Thursday 24 February 2022

Biscotti and “The Blissful Feast” by Teresa Lust – Part 1 – Reading 9

Most countries in the world (worldwide) familiar to the Italian foods. We see how pizza and pasta take over the world.

Some Italian cuisines could be adapted from his foreign countries in the past or long long time ago.



Fig 01- Biscotti for breakfast

However, Italian people created the gourmets with their imagination so that their taste and creations became their own signatures.

The world loves the creativity and the simplicity of Italian foods, no wonder in some places Italian cuisines have been adjusted and re-created with local tastes.

Many modifications of Italian foods around the worlds, just few of them are:

- pizzas
- and pastas



Fig 02- Baby tree, illustration only



Fig 03- Just for illustration



Fig 04- A Blissful Feast by Teresa Lust.

Indeed, Italian cuisines also have flexibility in ingredient compositions and serving.

Now, hazelnut paste that originally from Italy (Piedmont) can be found anywhere.

We are familiar with the hazelnut butter spread, Nutella.

Italian alba truffle from Piedmont is a kind of a luxury truffle for some people in some places.

Biscotti is also familiar around here. In the coffee shops we can find biscotti along the other cookies and pastries for breakfast.

# To be continued to Part 2

## Previous postings:

Friday 18 February 2022

Reducing Number of Amazon River Pink Dolphin? - Part 2 – Nature 17

You may read previous post (Part 1):

- Reducing Number of Amazon River Pink Dolphin? - Part 1 – Nature 17



Fig 01- The Amazon River pink dolphin (credit to Pintrest)

As we know previously, the death of pink dolphins very much due to these factors:

- poacher
- pollution
- river traffics that caused accidental dead.

Moreover, we may ask a question: why Amazon dolphins have a pink color?

The simple answer that their thin skin made blood vessels easily seen as a pink color.



Fig 02- A tree at backyard



Fig 03- Just for illustration



Fig 04- No cars yet at parking lots

Several very interesting facts about pink dolphins are following:

- while young, their colors are gray
- they get their pink color as they grow older
- males are pinker than females

They mainly eat freshwater fish which abundant in the rivers, in addition, this creature also eat:

- turtle
- crabs
- shrimps

Have you seen pink dolphin in nature or in the zoo?

# Previous postings:

Saturday 12 February 2022

Corned Beef Harsh - The Popular Breakfast in Louisiana – Part 1 – Food 11

We are in Louisiana face natural disasters almost every year. The disasters may include such as:
- storms (snowstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes)
- floods.



Fig 01- Corned beef harsh, credit to Danilo Alfaro

Natural disasters may lead to closing public facilities and services in our city and state such as:

- local government administration
- all parks
- libraries
- recreation centers or facilities
- public transportation
- trash and recycling collection
- groceries
- etc



Fig 02- Fruit, just for illustration

Relevant authorities suggest citizens to assemble supplies for natural disaster preparedness.



Fig 03- Illustration only

Some important supplies are:

- water
- foods (non perishable foods)
- Battery powered radio
- Flashlight, extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Infant formula and diapers
- Sleeping bags or warm blankets
- Fire extinguisher
- etc (whatever essential for you and family)



Fig 04- Canned tuna, sold in Walmart

Moreover, we never forget with canned foods. We love to have some canned foods such as:

- corned beef
- canned tuna
- canned sardines
- vegetable, especially corned and tomatoes

Corned beef is one of our favorite canned foods as well as Louisiana people, and one of favorite breakfast menus in Louisiana is corned beef harsh.

What is a corned beef harsh?

# To be continued to Part 2

## Previous postings:

Tuesday 1 February 2022

The Early Person who Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Diseases - Part 2 – Alzheimer's 2

He found “dramatic brain shrinkage and abnormal deposits in and around nerve cells.”



Fig 01- Histopathology of Alzheimer's diseases
(Picture from Neuroscience, Purves, et al)

Brain shrinkage and the abnormal deposit in this day are called amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.

From the picture, the yellow color are neurofibrillary tangles, and brown dark are amyloid plaques.

Specifically, it is in the neocortex, amygdala, and brainstem

The causes of Alzheimer's Disease is not fully understand yet.



