no sweat!

Is it still too soon for COVID nostalgia?  After all, it’s over 6 years since Gretch shut all us Michiganders out of rakes, gardening supplies, and American flags.  I burned my last mask two years after that (1).  The changes to our lives have been legion, and so much seems to have become permanent.  Nostalgia for the days before COVID is understandable, but for the pandemic itself?  We’ve all heard our parents and grandparents speak of times characterized by forced simplicity and hardship – WWI, the Great Depression, WWII – usually speaking a bit wistfully about those times, with a survivor’s pride and sometimes a doubt that the young listener could survive something similar.  But here we are, survivors of lockdowns, gross infringements on personal liberty and of course the virus itself, which officially hit 103,436,829 Americans, of whom 1,235,885 died (2) (1.2%, quite a bit worse than the 2024-5 flu, which claimed 45,000 out of 51 million affected (0.9%)).  Of course, with the ways that death records were doctored to assign COVID as cause of death in any patient with a documented infection, even when another obvious cause existed, the COVID numbers are suspect.

Face it.  The pandemic made us do a few things we felt new or unusual.  We rediscovered home cooking and often used the time to get a little adventurous.  Whether it was reading books or just sticking our face into a screen, we got a little more cultured.  For those of us who realized we weren’t going to catch the virus from outdoor air, there was all that exercise.  Working from home proved to have so many advantages that many need to be forced to go back to the office.  Zooms were never a substitute for in-person contact, but we did get to see and talk to a lot of people we wouldn’t otherwise have thought of.  Those of us who dared to travel found uncrowded plane and train terminals and great appreciation from the hospitality workers at our destinations.  For those of us of a certain age, all that down time got us deeper into our much-needed decluttering projects.

All those experiences are easily recaptured, although I know a lot of people who would prefer not to face another Zoom meeting.  Hardest to recapture, I think, is the feeling we had while going through all this.  Both sides could claim a sense of heroic sacrifice.  The vaxxed felt their actions were saving Grandma (and the rest of the world) and bolstered that sense by haranguing the unvaxxed of their anti-social shortcomings.  We who disdained the stab saw ourselves as keepers of liberty and common sense.  I never thought while earning that microbiology master’s 50 years ago followed by a life in academic medicine that I’d be tapping all that to write argumentative blogs about a little RNA virus.  But I did, so many I could put them in a book (3).  If you want to see how crazy it sometimes got, check out (4).  It was heady stuff.  Sometimes, when proclaiming my truth, I felt like Henry V on St. Crispin’s day*.  My COVID “band of brothers” is still around, and we’re tighter than ever.

For most of us, COVID is just a fading memory.  Flickers of concern for other emerging viruses, for which the old COVID measures are proposed, just bring a snigger of derision.  We’re not going back there.  But for some, particularly the vaxxed, the nightmare continues.  The blood clots and myocarditis seen early on were just a warning.  Calls for a moratorium went unheeded (5).  The geniuses who put that Wuhan-constructed RNA fragment into a polyethylene glycol vehicle, or integrated it into a disabled adenovirus gene, forgot to install an off switch.  So, the mRNA went everywhere and never stopped translating spike protein, now recognized as the mediator for all those things that can happen after a stab: blood clots, myocarditis, neurologic injuries of many types, infertility, miscarriage, eye inflammation, other autoimmune processes, “turbo” cancers, rashes, even arthritis (6).  Then there’s the post-viral aesthenics, beset by fatigue, brain fog, and low-grade fever.  The latter seem to appear after any prolonged infection.  “Long COVID” is the grab bag term for all of these conditions (7).

I retired just months before any of this happened, so never directed the care of any patient.  It was hard to muster pride for many in my profession who toed the government line, used any means possible to force a vaxx on a patient, and disdained any intervention that might help in the early stages of the infection.  Fortunately, there were some brave doctors who spoke up.  My three public favorites were Robert Malone, Peter McCullough, and Jay Bhattacharya.  Dr. Malone was in on the early development of mRNA technology and owns some of the patents for the process.  Dr. McCullough is a Texas cardiologist with an MPH from Michigan.  He and Dr. Malone promoted hydroxychloroquine and then ivermectin as interventions that could drive down the virus in its early stages.  Dr. Battachyra now heads the NIH.  I still have in my fridge the bottle of ivermectin I bought on Amazon and administered to us before every trip.  Neither Kathy nor I ever got COVID, and we were tested weekly.  Dumb luck, or was it ivermectin, exercise, good food, and judicious use of alcohol (after all, we were rubbing it on our hands all the time)?

Both Dr. Malone and Dr. McCullough still keep a presence on social media.  Dr. McCullough has addressed long COVID, recognizing that vaxx-encoded spike protein is poorly degraded by proteolytic (protein chomping) enzymes as the peptide encoded by mRNA into which the boys and girls at Wuhan substituted several ribonucleotides that don’t exist in nature, like pseudouridine.  Consequently, the transcribed peptide doesn’t have the same cleavage sites – where the enzyme acts – as one from a native mRNA.  Dr.

McCullough and colleagues pulled three natural compounds with proteolytic activity: nattokinase, curcumin, and bromelain (8).  Nattokinase is the most interesting, a product of soy fermentation that is a popular dietary supplement in Japan, prized for effects on cardiovascular health (9).  Japanese investigators described nattokinase’s effect on spike protein before Dr. McCullough adopted it (10).  Curcumin is from turmeric, the spice that permanently stains your countertop and cookware, while bromelain is derived from pineapples. 

If you don’t want to bother fermenting soybeans in your kitchen, you can buy capsules containing Dr. M’s magic trio on Amazon.  Each capsule contains 400 mg (20,000 IU) nattokinase, 500 mg curcumin, and 500 mg bromelain.  You take 2 a day.  You can get them on Amazon.  Dr. M’s own Wellness Company will sell you a bottle of 60 for $39.99, or $1.39/day (11).  You can do better assembling your own package.  Nattokinase 500 mg is as low as 21¢/capsule, curcumin 500 mg for a nickel a capsule, and bromelain 500 mg for 14¢/capsule.  So, you’ll save a little over a 61¢ a day if you roll your own (12).  It all adds up, particularly since you’ll need to take the stuff fir a year or 2.

I caught Dr. McCullough recently offering a new recommendation.  Recall all those athletes dropping dead from myocarditis early in the vaxx era?  So does Dr. M, who pointed out you don’t hear about them anymore.  I submit the stories are being suppressed, but if not, Dr. M’s take is interesting as he starts to talk about sweat (13).  He surmises – correctly – that no one sweats more than competitive athletes.  And sweat is one of the main ways that spike protein exits the body (14).  If you’re one of the unfortunate vaxxed upon whom Mr. Spike is doing a number, your main goal is to get rid of as much spike protein as possible.  Those capsules can only do so much.  If you can’t swing a natural way to do this, like spending summer in St. Louis, there’s saunas!  The Wellness Company doesn’t sell them (yet), but Amazon sure does, and cheap!  You can get one for less than 100 bucks (15).  There’ll be intact spike protein in that sweat, but once out of your internal milieu, it doesn’t do harm.

One of my former fellows, now practicing in Wisconsin, wrote me about 3 years into COVID “Dr. Ike, you were right about everything all along.”  Sweet music.  I’ve yet to hear it from any of my neighbors.  But, if any of them ask me how I’m doing in this post-COVID era, I can respond with confidence “no sweat!”

