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Monday, December 9, 2013

Lost Spanish Fort Revealed

"A team of archeologists discovered
the remains of a long-lost 16th century Spanish garrison in western
North Carolina that predates the earliest English settlements in North
America by decades. Established in 1567, Fort San Juan was just one of
at least six military installations built by the Spanish across the
Appalachian mountain range, stretching from the coast of South Carolina
to eastern Tennessee—and the only one of the forts scientists have
located so far."

"Spanish explorer Juan Pardo established the
fort in 1566. It survived only a year and a half before the neighboring
Mississippian tribe burned the Spanish settlement and killed all but one
of the soldiers."

Note: "Had the fort lasted a little longer and
allowed the soldiers to have stumbled upon the gold laden creeks
nearby, everything south of the Mason-Dixon Line
might have been claimed by Spain. The Spanish crown would have
basically brought all the forces of colonialism down on top of the
Carolina Piedmont."

Discover magazine Jan/Feb .2014

http://www.history.com/news/archaeologists-discover-oldest-colonial-fort-in-u-s-interior

Stigmatizing Female Promiscuity....

"..... enforced MAINLY by women."

"Sex
is coveted by men. Accordingly, women limit access as a way of
maintaining advantage in the negotiation of this resource. Women who
make sex too readily available compromise the power-holding position of
the group, which is why many women are particularly intolerant of women
who are, or seem to be, promiscuous."

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/11/19/science/a-cold-war-fought-by-women.html

http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674955394

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Hungry Brain Syndrome

The brain’s prime directive to eat and
defend against the loss of fat emerged early in evolution, because just
about every creature that ever trotted, crawled, swam, or floated was
beset by the uncertainty of that next meal......

....."hunger,
blood sugar, and weight gained per calorie consumed all ratchet up when
our sleep is disrupted and our circadian rhythms—the 24-hour cycle
responding to light and dark—thrown into disarray. All this is
compounded by stress, which decreases metabolism while increasing the
yen for high-calorie food......."

The hormone Leptin is produced and released by fat cells to signal satiation to inhibit appetite and influence metabolism.

The opposite effect is created by the hormone Ghrelin (anti Leptin).

http://discovermagazine.com/2011/jun/06-new-suspect-in-obesity-epidemic-our-brains#.UqMaj2S9Kc2

"The
findings that ghrelin is produced in mucosal endocrine cells of the
stomach and intestine, and that ghrelin is measurable in the general
circulation indicate its hormonal nature."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/11891007/?i=5&from=/10604470/related

Note:
I believe the production of ghrelin is stimulated also by gut microbes
(especially those that thrive on high glycemic foods whenever these
sources of nutrition are minimized).

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Maintaining Optimal Weight

Staying at an optimal weight range
requires more than counting calories and exercising properly. You need
to, also, tend to your gut flora. Though everyone's microbial ecosystem
is somewhat unique, if you encourage an internal ecosystem that is built
up by your eating sugar, corn fructose, processed foods (even in small
amounts) etcetera, then you will have a hard(er) time controlling you
weight.

My experience:
If I eliminate foods that are sugary
or too easy to digest, then I feel a deep seated hunger in my gut (not
my stomach mind you). This, despite the fact that I keep my belly full
with good nutritious solid low-glycemic foods. This low level feeling of
angst is the microbes that specialize in high-glycemic foods. After
their numbers are reduced, the feeling goes away. Furthermore, my weight
stays the same until their numbers
are reduced -- then, suddenly, pounds shed readily and keep shedding.
That is, unless I make the mistake of eating as much as just one Oreo.


http://samslair.blogspot.com/2011/08/ecosystem-inside-microbiome.html?m=1

http://samslair.blogspot.com/2012/10/ted-technology-entertainment-and-design.html?m=0