Cats Need Wet Food!
Cats need to get water from their food

Cats are descended from feline desert dwellers. They couldn't stroll over to the watering hole for a drink, and cat tongues are not very well designed for drinking water.

Cats are adapted to obtain most of their water from their prey, which contains more than 75 percent water. Cats who eat dry food consume only half the water they need, compared to those that eat wet food, and live in a state of chronic dehydration."

Interesting - had heard the opposite actually. This article makes sense though, so maybe my big boy (Turbo) will have to be weaned off the ol' dry stuff (although he likes anything that looks like food, human or cat).

Judith Miller on Larry King
I was impressed with Judith Miller on Larry King's show last night. Cool, calm, composed - great smile - gave you the sense that she was a straight shooter. Perhaps was fooled like everyone else on WMD, but she wasn't the only one. You can learn a bit more about her at her web site at Judith Miller.org I suspect her books on the Middle East and terroism would make for some good reading.

At Center of a Clash, Rowdy Children in Coffee Shops - New York Times
"Children were climbing the cafe's poles. A couple were blithely reading the newspaper while their daughter lay on the floor blocking the line for coffee. When the family whose children were running across the room to throw themselves against the display cases left after his admonishment, Mr. McCauley recalled, the restaurant erupted in applause.

So he put up the sign. Then things really got ugly."

What's your take on this? I'm with Mr. McCauley - take the rugrats outside if they get unruly

Firefox Extensions

I noticed a few new extensions that I hadn't tried out over at Ed Bott's blog . PDF Download is one that lets you see how big a pdf file is when you click on the link and offers options of how you want to open it (tab,as html, or dowload). That's handy - nothing worse than clicking on some monster pdf file and waiting forever (fellow dialup users will understand).

Copy URL+ is the other extension which is an ideal tool for blogging or sending snippets from a page via email - will capture the snippet as well as the Title of the Page and the URL. Saves a lot of steps - definitely one to download.

Postprandial Blood Glucose in Type 2 Diabetes
"Although fasting hyperglycemia is used commonly to diagnose type 2 diabetes, there is increasing interest in the role of postprandial blood glucose (PPG) for both the diagnosis and management of type 2 diabetes.[3] Postprandial hyperglycemia develops early in the course of type 2 diabetes and is often evident even before fasting plasma glucose (FPG) elevations are seen. In addition, PPG is a marker of glycemic burden and is as predictive or more predictive of the risk for complications of diabetes when compared with FPG.

A look at the new incretin mimetics and how they can help those postprandial swings - an interesting article for those of us who have type 2 Diabetes - something to discuss with your endocronologist at your next office visit. I don't have a serious problem with fasting blood sugars, but sure do with postprandial glucose values (after meal spikes). *Note - you may have to register at the Medscape site to read the article, but it's a free registration.

An Organic Cash Cow - New York Times
"But for purists, unpasteurized, or raw milk, is the only way to go. It can be delicious and more nutritious, but finding raw milk takes a lot of work. In most states it can be sold legally only on the farm or through clubs in which people buy shares of a cow and divide the milk. And raw milk can pose a health hazard, especially for people with weakened immune systems."
Is it really Organic?

Thought that last comment about compromised immune systems was interesting as I would be one of those. Something to be aware of if you are "going back to nature".

A vote for Evolution
"All eight members up for re-election to the Pennsylvania school board that had been sued for introducing the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in biology class were swept out of office yesterday by a slate of challengers who campaigned against the intelligent design policy."
Kansas should take a lesson from PA

I am glad to see my neighbor to the North has regained its senses

Guess where I won't be retiring?

"TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Risking the kind of nationwide ridicule it faced six years ago, the Kansas Board of Education approved new public-school science standards Tuesday that cast doubt on the theory of evolution."
Kansas School Board Casts Doubts on Evolution

The only thing I remember about Kansas was driving through that hellhole when I was a kid with the window down in the car and had a tick fly in and nab me in the back. Thought that sucked, just like I think the idiocy above does. You Go Republicans! (I feel sorry for the moderates of the Republican party - maybe they will get sick enough of this crap and will spin off a 3rd party?) What is it with all this evangelizing? Get a life - I think God would be happier with you if you lived life instead of worshipping him all day long.

World
Grenades Kill

"BANJA LUKA, Bosnia (Reuters) - A hand grenade being used instead of a ball in a game of catch exploded early on Saturday killing three youths in this Bosnian town, police and news agencies said.

Two youths aged 19 and 20, one of them from neighboring Croatia, were killed instantly while a 20-year-old woman died on her way to hospital, police said. Her sister was slightly injured but two other youths suffered serious injuries."


You couldn't find something better to play with?

WiFi
WiFi for the Masses

"Wireless Philadelphia and its network supplier EarthLink have hammered out a subscription model that is tiered to handle the low-income areas in the city. As the network rolls out, most subscribers will pay $20 a month for the wireless service, but low-income families will get a 50 percent subsidy on their access. That takes the price right down into NetZero country, which is a pretty good deal for broadband wireless"


Men and Women
Dave Barry on the Man/Woman dilemma
"--The ''laundry refolding'' syndrome: This has been widely noted by both me and a friend of mine named Jeff. What happens is, the male will attempt to fold a piece of laundry, and when he is done, the female, with a look of disapproval, will immediately pick it up and re-fold it so that it is much neater and smaller. ''My wife can make an entire bed sheet virtually disappear,'' reports Jeff" (be sure to read the rest of the article - a true hoot!)

Oh boy, is this true or what? I am living proof of this, repeated some 10,000 times!

Sports and More

Did you catch the NYC Marathon this morning? Great races, particularly the finish of the men's race. Closest race in history - always enjoy watching this race - amazing how you can crank out 4:40 miles, one after another for 26.2 miles. Heartbreak for last year's winner Henry Remaala of South Africa who lost by 1 step to Paul Tergat of Kenya, the world record holder. Can you imagine running 26.2 miles and losing by 1 step? Incredible. I probably couldn't run one (1) 8 minute mile at the moment. Good stuff. Now off to see if Tiger can close down on the front runner in the season ending Tour Championship.

TV shows
Tune in to West Wing tonite - Jimmy Smits and Allen Alda do a "live tv" debate for the presidency. Should be good. Smits and Alda have brought a lot to the show. And then of course there is Desperate Housewives, Gray's Anatomy, and the best "feel good" show on TV (and probably the best show period) - Extreme Makeover (starts at 7 Eastern tonite - 2 hour show). Whew - gonna have a sore butt after all that!

Link of the Day
Illusion