My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on February 27, 2023

From a CNNHealth story:

A sugar replacement called erythritol — used to add bulk or sweeten stevia, monk-fruit, and keto reduced-sugar products — has been linked to blood clotting, stroke, heart attack and death, according to a new study.

“The degree of risk was not modest,” said lead author Dr. Stanley Hazen, director of the center for cardiovascular diagnostics and prevention at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute.

People with existing risk factors for heart disease, such as diabetes, were twice as likely to experience a heart attack or stroke if they had the highest levels of erythritol in their blood, according to the study published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine.

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Category: Health, Medical, News | No Comments »
Tags: cardiovascular, cnn, erythritol, Health, heart attack, stroke, sweetener

Posted By RichC on February 26, 2023

This content is restricted.

Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: condo1718, delray beach, ellerie, florida, honda, lamps, odyssey, seaweed

Posted By RichC on February 25, 2023

Jack Hough is a favorite Barron’s Magazine writer and #streetwise podcast host wrote “another” interesting investing article and interview this week:

U.S. stocks have entered the “death zone,” a top Wall Street strategist wrote this past week. I detected a bearish undertone.

The phrase is used by mountaineers to describe heights where humans can’t live for long. Survival is said to depend on speed or supplemental oxygen. I recommend just picking hobbies that don’t have death zones. In fact, I’m cautious on most zones: flood, no-fly, hot, impact, euro. I’ll spend time in my comfort zone, but I prefer my happy place.

To learn more about this high-alpine alert for investors, I reached out to its author, Mike Wilson, chief investment officer at Morgan Stanley. He mentioned Into Thin Air, a 1997 book about an ill-fated Everest expedition. Just as oxygen-starved climbers became confused by what they saw, so have liquidity-soaked investors today, he says. The best evidence for that, according to Wilson, is an exceptionally low “equity risk premium.”

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Category: Audio, Financial, News, Retirement | No Comments »
Tags: article, barrons, investing, jack hough, podcast, stocks, streetwise

Posted By RichC on February 23, 2023

When it comes to big teeth, Little Red Riding Hood’s wolf has nothing on this Megalodon shark tooth find …

… or the one pulled up in a fishing net the other day.

Category: Nature | No Comments »
Tags: dinosaurs, fossils, megalodon, prehistoric, sharks, teeth

Posted By RichC on February 22, 2023

Here is an impressive map of "The Age of the World’s Borders." (right-click and zoom in)

But when were most of the world’s borders formed? By time period they are:

• 1200-1499: 2,405km (0.9%)
• 1500-1699: 5,463km (2.1%)
• 1700-1724: 4,264km (1.6%)
• 1725-1749: 0km (0%)
• 1750-1774: 8,491km (3.3%)
• 1775-1799: 4,350km (1.7%)
• 1800-1824: 9,025km (3.5%)
• 1825-1849: 9,309km (3.6%)
• 1850-1874: 16,416km (6.4%)
• 1875-1899: 60,046km (23.6%)
• 1900-1924: 83,897km (32.9%)
• 1925-1949: 34,752km (13.6%)
• 1950-1974: 13,130km (5.1%)
• 1975-1999: 1,674km (0.6%)
• 2000-today: 1,189km (0.4%)
• Undefined: 2,202km (0.8%)

Therefore, 52.2% of the world’s borders were set during the 20th century and a further 37.1% were set during the 19th century.

Obviously a map like this is going to disputed, but PisseGuri82 has gone to great lengths to explain his methodology …

LINK

Category: History | No Comments »
Tags: borders, map, maps, moverdb.com, reddit, world

Posted By RichC on February 21, 2023

Here’s a small tool that most likely I don’t need, but find myself wanting. It is a small portable 110-120VAC power inverter by Ridgid sold at Home Depot that delivers 175 watts for as long as you have batteries to power it (I have a few that I keep charged). It might me handy to have when you need to charge up a gadget (USB ports) or want to plug in a low wattage standard AC lamp or small tool.

Would love to see it show up on sale or at a lower price to add to my lengthy inventory of cordless Ridgid tools, since it would not be used all the time.

Category: Shopping, Tools | No Comments »
Tags: 18volt, cordless, inverter, power, ridgid, tools

Posted By RichC on February 20, 2023

My youngest granddaughter turns 3 years old today … WOW! Happy Birthday Ellerie. We wish we were spending it with you, but we will be calling you on your way home from Michigan (photo above on Sunday) and celebrating soon for your combined birthday with your sister.

For Music Monday today, I was thinking about “HAPPY” and it triggered a Kenny Chesney beachy song called “Happy Does” from 2020 by Kenny Chesney.

Category: Music, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: birthday, granddaughter, happy does, kenny chesney, music monday, musidmonday, youtube

Posted By RichC on February 19, 2023

Congratulations to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. winning the Daytona 500 in extended lap fashion. Interestingly the experts were for the most part wrong as this was a “single car team” racing against the multi-car race teams … although it again came down to surviving the 200 lap race, avoiding the mayhem  and having just enough fuel to finish the race. Great win.

Results Final Top 5

1. R. Stenhouse Jr. Chevrolet #47
2. J. Logano Ford #22
3. C. Bell Toyota #20
4. C. Buescher Ford #17
5. A. Bowman Chevrolet #48

Category: Automotive, News, Sports | No Comments »
Tags: daytona500, nascar, racing, ricky stenhouse jr

Posted By RichC on February 19, 2023

While at the condo in Florida this past week, Brenda was  searching for a side table and lamp to replace the very ugly and cheap one between the couch and chair (photo right). She found one online that was way overpriced for "particle board or manufactured wood." I’m not a fan and mentioned that it would be much nicer if it were hardwood with the antiqued paint treatment I used on the toothbrushing stools. She agreed and sent me the photo to archive.

(more…)

Category: Archive, Ideas, Woodworking | No Comments »
Tags: condo1718, ideas, lamp, project, stool, woodworking

Posted By RichC on February 18, 2023

Brenda commented that I didn’t link any information on the the large numbers of Portuguese Man O’ Wars earlier this week, so figured I would share a beach photo of a bourgeoning Portuguese Man O’ War spawn that were washing up all over the beach this past week (click above). The interesting colored spot on the shore has me linking and reading a bit more … and finding this “lefthanded vs righthandedness” section intriguing.

For each man o’ war or bluebottle, the float can be oriented towards the left or the right (dimorphism), believed to be an adaptation that prevents the entire population from being washed on shore to die.

The “left-handed” bluebottles sail to the right of the wind, while the “right-handed” bluebottles sail to the left. The wind will always push the two types of bluebottles in different directions, so at most half the population will be pushed towards the coast.

(more…)

Category: Environment, Nature, Photos, Science, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: delray beach, florida, man o war, ocean, portuguese, sea life, vacation