The saturated fat lobby 🫃
Lately there has been a move to celebrate saturated fats and re-brand them as not only tasty but also healthy. A lot of it is by farmers who raise livestock for meat and dairy, especially the later who get paid for the components in their milk, and if people drink milk that is not skim, it can, at least in theory raise the price of milk components, namely the butterfat. Not only do the dairymen want you drink more milk, the highest of value for milk products, but they’d prefer you drink milk with as much butterfat as possible.
For some time now, most major medical organizations has argued for reducing the intake of saturated fat to promote health and reduce the risk from cardiovascular diseases. This is why skim milk has proved to be quite popular, with more and more milk fat going into cheese and other desserts. But contrarians and dairymen would like you to reconsider how much milk fat you have in your drink, noting that the fats in milk can make you fill faster quicker, displacing potentially more harmful foods like highly processed carbs like bread and rolls, sweets and desserts.
But the less bad way of thing doesn’t makes something bad. It doesn’t mean you should never enjoy a cold glass of whole milk or some in your coffee, but skim milk remains a healthier option – especially if not with a enormous hamburger and fries. Like everything, it’s about averages, not the every day. A few times of year, having whole milk, ice cream or cheese isn’t going to kill but such things should be a treat not an every day occurrence. Bacon, especially from tamworth hogs, is good as an occassional treat. But you really shouldn’t be having bacon every day for breakfast.
I left my truck at the office and rode my bike home 🛻
After driving my big jacked up truck out to the Pine Bush mid-day for the unvailing and dedication of the John Wolcott Pine Bush Hikers’ Underpass, I was in no mood to drive home on such a beautiful day. My bike stored in my office, I figured I could just ride home.
I am sure it will be fine, 🛠️ and chances are good that it won’t be found in the morning sitting up on blocks with the wheels all stolen. I mean you need a special key to remove those Rockstar wheels and my office is pretty suburban even though they do have the tables and umbrellas locked down in case kids were to decide to steal them. 🚲 I much prefer to ride back and forth to work and I figured tonight is a good time to run to the store and get groceries and supplies I need for camping 🛒 after work. I’ll get the extra cannabis tomorrow. It’s not like Red is a super nice truck anymore, plus it’s parked out with the rest of the State Assembly pool cars they lend out for official state business.
Didn’t do much packing yesterday, 💼 indeed I went down to the park right after work until it got dark and cool out, and then came home, cooked some dinner up, 🍳 mostly just the usual fried onions, beans, homemade bread and squash. 🍆 This morning I got up fairly early though not super early, then it was eggs and onions and lots of hot sauce and coffee ☕. Going to shower and ride in early, as I was at the John Wolcott overpass unvailing probably longer then I should have been during an hour long lunch hour. I guess you’re not supposed to take two hour lunches, but whatever I am the the director and I’ll make up the time as I was in early yesterday. Showering now and will also try to get get in a bit early today.
I am excited about heading north tomorrow, 🏕️ even if the weather looks to be cooler, cloudier and wetter then this week bar maybe Tuesday. Really Sunday night into Monday aka Columbus Day looks to be worse weather of the week, 🌥️ and that’s when I’ll be driving north and probably opens up the most options for camping at Horseshoe Lake when I get there. 🔥 At least with all the rain we’ve had and more coming next week the fire risk will be much lower, though still elevated as it will take quite a bit more rain to fully pull us out of the drought from almost no rain that lasted from mid-August into October. it’s going to be a good trip, I think Red is running well though I should top off the coolant and oil 🛢️ before I head out. I’ve noticed now that it’s cool out you can smell the coolant leak when the heat first comes on. It’s good that I’m retiring Red at the end of winter season.
As the sign says, “John Wolcott Pine Bush Hiker’s Underpass”
It was really neat to see the unvailing of the John Wolcott Pine Bush Hiker’s Underpass sign yesterday in the Pine Bush, on a beautiful early autumn day, soon to be passed by 3.8 million cars and trucks each years. Most won’t give it much thought, just another meaningless name along the highway like Ruth’s Auto or Stewart’s or Goodwill but at least some people will Google the name and learn about how it just got started with one phone call and an ask. It will appear on maps on highway trivia websites, inevitably retelling the story.
I used to visit with John Wolcott a lot in his later years, 📹 for a while we did a lot of video and audio recordings of him telling his stories, sometimes blending truth and fiction – the wild haired red-head of Sheridan Hollow had long faded to gray and had in many ways forgotten many of details – but it was still fascinated. He was interested in preserving the history and discoveries he found, I mostly was interested in stories of more contemporary history – the battles over saving Fort Orange and dozens of historic buildings in Albany – and the Albany Pine Bush. For him, Dutch History was particularly relevant – for me it was the stories about Erastus Corning and Thomas Whale and Jerry Jennings. 🏫 So many of the details have been lost to time, the house fire, and failing memory. Time marches on, with so much lost but many things gained – like the preserved and restored Pine Bush – and a Hiker’s Underpass who story previously unknown to many. ⌛
It was good to be there at the sign unvailing. 🌲Over a 100 people were there to celebrate the announcement, including State Senator Fahy and representives from County Executive and Assembly offices. Maybe I should have taken off the full afternoon as there was a hike down to the now officially named underpass though I’ve hiked and ridden my mountain bike under it many a time before. I can go back there any time again. 🚶 With the sign to be installed on the highway in the coming weeks, I will want to get back and take a picture and hike the underpass again. Eventually, I’m sure Pine Bush Commission maps will reflect this detail as will the many websites about highway signs and roadside trivia. John was a map guy before free and open source GIS software, I’m sure he would have loved all these details and trivia if he was still alive.
It’s kind of great to see a civilian honored in such a way 🛣️ as it’s so rare to see anything named after somebody who is not a military soldier, politician, cop or government worker. Especially on a major highway like this on a large 4’x12′ sign.
Wind Turbines By Mount Storm
While the 1,600 MW coal fired generating plant in Mount Storm / Bismark WV is the big generating facility, more and more wind turbines are coming online.
Transgender ⚧️
I never have understood what the big deal is about transgender people. We should be encouraging people to choose to work in the occupation they think is best based on their learn skills and natural ability and letting people express themselves as they want.
If people want hormones, body surgery, and other parts to become the other gender, then so be it. If people feel a type of clothing expresses them as they are, consistent with the clothing standard of the location, then so be it. People should use the rest room that most clearly represents their gender, as that’s what people expect.
Not that there is much evidence that gendered public restrooms are particularly better then unisex restrooms, except maybe that men’s rooms have fewer toilets due to urinals being the more convenient option for most men when they are out and about. But basically all modern restrooms have privacy stalls, so nobody knows what your private parts look like in the bathroom. Not that it’s considered polite to be peering at somebody’s privates when in a restroom at any rate.
But does it really matter? Honestly I doubt it. Restrooms regardless of genders should be regularly cleaned and in a safe, highly visible public location to discourage public drug use and meet up. Not that transgender people are any more likely to do such things then the general public, mostly pushed out there because there isn’t enough private locations to do such things.
You be you, I’ll be me is my motto. If dressing becoming a certain sex is your thing, then so be it.