Junk Science, Or, A Clash Of Temperments

Matt Yglesais declares the Paleo Diet to be Nonsense Science, so we are confident that there is some nonsense around.

He takes his cue from Laura Miller of Salon, who in turn is citing "Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live" by Marlene Zuk.

Let me set the stage with Ms. Miller's intro:

Four years ago, biology professor Marlene Zuk was attending a conference on evolution and diseases of modern environments. She sat in on a presentation by Loren Cordain, author of “The Paleo Diet” and a leading guru of the current craze for emulating the lifestyles of our Stone-Age ancestors. Cordain pronounced several foods (bread, rice, potatoes) to be the cause of a fatal condition in people carrying certain genes. Intrigued, Zuk stood up and asked Cordain why this genetic inability to digest so many common foods had persisted. “Surely it would have been selected out of the population,” she suggested.

Cordain, who has a Ph.D in exercise physiology, assured Zuk that human beings had not had time to adapt to foods that only became staples with the advent of agriculture. “It’s only been ten thousand years,” he explained. Zuk’s response: “Plenty of time.” He looked at her blankly, and she repeated: “Plenty of time.” Zuk goes on to write, “we never resolved our disagreement.”

Plenty of time? Matt goes on to provide examples of rapid evolution, which certainly makes a convincing case that evolution can occur rapidly. Of course, that is a far cry from answering the question at hand - has evolution kept pace with human's ability to digest certain modern foods?

I don't know the specific syndrome that led to the dispute between Cordain and Zuk, but let's imagine that it is celiac. Per the NY Times science section, the predisposition to celiac is hereditary, and it surely can be fatal if untreated. That leads me to conclude that, Ms. Zuk's assertion of "plenty of time" notwithstanding, humanity has not yet bred away all of its problems with wheat gluten.

Also on offer is the example of man's adaptation to cow's milk; left unmentioned is that roughly 7,000 years after domesticating cows and goats the majority of people worldwide cannot digest this otherwise excellent food source. That is an example of evolution creeping, not sprinting.

As to how neither Mr. Yglesias nor Ms. Miller happened to think of that fairly obvious example of an evolutionary 'fail' linked to our modern diet, well, I have a theory. Folks of a conservative temperment believe that the accumulated customs and institutions of the past reflect the conclusions of people who may have had excellent, if not immediately discernible, reasons for what they did. Progressives would much rather convene a panel of experts and reinvent a solution to whatever problem is at hand.

On the dietary front, this inclination leads to Mr. Yglesais rubbishing two million years of human eating practices because a scientist told him to ignore it. Of course, years back it led George McGovern to weigh in on the side of Ancel Keys and the other experts who had decided that dietary fat was the crisis facing America. Oops.

MORE: From the Times on gluten sensitivty and gluten intolerance:

As with most nutrition controversies, most everyone agrees on the underlying facts. Wheat entered the human diet only about 10,000 years ago, with the advent of agriculture.

“For the previous 250,000 years, man had evolved without having this very strange protein in his gut,” Dr. Guandalini said. “And as a result, this is a really strange, different protein which the human intestine cannot fully digest. Many people did not adapt to these great environmental changes, so some adverse effects related to gluten ingestion developed around that time.”

The primary proteins in wheat gluten are glutenin and gliadin, and gliadin contains repeating patterns of amino acids that the human digestive system cannot break down.

So 10,000 years later, no one can actually digest gluten. Many of us, however, can pass it through with no apparent ill effects.

This health criteria - it doesn't help, but maybe it doesn't hurt - would not pass muster with the left if the topic were any food additive or GMO.

Comments

[Rob Crawford]

Want to bet Yglesias took a 100-level biology course in college and has not read up on it since?

Want to bet he never took more than a 100-level math class?

Why do we keep treating "journalism" degrees as anything but degrees in "English for the illiterate"?

[Beasts of England]

Is it still Pi day?

[jimmyk]

Not just celiac (roughly 1% of the population), but a possibly much larger percentage of the population is gluten-sensitive, meaning it has adverse effects on their health, or at least seems to.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/04/gluten-free-whether-you-need-it-or-not/

Celiac is described as a genetic mutation, which makes me wonder whether it's a good counter-example to Iglesias's point, whereas gluten-sensitivity, if it's real, seems more pervasive.

[Danube of Thought iPad]

Coolidge said in his will, "Being not unmindful of my son, I leave everything to my wife."