References  

  1. Ike B.  Burn on II.  WordPress 3/11/22.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2022/03/11/burn-on-ii/
  2. COVID-19 pandemic and the United States,  Wikipedia 3/3/26.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_the_United_States#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%2C%20there,rose%2C%20and%20life%20expectancy%20fell.
  3. Ike R. Musing through a Pandemic. My year and a half with Mr. Corona. Volume I. about Mr. Corona. Amazon (Kindle) 2021. Published 7/2.  https://a.co/d/09QLTYbn
  4. Ike B.  Fauci’s Feeble-Minded Fear-Filled Followers.  WordPress 2/5/21.  https:/theviewfromharbal.com/2021/02/05/faucis-feeble-minded-fear-filled-followers
  5. Mead NM, Seneff S, Rose J, Wolfinger R, Hulscher N, McCullough PA.  COVID-19 Modified mRNA “Vaccines”: Lessons Learned from Clinical Trials, Mass Vaccination, and the Bio-Pharmaceutical Complex, Part 2.  Int J Vaccine Theory, Practice, and Res 2024:3(2)1275-1344.  https://ijvtpr.com/index.php/IJVTPR/article/view/104/371
  6. Santana-de Anda K, Torres-Ruiz J, Mejía-Domínguez NR, Alcalá-Carmona B, Maravillas-Montero JL, Páez-Franco JC, Vargas-Castro AS, Lira-Luna J, Camacho-Morán EA, Juarez-Vega G, Meza-Sánchez D, Núñez-Álvarez C, Rull-Gabayet M, Gómez-Martín D. Novel Clinical, Immunological, and Metabolic Features Associated with Persistent Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Sep 6;25(17):9661. https://www.mdpi.com/2945660
  7. Lesgards JF, Cerdan D, Perronne C. Do Long COVID and COVID Vaccine Side Effects Share Pathophysiological Picture and Biochemical Pathways? Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Aug 15;26(16):7879. Doi: 10.3390/ijms26167879. Erratum in: Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Sep 29;26(19):9513. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40869200/
  8. Hulscher N, Procter BC, Wynn C, McCullough PA. Clinical Approach to Post-acute Sequelae After COVID-19 Infection and Vaccination. Cureus. 2023 Nov 21;15(11):e49204. https://www.cureus.com/articles/207654-clinical-approach-to-post-acute-sequelae-after-covid-19-infection-and-vaccination#!/
  9. Chen H, McGowan EM, Ren N, Lal S, Nassif N, Shad-Kaneez F, Qu X, Lin Y. Nattokinase: A Promising Alternative in Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases. Biomark Insights. 2018 Jul 5;13:1177271918785130.  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/1177271918785130
  10. Tanikawa T, Kiba Y, Yu J, Hsu K, Chen S, Ishii A, Yokogawa T, Suzuki R, Inoue Y, Kitamura M. Degradative Effect of Nattokinase on Spike Protein of SARS-CoV-2. Molecules. 2022 Aug 24;27(17):5405.  https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/17/5405
  11. Spike Support – Detox, Immune Health, Blood Flow, Anti-Clotting – Nattokinase, Dandelion Root, & Black Sativa | 60ct (1 Month Supply).  Amazon https://a.co/d/03zfjP05
  12. Roll Your Own.  Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen – Topic.  YouTube 11/8/14.  https://youtu.be/FHhpa_XqOcE?si=4DtLXZWQOpMeuvyC
  13. McCullough PA.  Health Benefits of Sweating.  Focal Points 10/22/25.  https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/health-benefits-of-sweating?r=xihj0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web  
  14. Recalcati S, Tonolo S, Meroni E, Fantini F. SARS-CoV-2 in the sweat of COVID-19-positive patients: a possible route of transmission? J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2021 Dec;35(12):e865-e866. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8656368/
  15. BOCHPOWER.  Portable Sauna Box, 3.0L Steamer, Remote Control, Folding Chair, 9 Levels (Full Size).  Amazon https://a.co/d/00lbdX7A

    

*The St. Crispin’s Day speech from Henry V

by: William Shakespeare

King Henry V: What’s he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin:
If we are mark’d to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God’s will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires:
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England:
God’s peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more, methinks, would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made
And crowns for convoy put into his purse:
We would not die in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Crispian:’
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say ‘These wounds I had on Crispin’s day.’
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember’d.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember’d;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

From Henry V, Act IV, Scene III

woe, woe, woe…

If George W. Bush were still commenting on social issues, he might say “is our children nuts?”  With reports of 15% of children 10-19, globally, experiencing a mental illness, according to the WHO (1), and 12 million American adolescents on psychotropic medications (2), ya gotta wonder.  Everything from family breakup, COVID, the economy, and global warming have been blamed.  A decades long movement in the “helping professions” has promoted “awareness” as the way out.  The way out is mainly “treatment” administered by some of those professionals.  The troubled youth merely has to recognize that some of those swirling disturbling adolescent thoughts represent an illness requiring treatment.

A group of psychologists based in Oxford has reviewed this topic, finding that many of the consequences of deeply appreciating possible mental health symptoms actually tend to promote more mental illness behaviors (3).  Monty Donanhue picked up on this scientific paper and summarized it for us in the lay audience (4).  The link will provide you with a button for a 7-minute reading of the article if you’re lazy that way, like me.  When I played it for my wife this morning, she said “but this is all just common sense”.  If you talk about depression, some in the audience will emerge feeling depressed!  If you take the fragile easily triggered child and nurture that fragility by placing them in their own protected space, how will that person develop the resilience to face the slings and arrows inevitably to come? 

The same group has been at this topic a while, publishing a similar review in a lesser journal 7 years ago (5).  The lead author from the recent Nature paper was in the middle of the masthead for the older review, still a grad student. Her PhD mentor posted a synopsis of her recent paper on X (6), which includes an instructive cartoon summarizing the 4 ways “mental health awareness” promotes mental illness.  I reproduce it below.

For those troubling thoughts, how about heeding Martin Luther (although he was speaking about Satan’s temptations): “You cannot keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair”?

(I don’t believe that was the reason for his haircut)

Screenshot

Maybe instead of attending therapy sessions, our troubled youth should just listen to a little Morris Albert (7)

References

1. Mental Health of Adolescents.  World Health Organization 9/1/25.  https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health

2. Lopez-Leon S, Lopez-Gomez MI, Warner B, Ruiter-Lopez L. Psychotropic medication in children and adolescents in the United States in the year 2004 vs 2014. Daru. 2018 Sep;26(1):5-10. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6154488/

3. Foulkes L, Winterburn I, Sandra D et al. The psychological consequences of mental health awareness efforts. Nat Rev Psychol 2026;5, 173–84.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/7b95d-the-psychological-consequences-of-mental-health-awareness-efforts.pdf

4. Donahue M.  Mental Health Awareness is Backfiring:  New Science Shows How ‘Helpful’  Campaigns Are Manufacturing Illness.  American Thinker 5/1/26.  https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/05/mental_health_awareness_is_backfiring_new_science_shows_how_helpful_campaigns_are_manufacturing_illness.html

5. Dunning DL, Griffiths K, Kuyken W, Crane C, Foulkes L, Parker J, Dalgleish T. Research Review: The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on cognition and mental health in children and adolescents – a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2019 Mar;60(3):244-258. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6546608/

6. Inzlicht M.  X.  4/29/26.  https://x.com/minzlicht/status/2049493735453389276?s=20

7. Oktavian Hermawan Susilo.  Morris Albert – Feelings (1975).  YouTube.  https://youtu.be/sr_yaZQmRzA?si=oNzBO5W0tzRxKPXs

Ovis aries hepar!  curried!!

How did I get this chunk of lamb liver and what can I do with it?  It all comes from working in a place with many multiply-talented young people.  My young colleague Michelle arrived in AA with a PhD on top of her medical degree and early success in the lab, parlaying it all into her position as one of the rising research stars in rheumatology.  

But for all her laurels, she grew up on a farm in little Mesopotamia Ohio (pop’n 3,034 2020 census), east and south of Cleveland, 220 miles or so from Ann Arbor. Her husband, Mark, had similar origins.  After a couple years up here, they decided to pursue their roots, buying a small farm west of town.  It quickly became a going concern – EMMA Acres (1) – with produce consisting of eggs Michelle sold in clinic, to vegetables from Michelle’s garden, to all manner of animals Mark raised and had butchered.  Some of their products are sold in local establishments, like Biercamp on South State (2), which honored their contribution to their artisan meats by hanging this poster of them just inside their doorway.

Mark’s freezer is full of various parts, but you couldn’t beat those whole animals.  For the last several springs, we’ve bought our own lamb, gathering the butchered parts from Jerome meats in the Irish Hills, for whom a big part of their business is dressing deer from local hunters.(3)  I got to dictate the butchering of my animal, so those lamb racks included the whole half of the chest, making for an impressive dish from my Pit Barrel Cooker (4).  Jerome’s asks if you want certain cuts, and I always opted to take the offal.  So, for each of my lambs, I have a heart and a liver.  They’ve sat deep in my freezer, but lately I’ve found some recipes that might put that liver to use.  Now, I have no taste for liver, with that 1970s song wrapping it up for me (5).  But it’s all in the preparation, isn’t it?I approach all new recipes as a challenge, realizing others have gone before.  Thinking that with enough spices, even liver might be tasty, I went Googling and found 3 that looked promising (6,7,8).  As is my habit, I compiled what looked like the tastiest touches and incorporated them into my own recipe.  One of the recipes called the dish by its Hindu name: Kaleji Masala.  My Google translate puts this in English a “Kaleji Masala”(!), but did produce the name in native script कलेजी मसाला.  So, see here what I came up with.  By any other name, it’s pretty tasty.

Most ingredients are readily available locally. Pastes of ginger and garlic require some effort, well worth it if you use a lot of these aromatic vegetables in your cooking (9).  Ghee – a.k.a. clarified butter – is also worth the preparation effort to produce a cooking fat with an extremely high smoke point (10).

They sell garam masala in the Asian section of most grocery stores, but it’s easy to make and I keep some on hand using the following recipe.

You’ll notice than none of these recipes use “curry”.  Realize that “curry” is a British affectation to describe the spices flavoring the wonderful food their native cooks were bringing them as they occupied the subcontinent (11).  That said, many of my favorite recipes call for “curry powder”.  I have 3 recipes from which I make my own.  Here’s the one I’m using these days.

Like Garrison Keillor used to say about Powder Milk Biscuits – in the big blue box – with the dark stains that indicate freshness.  Heavens, they’re tasty!  Has your family tried ‘em? (12)

From ingredients to taste treat, it’s all in the organization:

In can be hard to tell one dish from another by their appearance in the wok.  I found this very tasty, Kathy not so much.  She found it too hot in spice (dial back those Thai chilis next time), and the consistency of liver a bit off putting.

