biographies of John Addington Symonds, Havelock Ellis, Melanie Klein and Byron

She

wrote The Secret Ring: Freud's Inner Circle and the Politics of Psychoanalysis

Grosskurth, 83, had a stroke seven years ago

"They say I'll never walk again," she says, calmly — as elegant as ever, sharply defined by her wry humour and inimitable approach to life. She's still got her "eagle eye," loves to gossip, ferret out stories, ask blunt questions.

Did she learn anything useful from her studies of psychoanalysis, anything helpful for this stage of her life?

"Yes, I did." She pauses. "Acceptance. It means I'd love to be young, to be swimming, to be cooking and gardening, but I can't do any of those things any more. There are compensatory things."

Such as?

"Voltaire said, 'Cultivate your garden.' "

VIDEO: Phyllis Grosskurth

Tags: canada, aging, healthcare, seniors

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