NYTimes bits and pieces

Here goes today's NYTimes

• NY City attempts to reduce salt consumption: the only thing that I was surprised by was finding out that A&P is the Food Emporium.
• Mom! Dad! I am doing my homework by watching TV: if I would have said that to my parents when I was watching Sesame Street, I think they would have thought two things: "this boy will say anything just to watch TV", and "Lies, lies, lies..."  One thing I can say is:  I never learned Math, nor reading, or counting by watching Sesame Street - as a matter of fact, I always thought big bird, and the other characters were a bit off - though I love Cookie Monster, and Ernie & Bert.

• Cold in NY, but not enough:  so every year we tend to think that we had a pretty cold winter or a pretty warm one, but seems that our memory fails to recall the different winter seasons that we, each year, go through.
• Scanning at the airports:  alright, so the now we are going to be scanned with X-Ray systems, but at a possible cost of contracting, in the long run - what will they think of next... why does the public have to pay the incompetence of a few?
• Solar - but not cells:  heating up water to cause vapor that will help the turbines move and generate electricity - but in order to generate anything, one must build, and to build one must desolate natural landscapes and resources - well, China has no problem doing that... and that's where the problem resides - the lack of environmental responsibility.  Yes, they will achieve what they set their mind to, but at what cost?  And not just theirs, but it may/will affect us all - their damages (just like ours) will cost us our beautiful planet... Why can't we focus on how to rebuild/restore the planet rather than on how to least damage it?
• Not so long ago: looking back in history, how much different are we from our Neanderthal ancestry?  Very, right?  Yes?  We eat, sleep, and care for surviving just like they did, we look for shelter and we consume goods (from necessary goods to unnecessary accessories) - but who was more rational - they or us - it is highly debatable - we destroy knowing that things will become worse - they may have destroyed too, but perhaps without knowing the consequences...
• This tribe of diet eaters consider vegans inadequate: so these meat eaters and paleo/cavemen in a jungle of steel sit at the other end of what vegans are.  No Yoga, No veggies, and meat by the abundance when needed - I only have a few concerns, but I think they are highly educated about what they consume: watch out for stained meat, and following the caveman diet is one thing - living and behaving as a caveman... is a totally different thing. (Reference to an their Alpha caveman)
• Bacteria cleansing prior to operations: if we just found this to be a discovery, then I think we are in trouble...  I hope this is an article that the paper thought of using just to meet their # published articles for the week quota.
• Hypnosis, the power of persuasion: I have always wondered, and I supposed you too, if there was a way to change oneself to be a bit more committed, a bit less impulsive, a bit happier...  Can hypnosis help in any of these aspects?  I have a friend who smokes a lot, and I wonder if hypnosis could help quitting smoking - according to the article Dr. Spiegel did assist people on this matter.
• Couscous Tabbouleh: simply deliciously vegan, anyone can do it, everyone can try it.