It’s hard not to love Indian food.  My first exposure was back in medical school when I took a date to Old Town to a restaurant whose review I’d just read that said their fare was the best thing “this side of heaven”.  Gaylord of India was the only Indian restaurant in Chicago then, and is still around (13).  I agreed with the critic’s assessment and have been addicted ever since.  I strayed from trying to cook any myself, as all the recipes I came across seemed impossibly fussy.  Maybe as I settled down with a job, a house, and a wife, I got more adventurous.  I found a slim paperback by Madhur Jaffrey, a onetime Bollywood star who had become a spokesperson for Indian cooking.  Her simply titled book “An Invitation to Indian Cooking” was a godsend and sent me on a journey through the dishes of the subcontinent that continues to this day.  I recommend it to anyone who’s curious about this cuisine.  Amazon says it was published in 2011, but my copy came out in June 1973.  You can get it used for 10 bucks on Amazon (14).  It would be money well spent.

Indian food isn’t necessarily “healthy”.  Sure, there are a lot of vegetarians on the subcontinent and Ms Jaffrey has a cookbook for them (which I have) (15).  But they still love their fats, which is probably what leads our nutritional overlords to turn up their noses.  Now that we know that fat can be good for you, maybe this will all change (16).

Even though the secrets of Indian cooks go back millennia, that doesn’t mean they can’t be adapted to modern times.  In my researches for this blog, I came across a new book I just purchased.  Michelle was the first to introduce me to the wonders of the Insta-Pot, which I finally bought and use frequently.  I can’t wait to test it on my favorite cuisine! (17).

Regardless of how you cook it, this food is well worth the effort to prepare.  And, since the Hindus eschew alcohol, you won’t have to worry about a wine pairing.  Me, I like beer.  As Google Translate says अपने भोजन का आनंद लें!

References

  1. EMMA Acres Farm.  Local Harvest 12/15/25.  https://www.localharvest.org/emma-acres-farm-M51437
  2. Biercamp.  https://www.bier-camp.com
  3. Jerome Country Market.  https://jeromecountrymarketllc.com/
  4. Rack of Lamb.  Pit Barrel Cooker Co.  https://pitbarrelcooker.com/blogs/food/rack-of-lamb
  5. Phillips H.  #01PPI: I HATE LIVER.   YouTube. https://youtu.be/-bUsb-e-mvE?si=F3-fNyKudKbvK3yN

6. Priyanka.  Spicy Lamb Liver Curry.  Flavorquotient.com.  https://flavorquotient.com/easyrecipe-print/2758-0/

7. Hanif S.  Lamb liver masala fry.  Cookpad.com 10/5/23.  https://cookpad.com/eng/recipes/17103848

8. Cooks F.  Kaleji Masala | Liver Curry.  Fatima Cooking 7/8/24.  https://fatimacooks.net/kaleji-masala-liver-curry/

9. Ike B.  garlic* paste.  WordPress 2/14/21.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2021/02/14/garlic-paste/

10. Ike B.  ghee whiz!  WordPress 11/6/23. https://theviewfromharbal.com/2023/11/06/ghee-whiz/

11. Uyehara M.  The Real Story of Curry.  Food & Wine 9/14/22.  https://www.foodandwine.com/cooking-techniques/real-story-of-curry

12. Radio Heartland.  “Powdermilk Biscuit Theme” – 9/22/2012.  YouTube https://youtu.be/hyJAalspaKA?si=zcBK5pyQZH0dekCe

13. Gaylord Fine Indian Cuisine.  https://gaylordil.com/about-us/

14. Jaffrey M.  An Invitation to Indian Cooking. New York: Vintage Books (Random House), 1973.  https://a.co/d/0ikphqzk

15. Jaffrey M.  Madhur Jaffrey’s World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking: A Cookbook.  New York: Knopf, 1981.  https://a.co/d/08NZphsK

16. NIH News in Health.  The Skinny on Fats 3/19. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2019/03/skinny-fat

17. Pitre U.  Indian Instant Pot(R) Cookbook: Traditional Indian Dishes Made Easy and Fast.  Berlin: Callisto 9/19/17.  https://a.co/d/092YG1fe


cowabunga!

I walk with quite a limp these days, and use a cane.  My favorite retort to those who notice and ask, is “surfing injury”.  Not a consequence of those many miles pounded in as I was pulled into the running craze, although I did curtail that activity because of achy knees.  My formerly pit pat retirement left me with knees that let me walk like a normal person.  Then came Mazatlàn.  Now, I’ve always had an especially strong call to the beach, where I could “ride, ride, ride the wild surf”.  Maybe ’cause my beach was Lake Michigan, where the waves can be wild but don’t sustain a surfing culture, I felt no consequences but memories.  So, Mom’s pop gift sounded fun, from the esteemed Mazatlàn Surf School (1).  A dedicated snowbird at Casa Bonita (2) she was good at goading her kids into situations they might not otherwise consider.  This would leave us for a ride on Playa Bonita, one of Mazatlan’s gems.  Mazatlàn is a surfer’s paradise, with many choice spots (3). 

Not much of a crowd that time of day,  Our instructor introduced us to basic surfer movements, all of which would have engaged our core strength 20 years ago.  We judged proper prep would be many “burpees” (4).  See here as we prep for the day.

Well, you can’t get those retroactive!  So a flail was in order. Which is what happened at Playa Bonita.  Despite our cheerful little Mexican instructor, our ancient towers of gringo blubber failed to ascend to cowabunga status.

Home back to late winter, we were both back to work and into the buzz.  But that left knee, why is it hurting and swelling?  Hey, I’m an arthritis doctor, so my buddies could fix me up.  Indeed they did, with my one-time mentor poking my knee, withdrawing fluid, and injecting steroids.  X-rays showed just a tiny bit of osteoarthritis, so it all seemed consistent.

Things were peachy keen knee-wise for a long while.  My 4-mile round trip walks to campus as I escorted my sweetie to her office were a highlight.

Since decrepitude is supposed to descend on the retiree, when an old knee pang considered dormant comes back, oh, well.  I’d been on the other end of this exercise, and it was sometimes kind of surreal.  Some good pals still having to work for a living saw me and did the requisite pokes, ‘sounds, and injections.  But, alas, relief was short or incomplete.  Realize, since facing such patients was my raison d’etre, I would have salivated had such a patient appeared in my office.  I landed in the hands of the same surgeon who helped to fix my shoulder after my December 2014 bike accident.  He put my options at just getting a total knee (my XRs were nearly normal) or a ‘scope.  So I did, pushing it up to my wedding anniversary (10/4/86).  Big lateral meniscus displaced posterior horn tear (Bruce resected), some lateral compartment bare bone, lotta synovium (which he didn’t touch).  When nothing changed, I sat and grumbled reviewing contacts for orthopods I’d once known.  All said the same, arthroplasty was the only realistic option.  But the more I focused on the problem, the more it faded away.  By about 6 months after my ‘scope, I really wasn’t noticing any problems.  Decades of dealing with patients with knee arthritis, I should have remembered the waxing and waning course, confounding as the anatomic perturbations would be unchanged.  I probably enjoyed 2 years of a good knee until early November 2025 when my sweetie face planted after exiting a gas station, fracturing her patella.  As I nurtured her through my detection of a big effusion and transit to orthopedics via her PCP, that ol’ left knee of mine started acting up.  Sympathy pains?  Time and a cortisone shot got sweetie’s knee back to baseline.  Mine didn’t follow.  My buddies with their needles got me about 2 weeks of relief.  Since then, it’s been the cane, a brace, some contraption I bought on line that vibrates while giving me infrared rays, and liberal applications of DMSO (5).  I’ve been collecting orthopedists’ name since my last flare up.  Some were based in cities I’ve been posted before (San Diego, St. Louis, Chicago) plus some local people.  I’m skirting the U.  Maybe an overreaction, but let’s say in the late 80s my name was not held in high regard by the Orthopedics section.  Like one of my profs in med school said “A doc in need of medical care should check himself into a teaching hospital in a distant town under an assumed name”.  But, I remember that every doc enjoys novelty.  So, I look forward to telling any future orthopod I see about my “surfing injury”.  Maybe they’ll think back to Jan & Dean (6)

What ya get used to!

References

1. Mazatlan Surf School.  https://mazatlansurfschool.com

2. Hudson P.  Surfing In Mazatlán Sinaloa: Surf Spots, Lessons, And Hotels.  Playa Plazas 7/31/23.  https://www.playasyplazas.com/surfing-in-mazatlan-sinaloa/

3. Casa Bonita https://casabonitamazatlan.com

4. @WeShape.  How To Do the proper Burpee.  YouTube.  https://youtube.com/shorts/zlYA1SENYG4?si=a-sK11VxIpccCw8m

5. Trice JM, Pinals RS.  Dimethyl sulfoxide: A review of its use in the rheumatic disorders.  Semin Arthritis Rheum. 1985: 15 (1): 45-60.   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0049017285900095

6. Ifasul.  Jan & Dean – Ride the Wild Surf.  YouTube https://youtu.be/fcnjYHrhYgg?si=A2TI04NaK_NuvYIz

show-off update

3 years and several months ago, I posted a guide to all the seals you might see at the bottom of an e-mail from me, which then looked like as follows (1)

I titled it “show-off” as there seemed to be an element of boasting about all the institutions with which I’d been associated.  But, if you get an email from me these days, the bottom of the signature bar looks like this:

Clearly, there have been some additions.  Some are from me seeking evidence of old associations, and some have just rolled in. unsolicited.  The task of assimilating them is less, as there are only 7 new ones.  But I’m sure you want to keep up to date.  So, what’s new?

