Marilyn's Photos - mar 27 2026 - Eat Eggs Every Day and Then What Happens

 

Well?  What happens?  The summary says that contrary to past concerns, dietary cholesterol in eggs has minimal impact on blood cholesterol for most people.  It may increase the good cholesterol.  That quote is a big change from the past when in 1968, the American Heart Association recommended limiting egg consumption based on cholesterol concerns.  This was based on studies that showed a correlation with cardiovascular disease.  However, the studies turned out to be flawed, very flawed.  The egg industry had to embark upon a journey of funding more scientific studies - they showed the correlation was false.  It took a long time and many studies. How long was it? That 1968 declaration was wasn't put to rest until 1999 with a large, long term population study on egg intake and cardiovascular disease incidence which showed no correlation.  Not until 2002 did the AHA update its egg restriction guideline. That's how we come upon headlines like:  "The Fifty Year Rehabilitation of the Egg."   So even after 50 years of significant amounts of research and proof, the what happens is answered: - they might help you fell more full and energized - they may make your hair and skin healthier - they might help you think more clearly - they may improve your vision - they might strengthen your bones - your heart health might improve Two expressions of weak or hypothetical possibilities that seems a bit sorry after such heroic efforts.  I found the story of the criminalization and subsequent rehabilitation of eggs HERE.  It is garden time.  The Snowdrops are looking wonderful in drifts in the garden along with Winter Aconites.  There are early Crocuses that squirrels haven't found, and Iris Reticulata.  This  crocus is a later variety - Pickwick - it will be blooming soon.

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Marilyn's Photos - Mar 26 2026 - Notwithstanding...

 

Wake Up on the Bright Side    Donald Trump's Country.  Isn't that quite the expression?  The headline is 10 reasons not to travel to Donald Trump's country.  What a seismic shift this headline reveals.  Whenever I see a headline with such consequences I go looking for the trigger.  Could this report be the trigger?  V-Dem Institute's 2026 Democracy Report titled "Unraveling the Democratic Era", published March 17th 2026.  It is the 10th edition and tracks democracy across the globe on 600 measures in 5 core indices.  HERE is the link. "Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) produces the largest global dataset on democracy with over 32 million data points for 202 countries and territories from 1789 to 2025. Involving over 4,200 scholars and other country experts, V-Dem measures over 600 different attributes of democracy." The highlight of the report is the steep decline in democracy in the U.S, losing its status as a liberal democracy for the first time in over 50 years.  Overall, democracy is back to 1978 levels for the average global citizen.  In the V-Dem report, Canada is not ranked as a liberal democracy, but the next level down - the electoral democracy.  A liberal democracy has free elections, protection of individual liberties, rule of law, and minority rights, limiting government power.  It focuses on how power is used.  Electoral democracy focuses primarily on competitive free, and fair elections to choose leaders but lacks robust protections for civil liberties or independent institutions. It focuses on how leaders are chosen, relying on majority rule. An electoral democracy can become illiberal if elected leaders use their mandate to erode checks and balances, diminish rights, or control the media, resulting in a system where voting exists but freedoms are restricted.  We have a case before the Supreme Court right now that is exactly in this space between liberal and elected democracy. Quebec's Bill 21 (religious symbols ban) has put the spotlight on the nothwithstanding clause in the Charter. For opponents of the bill, repealing it would restore a truer liberal democracy by upholding individual rights against state-mandated secularism.    The report says that in the U.S. under Trump's presidency, democracy has fallen back to the same level as 1965, but not because of Civil Rights. It is because of "a rapid and aggressive concentration of powers in the presidency."  The report says that "the speed with which American democracy is currently dismantled is unprecedented in modern history."  Both the U.S. and the U.K. are on the list of autocratizers, with the U.K. starting in 2020 and the U.S. in 2023.   We in Canada await our Supreme Court's ruling on the notwithstanding clause. It is considered the most consequential case of our generation, and challenges whether political power can override fundamental freedoms.   It is only a few weeks away to the Tulip Festival.  This is from last year.