Being not unmindful of this thread, I will devote all my attention to previous and subsequent ones.

[Thomas Collins]

It looks as if nutrition science needs some evolution. As with exercise, one size doesn't fit all. What's sauce for a certain type of goose may be poison to a certain type of gander.

I'll begin to take these studies more seriously when they test different diets against varying genetic structures (or other differing biochemical markers in humans). Of course, by then, I'll probably be in that big gluten field in the sky (or in that boiling polyunsaturated oil vat down below).

[AliceH]

I wonder ... if I read the article, will I learn why Yglesias found this subject worth even two minutes of his time?

[Jack is Back]

Cross thread but its special. The Pope checks out of his hotel:)

[Bruce]

I hate it when this happens, that Typepad (or Blogger, etc.) eats what I just posted, so here is a quick recap of the post that got eaten.

While Europeans and those in the middle east have eaten wheat and dairy products for thousands of years, that is not true for many of the rest of the people on this planet. Wheat did not grow throughout much of Africa, and only made it to S. Africa with the Europeans. And, much of eastern Asia eats/ate rice instead. Dairy is similar - outside of many Caucasions, who raised dairy cows for 8,000 years or so, much of the population of the world did not eat dairy products until very recently. In both cases, evolution has not really had a chance to operate - we are talking low hundreds of years, if that, versus the many thousands suggested.

[James D.]

The only contibution I can make to a tread about the excreable Yglesias and diet is this: he should be fed to starving dogs.

[AliceH]

Well, I read the Yglesia's... thing. Calling it "an article" doesn't seem right. It's a statement, a long quote, a bit of snark, and a declaration. He could have fit that into 3 tweets, but I suppose it pays better to put it on Slate.

[Ignatz Ratzkywatzky]

Here's an idea;
Everybody eats what they please and doesn't eat what they don't.
Everybody then minds their own damn business.

[Rob Crawford]

Dairy is similar - outside of many Caucasions, who raised dairy cows for 8,000 years or so, much of the population of the world did not eat dairy products until very recently.

Dairy is such a recent addition to the human diet researchers have identified that it popped up in two, maybe three places. One is the Masai, the other one or two in Europe.

Everybody eats what they please and doesn't eat what they don't. Everybody then minds their own damn business.

That's just crazy talk. Next you'll be saying people should be allowed to practice their religion as they please, read what they want, and hang out with the people they want.

[Ain't potatoes Incan?]

My understanding is Bruce's, too.
==============

[Rob Crawford]

Unless every hotel in Rome looks the same, I think that's where I stayed.

I hope they gave him a better room than I had. The window -- and, admittedly, a tiny balcony -- overlooked someone's very large broken glass collection, which they pushed from one side of the courtyard to the other each night at about 10pm.

[narciso]

This seems a little far a field from her specialty;

http://www.biology.ucr.edu/people/faculty/Zuk.html

[AliceH]

Wonder why this fast-evolution isn't making headway with healthier digestion of sugary soda and french fries, turning them into super-foods.

[Ignatz Ratzkywatzky]

LOL, Alice.
We need to revive Margaret Sanger's eugenics and sterilize the food Nazi's as apish throwbacks who can't handle our new superman slurpees.
I vote we start with that disgusting little gibbon Bloomberg.

[Rob Crawford]

You insult gibbons!

[Ignatz Ratzkywatzky]

Yeah, Rob; I like gibbons and regretted it as soon as I hit 'post'.
I am off to see if I can locate any living entity known to science which I could equate with the Little Corporal without insult.
Bot fly larva? Slime mold? Porcine tapeworm?

[narciso]

'Denebian Slime Devil' or stink lizard,'

[squaredance]

Well it may be that we should start with something smaller, and use that to work our way up the evolutionary ladder.

I'm all for cupcakes.

[Rob Crawford]

I am off to see if I can locate any living entity known to science which I could equate with the Little Corporal without insult. Bot fly larva? Slime mold? Porcine tapeworm?

What's that parasite that people get from their pet cats that makes them like cats even more?

A mind-controlling parasite spread through feces seems like the perfect analogy.

[narciso]

t. gondii, before it came up on a TM thread, it was part of a plot, in the HT Narea financial thriller,

[Clarice]

I seem to have so many guests with food allergies, sensitivities and preferences, I'm thinking of just serving the wrappings. I'm getting sick of playing food chemist and want to go back to coking.

