The Muse Speaks

Movies, art, and reality

2006-06-15T14:49:00.000-07:00

OK, so it's old news. But I just discovered, by chance,
an interesting (and good) review of Brokeback Mountain, written by a gay man. He complains that the director didn't get gay men as actors, and asks why, when they're readily available? My response: actors need to believe they can act any role, in the same way that writers need to believe (and need the public to believe) they can get into anyone's head and write their lives. Did Agatha Christie (or Ruth Rendell, for a better example) need to murder anyone in order to write a murder mystery? Why does an actor need to BE gay in order to portray a gay man? All that artists like writers and actors need is empathy. The part of society that does not have empathy and does not believe it exists are the people who clap their hands to their foreheads and say "Oh, nobody knows the trouble I seen! Nobody understands me!" If the actor fails, then it's because she or he didn't do their research.

News about cholesterol

2005-04-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

The following article appears in Medline Plus:

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Apr 08, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- The liver may produce most of the body's good cholesterol, researchers at Wake Forest University in North Carolina reported Friday.

The study, which used gene-targeting in mice to simulate the rare Tangier disease in people, is published in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. People with Tangier disease produce virtually no high-density lipoprotein, the HDL or good cholesterol.

The study found the liver is the source for about 80 percent of HDL that circulates in the blood. Aside from Tangier disease, low levels of HDL are associated with a higher risk of heart attacks, even when total cholesterol levels are normal.

Until now, scientists had thought HDL formation occurred throughout the body. They do know some of it is manufactured in the walls of blood vessels, for example.

Parks said the finding could be important in drug development for a number of diseases.

To see the original, go to http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_24003.html. Maybe now doctors might respect the liver more, and modify lipitor and similar drugs.

Mindfulness

2005-04-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

Seen on a license plate holder:

I'd rather be
here

Finally! Someone who appreciates the present moment.

Rain City

2005-04-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

On March 30, I bought a rain barrell (Authorized City of Seattle Rain Barrell--for yours, click here). It comes complete with mosquito screen and various drainage orifices. Having taken the day off, I installed it under a downspout at one corner of my house. The day was sunny and beautiful, a real t-shirt day. The previous day Seattle had experienced more than an inch of rain, so on the one hand I was glad that I didn't have to be miserable while setting it up; but on the other hand, I felt disappointed that I'd missed what might have been the one last heavy rain day. February has cast fear into the hearts of Seattleites, it was the driest February in a very long time. Our governor has already declared a drought; what will it be like in August? The mountain pass ski resorts were closing for lack of snow. Not just "lack"--read NO snow. It was like June.

Not to worry. In about a week, the passes received more than a foot of snow, and by Saturday, April 2 (two days after rain barrel was installed), the rain barrel was overflowing. I had to buy a second hose to attach to the overflow valve, sending the extra water into my flower garden, directing it away from the house. Now I understand why the basement floods when it rains hard. I will watch the ground on that side of the house, to see what effect the rain barrel has on the ground, if any. In the meantime, I have what seems like an endless supply of rain water for my garden (both contained as well as uncontained).

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