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Marilyn's Photos - Mar 25 2026 - Arriba

 

Yesterday at the Y there was a special class - an Arriba exercise class.  Do you remember this type of exercise?  The precursor to this was Zumba in the mid to late 1990s into the 2000s.  Exercise classes that had fun upbeat music and had lots of foot work involved, so dance-like. That’s  the definition of Arriba - “it is a high-energy dance-based fitness class that combines Latin, Bollywood, and belly dance moves set to upbeat music.  It focuses on various Latin rhythms such as Sala, Merengue, Cumbia, and Reggaeton.”  Participants can expect fun is the implication of such great Latin music. Men never come to Arriba classes - they are hip-wiggly with girly-girl wavy arm movements.  Our Arriba class had 10 people, the strength training class that followed had 35.     I wondered if there were any pictures of men doing arriba - there must be some men who try this out.  No, there is a refusal by google to retrieve articles, videos  or images of men doing Arriba exercises. Google agrees and supports the male refusal to get involved in arriba.  My proof is this picture retrieved to show men doing arriba. All the images retrieved are consistent - muscular men doing push-ups mostly show up.   Having taken part in the class yesterday, I side with the men on this one.  Arriba is too wiggly with girly-girl arm waving.  I am happy today that we’ll be doing lunges, jumping jacks and similar cardio-vascular activities.  OK, the burpees I can do without. Think July, and garden tour time.  Here’s a pretty scene from one of the gardens that will be on the Grimsby tour this year.

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Marilyn's Photos - Mar 24 2026 - National Geographic 1964

 

There it was - a National Geographic 1964 magazine - sitting in the Physiotherapy office.  That seems old - almost 60 years.  It looked perfect, too.  But it wasn’t a March issue of JFK and the Moon - that would get between $200 - $800 while a normal issue gets $1 to $15.  Still it would buy you a coffee at the Tim Horton’s across the street, or even a subway sandwich next door. There are a lot of magazines to collect - National Geographic Society was founded in 1888.  With such a long history, there must be a lot of National Geographic jokes.  I could  find a few that are relevant for my age group and perspective. Here’s a geography lesson for today: According to National Geographic, 80% of US adults could not find Ukraine on an unmarked map.  They're really ahead of their time. Here’s one that relates to my age: "You know when you go to a garage sale, and you find a dusty old box of National Geographics? Yeah, well you're kind of like that... You've got issues going way back." Here’s one that says volumes about American culture in the 1960s: What's the difference between a naked white woman and a naked black woman?  One is on the cover of playboy while the other is on the cover of National Geographic. This is the moment when we have a little thought for Cole’s Garden Centre. There is construction equipment in front of the Christmas Cottage this week, dispensing any fond memories that might have popped up. They were appreciators of Spring and had a huge Spring flower display each year.  I don’t know if there is going to be a sea of Pansies like this again.  At least we have it preserved in pictures - like a 1964 National Geographic.

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Marilyn's Photos - Mar 23 2026 - Airborne Shepherds

 

Is it true that sheep and cow herding dogs had their tails clipped to avoid being grabbed by the tail and thrown about?  That’s the story I was told  by an Australian Shepherd owner.  I have no farm experience and find this very interesting - that cows would be aggressive like this. This is the case.  Tails can be stepped on, grabbed or broken by livestock.   There’s also hygiene - e.g. burrs in the tail, and identification as a working dog - that’s related to historical taxing of pets vs working dogs not taxed. The other aspect this owner talked about is that the tails are not docked, they are tied immediately after birth as per the umbilical cord and similarly “fall off.”  This is a less invasive method than surgically docking the tail.   And then about 30% of Australian Shepherds are born with a natural bobtail. Here’s a benefit of the internet - let’s go find a picture out of the millions available - of a dog being thrown by a cow.  Ok - so I found just two -  the first  smacked by a cow  and the second - who knows what in the second image.  Definitely a dog is in the air.  The third image is one that I took from a video and that definitely showed the cow flinging the dog in the air. The video is HERE.   Mostly the pictures show the dogs being very aggressive and biting at the cows. Here’s a happy spring image.

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