Eating

So we're talking stomach distension, here. From a research perspective, we learn that
the obese have normal stomach volumes. It is binge eaters and bulimics who have
large stomachs.

I remember seeing on one of the my 600 lb life episodes, how one
woman had a stomach permanently of distended size i.e. it was not
shrunk back, even after she stopped eating for a awhile. This might be
the clue to obesity: the obese do not eat too much, but too often.

Hope this helps!

Good Splanation!

Urban Heat

source: le Monde, Climat

author: Guillaume Krempp

translation: doxa-louise

Heat Wave: 'Between a rural area and the city, the temperature
spread can reach more than 10°

...Temperatures that are being amplified in the cities by hot spots
of urban heat. Erwan Cordeau, researcher on climate, air and energy for the
Institut d'aménagement et d'urbanism, gives us the causes as well as possible
measures to attenuate this phenomenon.

How can one explain these high temperatures in the city?

Erwan Cordeau: These higher temperatures are linked to urban hot spots.
These are the result of the omnipresence of mineral surfaces that store
luminous energy. The sidewalks, roads and buildings store solar energy
whereas vegetation tends to attenuate by cooling the air.

During the day, heat accumulates in these materials before being progressively
given back at night, as urban surfaces very slowly cool down. The true hot spot
phenomenon thus only happens at night, as urban surfaces are slow to cool.
The more the streets take on the form of urban canyons, that is narrow and with
high walls, the more heat has trouble dissipating. The city then has evermore
difficulty cooling down.

In rural spaces, the ground, vegetation and aquatic surfaces will give back the
water they hold through evaporation. in so doing, they are cooling the atmosphere.
Thus the great difference between urban and rural space.

What is the order of temperature differences created by hot spots?

Between a hot urban street and a green space, one might se a difference of 4 to
5° C. Between a rural space and this same street, the difference can be up to 10°
C, even more given how strong a heat wave is.

Does atmospheric pollution amplify the negative effects of heat waves?

Most certainly. The degradation of air quality is worse in a heat wave. A moment
of high heat, often accompanied by an absence of wind, stops the dispersion of pollutants.
Ozone in particular will stabilize, which raises major problems of public health
for city dwellers. In particular, one should not forget that certain constituents of
atmospheric pollution (fine particles, nitrogen dioxide, ozone...) create dangers
to health, especially for the young.

What measures should cities take if they want to attenuate urban hot spots?

There are many solutions but these are case specific. Each city and each climate will
require a different response. Upstream, it is possible to use lighter coverings for
façades and roofs. Thus luminous energy from the sun can be sent back outward.
As well, it is possible to use construction materials that store less heat. Construction
rock has the advantage of very slowly capturing heat but it gives back this heat with
the same slowness, which makes night temperatures higher.

Urbanism already offers some solutions. One must find water points in a city in order
to permit evaporation phenomena to better regulate ambient temperature. Trees are also
an efficient countermeasure to urban heat. They are at once a physical obstacle to light,
and they can act as powerful regulators of temperature as they can go deep underground
for water and emit water vapor in the atmosphere. As well, vegetation of roofs and
lawns can have a beneficial impact on temperature regulation. Although this effect is
very locality specific when compared to trees.

Are cities taking sufficient measures to fight against hot spots?

There are still many places where increased greenery would reduce hot spots. Cities
need to do everything possible in this regard.

During heat waves, opening public spaces at night would be an additional measure
helping citizens better deal with hot spots. Body temperature needs to go down after a hot day.
Another solution are shaders, physical protection against the rays of the sun. One is
starting to see these, covered with photovoltaic panels, on top of parking areas, thus
creating energy while producing shade. This technical solution could protect the façades most exposed to the rays of the sun
.
Finally, what works best are information campaigns to restore a certain common sense.

What are these reflexes to protect oneself from the heat?

Keeping the drapes drawn to keep one's interior cool. As well, one should use air
conditioning with parsimony because every degree taken from a room is that much
heat ejected into the city, which raises high temperatures all the more.

Personal hygiene is important to behaviour intimes of heat waves. Drink a good
deal of water, little alcohol and take lower calorie meals are all necessary measures
to get through heat waves.

