Return of the Blog of Knowledge

Weren't we "almost there" on Sunday???

Two steps forward. One step back. Last week we were sitting around on our couch, watching Dexter and drinking wine. This week all our furniture is once again pushed to the middle of the room and covered with cloths, and LK and I have been back to the family room downstairs as Rob paints.

The good news is that we have said farewell to the Curtains That Time Forgot.

You remember, the ones that prompted Sandy to say, "Oh my God, what is that behind you?" when she saw them during a Skype call with Linda.

The really good news is that when he finished today, the renovation is complete. We will hang curtains and pictures and be done. Until LK decides what our next project is.

 Anyhow, with the rooms being painted, you would think it was the perfect time to do some other chores around the house. And it was. Only I didn't bother, choosing instead to pass the days on the computer. The good news: I've got enough stuff for another round of the Blog Of Knowledge.

I had considered starting our with a report that overweight Ecuadorian dwarves do not get diabetes. But being an overweight diabetic Irish-English heritage American-Australian of normal height, I don't know how much that information is relevant to me so I will leave the link and move on.

More interesting, I think, is the news that the New York Yankees who are now starting spring training may just be the fattest Yankees team ever. Apparently a third of those in training camp weigh more than 225 pounds (102kg) and five of them are more than 250 pounds. Heck CC even confessed that last year he was playing at more than 300 pounds (136kg).

Now I have been a Red Sox lover and Yankees hater all my life.

But suddenly the Yanks seem to be committing to a lifestyle choice that more closely matches mine. As long as the Sox have Big Papi, I can remain loyal because they don't call him BIG Papi for nothing.

But honestly, to think that the Yankees bullpen weighs more than a ton certainly does give me confidence that my athletic life need not stay limited to Seniors Sumo and Wii Bowling.

And that is good news in another way because it is becoming clearer every day that I can continue to play sport without worrying about things like losing flexibility as I age. Clearer, I say, because of an eye-opening report that people who do NOT drink alcohol are four times more likely to have rheumatoid arthritis than people who drink.

According to the report in health.com, "The researchers also found that rheumatoid arthritis patients who drink alcohol tend to have less severe symptoms than their non-drinking counterparts. And the more often they drink, the milder their symptoms are."

And in a startling bit of scientific discovery, the lead researcher pointed out, "Alcohol may also have a mild painkilling effect." (Relax, Americans, it was a UK research project. Your tax dollars were not at work on this one.)

They go on to caution people not to drink too much. Of course, they would. But I still give thumbs up to a report that starts out by reminding us that earlier studies showed that drinking has been shown to have health benefits for heart attack, stroke and diabetes. Yep. No need to be an Ecuadorian dwarf when there is a bottle of Finlandia in the freezer.


PS Two of the links are to stories in the Wall St Journal and may not be available if you are not a subscriber. The fact that WSJ is reporting on Ecuadorian dwarves and fat Yankees in no way undermines Rupert Murdoch's promise when he took it over that the WSJ would remain committed to high-quality business journalism.