@Laurel And today's are a product of their time as well, which has, arguably, become formulaic as well as unforgiving of questions whose answers evade easy research.
@Cerberus What change exactly? I do know a lot about the old days, hopefully to the point where I can look at everything that happened and find the stuff that worked and the stuff that didn't and move us (as a site) in the right direction. The whole ongoing meta discussion should be proof of that
For that particular question, I think it didn't really work. I could find answers to the same question elsewhere that are better, on platforms more suited to opinion based discussions like that
@Cerberus Eh, I've reduced my milk consumption. I think i felt better when I was on the milk diet, but maybe that's just because I was in a mental state that made consuming an all-milk diet sound like a good idea.
@Cerberus I mean there would probably be no harm. But it's the type of question that could get a lot of answer and if it did get a ton (30+) that would be hard to navigate
Today (August 21, 2023), Stack Overflow is launching an experiment with a new subjective content type. Discussions is a space for threaded conversations where users engage in deeper dialogue and share perspectives on technical topics. As with other new content types like Collections, this experim...
Herbal teas, also known as herbal infusions and less commonly called tisanes (UK and US , US also ), are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Oftentimes herb tea, or the plain term tea, is used as a reference to all sorts of herbal teas. Many herbs are used in herbal medicine. Some herbal blends contain actual tea (e.g., the Indian classic masala chai).
The term "herbal" tea is often used in contrast to the so-called true teas (e.g., black, green, white, yellow, oolong), which are prepared from the cured leaves of the tea plan...
@alphabet I just need one more "no substantial effect on body weight" and I'll be at the minimum to donate blood. However, I think I'm just going to sign up now and lie about my weight
> "Her conscious tail her joy declared; The fair round face, the snowy beard, The velvet of her paws, Her coat, that with the tortoise vies, Her ears of jet, and emerald eyes, She saw; and purred applause."
> And THE MORAL is this: Be it madam or miss To whom you have something to say, You are only absurd when you get in the curd But you’re rude when you get in the WHEY!
From "The Embarrassing Episode of Little Miss Muffet" by a poet who died tragically young
Guy Wetmore Carryl (4 March 1873 – 1 April 1904) was an American humorist and poet.
== Biography ==
Carryl was born in New York City, the first-born of writer Charles Edward Carryl and Mary R. Wetmore.
He had his first article published in The New York Times when he was 20 years old. In 1895, at the age of 22, Carryl graduated from Columbia University. During his college years he had written plays for amateur performances, including the very first Varsity Show. One of his professors was Harry Thurston Peck, who was scandalized by Carryl's famous statement, "It takes two bodies to make one seduction...
@Laurel Hmm my personal preference would be to leave questions up that people like, in general. They can always be protected in case they receive an excessive number of answers.
We cleaned, older kids also painted things and re-applied lacquer in the corridors, or changed linoleum covering. In 10th grade I painted doors in school.
At the arts and crafts lessons, kids did some small repairs for school.
Now, teachers are afraid of punishing children, so the most boorish ones can make life a hell for the whole class. In the Soviet times, a teacher could just throw a kid into the corridor for making noise, and not admit him back until he comes with parents to apologize.
A teacher has got to have power.
If the parents cannot make their child behave, let them teach him at home.
At the arts and crafts, we were fighting with huge files, playing Star Wars, so that sparks were flying from the files as from light sabers. The teacher came in, and threw us both out. We had to bring parents, apologize, and buy new files.
A file is a tool used to remove fine amounts of material from a workpiece. It is common in woodworking, metalworking, and other similar trade and hobby tasks. Most are hand tools, made of a case hardened steel bar of rectangular, square, triangular, or round cross-section, with one or more surfaces cut with sharp, generally parallel teeth. A narrow, pointed tang is common at one end, to which a handle may be fitted.A rasp is a form of file with distinct, individually cut teeth used for coarsely removing large amounts of material.Files have also been developed with abrasive surfaces, such as natural...
It should not be the teacher's problem to deal with idiotic children. The teacher should focus on teaching.
@alphabet Fun fact: You can chew 12 Ice Breakers Ice Cubes (3 at a time is fine) and lose 12 lbs in a day, or whatever it all weighs. So there you go, YW.
@CowperKettle In my school the punishment for gum chewing was sanding a desk after school, with sandpaper wrapped around an eraser. I sanded two desks.
@Laurel Well, I would say always check your health first, but I usually gain weight by baking easy banana muffins and peanut butter cookies, in the wee hours, b/c my husband can't stop buying bananas and PB even though our PB&B kid is 30 y/o…
@CowperKettle today we saw your authoritarian side ;)
Kidding aside, IMHO the problem with giving teachers 'the power to punish' is the ones who will exercise it are the ones least fit to exercise it. The sadists also incidentally tend not to make good teachers.
On paper, punishment does make sense, as long as it doesn't violate some international law and, more importantly, serves a purpose other than stress relief
@Cerberus in gum? Why would it have more microplastics than any other foodstuff?
