karchung

From the page: "There seems little doubt that calorie restriction can have significant effects on secondary aging. A recent spate of papers in some of the worldâ€s leading medical journals demonstrate that in small studies, human subjects following such diets experience astounding drops in cardiovascular risk factors; a forthcoming review on cancer risks in animals with such diets, moreover, suggests a stark correlation â€" fewer calories mean fewer tumors. "

. The brain evolved to predict, and it does so by identifying patterns.

When those patterns break down -- as when a hiker stumbles across an easy chair sitting deep in the woods, as if dropped from the sky -- the brain gropes for something, anything that makes sense. It may retreat to a familiar ritual, like checking equipment. But it may also turn its attention outward, the researchers argue, and notice, say, a pattern in animal tracks that was previously hidden. The urge to find a coherent pattern makes it more likely that the brain will find one.

From the page: "A report by the European Union on last year's brief but nasty war between Russia and Georgia confirms what we have long suspected: everyone is to blame. Georgia is to blame because its blustering president, Mikheil Saakashvili, initiated a foolhardy attack into South Ossetia; Russia because it bullied and goaded Mr. Saakashvili and then used the attack as an excuse to invade Georgia; the United States because it tacitly encouraged Mr. Saakashvili for far too long; and Europe because it did nothing at all. "

From the page: "This is the magical thing about babies on the subway. They carry the antidote to adulthood. The careful decorum we construct for ourselves â€" grown-up civilian riders of the underground train â€" simply dissolves. "

From the page: "Some people defy all odds, she said. â€oeThe body really can adapt to an amazing range of dietary conditions. I remember consulting for a group home, and there was a little girl there I always thought of as an air plant. She only ate white bread and fruit. I followed her for years, and she grew up all right. Somehow she got enough to grow on."

But how is this possible? Sounds disgusting.