[Clarice]

Ahem--*Cooking*

[Clarice]

P.S. I'm told the second graders loved the mock trial.Didn't learn the outcome though.

[Rick Ballard]

Goldilocks was awarded $6 million due to Mama Bear's negligence in leaving hot porridge on the table.

[Porchlight]

Also on offer is the example of man's adaptation to cow's milk; left unmentioned is that roughly 7,000 years after domesticating cows and goats the majority of people worldwide cannot digest this otherwise excellent food source. That is an example of evolution creeping, not sprinting.

Bull. "Not accustomed to digesting" does not equal "cannot digest."

You ever watch Andrew Zimmern? Humans eat an incredibly large, almost fantastically huge variety of food worldwide. The number of food sources we "cannot digest" has got to approach zero.

I think paleo makes sense for losing weight and building muscle. The idea that it works because we haven't evolved sufficiently to digest cultivated foods is quite simply nonsense.

[Porchlight]

I seem to have so many guests with food allergies, sensitivities and preferences, I'm thinking of just serving the wrappings. I'm getting sick of playing food chemist and want to go back to coking.

You should tell them that due to unmanageable permutations of their ridiculous food sensitivities, they're invited for ice water and if they can't hack that and want some dinner, they can damn well bring their own and someone to cook it. And that goes for drinks too.

[Clarice]

Sounds right, Rick--I mean this school is in Los Angeles.

[peter]

My hunch is a lot of food allergies are hysterical conversions.

[Clarice]

Porch--That's an idea.

Just found out that Goldilocks (Saya) got off scot free..the kids decided she'd exhibited good manners. Innocent. No liability.

[henry]

Sort of OT, but junk science that put me off my lunch-- got the latest installment of my alumni mag today with a cover feature: "Michael Mann is taking a stand for science" written by a dimwit from the LA Times. Fortunately it also had an article on W H Taft, "the biggest man on campus", an ex-president that ordered extra-wide chairs instead of dealing with the diet voodoo. (A couple of his grandchildren were there when I was, and I got a chance to sit in each of the chairs).

[narciso]

Oh, gag inducing henry, now I know what Thurston Howell was complaining about, lol, in the LUN,
a response

[Ignatz Ratzkywatzky]

--I seem to have so many guests with food allergies, sensitivities and preferences, I'm thinking of just serving the wrappings.--

Maybe you could set the table with a couple of spears and mouse traps and tell them to go hunt and gather in the back yard for some allergy free prey and whatever they come back with you'll toss in the guest kettle for em.

Meanwhile you and hubby can dine on everything tasty that makes them swell up like puffer fish or shake like a bucket of bolts. :)

[Clarice]

An even better idea, Iggy!!

[Janet]

Perhaps the trap & spear could replace the bread plate & knife in your formal place settings?

[sbw]

Due to celiac just diagnosed in our family, we have just become a gluten restricted household. Every member of the family is affected in one way or another and it is unlikely we shall follow Clarice to become bakers in the south of France.

[Janet]

or some decorative weaponry for your guests that are really hungry -

[Clarice]

Col ideas, Janet.
SBW Healthy bread in 5 minutes a day has some excellent looking artisan bread and pizza recipes.A new product cup4cup is also recommended as a reasonabe substitute for flour in many recipes..check online--Right now it's mostly available on the West Coast but when you google it, someone has posted what she claims is a better homemade version and King Arthur Flour has a number of highly rated gluten free mixes. (And of course ready made--there's Udi's--available at Costco and whole Foods and many supermarkets)

[bgates]

The Pope checks out of his hotel

Clerk: Name?

Pope: Francis. No, wait. I didn't check in as Francis....

[Clarice]

bgates.............

[jimmyk]

Clarice, I've probably said this before, but etiquette according to Miss Manners is that guests don't impose their allergies etc. on their host. Invite people to dinner, make a nice variety of things, and people can politely decline to eat this or that. The point of a dinner party is primarily social.

Of course it may be too late to feign ignorance of their eating requirements.

And, before it's too late--Happy Birthday, Henry!

[Janet]

Meatatarian dinner guests at a vegetarian dinner party.

[jimmyk]

Humans eat an incredibly large, almost fantastically huge variety of food worldwide. The number of food sources we "cannot digest" has got to approach zero.

