The reason? Cooking aboveground vegetables simply requires softening the cell walls to make them more palatable and digestible. Because most green vegetables are small with thin cell walls, that process doesn’t take very long. So all you need to do is boil water, add the vegetables, and cook until they are just tender.
Root vegetables, on the other hand, contain a great deal of starch, and that starch needs to be dissolved before most can be eaten.
Starting potatoes off in cold water creates more even cooking. Throwing cold potatoes into boiling water gelatinizes the starches at the surface of the potato too fast, leaving you with a mushy exterior that falls apart and dissolves into the cooking water before the center cooks through. By starting in cold water, the temperature in the potato rises more gently.
An interesting article on the various contexts of complexity that should be considered by user experience designers and researchers designing complex applications, including complexities of integration, information, intention, environment, and institution.
One of my principle concerns with the current scene is the rapidly escalating speed with which human rights are being trampled. The lack of peace in certain regions is proof positive that these principles are actually valid and needed, more than ever.
This trend needs to be reversed. The entrance point is educating people that they do have rights. Hence this post and the request you share these posts so more people are aware of and insist upon their rights so that we can live in a peaceful society.
Watch the video and if you think so too, please share it!
A mate sent me this quote from Plato: “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” Plato – Philosopher (427-347 B.C.) Considering the number of people who have things they would like to do but who never get started on them I can see Plato’s point but I find it pretty easy to start things and not as easy to finish them. From what I have learned (and observed and experienced) it is not just me, more people find it easy to start tasks than they do to finish them. In fact, the worst off amongst us cannot finish anything they start. Which is actually a very reliable way to pick the people to stay well away from and not let in your life. I well recall visiting two different people. One worked at home and did not appear to be able to throw anything out. He had so many stacks of paper, magazines and books on the furniture and floor in his lounge that he had to move some off the lounge to make space for me to sit. He ended up not paying all his bill. Another I visited at work. His office was so full of papers, magazines and books that he was unable to get two people to sit in it. He was occupying a meeting room and was hard at work filling that one too! Ideally one should be as competent in starting, continuing or changing and finishing anything they wish to undertake. As it is easy to get distracted prior to finishing tasks, I play a little game with myself from time to time to feret out any tasks I have started and discipline myself to finish them off. It is amazing how many attention units this frees up. I commend it to you as a useful exercise to try. See if your experience matches mine!
Three yards of black fabric enshroud my computer terminal. I am mourning the passing of an old friend by the name of Common Sense. His obituary reads as follows: Common Sense, aka C.S., lived a long life, but died from heart failure at the brink of the millennium. No one really knows how old he was, his birth records were long ago entangled in miles and miles of bureaucratic red tape. Known affectionately to close friends as Horse Sense and Sound Thinking, he selflessly devoted himself to a life of service in homes, schools, hospitals and offices, helping folks get jobs done without a lot of fanfare, whooping and hollering.
Rules and regulations and petty, frivolous lawsuits held no power over C.S. A most reliable sage, he was credited with cultivating the ability to know when to come in out of the rain, the discovery that the early bird gets the worm and how to take the bitter with the sweet.
C.S. also developed sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adult is in charge, not the kid) and prudent dietary plans (offset eggs and bacon with a little fiber and orange juice).
A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, the Technological Revolution and the Smoking Crusades, C.S. survived sundry cultural and educational trends including disco, the men’s movement, body piercing, whole language and new math. C.S.’s health began declining in the late 1960s when he became infected with the If-It-Feels-Good, Do-It virus.
In the following decades, his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of overbearing federal and state rules and regulations and an oppressive tax code. C.S. was sapped of strength and the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, criminals received better treatment than victims and judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional baseball and golf.
His deterioration accelerated as schools implemented zero-tolerance policies. Reports of 6-year-old boys charged with sexual harassment for kissing classmates, a teen suspended for taking a swig of Scope mouthwash after lunch, girls suspended for possessing Midol and an honor student expelled for having a table knife in her school lunch were more than his heart could endure.
As the end neared, doctors say C.S. drifted in and out of logic but was kept informed of developments regarding regulations on low-flow toilets and mandatory air bags. Finally, upon hearing about a government plan to ban inhalers from 14 million asthmatics due to a trace of a pollutant that may be harmful to the environment, C.S. breathed his last.
