This past weekend we took a little trip out to the mountains in Virginia. It’s also their wine country, but we never quite made it out to any vineyards. Here is what we DID do and whether I recommend any of it.
Continue reading Travel: Blue Ridge Mountains in VirginiaTag Archives: environment
After Virtue, After Invasion
Continue reading After Virtue, After Invasion“Imagine that the natural sciences were to suffer the effects of a catastrophe. A series of environmental disasters are blamed by the general public on the scientists. Widespread riots occur, laboratories are burnt down, physicists are lynched, books and instruments are destroyed. Finally a Know-Nothing political movement takes power and successfully abolishes science teaching in schools and universities, imprisoning and executing the remaining scientists.”
Influenza and Zoonosis
In my last post I used a photo of an old (positive) test result for COVID (this is also an old photo of my sweet baby, hence the grainy appearance) and I noticed it included Influenza A and B as possible results as well, which got me thinking about the flu and wondering how much people know what the flu even is. The question also ties into vaccines and how experts decide on which “strain” to use – and do people even know what they mean by strain?!
Ok, that’s a LOT to cover, so I’ll try to keep it all simple. First, let’s define what zoonosis is – this is a hot topic for One Health.
Continue reading Influenza and Zoonosis
F*ck. Does This Mean I’m Getting COVID This Year?
Now that our Department of Health and Human Services (D-HHS) is being run by someone with no scientific background or training and touts pseudoscience and fringe ideas, we are facing a potential health crisis.
Continue reading F*ck. Does This Mean I’m Getting COVID This Year?
My Favourite Podcasts
This is a bit of a deviation from One Health and my usual posts, but I just wanted to confess something. I’m a podcast junkie.
I love learning about new stuff and topical formats have always been my favourite. Also, lately, I can’t take another second of news and current events. It’s nauseating and my brain needs a detox. I actually feel that political current events might be rotting my brain.
So, whenever I need a break, these are my go-to podcasts!
Continue reading My Favourite Podcasts
Eggplant!
- Origin
- Modern Cultivation
- Impact
- Nutritional Profile
- Dietary Concerns
- How to Eat it
- Recipe: Stuffed Eggplant
Origin
This was a little easier to parse out than the broccoli origin story. Turns out, wild type aubergine originated on the eastern parts of Africa1 (notably, from Kenya to South Africa) and spreading outward towards the west. In a single event, however it made its way to India and East Asia where the cultivated strains predominately begin. This certainly explains why there are so many amazing dishes featuring eggplant/aubergine at Ethiopian restaurants, as well as Indian and Chinese restaurants.
Continue reading Eggplant!
Our Hikes: Isle of Skye
I wish we had two more days on Skye. Between the delay in renting our 9-seater sprinter van, the screw that got jammed into the tire resulting in a flat, and the already tight schedule, there was much we didn’t get to see on Skye. Talisker whiskey distillery, Dunvegan Castle, and the Quiraing mountains, to name a few of our missed opportunities.
But all was not lost and we had a fun adventure, nonetheless. Adventures driving a huge van on single-lane roads, sheep getting in the way, and a few added pitstops to see something beautiful that was not on the itinerary – something that is in endless supply in the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Here is a brief breakdown of the hikes we managed to fit in, what I thought of them, and if I recommend them (the answer, by the way, is yes. Yes, you should definitely do all of them).
Continue reading Our Hikes: Isle of Skye
A Haggis Hiatus
Hi, everyone! How have you been?
I just returned from my vacation in the UK (all around Scotland and then a stint to London) and decided to disconnect while I was gone, hence my silence over the past two weeks..
Can’t say I’m super thrilled to be back – the second we touched down in D.C., reality pelted us hard, right upside the head like a noxious smell you weren’t expecting. One sad or embarrassing story after another about the happenings in the grand U.S. of A. came flooding into our phones and I realized coming back was a terrible idea.
Sigh.
Continue reading A Haggis Hiatus
I Think We Are Being Invaded by Aliens
First there was one pile. Then a second. A third, fourth, fifth….I’ve lost count. I’ve stopped paying attention to how many piles I am finding, and have grown more interested in the color changes this life form is experiencing. From yellow to orangish to white. This extra terrestrial looking creature seems to bleach in the sun like coral in the reefs. It even looks like coral – well, up close it does. When you see it splattered about in a pile when it first appears, it definitely brings to mind the look of bile and foam that’s just been hacked up by your canine companion. The species: colloquially known as Dog Vomit Slime Mold.
Continue reading I Think We Are Being Invaded by Aliens
Today I Tasted the Devastation of a Wildfire
And I wasn’t even near it!
The air quality where I live has been generally poor, as of late. Not from one wildfire, but from two, plus a Haboob from the Middle East that blew sand halfway around the world to settle on the East Coast of the U.S.. It was the fire in New Jersey, however, that left a film in my mouth and throat and a grimy feel on my skin this past Saturday.
Continue reading Today I Tasted the Devastation of a Wildfire
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