Collectively, maybe (I guess grass would be an exception), but that's suggests what TC said early on, which is, more or less, different strokes for different folks.

[AliceH]

--etiquette according to Miss Manners is that guests don't impose their allergies etc. on their host--

The corollary, of course, is that the Host does not press a guest to "try" this or that course, even if it took them 2 days to prepare.

Socializing was much easier when there were rules.

[Clarice]

I agree, Alice.. And people knew how to just artfully move stuff around their plate if they didn't want to eat it.
My next challenge is vegans with gluten sensitivity..

[Rick Ballard]

"My next challenge is vegans with gluten sensitivity.."

Try 'em with fava beans and a nice Chianti.

[Clarice]

Brilliant, Rick--I could use a creative sous chef.

[Porchlight]

more or less, different strokes for different folks.

Okay. But then people should refrain from generalizing about the entire species not being able to tolerate X as TM does above. Obviously we as a species can tolerate virtually anything even if some individuals can't.

[Stephanie]

Folks of a conservative temperment believe that the accumulated customs and institutions of the past reflect the conclusions of people who may have had excellent, if not immediately discernible, reasons for what they did. Progressives would much rather convene a panel of experts and reinvent a solution to whatever problem is at hand.

Actually, no. The ancients also probably had panels (the wise men who noticed that eating rotting meat would make you very sick who talked to each other and noticed a trend and spread the word that they had noticed that this was a 'bad idea') and said noticings evolved from the purely oral traditions before language was put to paper to being included in the various religious texts of the regions to drive home the observations and make sure the conclusions were followed to live a pious (healthy) life.

Conservatives would be content to have the results of these observations published without regard to whether they were put forth by laymen or 'experts' and most importantly would consider the Darwin Awards proof that their sagacity should be heeded.

Progressives would prefer to convene a panel of experts to dispute the results of the laymen thereby sowing confusion and then look to sue the shit out of said laymen on behalf of all the resulting Darwin Award winners because 'something wasn't done' to protect the winners from themselves ignoring the fuzzy situation they themselves caused.

It tracks with my theory that all laundry tags and warning labels are thanks to progressives.

BTW I call this entire branch of observations "Vogon Poetry Night Theory" as only a progressive would smugly attend and be surprised at the results.

Progressives are, of course, disputing MY observations so far...

[Stephanie]

And for the record, may I wish all a "Happy Birthday." I'm so sporadic on the nets lately that it feels goofy wishing someone a happy birthday days after the fact.

I've been trying to ignore current events but wanting to see what's up with y'all keeps dragging me back in.

[anonamom]

Walter Russel Mead on the choice of JM Bergoglio:

http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2013/03/14/the-conclaves-canny-choice/

[Jane: Mock the Media]

I've never had any food allergies (or really any allergies) but for years I've had a huge problem with excema - and not your typical dry arms and elbows problem. It likes my ears, and when I started on TV it morphed into my eyes which made me look like a ghoul.

Excema is one of those things that no doctor cares about, probably because they don't know what causes it, and can';t fix it. It was driving me so crazy that I decided I was going to figure it out on my own.

At one point I read that 70% of all people with celiac also have excema - so I did an experiment and gave up gluten. I got the most relief that I have had in years.

I'm far from perfect with my gluten avoidance, but I do try. I haven't had an eye attack since - and altho I still have itchy ears and head the severity does seem to correlate to the amount of gluten that has gotten through.

I really hate this kind of orthodoxy but I do think losing gluten has a ton of good results.

[NK]

Francis-- thanks for the link to Walter Mead-- rare to read an informed article about the Church; interesting take on the Jesuit/Papal relationship;

Food-- fat guys like me don't discuss food/diet;

Assault weapon ban-- going down to defeat-- IN THE SENATE --fabulous. The Dems will crawl back to get what they can on expanded background checks and high capacity ammunition. Of course that will only be after the Senate Budget is fully debated and adopted. Bad times for Harry Reid.

[Jack is Back]

To answer Walter Russel Mead's question in anonamom's 4:47am link: Yes, in his homily yesterday at Mass in the Sistine Chapel.

"In these three readings I see that there is something in common: it is movement. In the first reading, movement is the journey [itself]; in the second reading, movement is in the up-building of the Church. In the third, in the Gospel, the movement is in [the act of] profession: walking, building, professing.

