Saturday, April 03, 2021

What? More Pics Of Sunflowers?

It's true.  That's what the show's about this week.  So here are some more photos I've taken of this most photogenic plant.




The first is from Texas, just sunflowers growing wild along the road.  The last two are from here in Portland, taken last year.  The final picture - perhaps you can tell - is a sunflower that was as big as my head.  I thought it might fall on me as a I wandered under it.

Friday, April 02, 2021

Someone Sure Takes A Lot Of Pictures Of Sunflowers

It's true!  I love sunflowers, I love to look at them, & they're very photogenic!

You might know that I post my amateurish photographs over at the Self Help Radio Tumblr Page.  I started the Tumblr blog & didn't know what to use it for, so I just started putting pictures I took there.

Anyway, I thought I'd share some sunflower pictures here that I might have posted there.  Like these three from many years ago:





Maybe I'll post more tomorrow?

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Self Help Radio 033021: Cinnamon

(original image here*)

"Nice Spicy Show" someone texted during last night/this morning's Self Help Radio, & believe you me it wasn't the only spice pun made during all three hours of show's exploration of cinnamon.  There was so much cinnamon on the Self Help Radio cinnamon show we are obligated to remind you of the six side effects of an excess of cinnamon: liver damage, risk of cancer, mouth sores, low blood sugar, breathing problems, & problems interacting with certain medications.  So for the love of Pete, please listen carefully!

The show in at the Self Help Radio website (you can also listen if you want on the KBOO Self Help Radio page).  There will be a username & password required at selfhelpradio.net - they are SHR & selfhelp respectively.  Lots of music happened on the show & other stuff too - that's detailed below.

Take the Self Help Radio cinnamon challenge!  Listen to three hours of songs about cinnamon!

Self Help Radio Cinnamon Show
"Cinnamon" Derek _1968: Blowin' Your Mind_
"Cinnamon" Comateens _Pictures On A String_
"Cinnamon" Wild Strawberries _Bet You Think I'm Lonely_

introduction & definitions

"Cinnamon" Grifters _Crappin' You Negative_
"Cinnamon" The Long Winters _When I Pretend To Fall_
"Cinnamon" Airiel _Airiel EP_
"Cinnamon" Picnic _The Weather's Fine_
"Cinnamon" Marika Hackman _Sugar Blind EP_

interview with the Rev Dr Howard Gently

"Cinnamon Girl (Live At The Cellar Door)" Neil Young _Live At The Cellar Door_
"Sassafrass & Cinnamon" The Glitterhouse _Color Blind_
"Sons & Daughters" The Decemberists _The Crane Wife_
"Cinnamon Girl" Prince _Musicology_
"Cinnamon" Palehound _Dry Food_

interview with Hollywood reporter Denver Smith

"Cinnamon Blonde" Martin Newell _A Summer Tamarind_
"Susie Cinnamon" Damien Youth _Sunfield_
"Cinnamon Road" Shawn Colvin _These Four Walls_
"Cinnamon Tree" Esperanza Spalding _Radio Music Society_
"Tea With Cinnamon" Katzenjammer _Le Pop_

interview with Self Help Radio's resident apothecary Barney Fisher

"Sally Cinnamon" The Stone Roses _The Complete Stone Roses_
"Cinnamon Garden" Poison Girls _Statement_
"The Hills Of Cinnamon" The Lilac Time _Return To Us_
"Cinnamon Roll" Jad Fair & R. Stevie Moore _FairMoore_
"Cinnamon Sky" Harriet Brown _Mall Of Fortune_

interview with the Very Old Historian

"Cinnamon Sinner" Tony Bennett _His Greatest Hits & Finest Performances_
"Flor De Canela (Cinnamon Flower)" Yma Sumac _Fuego Del Ande_
"Cravo E Canela" MPB-4 _Brazil Bossa Beat! (Bossa Nova & The Story Of Elenco Records, Brazil)_
"Cinnebon" Jim Gaffigan _The Last Supper_
"Like Cinnamon" Math & Physics Club _Lived Here Before_
"Cinnamon Baby" The Wave Pictures _Susan Rode The Cyclone_

idioms with cinnamon

"I Saw Cinnamon" Dressy Bessy _Sound Go Round_
"Cinnamon Roll" The Crack Pipes _Snakes In My Veins_
"Cinnamon Winter" Cinderpop _A Lesson In Science_
"Cinnamon Square" The Moovees _Cinnamon Square_
"Cinnamon Cinder (It's A Very Nice Dance)" The Pastel Six _The Downey Story: Landlocked_
"Cinnamon Sound System" His Name Is Alive _Rare Tracks In The Snow_

conclusion & goodbye

"Rock & Roll Cinnamon Tree" Maggie Sue Wimberly _Feel Like Rockin': Tennessee Rock & Roll_
"Cinnamon Cindy" Jimmy Gilmer _The Best Of The Rest Of The Fireballs' Vocals (featuring Jimmy Gilmer)_
"Cinnamint Shuffle (Mexican Shuffle)" The Johnny Mann Singers _Cinnamint Shuffle (Mexican Shuffle)_
"Cinnamon Grahams" Death By Chocolate _Zap The World_
"Cinnamon Smiles" Liar's Club _Drop Dead_

* "Cinnamon - Spice Related (Free stock photo)" by trophygeek is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Monday, March 29, 2021

Whither Cinnamon?


Why a radio show about cinnamon? Did you read that article linked above? "'I think the strongest evidence lies so far with diabetes & the promise of cinnamon & blood sugar control,' Lauri Wright, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, said, pointing to studies in test tubes & mice & even small studies in people showing that cinnamon helps with insulin sensitivity & glucose transport while decreasing inflammation."

Did you hear that?  Insulin sensitivity & glucose transport while also decreasing inflammation?!?  Isn't that enough to justify a three-hour radio show?!?

All right then.  You can listen to Self Help Radio's show about cinnamon tonight (Monday night) or tomorrow (Tuesday morning) if you prefer from midnight to 3am on 90.7 fm KBOO, online at kboo dot fm.  It's three hours of cinnamon songs, interviews, & other stuffs.  & it'll smell really, really good.

Sunday, March 28, 2021

Preface To Cinnamon: Cinnamon Challenge

Check this shiz out: "The cinnamon challenge is a viral internet food challenge. The premise of the challenge is that one films themself eating a spoonful of ground cinnamon in under 60 seconds without drinking anything, with the video being uploaded to the internet as evidence."

Cool, thanks Wikipedia!  Oh no, you're going to be a downer aren't you: "The challenge is difficult & carries substantial health risks because the cinnamon coats & dries the mouth & throat, resulting in coughing, gagging, vomiting, & inhalation of cinnamon, which can in turn lead to throat irritation, breathing difficulties, & risk of pneumonia or a collapsed lung."

Collapsed lung?!?  You can read more at the Wikipedia.  I paid almost no attention to this & very little even now as I'm about to do a show about cinnamon.  Like that ice bucket thing, I thought this was recent but the Wikipedia says different:

"The challenge has been described online since 2001, & increased in popularity in 2007, peaking abruptly in January 2012 & falling off almost as sharply through the first half of that year, then tapering off almost to its previous level by 2014. By 2010, many people had posted videos of themselves attempting this challenge on YouTube & other social networking websites. At the peak, Twitter mentions reached nearly 70,000 per day."

People are weird.  Also, the phrase "viral internet food challenge" is concerning.

One thing I don't know is if Blogger lets you post animated gifs.  Maybe it does, I don't know.  But I'm not going to post any.  Instead, I'll point you to this page of animated gifs related to the cinnamon challenge.  Minutes of fun for the entire family!