North Korea's Burger Diplomacy

The on again/off again plans for a June 12th nuclear weapons summit between North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump may be on again as of this writing, though it’s still unclear what, if any, common ground exists between the two leaders.

Trump is insisting on total North Korean denuclearization as an ultimate goal, though today, in an uncharacteristic nod to reality, he admitted that may require more than one meeting.

So hat is North Korea’s counter offer to complete denuclearization? According to a spokesman for KimJong Un, they might be persuaded to allow a western fast food burger joint to open within their borders. Since we all know that the way to Trump’s artery-clogged heart is through flattery and Quarter Pounders, there may be hope yet for a deal.

Donald Trump's Loose Lips

The U.S government has always placed a premium on keeping its secrets, and this has extended into its  messaging to civilians as well, though today the emphasis is more on being aware of what we see and hear (If you See Something, Say Something) rather than what we say. But during WWII, wartime posters clearly sent the message that careless blabbing could carry dire consequences.

Last week's meeting in the Oval Office between Donald Trump and high ranking members of the russian government, in which classified information was allegedly revealed, reminds us that trusting information to someone with "loose lips" could ultimately sink ships and all of us with it.

The Head that Wouldn't Die

I caught this story while listening to on public radio a couple of weeks back about a recent discovery to come out of Rice University's Dept. of Biochemistry and Cell Biology. A faculty professor there, Janet Braam, found that some produce, which in her experiments included cabbage, responded to light and dark cycles, known as circadian rhythms, days after being harvested. Cruciferous veggies such as cabbage use these cycles to produce cancer-fighting compounds. For nutritionists, grocers, and food distributors, this finding will likely have a significant effect on the way fruits and vegetables are handled. By regulating the light and dark cycles to mimic nature, they'll be able to coax the maximum health benefits out of their produce.

More info on Prof. Braam and her colleagues' ongoing research can be found here.

Happy "Ditch your New Year's Resolutions Day"!

"Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." -Mark Twain

By now, many of us have strayed from our intended New Year's goals a bit, but are still determined to make 2012 the year that we overcome our vices or improve ourselves in some way. On a hopeful note, one study found that people who explicitly make New Year's resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don't make resolutions.  STAY STRONG!