Yule Heibel's Post Studio © 2003-2014

In yesterday’s entry I mentioned that I went way outside my comfort zone the other night. What could that mean? …Probably not what some may think! I attended my very first meeting of Toastmasters International, specifically the Niteshifters chapter that meets at the University of Victoria. I’ve been interested in knowing what Toastmasters is all […]

I’m still reading Ray Strand‘s fascinating book, Bionutrition, and just came across Chapter 8’s closing paragraphs about diseases related to oxidative stress. I was really struck by Strand’s ideas about self and non-self in relation to our immune system. Let me elaborate:  Chapter 8’s final section addresses autoimmune diseases like MS, IBD, Crohn’s, and Rheumatoid […]

I’m reading Ray Strand‘s book, Bionutrition (first published in 1998, revised edition 2009). I’m finding it to be a compelling read, even though I can hear cynical voices piping up to deride nutritional supplementation as unnecessary. The skeptics say you can get all the nutrients you need through your diet. But is that really true, […]

While the temperatures in my part of the world have plummeted (again), returning us to our usual sweater-weather-on-August-nights, world temperatures overall continue to rise. Here’s a map that shows “global land temperature anomalies for July 2010 from average July temperatures of 1951-1980 – Above-average temps are in red; below-average temps are in blue, while gray […]

Interesting article in Macleans Magazine this week: Outraged moms, trashy daughters (How did those steeped in the women’s lib movement produce girls who think being a sex object is powerful?), by Anne Kingston. On beauty “standards”: “It’s worse than the 1950s,” says the mother of a 24-year-old, referring to the ubiquity of Photoshop and cosmetic […]

A while back, I posted that I was worried about my dog. He’s getting on (he’s 12 years old), and he has had some chronic health issues for years (hypothyroidism, eg.) Well, last week (after I got back from a week away), I noticed that he is really quite deaf. He seems to hear some […]

I spent a good chunk of today worrying about my dog Jigger, which, in light of all the serious things in the world that one could be worried by, is a relatively luxurious concern. My worry wasn’t provoked by a crisis (he didn’t go missing or get hit by a car or drink radiator fluid). […]

Philip Zimbardo’s 2008 presentation on The Time Paradox offers a remarkable look at how individuals and groups perceive time, and what that means for personal and social development.

Lionel Tiger’s new book, God’s Brain (coauthored with Michael McGuire) offers a scientific and anthropological explanation that finally makes sense of the religious impulse.