Walking: the House of Jacob. “O house of Jacob, Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” This is the first thing God said to Abraham: “Walk in my presence and be blameless.” Walking: our life is a journey and when we stop, there is something wrong. Walking always, in the presence of the Lord, in the light of the Lord, seeking to live with that blamelessness, which God asks of Abraham, in his promise.
"

Today, in keeping with this thread topic he discusses Fishes and Loaves as an important ministry mission.

[jimmyk]

Jane, Mrs K had a similar experience on a smaller scale--a modest eczema problem that seemed to get better when she cut back on/eliminated gluten. I also had this theory that Vitamin D might help, as it seemed to go away whenever we went on a Caribbean vacation (of course, there are other possible explanations ;)). It did also, maybe.

[Rick Ballard]

Jane,

You need to be careful about admitting you practiced common sense without resorting to a pseudo-scientist. How can the government control and tax what we eat, drink and breathe if we're allowed to publicly acknowledge the use of intelligence to govern our behavior? Your admission may deprive a PhD of the grant money desperately needed to furnish the specious statistical underpinning for another tax or penalty.

Our glorious social contract simply can't be maintained without additional taxes and penalties based upon prohibition and proscription. Your use of common sense is an affront to every non-elected bureaucrat and practitioner of scientism on the government payroll as well as the enabling politicians who have promised us a risk free life (and a ride on a flying unicorn).

[NK]

OT-- for the people here that follow this obscure (but important stuff) it is now becoming conventional wisdom that Germany leads a bunch of solvent countries OUT of the EuroZone, leaving the PIIGS AND France behind. In summer 2010 I started speculating about the NewMark or NordMark being formed by Germany, Kingdom of Netherlands, Denmark and Finland. It may actually be happening: http://money.msn.com/investing/has-germany-killed-the-eurozone?page=2

[AliceH]

Yet another company wins lawsuit against the Obamacare mandate to provide contraceptives/abortifacents/etc.

I don't know how many wins that makes it, but I'm left wondering why Hobby Lobby lost its suit. What's different?

[Jane: Mock the Media]

LOL Rick. Jimmy I will up my intake fo Vitamin D.

[NK]

Obummer-- is heading to Israel telling them that while the Mullah Bomb is a year off (personally I think the Mullahs have the bomb and delivery system at this point) the time to end talking with the Mullahs is almost here. Obummer is being polite (well as polite as he can be--he's a schmuck) to House Repubs, and telling House Dems entitlement cuts have to happen, otherwise the bribes they pay to constituents will dry up as entitlement spending and interest eats up the rest of the budget. Reality is closing in on Obummer-- the US debt Bomb is about to go off, so he's desperate to increase taxes before then, his kiss Mullah ass approach is about to blow up in his face --literally. His Euro socialist pals are dead broke, his Chavez socialist pal is Dead-Dead, the only people making money in the USA are big banks and oil/gas industry. It stnks to be Obummer now. I love it.

[NK]

what's this? jimmyk going all freaky this morning?

[hit and run]

Friday!!!!!!

In the penultimate edition of Every Day's a Birthday Day Week at JOM, we are celebrating the JOMer we count on to help keep Austin weird...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PORCHLIGHT!!!

[NK]

happy Bday Porch.

[henry]

HB Porch! Well done on "not being seen" in the movie. ;)

[jimmyk]

Happy Birthday, Porchlight!

Regarding Francis, did anyone catch this?

Did Venezuela's Chavez nudge Christ to pick South American pope?

An actual Reuters headline, h/t Taranto.

[jimmyk]

NK, why should this morning be any different?

Incidentally, since he's mentioned my name, I have to say that, having met NK in person, I will dispute his characterization of himself as "fat."

[Threadkiller]

"As Joe Mannix points out: Senator Crapo specifically states this:

"only native-born U.S. citizens (or those born abroad, but only to parents who were both American citizens) are eligible to be President of the United States."

http://obamareleaseyourrecords.blogspot.com/2013/03/sen-crapo-obama-forged-birth-certificate.html?m=1

It is settled once again.

[Threadkiller]

Happy Birthday Porch!

[Kevin B]

Bruce above noted that our dietary staples differ geographically and that wheat has become the main staple for most people only recently. My parents came from the Celtic fringes of the British Isles where Oats played a much bigger part in our diet and I have found that I tolerate Oats much better than wheat.

In addition, the current high gluten content Duram wheat has only become ubiquitous in the last thirty years or so.