The ICC saved my ass my senior year as I searched for housing.  Their option of a shared room cost way less than any other option, perhaps because residents were expected to contribute to the maintenance work.  I became a chef, responsible for feeding the whole co-op once a week.  I entered up living there 2 years.  The house I occupied – Zapata House – was less than a half mile from where I live now.  The ICC dates to 1932, when my late mother was born (2).
The “Christian Brothers” (NE: StL, NW, Florissant) were a choice moonlighting gig for us Barnes renegades.  Both had ERs, which were light compared to City Hospital, and NE had a house spot, where you’d cover the ICU but also the wards, like being a resident only with less pressure.  There were some cutie support staff, and I snagged me an excellent girlfriend from my posting. The hospitals have been acquired by the Barnes system, so nearly 50 years hence, maybe I was in the right place!
The Phoenix Memorial Project was established in 1948 to explore peaceful uses of nuclear energy. (3)  Until recently, the U had an actual reactor on North Campus.  They solicited proposals for the use of that juice, and I offered one.  Harvard docs had used a certain radioactive compound to fry inflamed synovium, and I wanted to duplicate the manufacture.  It didn’t go far, but I’ll never forget the Phoenix guys who worked with me: Burn, Blackburn, and Cook. 

Maybe this one’s a little silly.  My birth mom spent winters in Mazatlán, on the Pacific.  When we visited her in March 2016, she surprised us with a surfing lesson!  Neither of us had ever attempted such a thing, but we went down to Playa Norte Bonita beach and listened to our instructor telling us how to get up on the boards, which never happened, alas.  Can’t you claim allegiance to an organization even if you didn’t meet its standards? (4)

The Vicksburg Arts council runs the annual Southwest Michigan Tournament of Writers competition.  When then director Syd Bastos relaxed the entry restrictions and let this former Vicksburger in, I won an award! (5).  Not so last year, but I’ll probably keep trying! I kidded Syd that her her logo looks much like that of the Veteran’s Administration.

I suspected this was a scam when it came in.  Fork over $$, sign up for commemorate books and plaques.  Not so, as it turned out.  I accept and am proud of the recognition (6).

This, too, was an out-of-the-blue surprise.  The announcement didn’t enumerate which of my accomplishments merited this prestigious award but offered numerous opportunities to purchase memorabilia of the occasion, including attendance at the awards ceremony (7).  I was told my award still stood regardless of my actions, so I happily claimed it.

So, stay tuned. There might be more to come!

References

1. Ike B.  show-off.  WordPress 10/8/22.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2022/10/08/show-off/

2. Inter Co-operative Council of Ann Arbor.  https://icc.coop

3. Michigan Memorial Phoenix Project.  https://mmpp.engin.umich.edu

4. Mazatlán Surf School. https://mazatlansurfschool.com

5. Ike B.  Speilberg ’70?  4 ‘burg boys go to the moon, 8 mm style.  In: Vicksburg Cultural Center.  Small Town Anthology X: Southwest Michigan’s Tournament of Writers 2024, pp76-81.  Published 4/8/2024.  https://a.co/d/dwPfFxf.  Text of entry is in blog: https://wp.me/pbBaof-1xF

6. Marquis Who’s Who.  https://marquiswhoswho.com

7. Health Scientists.  Health Scientist Awards.  https://healthscientists.org

Mads

When I left behind my hippie-wannabe pseudo-intellectual ways as I left Ann Arbor for the first time, I also left behind my taste for foreign movies (called “international” these days).  It was the mid-70s and Hollywood was still in its heyday, with Star Wars, Bonnie and Clyde, Flashdance, Carrie, Alien, Taxi Driver, Chinatown, The Exorcist, French Connection, Jaws, Close Encounters, The Deer Hunter, Animal House, Play Misty for Me, Little Big Man, Saturday Night Fever, Rocky, Nashville, All the Jazz, Being There, Coming Home, Shampoo, Kramer vs Kramer, Breaking Away (go Hoosiers!), Superman, Smoky and the Bandit, Every Which Way but Loose, Network, and so on.  Yes, I saw ‘em all.

Hard to say when the quality of American movies began to decline, but it’s no doubt they’re in the gutter these days.  Kathy and I haven’t been out to a movie for over a year and a half, when we ventured to Jackson to see Dennis Quaid’s portrayal of “Reagan”.  And nothing on the small screen, as the only thing close to a “streaming” service we pay for is Amazon Prime.  Our big TV stays cold for anything but Michigan football games.

About the only time I might catch a movie is on a plane.  Back-of-seat screens and airbuds don’t exactly replicate the movie palace experience, but you can see the flick o.k., and there’s always a huge directory.  But it’s like the old Springsteen tune “57 channels (and nothing on”)(1).  But sometimes you get lucky.  Scrolling through one time, I happened on a panel for “Another Round”, featuring a tall ruggedly handsome actor I’d never seen before taking a deep pull on an upturned champagne bottle.  

I learned from the info tile this was Danish film Druk.  “Druk” translates roughly as “binge drinking”.  The plot involves 4 middle-aged male schoolteachers who decide to test the theory of Norwegian psychiatrist Finn Skårderud: that humans are born with a blood alcohol content (BAC) deficiency of 0.05% and that maintaining a BAC of 0.05% makes one more creative and relaxed.  It won the Oscar for best International film in 2021.  Here’s the trailer if you’re curious (2).

While the movie is always engaging while ripping your emotions right and left, one key to its appeal is Danish dancer turned actor Mads Mikkelsen (3).  Follow his arc from sad, bored schoolteacher to ecstatic survivor and try not to love the guy.  I may have sent my friend Angie too many YouTubes of him, as she accuses me now of having a man crush.  If the shoe fits!

No, this movie won’t drive you to debauchery.  If anything, you might decide to temper your own consumption.  Should you wish to test Dr. Skårderud’s theory, you’ll need your own breathalyzer (4).  Even though the New Year is entering its second week, I’m sure you can shoehorn that into your resolutions somehow.

But don’t take my word for it.  See the movie!  It’s up for FREE on YouTube (5).  Great expenditure of time and you’ll surely get your money’s worth.  Be careful trying to mimic some of Mads’ moves!

References

1. Keith “Hollywood” Sousa.  57 CHANNELS (AND NOTHIN’ ON) – Bruce Springsteen – w/lyrics. YouTube 8/11/15. https://youtu.be/ZPEKbXNYWwE?si=CHtn0gM-9BTenD_V

2. StudiocanalUK.  Another Round | Official Trailer | Starring Mads Mikkelsen.  YouTube 9/21/20. https://youtu.be/40X5EX6Us7c?si=9j6M0QGEk2HEBmML

3. BabaYaga.  Mads Mikkelsen – Big Bad Handsome Man. YouTube https://youtu.be/ewoJ2iywSr4?si=NFAkN23QnVICCDcf

4. breathalyzer.  Amazon.com. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=breathalyzer&crid=2AQ2UI7TOO0XP&sprefix=breathalyzer%2Caps%2C266&ref=nb_sb_ss_p13n-expert-pd-ops-ranker_ci_hl-bn-left_1_12

5. YouTube Movies & TV.  Another Round.  YouTube https://youtu.be/Qbl89-pUyuQ?si=R11U-d2Ov7Ex2DAS

High, Semi-dry, January

I never managed to make sweet, willowy, athletic Denise my girlfriend.  We went our separate ways after graduation, she snaring Kevin – a U-M educated lawyer and all-around good guy – while I lucked into Kathy.  My reacquaintance with old ‘burg friends included Kevin and Denise, now a dear friend once again.  It was from Denise that I first learned of the practice that is the topic of this blog.  Several years ago, she wrote that she was giving up drinking for January.  She’s not a lush, but likes her white wine, and cold.  She’ll throw some ice cubes in her glass if it isn’t cold enough.  As she told it, the motivation wasn’t concern for impending alcoholism, but rather the extra poundage those empty booze calories were putting on.  For her, those pounds were going to places where tall women can mask them while nevertheless knowing full well what’s happening.  I tried to dissuade her, pointing out the advantages of moderation over full abstinence.  She did it her way, and although I never got a detailed progress report, I think she was satisfied with the results.  Maybe Denise was ahead of her time, but I’ve begun hearing this practice is a thing: a New Years Resolution for a “Dry January” (1).  Starting with an official announcement in the U.K. 2014, it’s spread worldwide (2).

I understand the motivation.  Booze can put on the pounds.  And we regular drinkers get advice from everywhere, and it’s rarely about some nice new IPA out there.  Mainly that it would be in our best interest to cut back, heard especially from our doctors!

I’ve played this game before, if not as a voluntary participant.  As part of a “corrective action” to some behaviors of which the U took a dim view, I was put into a program that required total abstinence, enforced by regular monitoring.  I was in 7 months before being released by my case worker, who determined that drinking was not a factor in my questionable actions.  While I found some ways around the monitoring and managed a beer now and then, it was a true dry stretch, probably the longest I’ve been without a drink since I started the practice in the shadow of the White House at age 16.  And, to quote Ren & Stimpy’s Mr. Horse: “No sir, I didn’t like it” (3).  I vowed it would be a cold day in Hell before anyone did that to me again.