Did We Find One

Alpha Centauri seems to have a water bearing planet in orbit. The details
so far from Le monde.

Spandex

After a summer of diligently applying sunscreen to my face everyday, I am
now white-faced and brown-armed. Things are starting to cool down overnight,
and one knows fall is around the corner. I should be evened out by Halloween!

Also had a bit of a tussle with that spandex T-shirt. One can expand spandex
manually and it will keep the new shape until the next washing. Someone on the
Web suggested rinsing the garment in hair conditionner. Might try that.

Changes

The fashion world has been going for a lighter look in bras:

source: MSN

But then, women who do intensive sports are cautioned to wear

proper underwear:

source: Nike

Makes a girl wonder...

Because

Dieting Woes

Dieting drives a body crazy; I could'a told you that.

Recent studies at the University of California show that, in
a stressful situation, the level of the stress hormone cortisol will 
go down if one consumes a bit of sugar. Indeed, it is part of the
stress response that the tongue will have a higher sensitivity to sweet,
and thus the individual will be directed toward consuming it.

So there it is; someone stressed out in trying to not consume
that cookie will yearn for a cookie all the more to calm his or
her stress from the situation. Told ya!

http://sante.lefigaro.fr/actualite/2016/08/12/25294-comment-sucre-apaise-angoisses

Carry on!

As the media would have it, the Donald Trump candidacy currently seems
to be less credible. The valor of the candidates is not for me to judge.

Still, Hillary Clinton president would be the second lawyer in a row.
Which makes things a long time without oxygen. And by
some conservative estimates, the promises which she picked up
from Bernie Sanders on education and the like could well double
the American public debt by 2027. That's another 14 trillion $ US.

Which brings us to the tragic aspect of the election: for many, it is
about who they dislike or distrust the most, and not really a positive.

The post of American president was always  meant to be a heavily
symbolic one. In an age of social media, Donald Trump is not improbable.

Medals

Here is the medals count from CBC, with ranks determined by number of medals.

Below, Le Figaro presents the medal count, with rank from Gold standing, refined for Silver, and lastly Bronze.

So Canada's medals are skewed toward Bronze.

The mathematics of it are unavoidable, a smaller population like Canada has

fewer chances of producing genetically improbable Olympians. But there are cultural

issue at play, as well. Who is to say.

Carbing-up!

Cream of Wheat, with 1% milk and fruit, but no added sugar or butter.

Carbed-up without raising my body temperature too much...

MBang

If you've ever wondered how to pronounce the Korean term
Mukbang (eating broadcast)...

Ben is an American citizen gone to Korea as an Art student. And
a very likeable online host.

Home Ec

Back in the day of my secondary schooling, girls
and boys would be separated - boys going to a technical
drawing class - and girls herded off to Home Economics.
My memories of all that are rather vague (sewing, doing the wash...),
but I do remember that we had some basic baking recipes to memorize.
It all comes down to seeing things on a continuum.

We are going to use flour in all cases: one quarter cup
per serving is the standard measure.
Mix flour with water and one has a bread. Put a leavening agent in,
and one has the makings of a scone (baking powder). Or a French
baguette. (yeast).

Milk tastes good and is nourishing. Cereal and milk are
consumed as hot cereal. Flour is well ground. Add an
egg to flour and milk and one has a pancake. Yes, a cake in
a pan, which will introduce fat to the whole. One puts a little
oil in a pancake mix, and sugar and vanilla to taste. Mixing
in corn flour with the wheat gives the signature taste
of Aunt Jemima pancakes.

Eggs are expensive. The more eggs one adds, the less milk
one needs. But one can bake the thing in an oven; voilà
cake. The more eggs, the more luxurious the cake. Indeed,
some cakes rise on the work of beaten egg whites alone;
because baking powder leaves an aftertaste (it is an industrial
product, based on baking soda, which itself is salty).
One can memorize basic proportions with cups of, although
many French sites use the notion of glass of... A basic
crêpe recipe will use one glass full of flour, with one of milk, and use
one egg. Cook it quickly on a very large surface, and
add booze (Cointreau) and strawberry jam before folding: You are on
the streets of Paris.

Some cakes replace milk with oil; carrot cake, zucchini cake...