I don't think the packaging is much different, though of course this varies by country
@CowperKettle well, it's a blurry line what's humiliating and what's not, and another blurry line whether or how much humiliation is okay in punishment
We should plot d(Humiliation)/dt by age and define a critical limit
@Laurel My first priority is modern medicines only. I don't know much about Ayurveda but if I see something is good and good reviews I might prefer that as well.
I know it wouldn't treat covid at all but I was scared at that time like many others XD
It's basically unheard of here in the US. My only exposure to it has been people on Skeptics asking questions like "Does cow urine cure X malady?" to which my reaction was what you'd expect XD
Interesting. Here in the US there are some labels that indicate if a product is certified vegan/vegetarian by some authority, but they're uncommon and inconsistent
I don't have very strict rules about me being vegetarian. For example, sometimes I would eat the cake on birthday parties of my friends and later realized it contained egg in it (which I don't eat) but it wasn't like I felt bad about it. But some people do take it very seriously.
"Out of left field" is American slang meaning "unexpected", "odd" or "strange". The phrase came from baseball terminology, referring to a play in which the ball is thrown from the area covered by the left fielder to either home plate or first base, surprising the runner. Variations include "out in left field" and simply "left field".According to the Major League Baseball website the term means "crazy." Cook County Hospital (by the West Side Grounds, the Chicago Cubs first location under what is now the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine) had a mental institution behind left field...
> Mice fed a diet containing zinc and a chemical from cruciferous vegetables—such as broccoli—that stimulates the AHR were almost completely alleviated of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
@Laurel Interestingly, I checked that product boxing again and there is no veg or non veg sign on it. I guess it has something to do with Ayurveda being vegetarian itself.
@CowperKettle This is kinda interesting. Searching for just the name brings up articles that say it's only a proposed condition but searching for that alongside "autism" brings up articles that say it's not only real but also causes autism
@Vikas I mean I would hope "herbal blend" on the packaging accurately reflects what's in the ingredients and that they didn't slip in any cow urine
@alphabet That pisses me off. I don't like the supplement industry at all, and in this case they'd just be targeting their practices at a vulnerable population
I wasn't aware that LGS didn't have much or any evidence behind it before now
@Laurel Also, the "your gut causes autism" community overlaps a lot with the "vaccines cause autism" one, since supposedly it's the vaccines that mess up your gut
It's really a depressing subject because the deeper in you go, the more you hear about stories that just boil down to parents abusing their own kids who can't do anything about it. The worst of it makes the whole vaccine thing seem not too bad
> Unlike the scientific phenomenon of increased intestinal permeability ("leaky gut"), claims for the existence of "leaky gut syndrome" as a distinct medical condition come mostly from nutritionists and practitioners of alternative medicine.
> Advocates tout various treatments for "leaky gut syndrome", such as dietary supplements, probiotics, herbal remedies, gluten-free foods, and low-FODMAP, low-sugar, or antifungal diets, but there is little evidence that the treatments offered are of benefit.
@Vikas why are you scared of coughs? They're always the manifestation, not the reason. And unless you cough so much you irritate the linings of your mouth and throat, they're pretty healthy too. After all, better eject the infectious cause, not keep it in, right?
@Vikas maybe because people would feel like overcharging for herbal tea is unfair, but Coriandum sativum is badass.
And besides, any herbal antitussive is only effective when you're actually coughing, it doesn't stop coughing from happening. It's because it forms a layer over the linings of your mouth and throat, so it soothes the irritation that would have already happened due to coughing.
IOW, coughing begets more coughing, and herbal stuff prevents that to a certain extent.
@Laurel oh of course. But mitochondrial dysfunction manifests itself as a disruption of the activity of whichever tissues it affects. For example, liver damage due to valproate is caused mainly due to mitochondrial dysfunction.
@alphabet "leaky gut" is vague. The version alt medicine charlatans colleagues tout is almost definitely not scientifically sound.
But, for example, the cholera toxin binds some channel on the apical side of intestinal cells and activates cell signaling that leads to crazy amounts of chloride and water secretion, and that's why it causes diarrhea. That fits the definition of a leaky intestine, but is it the one they talk about? Is it the one they intend to treat with some irrelevant herb?
> Leaky gut syndrome is a proposed intestinal condition in which a weakening of the intestinal walls allows bacteria and toxins into the bloodstream.
1) Very vague, the part that you can claim is true. Research has shown numerous compounds that alter intestinal permeability. 2) "allows bacteria and toxins into the bloodstream" is vague but almost certainly untrue. It does sound like a traditional medicine claim, but today we know that bacteria and toxins entering the central bloodstream is no joke.
There's no evidence that in otherwise healthy people that come up with a mild condition some of the intestinal flora (whose bacteria outnumber the total number of human cells BTW) enters the bloodstream.
@CowperKettle looks like a Happy New Year postcard
> "Celebrating December 25 is logical. This is how Europe celebrates. We celebrated in December this year and there was nothing difficult about it. We want to be closer to Europe and to the world,” Pavlo said.
