• Gutenberg invented the printing press based on an idea of scaling production. His entrepreneurial spirit actually started with mass-production of ornamental mirrors for a church festival. He then adapted a wine press to print words on pages. The first book he printed was a Latin handbook.• Martin Luther said print was God’s greatest act of grace. The coincidence that the printing press was invented and becoming widespread when Luther was born is something that changed history forever. More than one third of everything printed in Germany in Luther’s lifetime was written by him.
Bactericide:
• We continue to see health benefits of moderate consumption of alcohol. Humans have been drinking beer, wine, mead for many thousands of years. Most argue purposes beyond the desire for intoxication.
• Chiefly, drinks with ethanol were safer than water in the remote past. This articleargues that the health effects of small amounts of alcohol could be due to blood alcohol content killing bacteria (and fungi). Smoldering infections with these organisms have been implicated in Alzheimer’s, ALS, Rheumatoid Arthritis, atherosclerosis, and even diabetes.
• They note 0.1% [blood?] alcohol solution being enough to inhibit staph and E coli. The legal limit in KY is 0.080%, so be careful!
Cathexis:
• Cathexis: investment of mental or emotional energy in a person, object, or idea. Cathexis is traced back (through katechein, meaning “to hold fast, occupy”) to the Greek verb echein, meaning “to have” or “to hold.” I don’t use cathexis in everyday speech, but it brought to mind the word catharsis.
• Catharsis: a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension. (comes from the Greek word kathairein, meaning “to cleanse, purge.”) It seems these are antonyms, but the dictionary does not relate the two. We talk about catharsis when we purge negative emotions, but habits of cathexis sneak under our radar.
• Make sure you are making sound investments of mental or emotional energy.
** M-w.com sends out a word of the day to subscribers. Sometimes the once a day is a bit much, but it is fun to learn about the origins of words.
Cooking:
• At my house we joke that if I find “vegetable oil,” I will throw it out. Corn oil, soybean oil, and even canola oil are all very high in omega 6 fatty acids, and will oxidize at high heat and become rancid over time.
• For low heat or no heat (salads), olive oil is high in monounsaturated fats and very healthy.
• But for high heat, go with clarified butter (Ghee) or avocado oil. This one is in an opaque container (prevents oxidation) and is fairly dark (less filtered / processed), this one is in a clear container and the oil itself is almost transparent (not as good a choice).
Quote:
To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of
conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands,
to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone
in everything, is to succumb to violence.
– Thomas Merton