Quick breads aka, the infamous banana bread and co, double
flour, one milk, one or two eggs (three medium eggs make two large ones).
They go in the oven and can thus accomodate bananas, apple sauce
and the like. Chunks of nuts add taste, or can be ground as flour.

Which brings me to the bottom line: learn to cook with actual
milk, eggs and sugar.

The standard oven temperature is 350° F.

There are different textures of flours (important
for bread making), but the above works for standard flour.
Pastry flour has baking powder incorporated.

I Cat Day

We don't need to know. It's August 8, International Cat Day.

source: Le Figaro.

Random

http://www.wired.com/2016/08/mathematicians-building-unified-theory-geometric-randomness/

My own assumption about a random process on a random surface would be
that it moves twice as fast. Think about it: program a random number generator
between +2 and -2 to move your bug starting at 0. The fact that the space on which it
moves is randomly distorted as well might push Buggy to +4 on the first turn, a feat
not otherwise possible. That's Buggy on a thread, or in 1 dimension.

Let's change things up, and move Buggy to a checkerboard space, thus in 2 dimensions.
He still moves forward or back with a maximum of 2, but each move can be considered
two moves, one on each axis, with the constraint that 2 is the maximum on any
one axis (here, where the other axis is a 0 move). Now make the board random
within the 2 rule. Buggy has sped up by 2 here as well, with the added consequence
that the history of his movement could paint a skewed picture, and indeed probably will.
Because as observers of randomness, we bring expectations about how much order we will
tolerate.

Oreo C

But what to eat? If summer with its fruit harvest
has long been the occasion to reintroduce sweeter
and more consistent foods to the diet, it is a different task
in a prolonged heat wave. Below, a hybride Oreo cake from
MSN France, which is part quick bread, part pound cake with
its use of 3 eggs. Seems enjoyable, as do many in their proposed
list of 'travel' cakes.

The cake is sweetened with powdered sugar, the egg whites
are beaten separately, and three cookies crumbled in the batter,
with three more in halves on top. Miam!

http://www.cuisineactuelle.fr/recettes/gateau-marbre-aux-oreo-155988

                                                  *   *   *

Félicitations, Penny O.

Red Planet

It's a birthday party for Curiosity, Nasa's Mars rover
entering a fifth year of exploration. There is a game
for mobile, and explanations on the 2020 phase of exploration
on the Nasa site.

Olympics Watching

As the comment puts it, toast is so yesterday!  One can build

a little light meal on a slice of sweet potato!!        

Pancakes, in turn, can be put together from quinoa and zucchini:

source: MSN, Germany

                                                                    

One O' Those

Afraid it's going to be one of those years for fashion.

source: ELLE

                                                     *   *   *

Although, musically

Cross-Culture

Poor Yuka is having trouble with her s'mores kit. I've
never had them myself but I do I do know these treats were
developed for campers, with an open fire and snack packages
from home.

Someone needs to make a decent vlog on this.

Inter

Word of the day: intersectionnality. Coined by a feminist, it
refers to the experience of being at the intersection of two or more
categories of isms; like a Black woman might find herself
a victim of discrimination for being both female, and black
at the same time.

As the article below attests, being constantly body-shamed is
delibetating. You are fat, ugly, old, your clothing is
cheap and no longer fresh, you are poor (big one, often overlooked),
you speak the wrong language, live in the wrong part of town,
take public transit, go to MacDonalds, disfigure public spaces
with your presence and so on. Everyday, one of these stones is going
to hit. Everyday.

But I diverge; indeed re-reading myself, I find that I am
turning into an angry white person, a veritable Trump supporter.
Will never forget the day a Muslim woman spit in my face on the
escalator in a shopping mall. She called me a whore (she was wearing
full Muslim dress, I was in shorts). Was never so surprised in my life!!

That is where reading about the intent of this new concept becomes important:
I was not the injured party in this encounter, although on the face of it I was.
In the free world I want for all, she is that unfortunate Muslim woman,
in inappropriate clothes and of too narrow ideas.

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/lifestyle/style/why-i-want-you-to-notice-that-im-fat/ar-BBuvAJ2

http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Intersectionality