Vicious Circle

"A situation in which the effort to solve a given problem results in aggravation of the problem or the creation of a worse problem and so on." - Science of Survival, 2007 edition, p. 673

"You become what you think about all day long." - Earl Nightingale

"Everything you have is determined by what you are and what you do." - Zig Ziglar

Soybeans, With a Side of Gasoline

By Kelley Herring

What do protein bars, printing presses, and your gas pump have in common? Hexane!

Hexane is a byproduct of gasoline. It is used as a solvent for glues (rubber cement, adhesives), varnishes, and inks, and also as a degreaser in the printing industry.

You might be surprised to know that hexane is also used to extract edible oils from seed and vegetable crops - primarily soybeans. And that, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), short-term exposure to hexane at high doses can affect the central nervous system. Neurotoxic effects have also been demonstrated in animal studies.

Manufacturers of natural foods use only expeller-pressed oils and fats that do not involve the use of hexane in the crushing process. However, the resulting "residual soy meal" is used in many soy protein powders that are turned into cereals, bars, smoothies, and other foods touted as "natural."

So how can you protect yourself against hexane exposure? Avoid all "conventional" processed soy foods, including foods made with hydrolyzed plant protein and soy protein isolate/concentrate. And when you do eat soy products, opt for those not processed with hexane, including fermented soy milk, fermented tofu, miso, tempeh, and soy sauces.

It's Fun to Know: Bird Trivia

• In the Middle Ages, peacocks and swans were sometimes served at Christmas dinner.

• To scare away predators, giant petrels throw up on them.

• More than 100 million birds die each year in the U.S. by crashing into windows.

• Hummingbirds can flap their wings 80 times per second. They can also fly left, right, up, down, backward, and upside-down.

• Chickens can fly - though not very well compared to most birds. The world record for a non-stop chicken flight is a bit more than 230 yards.

(Source: funshun.com)

Word to the Wise: Panopticon

A "panopticon" (pan-OP-tih-kon) - from the Greek for "sight" - is a building (a prison, hospital, library, etc.) arranged in such a way that all parts of the interior are visible from a single point.

Example (as used by Mattathias Schwartz in The New York Times): "Almost everyone [on the Internet message board /b/] posts as 'anonymous.' In effect, this makes /b/ a panopticon in reverse - nobody can see anybody, and everybody can claim to speak from the center."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [#2471, 09-26-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

"The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live."

- Flora Whittemore

"You become what you teach." - Brian Tracy

"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present."

Abraham Lincoln, 1862