But I think I’ve come up with a system that might fulfill the spirit of “Dry January” without depriving our shiny human brains of the intoxicants they so crave.  Now, I write this as a privileged native of the great state of Michigan, whose legislature in 2018 passed Proposition 1, approving state-licensed recreational sales beginning in late 2019, building on earlier legalization for medical cannabis in 2008.  If you’re of my generation and went to college, you’ve had ample education in how to handle this agent.  I got introduced after an injury qualified me for a Medical Marihuana Card.  Helped reintroduce me to those effects that so motivated my student ingestions.

Of course, the product line has expanded well beyond that once bag of leaf, seeds, and stems you bought from some shady character.  I particularly like the edibles, conveniently packaged and labelled.  My old asthmatic lungs just aren’t up to smoking anymore, even though the effect is faster.  You know what strain is behind the product, and the THC dose in milligrams.  Indica is fine at inducing sleep while sativa is better if a party-time effect is being sought.

Should you wish to follow this practice and don’t live in the state of Michigan, hope you live in one of the many other states that have legalized (4).

The system is pretty simple.  Once you feel the urge for a drink, reach for a gummie instead!  Some dose adjustment will be necessary.  I’ve found that 2 gummies containing 20 mg THC each do me fine, either for sleep or pleasure.  My local pot shop – Cloud Cannabis – will sell me a pack of 10 for $5.00.  That’s a buck a buzz!  Compare that with what you’d pay for 4 beers at $12/6 pack: 8 bucks!  Not to mention the 800-1000 calories involved.  Sure, we all know what cannabis can do to the appetite, but there are ways to counter that urge (5).  Scientists have recently nailed down why this happens, with action in the mediobasal hypothalamus (6).  Perhaps a more precise solution will be forthcoming.  Some, like yours truly, do not feel this effect.  Not so Kathy, who gets so ravenous after even a little bit, she’s stays far away from the herb in all forms.

So, have you figured out the program yet?  Very simple.  Alcoholic beverages still permitted but substitute any urge for a drink with a nibble on a gummie.  The buzz that washes over will diminish or eliminate any urge you might have for alcohol.  This isn’t disulfiram (Antabuse) where ingestion makes alcohol into something that makes you sick.  Its sensation just substitutes for an urge for alcohol, so you’ll consume less.  And isn’t that the point of “Dry January”?  It’s a crime to enter into a brand-new year facing a month of suffering and deprivation.  So, try my system!

DISCLAIMER: readers should note that compounds and dosing are per the author’s particular situation. These are not intended as any sort of medical advice. Your results may vary.

References

1. Diaz J.  Dry January started with 1 person years ago – now it’s a phenom.  NPR 1/1/26.  https://www.npr.org/2026/01/01/nx-s1-5662527/the-origins-of-dry-january

2. The Dry January Story.  The Alcohol Change UK.  https://alcoholchange.org.uk/help-and-support/managing-your-drinking/dry-january/about-dry-january/the-dry-january-story

3. StupidDupid.  Every time Mr Horse says No Sir I Don’t Like It – The Ren & Stimpy Show.  YouTube.  https://youtu.be/PvDP6rozVtk?si=51MwyT_AbBomUV2C

4. DISA.  Marijuana Legality Map.  12/1/25.  https://disa.com/marijuana-legality-by-state/

5. Benali S.  How to Stop the Munchies: A Dietitian’s Guide.  In Good Nutrition 3/20/25.  https://www.ingoodnutrition.com/post/how-to-stop-the-munchies

6. Neporent L.  Scientists Solve Marijuana Munchies Mystery.  Psychiatrist.com 1/17/24.  https://www.psychiatrist.com/news/scientists-solve-marijuana-munchies-mystery/

NAC me up Joe

“I feel bad for people who don’t drink. When they wake up in the morning, that’s as good as they’re going to feel all day.” — Frank Sinatra

“I’m not saying everyone should drink, it just worked for me” – Jackie Gleason

“Alcohol doesn’t solve any problems, neither does milk”. unknown origin, but it had its own Facbook page! (1)

I’ve wanted to write about this topic for a while.  As we’re facing the apex of the season’s drinking cycle, I thought it might be timely.

I write this while sipping a nice double Manhattan, straight up, of course.  My hors d’ouvres included some N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) as 4X600 mg capsules.  Why am I doing this?  I’m seeking to reduce the amount of acetaldehyde produced as my body breaks down the alcohol I ingest.  NAC reduces acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism, by either directly binding to it or boosting the body’s natural antioxidant, glutathione, which detoxifies it, potentially reducing hangover severity and alcohol-induced damage by lowering acetaldehyde levels and oxidative stress.

You’d think that organized medicine would pay more attention to this widespread side effect of a common recreational activity.  They do have a name for that morning after symptom complex veisalgia, derived from the Norwegian word “kveis” (uneasiness after debauchery) and the Greek word “algia” (pain).  Try using that term next time you have to call in.

The chemistry of the process has been pretty well studied.

Whether this stuff really works has been a matter for debate.  Placebo controlled trials have shown little protection against hangover symptoms by NAC compared with placebo, although women tended to have less nausea and weakness (2).  A more recent study showed similar clinical results, and measured some serum markers (sodium and 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), the latter a marker for oxidative stress), finding no differences between the groups (3).  But those are only indirect markers of whatever effect NAC might have.  It has been shown to reduce acetaldehyde following drinking (4).  Acetaldehyde not only contributes to hangover systems, it is directly toxic to the liver, accounting for much of alcohol induced liver damage.

So, if we listen to “the science”, what do we hear?  Simple observation is discounted in highbrow circles these days.  But here on Harbal, both of us can vouch that we feel better day after drinking if we’d taken NAC.  We both have Norwegian blood and certainly don’t want our debauchery followed by uneasiness.  Despite the weight we give to the results of controlled clinical trials, they still don’t account for a number of variables, like drinking history, underlying conditions, body size, age, etc.  So, if taking a few NAC capsules prior to a slight binge, knowing the effects might be iffy but that production of a liver toxin would be reduced, what’s to lose? You can get the stuff on Amazon for cheap (5).

If there a downside?  I’ve talked to people who worry that NAC would do for us boozers what Narcan has done for heroin addicts, where an antidote to the intoxicant promotes injection of even higher doses, knowing that rescue can be had easily (6).  But NAC isn’t an antidote.  At best, it may tempt some to down a few extra figuring that tomorrow’s misery will be mitigated.  That’s a dose-response study I haven’t seen yet.

So, how about hauling a few capsules to tonight’s party?  If you have a full bottle you can share.  As we Norwegians like to say:

Sköl!

And Happy New Year!!

Let Frank sing it to you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m121tmJzcAc

References

1. Alcohol doesn’t solve any problems, neither does milk.  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070371907952

2. Coppersmith V, Hudgins S, Stoltzfus J, Stankewicz H. The use of N-acetylcysteine in the prevention of hangover: a randomized trial. Sci Rep. 2021 Jun 28;11(1):13397. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-92676-0. Erratum in: Sci Rep. 2021 Jul 21;11(1):15262. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-94669-5. 

3. Podobnik B, Demšar L, Šarc L, Jerin A, Osredkar J, Trontelj J, Roškar R, Brvar M. N-Acetylcysteine Ineffective in Alleviating Hangover from Binge Drinking: A Clinical Study. Toxics. 2024; 12(8):585. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12080585

4. Brvar M.  N-acetylcysteine Reduces Acetaldehyde Levels in Binge Alcohol Drinking 6/22/23.  https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05911282

5. Horbäach NAC Supplement N-Acetyl Cysteine 1200mg | 250 Powder Capsules | for Women and Men | with Natural Peppermint | Non-GMO, Gluten Free.https://www.amazon.com/Horbaach-Cysteine-Capsules-Non-GMO-Supplement/dp/B07N7R4TFB/ref=sr_1_6_pp?crid=6N7L4DGXWLKM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.wVf8Z_CE0A775-AzB7X_r0SzvXQ57f6xcLUuxGGp1zmQLlrIk7Mpta25w60hbWcy6XO6JrBIa1aREL3kYWmaJnUJFaboG5qu0KvOhNV4B5uyieaP7HDn4sbX_du0ZbVucB_VyohSbHaSXie0Xb2qny_ZvAzrnfacHzXkvGhHRXVdJxqFK6WmIS6cxWJ2pwZTZBx3KUT_VC2hoa5JxGaeOhUs4DMFF_QyLJGdH7f_yguKJkG_oUSaQqY2hDYDlHcNEQTBX-VahaKkdKqWKli1MxE9KxiBfnfSzdQC55gcsho.SN0skEvQPatzw8eP4bjI2NwjKeJ4gL2sMzWTiioCQ00&dib_tag=se&keywords=n+acetyl+cysteine&qid=1767145088&sprefix=n+acetyl%2Caps%2C208&sr=8-6

6. Hood J.  Narcan Parties are No Longer a Dangerous Urban Myth.  Healing Properties 1/25/22.  https://healingproperties.org/narcan-parties-dangerous-urban-myth/

In the year 2525 (less 1/2 a millennium)

Hope youse had a Merry Christmas!  Remember, this is just the beginning, if you play your cards right (1). Boxing Day has its own traditions, like me writing this Christmas letter.