Services will be at Whispering Pines Cemetery. C.S. was preceded in death by his wife, Discretion; one daughter, Responsibility; and one son, Reason. He is survived by two step-brothers, Half-Wit and Dim-Wit.
Memorial Contributions may be sent to the Institute for Rational Thought. Farewell, Common Sense. May you rest in peace.
And the altered version of it doing the rounds:
An Obituary:
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
Why the early bird gets the worm;
Life isn’t always fair and
Maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death,
-by his parents, Truth and Trust,
-by his wife, Discretion,
-by his daughter, Responsibility and
-by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 5 stepchildren;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I’m A Victim
Pay me for Doing Nothing
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.
(OMNS August 9, 2020) I am 78 years old, and have been taking 30,000 mg/day of vitamin C for over 40 years. And I do not get sick!
As a child and up until my mid-30s I had to deal with many food allergies, such as dairy, nuts, strawberries, chocolate, and many others, which made going out with friends to restaurants sometimes an ordeal. The allergies would cause eczema or often asthma, and greatly affected my life.
In my mid 30s I read a series of articles on Dr. Linus Pauling, and his two Nobel Prices, with particular emphasis on vitamin C. I decided to try it. I started with 1,000 mg twice per day, and each week, I would increase it by 1,000 mg, so that at the end of about 5 weeks, I was taking 5,000 mg, twice per day. [1-3] After doing that for a couple of months, one of my friends’ wives made a strawberry pie, and suggested I try it. I resisted out of fear of an asthma attack and/or severe eczema rash. However, I decided to try the pie, and much to my surprise nothing bad occurred. I was amazed, and at first did not even make the connection to vitamin C, which I was now taking at 10,000 mg per day. After a couple of days, I decided to purchase some fresh strawberries, and have them with a glass of fresh whole milk.
Again, nothing bad occurred. On the next day, I tried a handful of nuts, and again, no asthma, no eczema rash, no problems. I ran to the library, and sought out a book by Dr. Pauling on vitamin-C, and read it cover to cover. [4] Nothing else in my life had changed, except I was now taking 10,000 mg/day of vitamin C, at the rate of 5,000 mg with my breakfast, and 5,000 mg with my dinner.
I have continued with this protocol ever since, and I no longer suffer from any food allergies!
Editors’ note: Individual need for vitamin C varies considerably. Each person must determine their own optimal intake level. Bowel tolerance (loose stool) indicates that too much C is being taken at one time. [1]
A WOMAN WITH ILEITIS
Some months later I was introduced to a woman in her mid-30s who was suffering from ileitis, and was taking sulfa-based antibiotics at the rate of 6-8 tablets per day. Her skin actually had a slightly yellow/green tinge to it, and you could smell the sulfa. She was living on a diet that was 100 % fiber free, so no fresh vegetables and no fresh fruits. She had constant diarrhea, stomach cramps, and generally felt sick. She was told that in due course she would have to have her lower bowel partially or completely removed, her rectum sealed, and would live with a colostomy bag, for the rest of her life. Needless to say, she was terrified.
I suggested she take plain yogurt 6-8 ounces twice per day, eat fresh fruits and vegetables, and take vitamin C 1,000 mg twice per day with meals, and increase it by 1,000 mg each week, so that in approximately 5 weeks, she would be taking 5,000 mg twice per day. After about 3 months she began reducing the sulfa antibiotics and by the time 6 months went by she was eating normally, no longer taking antibiotics, taking a total of 10,000 mg vitamin C every day. Her internist called me and asked me to come into his office, to explain what I had suggested, as she no longer showed any signs or symptoms of ileitis. I told him what I had suggested, and how well it obviously had worked. He told me he was going to send in this story to JAMA and that I would probably hear from them directly. I never did.
SHARED SUCCESS
Over the course of more than 40 years, I have received referrals from friends and family who knew about my success using mega doses of vitamin C and passed the information via word of mouth to associates who were having intestinal disorders of all types. [5] I would receive calls by phone and the people would introduce themselves and explain that they were friends or family members of those who knew how well I did with vitamin C and had simply passed the word. It’s amazing how sometimes word of mouth gets passed around. So I continued to suggest to friends and family to use the same treatment. In all cases it worked, and they no longer suffer from these conditions.
I often do volunteer work at local senior citizens rehabilitation centers, where there are many sick patients. Accordingly, I have increased my vitamin C to 30,000 mg per day (10,000 mg, three times per day). I do not have diarrhea nor suffer from any side effects of a mega dose of vitamin C. I do not become ill.