Having said that, Porchlight points out that humans eat all sorts of foods in vatious places without mishap.

Perhaps the answer lies with our symbiotes. Bacteria play a big part in our digestive system in breaking down what we eat into forms we can tolerate and thrive on. Perhaps we will be able to solve Clarice's dinner party problems with a probiotic drink before the meal.

ps Some examples of Porchlight's point.

[hit and run]

Let us praise Porchlight for being the star of the 11/9 DAY BY DAY cartoon. Nice work.

Posted by: c | November 09, 2009 at 01:06 AM

...

Wow, guys. I'm honored. I had no idea until I just read an email from Elliott. From the mouth of a nude character no less - I love it. :)

I guess the most important takeaway is that Chris Muir reads JOM! Hi Chris, and thanks!

Posted by: Porchlight | November 09, 2009 at 08:45 AM

...

I've always read JOM.

Nice distillation, Porchlight!

Posted by: Chris Muir | November 09, 2009 at 09:25 AM

Huh. I had hardly noticed that the nude character had a mouth, but you know what, Porch was right.

[sbw]

Clarice, thanks for the pointers. After six months, we expect enough healing to the villi that leaky gut will cease and we can go back to the potato starch in Cup4Cup flour.

Jane, skin irritation is a problem with gluten. Interestingly, we just found that the healing and moisturizing lotion we use . . . contains wheat. Nothing like using the irritant to salve the irritation.

Sigh.

[sbw]

Happy Birthday, Porch. You're the nicest smartass I know. ;-)

Many more.

[Rick Ballard]

Happy Birthday, Porchlight.

NK,

If Deutschland busts up the euro, how do they compete with the devalued franc, lira and peseta (as well as the yen and dollar)? The NeueMark will be a very nice and very strong currency but northern Europe is demographically moribund. Japan is in worse shape demographically but its main trading partners aren't.

[sbw]

I read Day-by-Day every day and recommend it. I even subscribe.

BTW, is Porch in Criz Muir's illustration the model for Sue's new . . ..

[Cecil Turner]

(personally I think the Mullahs have the bomb and delivery system at this point)

I believe they don't (quite) yet. Here is a good overview of the enrichment process and publicly available weapons development info. Their (AEI IranTracker) estimate is that Iran is weeks away from a workable warhead, and months away from even a basic delivery system. Here is a slightly more detailed overview of the missile program, which suggests an effective delivery system is still a couple years away. I think that's probably right; mating the warhead with the delivery system is the most technically demanding task of the process.

However, they appear to be on track for three warheads' worth of uranium by the end of the year, with a missile to follow shortly thereafter. And since we've given away our bases in Iraq, it's hard to see how we'd project enough power over there to stop 'em, even if we had the willpower to do so. (But don't worry, we'll talk 'em out of it with "smart diplomacy.") Best bet: get ready to live with a nuclear-armed Iran.

[Beasts of England]

Happy birthday, Porchlight! The Ides of March, too...

[maryrose]

Happy Birthday Porch!
Have a great day and let us know when the movie goes on sale as a dvd.
jimmyk: You are always feisty. That's what we like about you.
I believe the euro is history and in Irelans it would not be that difficult to go back to the pound. Northern Ireland still has it and refers to it as Sterling.

[maryrose]

should be Ireland.
bgates: I loved your name at the hotel comment.

[sbw]

Thinking about the transformation of liberalism.

Liberalism has become, not enlightened, but baroque. They don’t want to fix problems; they want to use problems to stay in power. They would steal money from others to put problems out of their sight for a month before stealing more money, the perfumed dandies.

[Janet]

Bacteria play a big part in our digestive system in breaking down what we eat into forms we can tolerate and thrive on.

What? What? You mean maybe there are lots of variables & that it might be more complex than we think!?! There might even be variables that we don't know, we don't know!?? Yike! or Yikes!

Happy Birthday, Porchlight!!! Lots of love to you!!

[matt]

One of the truly great doozies in history today in the LA Times. We need to support immigration reform for climate change. LUN

The lies keep on getting bigger and bigger.