Congratulations to you boomers out there who caught that reference in the title to Zager & Evans’ ’69 hit (2).  Listening to those apocalyptic 60s songs – e.g. also Eve of Destruction (3), Time has Come Today (4), The End (5), A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (6), Bad Moon Risin’ (7), Wooden Ships (8), even What’s Goin’ On? (9) – now over half a century on, offers a certain reassurance, even comfort. Like R Crumb’s Mr. Natural said: 

What songs will they be writing about these times?  You can bet they’ll be no match for those our generation cranked out.

But what about this year almost past?  Just like last year, we started by cheering our Wolverines on to victory. This time the victim was Alabama, and the defeat compelled their legendary coach Nick Saban to retire.  We were there in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, with our friends Mark and Shellie, Mark a dorm mate of mine, where we came from the dinkiest towns of all.  Tampa is near Madeira Beach, our preferred Florida hangout.  Milton buried our usual house, but we found a spot down the beach, and the views were similar.

We got back in time for the Spei family Christmas celebration.  This brood, from my biological father, congregates long after Christmas has passed to allow folks to celebrate individually with their families before coming together.  

My dad passed to all his kids that they should approach each meal as if it were their last, and his spawn honors that legacy by cooking up a storm.  I’ve finally learned the men’s dress code: flannel shirt – unbuttoned – with a plastic fork in the front pocket, ready to stab whatever goodie might present itself.  Some prepare foodie gifts for distribution.  From us this year was shallot paste, a handy item to have in the kitchen.  

Then, January in Michigan wasn’t cold enough for us so we pushed off to Iceland. The Northern Lights were the main attraction and we were not disappointed.  Since Iceland basically sits on a bed of lava, the geothermals are spectacular too, some shooting into the air and others heating many soaking pools.  For more about Iceland, see (10).

Did you know geyser is an Icelandic word?
Water & rocks. Gotta go somewhere!

Have we made contact?

On the date of the Michigan State game, Kathy delivered a talk to Aero200 as put on by her aerospace engineering department.  She’d go on to deliver 5 more talks this year, three within the U and 3 in the community.  Her NASA background, continuing interest in space travel, and spellbinding style make for a great show.

March found Kathy on the road.  She gave a talk in Brighton and back to AA the next week for our Christian School.  These would take form as a talk based on her books followed by sales of those books.  This model seemed to work, as she’d end up making 10 more stops (some twice): Vicksburg, Saline, Pinckney, Brighton, Manchester, Caledonia, Indianapolis.  The mid-March trip to the ‘burg, to address “Family Literacy Night” would be our first of 4 visits there this year.  She addressed assemblies at all 3 elementary schools and then held forth at the evening’s book bazaar.  Her hostess, head librarian Kristen Shook, is daughter-in-law to Joe, my  dear friend and classmate who died young in a car crash.

April would mark our second ‘burg venture, but only after a quick trip to Chicago to see the Joffrey Ballet with the Chicago Symphony, a treat for my onetime ballerina sweetie.  The pull to the ‘burg this time was mine, to participate in the SW Michigan Tournament of Writers (TOW).  When my first entry won a prize last year (11), I figured I was on a roll.  Not so, although all entries go into a book they publish and sell on Amazon (12).  One problem with visiting the ‘burg is a lack of local lodging.  Lotsa motels in Kalamazoo, 15 miles north, but that’s a lot of driving.

But, setting the dials for “Schoolcraft”, the town on Vicksburg’s east border, I stumbled on an AirBnb right on Barton Lake, the 200-acre lake SE of town where I’d lived from 8th grade through high school.  The two-bedroom house might have been a little big for us, but oh the location.  We’d end up staying there again for our October trip. That’s a sunrise you’re seeing.

We hung around after the Thursday event as Saturday would see rededication of Ed Knapp Memorial Field where the baseball Bulldogs would host a tournament.  Mr. Knapp, who was my 8th grade basketball coach and an all-around great guy, died last year.  The frigid morning did not raise enthusiasm for a baseball game, set to start later that afternoon.  So we went and secured a couple chairs in front of Heather’s coffee shop to watch the parade go by.  We weren’t expecting one, but this Saturday was opening day for all the kids’ teams in the area.  The parade was mainly flatbeds and pickups, each with a different team of kids waving to the crowd lining Prairie Street.  We sure didn’t expect what happened next.  From a truckful of kids came a little voice shouting “Auntie KC”!”  Others joined, and soon there was a chorus of recognition.  It was the Sunset Lake Elementary team, where 5 weeks ago she had read to them from her books. “Auntie KC” is her pen name, and now we know she’s a rock star in Vicksburg!

With May came graduation season as those homeschooled California kids showed what they could do.  Aislin, then 19, was set to graduate cum laude from Vanderbilt.  That drive to Nashville and back was punctuated by stops to see Kathy’s Uncle Chuck in Cincinnati, Mark and Shellie Garman in Louisville, and June (our late friend Sam’s widow) who came over from Loudon to spend time with us in a cabin in Maryville.

With June came Orion’s turn.  His time as a banana slug (UC Santa Cruz) ran into COVID followed by local rents that turned him into a commuter student, taking the 40-minute drive from Pescadaro each day whenever he had to be on campus.  But it worked out.  He found a concentration he liked (geology), a girlfriend who can fix his cars, and – in the campus – an appreciative performance space for his ukelele recitals.  He wants to be a “Geotech consultant”, with duties which include localizing and timing the next earthquakes.

As June waned, it was time for the ‘burg again.  This time it was a party for Kathy and a number of other mature attractive women whom Linda Hoard had photographed as part of her “40 over 40” project (13).  She’s been at this a while but is not finished.  A glossy magazine is to follow.  I bought Kathy’s shoot as a birthday present 2 years ago (14).  I pondered mentioning that so much beauty in one place in the ‘burg is unusual, but held my tongue.  Linda had just moved her studio from Portage to Main Street in Vicksburg.  Her only misstep was assuming her beauties would be big-time eaters of her hors d’ouvres, which didn’t happen.  We closed out the month with an over-and-back train hop to Chicago to see Asleep at the Wheel. Big Ray Benson delivered as always. We had always competed for height, but now go for waist size and beard length. So far, I’m not winning that one on either front. Good.

Maybe that hop switched on the band chasing mode, as a week after the 4th, we were off to San Jose, thence to Petaluma, home of my Barnes buddy Dave and close to Saturday’s destination.  We stayed at the Metro, a French inspired hotel right downtown.  The place is compact, but they have a shiny way of making extra room.  Friday in Petaluma means the “Safety Meeting” in the back room of Maselli’s hardware; at these meetings, which start promptly at 5:15 PM, Dave and like-minded locals hold forth on the issues of the day while consuming various nutrients and intoxicants.  Hop Monk of Novato was just 20 minutes south on 101, and it was there on Saturday that Bill Kirchen drew the boys together, now known as “Commander Cody’s Lost Planet Airmen”.  The ol’ Commander ascended to the outer ozone 4 Septembers ago, but 6 of the remaining 7 Airmen are still alive, and 5 get together and play several times a year. They even cut a new record 2 years ago (15).  They were excellent, as always, and it was good to drag Dave there to see them.  Kathy even sold a few books to Kirchen’s wife, Louise.  Hey, she’s a grandma too!

The rest of July was quiet until August burst forth with our last graduation party.  This time, my eldest’s brother’s youngest son’s older son Trey was graduating high school.  Trey, who’s almost my size, greeted us in his Davenport University sweatshirt.  This Grand Rapids institution has been around since 1866, under various names.  In the early 40s, it was “Heaney Business School”, and my dad went there before signing on with Fisher Body.  Trey and his mom liked the connection.  I offered up several of the suits and sport coats I no longer use, as someday Trey will want to dress for success, too.

You can start to smell football in early August around here, even though the first game isn’t till the end of the month.  This is helped along if you’re a member of the UofM Club of Ann Arbor, an organization I like to call the “geriatric advisory council to the athletic department”.  Our kickoff luncheon is whenever the football head coach can break away from practice.  Each luncheon, except the first, features two coaches or equivalents.  The basketball and football coaches have their own handlers for scheduling.  The rest are from the “Olympic sports” (formerly; “non-revenue”), and guess who’s responsible for rounding them up?  Kathy’s been doing this for 3 years and sometimes reaches for non-coaches.  One who turned out to be a big hit and ended up returning the favor: Michigan Marching Band director John Pasquale.  He got to know Kathy and at an innocent dinner in May, he invited her to serve as guess conductor for an upcoming football game.  That became the first game of the season, August 30 against the New Mexico Lobos.  She’d be conducting the National Anthem.  Those last 2 weeks of the month included a lot of intense time in Revelli Hall.  Come gameday, she was more than ready.  She got to know the drum major, Miguel Retto, well, as they’d be working closely together.  We walked out the tunnel (with far less fanfare that the band would later see), circumvented the sidelines dodging football families and other hangers on and she mounted that 10-foot ladder.  That ascent had her worried, as she said, “if I fall off that thing, I’ll be on Sports Center forever”.  But she scrambled up, raised her arms, and her cue to Miguel, brought them down to start the anthem.  Not all guest conductors get the beat, and sometimes the band has to rely on assistant conductors spread either side.  But dancer Kathy has rhythm in her bones, and afterward everybody said he’d done a terrific job.  She even managed to co-ordinate with the Air Force.  Just as she was raising her arms for “land of the free…”, five T-34 Mentors flew over, trailing smoke.  She never saw it, asking me in the 1st quarter if she’d missed the flyover.

