BEWARE-IFICATIONS

I keep track of alerts, snippets of info, warnings...as well as facts.

BEWARE-ifications get filed into my pile of worry news that get me googling around to see if others are worried. Recently Time Magazine posted -- "Very hot drinks are a probable cancer trigger."

Wowie-eek, rang in my mind as I read, reread, checked it out, and read again.

World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) -- 23 scientists from 10 countries, reviewed 1,000 studies investigating the connection between high temperature beverages and their potential link to cancer. Based on the available evidence, they concluded that drinking very hot beverages (defined as anything above 149F), linked to a higher risk of cancer of the esophagus. Hot Drinks is now on the list of 116 probable cancer-causing agents in people, along with red meat, fried food, and DDT.
 
Mid-seventies they told us saccharin killed lab rats. Hey, we are glad to know from IARC that smoking kills you, that coffee, coca cola, and contraceptives (Huh?) can give you cancer. We have been warned to keep away from diet pills, sleeping pills, tanning salons, but gee... never heard about contraceptives...

In the Time Magazine article a top researcher explained that a new study shows that people who drank coffee had less inflammatory ailments than people who don't drink coffee.  

"Inflammatory" means ... hot?  Painfully hot?

Do drink it? Don't drink it?

Here's what I gathered from Wikipedia. Most cancers are related to environmental, (everything outside the body), or lifestyle, or behavioral exposures from tobacco, diet and obesity, infections, radiation, stress, lack of physical activity, and environmental pollutants. Age is a factor, as is what you inherit genetically. Where you live is also a factor ... lotsa factors....  

Okay, I always use saccharin, but I don't smoke, and I stay out of the sun, eat very little red meat, and I exercise. I bet there will be more research -- this study will give birth to more studies that will explode into those nice little headlines that get you worrying about various this's and that's.

Hey, wouldn't it be interesting if the study of inflammatory ailments said exercise less or proved that you do better if you're 10-to-20 pounds overweight...

Yiii, I'm getting a headache. IARC reports on factual real news. We're living in a time when we've got to question everything, figure out what's real, what's fake -- what do you do?

You head for the clouds

I looked at this film about your morning wake-up cup of something.

I know what I'm going to do.

It's going to be piping hot.

HOW IS HILLARY DOING?

How often have you wondered how Hillary is doing? It's a daily thing for me -- every time I hear the latest news about President Donald Trump -- what he's dealing with, not dealing with -- I wonder about her.

She has made a few appearances since the election. She's given a few speeches, but how is she really? This photo of the Clintons at Trump's inauguration speaks volumes.

I read that she doesn't watch the news, and that after the election she went for long walks near her home in Chappaqua. Did she, does she discuss things -- what happened, why, what's next for her -- with Chelsea? With Bill? He looks older, much older, and quite gaunt.

Anyhow, Hillary cut her hair. (It's what a woman does that says I'm different now.) I like the way it looks. I like what she said in the speech she made on St. Patrick's Day in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Hillary told the Society of Irish Women, "I'm like a lot of my friends right now, I have a hard time watching the news," and mentioned how, as first lady, she met with female leaders who want to bring peace to Northern Ireland. Clinton said, "What we can do now is bring people together and find common ground, so that we listen to each other again and try to make a difference. I'm not sure what will come out of Washington, but it can come out of Scranton. Let's find ways to do that. I am ready to come out of the woods and to help shine a light on what is already happening around kitchen tables at dinners like this, to help draw strength that will enable everybody to keep going."

Hurray for you  Hillary. It sounds as if you are rejoining the world. This speech is one of several Clinton is scheduled to deliver in the coming months -- including a May 26th commencement address at her alma-mater, Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She is also working on a book of personal essays that will include some reflections on her loss to Donald Trump.

I wish I could phone her. I'd say, "Your loss of the presidency is our loss too. For many of us it's still a nightmare, we're still having difficulty adjusting to what's happening to things we need, we believe in, we counted on. If you could just shine a light on what you think, what you feel about what happened, it would help. We need closure, Hillary. We have to put away what happened, and refind energy, passion, and strong positive things to say and do for ourselves, our neighbors, and our country. Shine that light and talk to us Hillary!