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CowperKettle

03:36

bbc.com/news/health-53409521

CowperKettle

03:54

Russia's population is already in decline.

In our region the number of deaths exceeds the number of births

In 2018, the population of Sverdlovsk Oblast declined by 4500 people.

It is now the same as in 1968.

It peaked at 4 900 000 in 1992, and is now 4 300 000

6 hours later…

CowperKettle

10:04

This is officially the hottest day ever recorded in Yekaterinburg. The previous record-high was 38.8, several decades ago.

CowperKettle

10:27

Near my home

ColleenV

11:21

@CowperKettle That looks like chamomile

CowperKettle

@ColleenV It is

If you pronounce it Chamomile
That will your Yankiness reveal
For Brits assume it more worthwhile
To render it as Chamomile

ColleenV

It looks a lot better than the chamomile I’m growing in a container

CowperKettle

It's kind of a wildflower here.

I think that nobody seeds it on purpose, it must be a native plant.

There are a lot of flowerbeds, but today I was passing them with four plastic bags and could not take pictures

ColleenV

I like chamomile and mint tea. Maybe I should try to plant chamomile in the yard and let it spread. I worry about the ants though

The last time I tried planting it in the ground the plants were covered with ants and aphids

CowperKettle

> She bent above my favorite mint
With conscious garden grace,
She smiled and smiled--there was no hint
Of sadness in her face.

> And where the wall is built in new
And is of ivy bare
She paused--then opened and passed through
A gate that once was there.

ColleenV

11:38

I haven’t read that one before - it’s lovely.

I should sign up for the “poem a day” on this site poets.org/poem/little-ghost

CowperKettle

Edna Millay is one of the best poets of the XX century

ColleenV

I agree

4 hours later…

CowperKettle

15:55

> Although we often think of mint as a garnish, it’s actually full of nutrients, especially nitrates. Plus, mint has been shown to help with digestive issues, so it’s a great addition to a pre-run routine.

M.A.R.

@CowperKettle How are nitrates nutritional?

They can even be harmful AFAIK

CowperKettle

16:27

@M.A.R. I don't know, but I know that they are lauded in the running circles. People take drinks of beetroot juice before runs hoping that nitrates would help them, since they improve blood supply of muscles.

I recall from my childhood that nitrates were feared, because the USSR overused them in the fields. And people were coming up with weird rules of thumb to avoid nitrate-rich foods.

I was amazed at how L-acetyl carnitine seemingly improved my running (although one can never be sure), and tried reading up on other means to improve it.

Interestingly, they write that sodium bicarbonate improves endurance.

frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2017.00240/full

Impact factor is low though

M.A.R.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6147587

NO is a natural vasodilator.

In very minute amounts only, and I don't know if it's picky.

You'd want your heart and skeletal muscles to be vasodilated. That's a fair portion of the body.

OTOH, vasodilation in large veins would mean lower cardiac output.

Nonetheless, NO emitted from vehicles is toxic.

So is it something of a street, anecdotal sort of knowledge, or is it some vague pseudo-science blown way out of proportion? I dunno, but I wouldn't root for nitrate.

CowperKettle

16:43

nods

bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/8/658.info

Another suggested supplement is beta-alanine

There are studies telling that it prevents an over-increase of lactate during long runs.

But the studies are abysmally minute in their size.

But I like that such studies are being done. In the long run, accumulated knowledge may help people with disorders.

M.A.R.

17:04

@CowperKettle Scientists are really good at helping people with disorders. They're not so good at helping people without disorders.

Sports science tends to be disappointing in quality

CowperKettle

17:25

nods

CowperKettle

18:00

Q: Why do many Korean folk tales start with "back when tigers smoked"?

I've read in a few sources that the Korean equivalent of the "once upon a time ..." which often begins English folk stories is something like "back when tigers smoked ..." or "when tigers used to smoke ..." Why has this become a standard way to start Korean folk stories? What is the historical an...