COLD DARK ROOM

[Gillian M]

Have you looked into possibly an electric blanket for your bed? I've one of these and it's great for pre-heating my bed before bedtime. Also, here in the States we have available an electric throw-blanket for a couch or chair. Yes, I have one of those as well. It's perfect for heating up the area wear I sit. I bundle up in it, turn it to medium, and I'm good to go. I too, love the warmth, even with the central heat running. Here is what we get to look forward to View attachment 190558

HI Ken, hope you are well.

Thanks your advise.

Yes I have thought about an electric cover. But, power in this country is:
a) NOT at all safe
b) VERY expensive (the electric heater is more than enough, as far as expenses are concerned)

 

[johnandjade]

wayhey, deeeeeliveryyy!!!


wont see you all tomorrow

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

HI, ADAM!!!!! Sorry you're getting rained on.
P.S. I doubt anyone who knows you at all believes you're going harpoon shopping!!!

How well you know me.
I'd be harpooning them!
In reality, the weather thankfully cleared and we decided not to do the whale watch, as we've both seen plenty of cetaceans before and the chances of seeing the sperm whales this time of year aren't high. (though i've seen them). Instead, we conquered the town.
(pictures to follow)

Studying strategic points for the attack.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Adam
How's the roof holding up?

It's good, I think.
I'm going to fix it myself.
Properly.
With chewing gum and everything.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

health and safety floating about in work:/

Floating about ?
You had a flood ?

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Morning/Afternoon/Evening all

Evening, Evenstar.
Sorry I missed you.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Good afternoon here.
Finally. Another Floridian.

The more, the merrier!

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Good day and welcome to the CDR.

Pull up an armadillo and the one legged pirate should be along shortly to take your drinks order. Watch out for the hedgehogs; they seem a bit spiky today.

Splendid!

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

That's got to be dangerous!
I think you should point out the hazards of floating around a workplace - the distraction could case accidents!

SNAP!
(ish)

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Found you something Adam…

Cheese: A matter of love or hate
19 Oct 2016, 05:25 AM

(A) There are almost 1600 varieties of cheese. (B) Aversion to cheese (responses from 0 to 1 on a scale of 11 includes the highest population of individuals among those with food aversions. (C) On the left: two areas of the reward and aversion circuit are more strongly activated in people who dislike cheese than in those who like it. On the right: another small structure involved in the motivation to eat food is not activated in people who hate cheese, whereas it is activated in those who like it. (© Jean-Pierre Royet/Centre de Recherche en Neuroscience de Lyon (CNRS/INSERM/Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1/Université Jean Monnet)
Until now, the reason why some people hate cheese has been a mystery. Researchers at the Centre de Recherche en Neuroscience de Lyon and the Laboratoire Neuroscience Paris Seine (CNRS/INSERM/UPMC) have just elucidated it. Their results are published online on the Frontiers in Human Neuroscience website.

It is difficult to remain lukewarm when faced with a ripe camembert or goats cheese: people love it or hate it. France may well be the country that has the largest number of cheese varieties (almost 1600), yet many there are disgusted by it. Aversion is an extremely powerful factor in the animal world: it is a key element for survival, hence the importance of studying the cerebral mechanisms at play.

Why cheese? Because it seemed to the researchers that many people do not like this type of dairy product. Therefore they studied a sample of 332 individuals to check their intuition: cheese is indeed the food that most frequently triggers aversion. It affects 6.0% of respondents, whereas only 2.7% of those tested have an aversion to fish and 2.4% to cured meats. Among those with an aversion to cheese, 18% say they are intolerant to lactose. In 47% of cases, at least one of their family members does not like cheese either. These figures suggest that there is a genetic origin to this aversion, which might be related to lactose intolerance.

To find out what happens in the brain, fifteen people who like cheese and fifteen who do not were selected and participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study. They were simultaneously exposed to the image and smell of six different cheeses and six other types of control foods. They had to state whether they liked the smell and sight of the foods or not, and whether, at that moment, they wanted to eat them.

The researchers then observed that the ventral pallidum, a small structure usually activated in people who are hungry, was totally inactive while the smell and image of cheese was being presented to individuals with an aversion to cheese, whereas it was activated for all other food types. Even more surprisingly, the researchers observed that areas of the brain, the globus pallidus and the substantia nigra, which participate in the reward circuit (activated when we love something), were more involved in people who do not like cheese than in those who do. These structures, typically involved in processing reward, may therefore also be triggered in response to an aversive stimulus. To explain this dual nature, the researchers suggest that these regions include two types of neurons with complementary activity: one related to the rewarding aspect of a food, the other to its aversive nature.

This work provides an insight into the areas of the brain that are activated when an individual is presented with an aversive food and suggests that the reward circuit may also encode disgust.



Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by CNRS (Délégation Paris Michel-Ange). Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

Jean-Pierre Royet, David Meunier, Nicolas Torquet, Anne-Marie Mouly, Tao Jiang. The Neural Bases of Disgust for Cheese: An fMRI Study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2016; 10 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00511

Most BRILLIANT, Ken, thanks for this.
Though, obviously, anyone who doesn't love the smell of overripe Gorgonzola is, what we term in the scientific community, a loony.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

What kind of test ? I'm doing my Bud Test now .

Did you pass ?

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

noticing the drop in temperature this morning, though it's still above freezing wich is a bonus View attachment 190359

2pairs of socks, longmes' , ski pants, fleece and waterproof, necky, gloves and the wig, throw in some positivity .... i'm blooming roasting!!

Goodness!
I would just die!

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Have a good day, John!
(Would love to see the wig )

here's mine.

 

[TheSulcata]

Lol

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

While the room is empty, I've set off a few flea bombs.
Better give it 20 to 30 minutes.....

Ow!
What the HECK was that ?
Ow!

 

[JoesMum]

Hello Adam. Welcome back from Spain. I hope you and wifey had a good time

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Some raccoons got in through the dumb waiter. It wasn't secured.

The One-Legged Pirate is the dumb waiter.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

You are too kind for your own good John - just don't let them take advantage.
But while you're feeling generous I've a couple of scratches on my bumper.........

And I've got a couple on my didgeridoo!

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Evening all.
Lola is behaving very strangely at the moment. He won't come out of his hide in the mornings unless I get him out. After his soak he has a little to eat and then goes back to his hide. I've had a good look at him and can't see anything unusual - his breathing is Ok, his mouth looks fine, his urates are good, he is just very lethargic. He is due a poop so maybe he's constipated but it's only been 4 days since his last so too soon to tell. Upped his temps to see if that makes a difference but until then they were the same as always. I'm baffled.
Please send your ideas on a postcard to CDR.

Sounds like pre-brumation stuff ( which I know isn't correct for him) .
Bit of different entertainment and food should do it.
(in my humble opinion.)

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

I can't hear the smooth fm unless the volume is right up - which may spoil the moment - and annoy the neighbours!

I only have hearing in my left ear.
Which can be an advantage.