September saw a bunch of local events, mostly related to Kathy’s books or talks.  If you wondered what I was doing, check out October’s events.  I’d taken on two reunions to organize: dorm mates with whom I’d shared space in West Quad Chicago House ’70-2 and my Vicksburg High class of 70’s 55th reunion.  Here’s the gang for Chicago House.

As organizer, I took the liberty of moving the 55th VHS reunion from the summer to the fall.  Not all cared for the change, and some said they’d have to leave the celebration early as it was getting dark.  Here see a random shot of the gathering.  

In mid-November, an invitation to read at a school in Caledonia turned into an excuse for a Grand Rapids trip.  We squeezed in a dinner with my first friend Chuckie and wife Mary Jo and another with my two sisters (Mom’s side) Jolene GR resident and Di from Lansing.  Chuckie pursued a career as a patents and copyrights lawyer, which has been a great help as I try to get my Commander Cody book published.  

Next week was a big road trip to Indianapolis and back, Kathy’s first out-of-state gig!

Since then, it’s been surprisingly quiet.  The Ohio State game was in there, but not a source of joy this year.  Of course, we’ve been following the coaching drama.  As I type this, word is Kyle Willingham is the guy.  As the playoffs approached, we thought we might have a dog in the fight, after all.  My mom’s brother settled in Arlington and had 10 kids.  Several went to James Madison, and some still live in Harrisonburg.  Their mascot, Duke, is a bulldog!  So bulldogs from a ‘burg sure sound like my teen years!  They drew the Oregon Ducks first round.  Kathy and I demonstrated what the Dukes should do to the Ducks.

Alas, no, but Kathy does love her new purple t-shirt!  Should talk of her books have your interest piqued, check out “Auntie KC’s” (her pen name) web page (16).

Here’s our wishes for a fine, prosperous, and healthy New Year!

Bob & Kathy

References

1. Ike B.  Party on.  YouTube https://theviewfromharbal.com/2023/12/23/party-on/

2. Dumišić S.   Zager & Evans – In the Year 2525.  YouTube https://youtu.be/zKQfxi8V5FA?si=i2xKlIgDVagCTr7z

3. John1948OneB.  Barry McGuire – Eve of Destruction (Hullabaloo – Sep 20, 1965).  YouTube https://youtu.be/RdARD9Qi8w0?si=rwCg6WG0AvnWnfYj

4. jawright3030.  Time Has Come Today (Chambers Brothers-Long Version) with no cuts to song.  YouTube https://youtu.be/_zfgoJzOCgg?si=ro6Ai0HdVNoNOEjV

5. Shinobi Tobi.  The Doors The End. YouTube https://youtu.be/ZeMlQEWEg2Q?si=sMemCyo3wbQtrmbu

6. Bob Dylan.  Bob Dylan – A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (official audio).  YouTube https://youtu.be/T5al0HmR4to?si=R8cIluo1HsVAOH_M

7. Creedence Clearwater Revival.  Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising (Official Lyric Video). YouTube https://youtu.be/zUQiUFZ5RDw?si=QGJno-2w-2bmMKL2

8. Wolfgang’s Classic Rock.  Jefferson Airplane – Wooden Ships – 2/4/1970 – Wally Heider Studios. YouTube https://youtu.be/bp7yB0JCn_I?si=TNpR1Wolf64zCb89

9. SuperWhoopass.  Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On?  YouTube https://youtu.be/H-kA3UtBj4M?si=5sR13XEYflkjrNAq

10. Ike B.  Land of Ice.  WordPress 2/12/25.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2025/02/12/land-of-ice/

11. Ike B.  Speilberg ’70?  4 ‘burg boys go to the moon, 8 mm style.  In: Vicksburg Cultural Center.  Small Town Anthology X: Southwest Michigan’s Tournament of Writers 2024, pp76-81.  Published 4/8/2024.  https://a.co/d/dwPfFxf.  Text of entry is in blog: https://wp.me/pbBaof-1xF

12. Ike B.  Head in Tree Town, Heart in the ‘burg.  Vicksburg Arts.  Tournament of Writers 2025: Adult Edition:11th Annual Edition.  pp123-32.  4/25/25 https://a.co/d/cAqp03p Text of entry is in blog  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2025/12/27/head-in-tree-town-heart-in-the-burg/

13. Linda Hoard Photography.  Capturing the Beauty and Strength of Women Over 40: An Empowering Photoshoot Experience.  https://www.lindahoardphotography.com/40over40

14. Ike B.  glamour.  WordPress 11/17/22.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2022/11/17/glamour/

15. Lost Planet Airmen. Back from the Ozone. The Last Music Company, 10/27/23. https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0CD27QN5Z?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_ol0KxV8Fhe7ukSKcpaQ2X2CI1

16. Auntie KC | Home of Skyer’s space adventures.  https://auntiekc3569.live-website.com

moo-derer

The news comes fast and furious these days.  Two items from the week before this one really caught my attention and happen to be related.  The first was Bill Gates’ announcement that “climate change” wasn’t going to kill us and some funds targeted for its mitigation might be spent on more pressing problems (1).  Of course, he’s caught some flack

My wife figures ol’ Bill saw the money for climate change drying up with this new administration and is in search of his next money-making save-the-world venture.

News of adherents bailing may be slow in coming, as so many have embraced climate change as a secular religion (2,3,4).  There are still a lot of Lieutenant Onodas out there (5), especially in academia, the source of the 2nd news item.  

Lt. Hiroo Onoda followed his elite intelligence unit into Lubang, a tiny island in the Phillipines, in December 1944. Within weeks of his arrival, a US attack forced Japanese combatants into the jungle – but unlike most of his comrades, Onoda remained hidden on the island for nearly 30 years. He was discovered, still battle ready, and refused to surrender until they brought in his commanding officer to tell him the war was over.

If you don’t read the University Record, you missed this (6).  Teams from the 2 UofMs (Michigan, Minnesota), led by Michigan’s Prof Goldstein, compiled greenhouse gas data in all 3531 cities in the contiguous USA (7).  Rather than measurements, gas volumes were derived from amount of pork, beef, and chicken consumed in each locale, determining supply chains for the meat consumed and from these data, generated a map of the “mat generated” greenhouse gasses.  Their paper appeared in one of the Nature journals, considered by many in academia as the most prestigious science journals.  Perhaps Nature has different standards, but this so-called” scientific” paper doesn’t even have a methods section!   Instead, there’s a whiny introduction citing other more accurate methods they could have used if only they weren’t so costly, labor intensive, or held by private companies they’d have to pay to use.  They did generate some nice maps, like these which show levels of meat generated greenhouse gases pretty much following population density. 

Fig. 1 | Meat consumption and carbon hoofprint across the USA. a, Per capita meat consumption (beef, chicken and pork) (kg percapita) (top) and hoofprint (kgCO2e per capita) (bottom) for 3,531 US cities. b, Comparison of per capita meat consumption (left) andhoofprint (right) for California (top), the Northeast (middle) and Texas (bottom). Consumption values are before retail and consumerlosses (for example, kilograms delivered to retail). Based on uncertainty analysis, there is a mean absolute percentage error of 26%from baseline across all cities (Supplementary Fig. 1).

But eating meat is like driving an EV: the greenhouse gasses propelling the activity are generated far from the activity itself.  The authors propose a couple ways to mitigate this horrible scenario: reducing food waste and substituting other protein sources for beef.  At least they didn’t cite the European model of killing as many cows as possible.  Indeed, their model implies it’s the eaters’ fault, not the cows’.  Might the map provide the EPA enforcement force with targets as they set about offing the eaters?  Given how Mr. Gates relishes reducing the population, perhaps he’ll be participating.  Surely the Lt. Onodo’s in today’s Climate Commandos won’t be taking this lying down.  They can track methane from space now (8)!  Pray they don’t weaponize the agent transmitted by the Lone Star tick that causes “alpha-gal syndrome”, in which victims develop an intense allergy to red meat (9).  Just like a “vaccination”!  Could we coax Dr. Fauci out of retirement?Hard to say when this anti-meat crusade began.  The 2018 UN encyclical on climate change mentioned that we need to focus on some of the agricultural sources of greenhouse gasses (10).  With those ruminants producing methane as a byproduct of digesting vegetation we cannot, turning it into protein and milk we can.  With apologies for every sniggering adolescent out there, please know that most of the methane comes from eructation, not flatulence (11).  

Indeed, an entire industry has grown up to address the “problem”, from sophisticated monitoring to mask traps to measure to modify to the cow’s microbiome to be less gassy (12).  The frenzied self-righteousness that arose predated any actual changes in eating behavior, but we were made to feel guilty when we bit into a juicy steak rather than bugs, lab grown meat (“cellular agriculture”) or a full conversion to veganism.  Those Petrie dish patties were lauded as almost o.k., any loss of taste from the real thing more than made up for by the good feeling to be had by knowing how such eating behavior was doing for the environment.  It all came together to transform one of man’s most beloved and helpful domesticated animal into some kind of villain.

While there wasn’t a little boy standing to comment on the emperor’s attire, Investigators from Virginia Tech published in early 2021 that sudden disappearance of all dairy cattle from the US would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a whopping 0.7% (13).  Not to mention all the nutrients that would no longer be provided to a hungry population.  The EPA estimates that all greenhouse gasses from meat and dairy production account for just 4% of domestic emissions (14).  If every man, woman, and child in America turned vegan tomorrow, estimates suggest the US would produce just 3% fewer emissions (15).