WHAT I DID WHEN SICKNESS WAS COMING ON
About 3 months ago I attended a medical lecture on osteoarthritis in the elderly. There was someone there seated near me, who was coughing during the lecture, but frankly I did not think much about it. Some days later, I awoke in the morning with a low grade temperature, sneezing and coughing and felt that I had picked up an upper respiratory infection. I was not tested, nor did I go to the doctors or the hospital to be tested.
I took 10,000 mg of plain vitamin C (ascorbic acid), 5 times during the day. Yes, I swallowed 50,000 mg of vitamin C during the day from about 6 AM until about 10 PM that night. I awoke the next morning, feeling great, with no symptoms of an infection!
I can tell you many stories about people who take a minimum of 10,000 mg of vitamin C every day on my recommendation, and who all have told me that they are feeling great, and like myself, do not get ill and are not at all worried about their health in this coronavirus pandemic! [3,6-8]
Pharmaceutical medicine does not like vitamin C. After all, vitamin C works, is not expensive, and has no side effects. But vitamin C has changed my life, and the life of everyone I know who will take the time to listen and to have an open mind on this subject.
MY VITAMIN AND MINERAL PROTOCOL TO PREVENT INFECTION
For optimal health and to prevent infection by viruses, I recommend taking a multivitamin, along with additional vitamin C, vitamin D (5000 IU/d) [8-10], vitamin E (400 IU, mixed tocopherols) [11], magnesium (400 mg/d in malate, citrate, or chloride form) [12], and zinc (20 mg/d). To find your correct dose of vitamin C, learn about “bowel tolerance” — the daily dose just below the amount that causes a laxative effect. [1-7] Many people find that when they’re not sick, a dose of 3000 mg – 10,000 mg/day taken all at once will cause a laxative effect, but they can tolerate the same daily dose of vitamin C when taken in divided doses. However, when an infection starts, much higher doses [1-7] can prevent it from taking hold. Of course I recommend healthy eating, and daily exercise, and not smoking or drinking alcohol to excess. You may want to discuss doses of vitamins and minerals with your doctor. You might indeed be doing your physician a favor.
CONCLUSION
So this is my story of my experience with vitamin C over four decades. Vitamin C in megadoses works wonders. I tell everyone, if you take only one vitamin, be sure to take vitamin C at a minimum of 10,000 mg/day.
REFERENCES
Cathcart RF (1981) Vitamin C, titrating to bowel tolerance, anascorbemia, and acute induced scurvy. Medical Hypotheses, 7:1359-1376. http://doctoryourself.com/titration.html
Cathcart RF (1993) The third face of vitamin C. J Orthomolecular Med, 7:4;197-200. http://www.doctoryourself.com/cathcart_thirdface.html
Rasmussen MPF (2020) Vitamin C Evidence for Treating Complications of COVID-19 and other Viral Infections. Orthomolecular Medicine News Service. http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v16n25.shtml
Pauling L (1976) Vitamin C, the Common Cold, and the Flu. WH Freeman & Co. ISBN-13: 978-0716703617.
Saul AW. Colitis, diverticulosis, irritable bowel syndrome, and other GI problems including ulcers. http://www.doctoryourself.com/colitis.html
Holford P (2020) Vitamin C for the Prevention and Treatment of Coronavirus. Orthomolecular Medicine News Service. http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v16n36.shtml
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service Editorial Review Board (2020) Rationale for Vitamin C Treatment of COVID-19 and Other Viruses. http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v16n21.shtml
Downing D (2020) How we can fix this pandemic in a month. Orthomolecular Medicine News Service. http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v16n34.shtml
Grant WB (2020) The role of vitamin D in reducing risk of COVID-19: a brief survey of the literature. Orthomolecular Medicine News Service. http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v16n33.shtml
Saul AW (2003) Vitamin D: Deficiency, Diversity and Dosage. J Orthomolecular Med 18:3-4; 194-204. http://www.doctoryourself.com/dvitamin.htm
Saul AW. (2003) Vitamin E: a cure in search of recognition. J Orthomolecular Med 18:3-4; 205-212. http://www.doctoryourself.com/evitamin.htm
Dean C (2017) The Magnesium Miracle (2nd Ed.) Ballantine Books. ISBN-13: 978-0399594441.