Fig 02- Hot sauce, illustration only



Fig 03- Pomegranate, just for illustration

There are three principle features could be detected in every person who severe with the Alzheimer's disease:

1) Collection of intra-neuronal cytoskeletal filaments or neurofibrillary tangles, also we know as aggregate tau protein in the brain.

- tau protein to maintain microtubules steadiness in axons.

2) extracellular deposit of an abnormal amyloid or amyloid plaques.

3) A diffuse loss of neurons.

- The accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques lead to death of neuron cells so that the brain became shrinkage.

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Thursday 27 January 2022

Reducing Number of Amazon River Pink Dolphin? - Part 1 – Nature 17

I just knew there are pink dolphins when I watched the news about burning of Amazon rain forest years ago.

Pink dolphins look exotic and lovely.


Fig 01- Adolphin jumping out the water
(credit to Ecuador & Galapagos Insiders 2019)

Yes, pink dolphins are categorized as endangered species which live in the main rivers of Amazon.

Forest fires will have scary effect on many animal population there, both land and rivers creatures.

The rivers cover several following countries:

- Brazil
- Peru
- Bolivia
- Venezuela
- Guyana
- Colombia
- Ecuador


Fig 02- Plants in the city garden


Fig 03- Sky at outside my city


Fig 04- Our jogging area, just for illustration

The pink dolphins population in the world were estimated 9,000 only, and killed around by 3,000 per year.

Population mainly in the amazon rivers. Hence, Amazon rain forest fires may reduce population even further.

Yes, we have pink dolphins in a Louisiana river, USA. The dolphin is called as “pinkie.”

The pinkie was spotted first time in the river of Calcasieu, Louisiana by river ship captain, Erik Rue in 2015.

Unfortunately, we don’t know the exact number of dolphin population as of today.

# To be continued to Part 2

## Previous postings:

Saturday 22 January 2022

Sweet Chocolate Candies and a Yummy Book – Part 2 – Reading 8

Slowly, I am slowing down to chew all those my favorite candies


Fig 01- Other chocolates

The sweetener give me extra calories that I might need them not that much at the moment.

Another words, I am trying to watch my weight by


reducing sugar intake.

Instead of chewing chocolate candies, I am churning chocolate books. I got one of chocolate books.

It does not a cookbook, it is a novel.

A yummy book Chocolate Magic by Zelda Benjamin. This cute book is a kind of light drama, clean romance, and sweet story like a cup of chocolate milk.


Fig 02- Chocolates with brands of Jojo and Brookside


Fig 03- One of groceries to sell chocolates


Fig 04- Lindt chocolates, produced by USA

Moreover, here the summary from the book:

Chloe Brandeau, a magical chocolatier struggles to maintain normalcy in her world that suddenly turned upside down with the inheritance of her aunt's run down apartment building.

When a friend insists that having a man in her life could help, Chloe goes on a series of outrageous dates.

Along comes Ethan Behar, a master of acquisitions with no time for trivial pleasures such as chocolate.

Ethan makes an offer for Chloe's building, but ends up bidding for the one thing not on the market -- Chloe's heart”

Finally, doesn’t you like chocolate?

# Previous postings:

Sunday 16 January 2022

The Early Person who Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Diseases - Part 1 – Alzheimer's 2

It's over than one century since a German physician and psychiatrist, Alois Alzheimer, observed his own patient with suffered loss of memory and language ability.


Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German neurologist
(source: The Neurology Lounge)

She (the patient) also had:

- hallucinations
- delusions
- and cognitive impairment.

She was only 51 year-old and too early to had a dementia, so she was diagnosed as presenile dementia.

The presenile dementia is dementia that happen in early age, before senile age. Senile dementia occurs with patients after 65 years old.


Fig 02- Library sign, hit by car, illustration


Fig 03- Falling tree, illustration only

Dr. Alzheimer identified and described her psychological and behavioral, then when the patient passed away, Dr Alzheimer ask her family to autopsy her brain.

He took her brain to laboratory and did staining to get observation in her nervous system.

Fortunately, at that time the research methods using stain was developed quite well and the result was satisfy.

The staining was able to visualize the nerve cells.

# To be continued to Part 2

Is Meat Not a Main Food of Fox? - Nature 129

We have talked briefly about a fox crossing street at our neighborhood recently at previous posting.  Image 01 - A fox, sitting on the stree...