[NK]

This is the best place--really;
RickB-- I have a high degree of confidence that the BundesBank and german Industrialists have long ago run the numbers and concluded that the costs of staying with the PIIGS and bailing them out, plus the INFLATION costs to their welfare state from a weak Euro far outweigh the costs of a stronger NewMark. Besides, ze german manufacturers don't primarily compete with PIIGS/France, they compete with East Asia and NA manufacturing-- and a relative stronger NewMark currency has advantages, they can buy up Italian and French business assets cheap, and buy vacation properties in Greece/Spain really cheap. But I assume the numbers have been run and apparently they come out in favor of leaving EuroZone.

CecilT-- Your timeline is probaly very accurate. My parenthetical really meant to say they 'effectively' have the bomb-- they have a working minaturized warhead design that's been tested by the NorKs, they have NorK tested missle design, so they can deploy their Nuke within a few months notice. The Mullahs have won the race; they can destroy Tel Aviv and the House of Saud to bring back the 12th Imam. Madness of course, but that's where Obummer has brought us.

[pagar]

Happy Birthday, Porchlight!

[Rick Ballard]

KevinB,

I'm with you. If conditions were such that grass (wheat) was a very important item on the menu in a particular climate zone, then natural selection would favor the babies able to process it. In climate zones where survival was not dependent upon eating grass, the gut bacteria and enzymes necessary to process it did not predominate. It really isn't rocket surgery.

[maryrose]

NK;
Obummer has been missing in action wrt stopping Iran's nuclear race.Bibi has a better handle on it. No one will be more surprised than Bammy when Iran test drives one,Unexpectedly.

[Captain Hate]

HB Porch

[Beasts of England]

matt@10:22 - Read that earlier. Vulgar on many levels. Insulting on all.

[centralcal]

Happy birthday, Porch (again)! Hope it is a fabulous day and year for you.

[NK]

Obummer and the Mullah bomb? he knows it's coming, he's not that ignorant... is he?

[Porchlight]

Thanks, everyone. I am blushing reading that Day By Day cartoon again!

JOM is the best place ever.

[AliceH]

WAPO discovers Insurance Premiums will rise 20%-100%.

But the biggest price hikes are expected to hit a group that represents a relatively small slice of the insured population. That includes some of the roughly 14 million people who buy their own insurance as opposed to being covered under employer-sponsored plans, and to a lesser extent, some employees of smaller companies.

Well, isn't that just lovely.

[Manuel Transmission]

As a kid, every summer I would head off to Montana to a log cabin with a sod roof and outdoor plumbing to earn my room and board. It was inevitable that within 7-10 days I would get violently ill as the critters in my stomach changed flavors. No one that lived there had a problem and I never had a problem for the rest of the summer. Going back home for the school year never had a discernible counter effect.

[maryrose]

AliceH:
This law was always going to be a loser. In their desperation to pass it as is so that Scott Brown couldn't vote against it they left in all these expensive onerous rules. That this all unfolds in Bammy's erstwhile second term is icing on the cake. Buh-Bye dems in the midterms. Anyone left in that party that voted for this turkey is dead in the water.Allinsurance price increases can be laid at the feet of the clowns that voted to pass it. Dennis Kucinich anyone? He's history and he even got a free brainwashing ride on Air Force One.

[maryrose]

MT:
At the beginning of the school year with a brand new group of students I would inevitably be hit with some sort of bug or cold. No immunities to the new crop of kids.

[NK]

Healthcare increases? UNpossible!! Obummercare flatens the healthcare cost curve-- Obummer said so himself. In truth, none of this is a surprise, those 14 million people will be herded into Medicaid or State Exchanges-- it's part of bankrupting the private Health Insurance system.

[peter]

Happy Birthday to all whose names I have not mentioned in this week of births of JOMers. Coexist!

[AliceH]

--those 14 million people will be herded into Medicaid or State Exchanges--

No.

I'm one of the 14Million. I don't qualify for medicaid. My state has legislated against the formation of a State Exchange.

I don't have any idea what my options will be, but apparently I will qualify for being subsidized by you all. So, uh, Thanks!

[Janet]

Exactly, Alice & maryrose.
I wrote on FB -

What a fiasco. The politicians that passed this unread monstrosity & the "news" media that cheered them on should be run out of town. Signed into law on March 23, 2010...the "news" media were busy demonizing Americans that opposed the bill rather than reporting on what was in the bill or raising questions about it. And the same "news" media that carries on about bi-partisanship...had no problem that the giant monstrosity known as Obamacare - that nobody read, that would give government huge power over our lives - was passed with only Democrat votes.