But wouldn’t less meat be a benefit not only to the planet, but to the eaters?  I’ve been hearing about the horrors of red meat since medical school (I graduated ’79).  Often touched with a “meat is murder” layer of guilt, cutting into that steak could be a political statement.  In late 2019, a metanalysis was published in Annals of Internal Medicine (one of the premier journals in my field) evaluating claims that red meat consumption results in increased risk of heart disease and cancer.  From 61 studies involving 4 million participants examining these associations, they concluded “certainty of evidence for these risk reductions was very low” (16).  But if we still crave meat, we can now get it from the lab, avoiding all that messy animal stuff (17).

Our ancestors began herding cattle 8,000-10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent and Africa, just slightly after civilization began so man could brew beer.  Cows depositing their waste material and walking all over it make for fertile ground that can be cultivated to grow other foods.  As our bovine friends fight for their lives, some of their human proponents have pointed out that the fields in which cows graze make excellent carbon sinks, (18) and that methane can be used a fuel (19), even powering tractors (20)! 

Yet, the global warming (sorry, climate change) fanatics continue to push for eradication of cattle.  Most of that force has been applied in Europe, but quietly in the US the size of our beef herds is decreasing, and beef prices are skyrocketing.  I don’t think this was part of the Green New Deal, but how long are those bills congress passes these days, so who knows what might be in ‘em!?  The EPA and USDA continue their war on ranchers, using things like obscure water rights regulations and emissions reporting requirements. Their plight may be improving, as the Supreme Court has decided in their favor, ruling they cannot use regulation on water rights to regulate discharges (21).  Perhaps under pressure from Trump’s EPA administrator Lee Zeldin, the agency is refashioning itself as a champion for hungry broke Americans by announcing how rollbacks of some of its regulation will be a boon (22).

The Woke EU bureaucrats have heaped so many regulations and policies on their charges, it’s hard to know where to holler “uncle” first.  Every now and then the tractors and manure spreaders in the streets and flinging of animal feces at government buildings become so unavoidable, they leak into our mainstream media.  The Netherlands was the first eruption, as the government plans to reduce emissions by halving the country’s number of livestock (23).  Farmers took to the streets in their big vehicles, and the Netherlands now has a center-right government.  I think the cows are still happily chewing away at their share of that green little county.  But protests were continent-wide: Germany, France, U.K., Poland, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Greece, the Czech Republic (24).  Not all beefs – as it were – were about cattle, with issues on imports, fuel subsidies, and unfair competition getting attention.  The pressure has brought around real change, like the EU deciding to exclude cattle farming from regulations on livestock emissions (25).  Always available to governments is the brute theft of taxation, and the Danes see that as their way forward to a cooler future (26).

The war on Elsie looks like its winding down, but with so many true believers left in positions of authority, you can never be too sure.  What can one person do?  I believe a meme I saw a few days ago pretty well sums it up

Bon appètit!

References

1. Gates B.  Three tough truths about climate.  Gates Notes 10/27/25.  https://www.gatesnotes.com/home/home-page-topic/reader/three-tough-truths-about-climate

2. mfbukowski.  Climate Change as Secular Religion.  Mormon dialog and discussions board.  1/24/18.  https://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/70111-climate-change-as-a-secular-religion/

3. Kuehn EF.  Is the Climate Crisis a Secular Eschatology?  University of Chicago Divinity School 10/3/19.  https://divinity.uchicago.edu/sightings/articles/climate-crisis-secular-eschatology

4. Baker G.  St. Greta Spreads the Climate Gospel.  Wall St Jl 9/20/19.  https://www.wsj.com/articles/saint-greta-spreads-the-climate-gospel-11568989306

5. Balmont J.  Onoda: The man who hid in the jungle for 30 years.  BBC 4/13/22.  https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220413-onoda-the-man-who-hid-in-the-jungle-for-30-years

6. Davenport M.  Revealing the ‘carbon hoofprint’ of meat consumption for American cities.  Michigan News 10/20/25.  https://news.umich.edu/revealing-the-carbon-hoofprint-of-meat-consumption-for-american-cities/

7. Goldstein BP, Pelton REO., Gounaridis D. et al. The carbon hoofprint of cities is shaped by geography and production in the livestock supply chain. Nature Clim Chan (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02450-7s

8. New NASA Instrument Catches Super Methane Emitters Red-Handed.  The Weather Channel 10/27/22.  file:///Users/bobscomputer/Desktop/cow%20farts/New%20NASA%20Instrument%20Catches%20Super%20Methane%20Emitters%20Red-Handed%20-%20Videos%20from%20The%20Weather%20Channel.html

9. The Mayo Clinic Staff.  Alpha-gal syndrome.  Mayo Clinic 8/8/25.  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alpha-gal-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20428608

10. De Coninck H et al.  Strengthening and Implementing the Global Response in Global Warming of 1.50 C, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, 2018, https://ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/2/2019/02/SR15_Chapter4_Low_Res.pdf

11. Holmes B.  Cleaning up cow burps to combat global warming.  Knowable Magazine 6/10/24.  https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/food-environment/2024/reducing-methane-emissions-from-livestock

12. How Dairy Farmers Are Reducing Methane And Greenhouse Gas Emissions.  Undeniably Dairy 2/2/22.  https://www.usdairy.com/news-articles/farmers-reducing-methane-gas-from-cows?gclsrc=aw.ds&campaignid=21324250699&adgroupid=168030205092&keyword=cows%20burp%20methane&device=c&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21324250699&gbraid=0AAAAAC58wDew5xr8t9hMKxYk2mdaHn-MI

13. Esterhuizen M.  Virginia Tech Researchers Find that Removal of Dairy Cows Would Have Minimal Impact of Greenhouse Emissions.  Virginia Tech 1/6/21.  https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2020/12/cals-white=research.html

14. Environmental Protection Agency.  Inventory of U.S.Greenhouse Gas emissions and Sinks: 1990-2017, April 2019, https://www.epa.gov/sites/produ ction/iles/2019-04/document/us-ghg-inventory-209-chapeter-executuve-summary.pdf

15. USDA/Agricultural Research Service.  Exploring a World without Food Animal.  Science Dailu 6/18/2021, www.sciencedaily.com/rleSES/2017/12/12/17120622218.HTML

16. Johnston BC, Zeraatkar D, Han MA, Vernooij RWM, Valli C, El Dib R, Marshall C, Stover PJ, Fairweather-Taitt S, Wójcik G, Bhatia F, de Souza R, Brotons C, Meerpohl JJ, Patel CJ, Djulbegovic B, Alonso-Coello P, Bala MM, Guyatt GH. Unprocessed Red Meat and Processed Meat Consumption: Dietary Guideline Recommendations From the Nutritional Recommendations (NutriRECS) Consortium. Ann Intern Med. 2019 Nov 19;171(10):756-764.   https://annals.org/aim/articlr/doi/10.7326/M19-16

17. DutkiewiczJ and Rosenberg GN.  The Sadism of Eating Real Meat over Lab Meat.  New Republic 2/23/21.  https://newrepublic.com/article/161452/sadism-eating-real-meat-lab-meat

18. Reed B.  Cows help farms capture more carbon in soil, study shows.  Guardian 9/28/24. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/sep/28/cows-help-farms-capture-more-carbon-in-soil-study-shows

19. Melnick P.  Dairy Farm Sustainability: Turning Methane into Energy.  New England Dairy 4/23/25.  https://www.newenglanddairy.com/blog-post/cows-greenhouse-gas-emissions/

20. Blain L.  Dung-powered tractor drives down agricultural emissions. New Atlas 1/16/23.  https://newatlas.com/energy/cow-dung-tractor-biomethane/

21. Wolfson L.  Supreme Court Ruling For Western Ranchers Over EPA Is A Win For Private Property Rights.  Harriett Hagem Wyoming’s Congresswoman 5/25/23.  https://hageman.house.gov/media/in-the-news/supreme-court-ruling-western-ranchers-over-epa-win-private-property-rights

22. EPA Press Office.  EPA Announces Action to Support Lower Food Prices for Americans and Reduce Burden on American Farmers by Addressing Meat and Poultry Discharge Regulations.  EPA 8/30/25.  https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-action-support-lower-food-prices-americans-and-reduce-burden-american

23. Ro C.  The Netherlands, A Country Of Livestock, Grapples With Eating Animals.  Forbes4/29/24.  https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinero/2024/04/27/the-netherlands-a-country-of-livestock-grapples-with-eating-animals/

24. Salmonsen D. Why are EU farmers protesting?  FB 2/28/24.  https://www.fb.org/focus-on-agriculture/why-are-eu-farmers-protesting

25. Igina M.  Emission-Intensive Cattle Farming Excluded From New EU Rules for Livestock Pollution.  EARTH.ORG 3/13/24.  https://earth.org/emission-intensive-cattle-farming-excluded-from-new-eu-rules-for-livestock-pollution/

26. Euronews.  Danish livestock farmers to be taxed for cow and pig-made greenhouse gases.  Euronews.com 6/26/24.  https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/06/26/denmark-cow-and-pig-burp-tax-to-be-rolled-out-in-2025