The value of stocks is purely speculative and relatively meaningless unless (a) you own some and (b) you sell them.  I held on to my stocks when the market crashed (and I held my breath) and now my stocks have risen again in value.  Since I didn’t sell anything, I was "poorer" but I didn’t lose money.  Now, I am "richer" again but find it difficult to rejoice since there is so much misery all over the country as a result of foreclosures and unemployment. 

Much of the prosperity in the Bush years was a mirage and those who are losing jobs and homes are paying the price for us all - while those with investments in stocks AND jobs are, once again, laughing all the way to the bank, as the bandwagon gears up for another boom and bust cycle.

Lila, The French leave the table "satisfied" because they take time to savor their meals (do you think that they walk around hungry all the time ;) ?).  By the time they get up from the table, their blood sugar levels have risen.  By contrast, we gobble down our food, huge quantities, in a hurry, without giving our bodies time to feel full.  

The French also don’t snack all the time nor to they eat or drink in the street.  Food is for mealtimes, to be savored and enjoyed.   

To see the reason that most French women are not fat, you need only to look at the portions in French restaurants (in France, that is) and at those in most restaurants in the USA.  Or look at the size of a croissant in France and one in the USA, etc. etc.  At a French meal, the French enjoy a few mouthfuls of each course.  A steak in a US restaurant would feed a French family.

The interesting thing about US restaurants is the more you pay, the less food you get.  One of the smallest (and one of the most expensive) meals I’ve ever eaten in the USA was at the Four Seasons in NYC.  It was very very elegant, the ingredients were exquisite, and there was, by US standards, barely any food.  

Walking, climbing stairs and other daily exercise help but it is the entire French approach to eating that helps them stay slim.

The only people who imitate the French way of eating are the wealthy here.  For the less wealthy, MORE FOOD and LARGER PORTIONS are the norm and provide a welcome sense of abundance and security - until they see their waistlines balloon, of course…

Pesticides accumulate in animal fats, nitrates in cured meats are harmful; the charred surface of cooked meats contains carcinogens; animal fats are very high in calories; and a high-protein diet "feeds" many types of tumor. 

Cut out meat (or cut way down on it) and your diet suddenly becomes a whole lot healthier - no matter whether you eat organic fruits and veggies or not.

I am not a fanatic vegetarian - I’ve just accumulated enough information over the years to believe that meat is not a necessary part of my diet and that I am much better off without meat in my diet.

I have a Ph.D. in molecular biology so I don’t follow fads.  "Just the facts, Sam, just the fact."

We are close relatives of primates that live on leaves, fruits, nuts and a very little meat occasionally.  Doesn’t it make sense to eat in the way that nature intended?  Over the past few years, I’ve been eating more and more like a chimpanzee, with very little meat and few eggs in my diet - not to mention very little sugar and salt.  I eat very few "prepared" foods, gorging on vegetables, fruits, and nuts.  Oatmeal for breakfast with a little milk, fruit and nuts; fruit and yoghurt with maple syrup for lunch; a big salad with olive oil and wine vinegar dressing; whole wheat bread; small amounts of cheese and low-fat "butter;" plus a few small treats to keep me from seeming too eccentric. 

This diet would be inordinately expensive if I only ate "organic" so I buy from the farm market (they use "integrated pest management, minimizing use of pesticides but not eliminating them altogether) in summer and from the supermarket in winter.  

I think the content of my diet is more important than the source.  And I’ve never felt better.

As Polan says, "Eat FOOD, not too much, mostly plants."  And as Sam says, "Eat like a CHIMPANZEE" and feel better than you’ve ever felt before!

I love to leaven my serious life with gossip and frippery.  Yes, I read about the Palins because (so long as none of them holds public office) they are a source of excellent entertainment.  Levi doesn’t disappoint in Vanity Fair and, according the video made while he was filming the article, he doesn’t disappoint in the Johnson department either.

PERFECT, Stacy!  You really understand what a threesome is all about.  Two to make the two-backed beast* and one to keep the barking beast out of the bedroom.  After all, whoever heard of a three-backed beast?? 

*Footnote: "In the vigour of his age he married Gargamelle, daughter to the King of the Parpaillons, a jolly pug [EXCUSE ME???  DID THIS ESCAPE FROM THE VALENTINO STORY???], and well-mouthed wench. These two did oftentimes do the two-backed beast together, joyfully rubbing and frotting their bacon ‘gainst one another" —Francois Rabelais, Gargantua and Pantagruel

I work at home and use Google Documents for writing projects; I communicate constantly with people all over the world by email; and I get my news, information and light entertainment from the internet. 

I never ever watch TV but I still subscribe to two newspapers, a weekly news digest from Europe, and the New Yorker. 

Eventually, I fear, I shall stop paying for newspapers (and save some trees) but I would be happy to support news organizations on line.