I think that the whole world should move on, as swift, as possible, to the huge issues. Peak Oil, loss of diversity, loss of Earth's carrying capacity, climate change. It's tragic that humanity loses time and resources while being in the largest crisis for tens of thousands of years.
If civilization crashes, nobody would care 10 000 years from now on which date Christmas was.
@alphabet I think he's the loser side kick, so it's kinda racist. But our Amoo (Uncle) Nowruz is not a side kick, and not a loser AFAIK. So obviously we were actually trying to be inclusive since centuries ago
@CowperKettle the flaw with that logic is there's not a simple relation between not spending time talking about blackfaces and devoting time to talking about important stuff
There's a zero percent chance that climate change will end civilization/humanity. It will, however, cause harm to pretty much everyone, with a massively disproportionate impact in developing countries.
The media is supposed to direct attention towards the important but boring stuff. So the model should somehow be changed to reward clickbait tabloid nonsense less.
@alphabet "Existential" doesn't necessarily refer to global annihilation. If its scope is limited even only to you and your milieu, it can still be viewed as existential.
If some hardy band of humans still survives after a nuclear conflagration, that is not a circumstance we should be aiming for.
@Robusto That's how activists use the term. It is not how the scientific and academic community use it.
> The research community on existential risks typically defines existential risks as threats that could cause the extinction of humanity or destroy the potential of intelligent life on Earth (Bostrom 2002).
@Robusto My point is: you should make specific predictions instead of using the term "existential." In the scientific definition, climate change is not an existential risk; as it's used by the public, the term "existential" is too vague to be a useful way of describing the actual risks.
@Robusto Yes, but there are lots of other definitions people have tried to give the term, none of them widely adopted by the scientific community. So you need to specify what meaning of "existential" you're using.
Curiously, recently it was shown that an AI system can diagnose Mabry syndrome by observing people's faces.
AI systems are being constantly built into everything.
At the store nearby, they made a button which you press at the automatic checkout, and the AI detects what you've placed on the scale, so you don't have to thread through the menu to choose "tomatoes from the greenhouse" or "lemons". It tries to discern them, and offers you several options.
To be clear: climate change will be very bad. The worst effects will be on the developing world (which, unfortunately, includes India).
In terms of resources, the good news is that the human population will likely peak at around 10 billion (25% more than today, but likely within humanity's capacity to cope). Birth rates are, of course, falling precipitously in the West, and some combination of economic development and cultural shift will almost certainly cause this to spread.
Of course, politicians in the West and parts of East Asia are now becoming paranoid about underpopulation.
@Vikas Yes, and it will be very bad, causing massive population displacement. The difference is that the UK has enough money to allow for this displacement to occur without completely destroying the country. Other low-lying areas with high population density will not have that money and will experience massive refugee crises.
@Cerberus The top 3 ingredients in my gum are xylitol, sorbitol, and "chewing gum base." Wiki tells me that the latter often is some sort of synthetic polymer. Often it's polyethylene, so literally just everyday plastic.
From the BBC: "chewing gum is basically plastic doped with flavours and colourings."
I wouldn't swallow it in bulk. But if I were walking around the city and my only options were (a) spit it on the ground and create a disgusting mess for someone else to clean up or (b) swallow it, I would choose (b). Then, next time, I'd carry tissues with my gum, since I prefer to consume limited quantities of plastic.
I may be rude sometimes. But littering is for psychopaths.
@Cerberus It's a long process, but it involves a lot of internecine conflict over a lot of dwindling resources. It may not end the world, exactly, but a lot of people might wish it had.
It depends a great deal on the resource in question, and on how much a society can afford the absence (or, more likely, the increased prices) of that resource.
@Robusto In the US, climate change will increase food prices, some much more than others. What will happen here is that people will switch from more expensive foods to cheaper ones; there is plenty of room to do so, since the food we eat is far more land-intensive than the food we need to survive.
In undeveloped parts of the world, though, there's no room to go down: they're already eating the cheapest possible calorie sources and won't be able to afford any increase in relative prices. Famines will become much more likely.
@Robusto Yes. Those undeveloped countries (e.g. sub-Saharan Africa) could well have more wars against each other. Not against the US, though, since they'd lose immediately.
The point is, we're already at several razor's edges, politically speaking, so how are we going to avoid a conflagration when everyone displaced by rising seas suddenly wants to take land from those inland, and the prices of everything skyrocket, and more bad energy is put into virtually all systems.
@alphabet More likely our problems will come from within. What happens when most of Florida is under water and Fox News is convincing Republicans that it's because of the "woke" Democrats?
@Robusto Keep in mind: this will not be sudden. It will be a gradual process over the next century. We will have to relocate large numbers of people. But that is something the US can afford to do.
I said it will be a long process. But I despair that, given the political climate, we can get Americans to reason together to find a solution for this. The Republicans already have a solution: more drilling, less restrictions.
Obviously we need to fight to reduce emissions. But it is simply false to assert that climate change has a substantial chance of ending civilization as we know it.
@alphabet The devil is in the "as we know it." It might not end civilization, but it could make our new lives, if such exist, unrecognizable from what we have now.