To Sleep. . .Perchance To Dream. . .

A few words about sleep: we need more of it! Truth be told, I am a huge fan of daylight savings time. I know it gets dark early, but we also get that extra hour of sleep exactly when we need it most: in this case in the middle of the World Series.

When we straggled home after Saturday's wet loss to the Yankees (can you believe the incredible odds of attending two consecutive World Series Game 3's both delayed by rain?), it was after 1:00 AM. But thanks to the wonders of Daylight Savings Time, it was an hour earlier. Never have I been more grateful for that extra hour.

It turns out that researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have determined (by studying mouse brains) that sleep deprivation limits the function of your hippocampus. Thus the brain fog that enshrouds those who don't get enough zzzzzzs.

These same researchers have also postulated that limiting a particular enzyme (phosphodiesterase 4) might someday thwart that fog from descending all together. In their study, the brains of mice who were kept awake (no word on how they did that) were studied. These same mice were then given phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitors and their tired brains returned to normal function.

Of course, while this does beg the question of what a functioning mouse brain actually does, it raises all sorts of possibilities about restoring brain function to people who suffer from diseases such as schizophrenia and sleep apnea that interfere with sleep.

The promised inhibitors, however, do come with side effects so for now we should all be grateful for that extra hour and even try to squeeze in a few more on a regular basis.

Year of the Woman

Above is Zenyatta, the undefeated Queen of the West Coast, who is entered in Saturday's Breeder's Cup Classic against the boys.


Above is Rachel Alexandra who is sitting out this year's Breeder's Cup having already beaten the boys.

At stake is the title of Horse of the Year. Conventional wisdom seems to indicate that if Zenyatta puts away the field that includes Kentucky Derby winner, Mine That Bird, her title is a lock. But if she doesn't, would the honors go to Rachel?

Tune in and find out. Post time for the Classic is approximately 6:45 on Saturday on ABC. Check your local listings and fasten your seal belt.

It should be quite a ride.

Season Finale

It's been a nice ride. No complaints, really. Even though they did not repeat their World Series win, the Phillies did repeat as National League Champions, for the first time in franchise history.

And here's another fascinating statistic: Of all the teams that have ever tried to repeat World Series victories, only two did it. And who do you think every team trying to repeat encountered in the World Series? The Yankees.

A few words about those guys in the blue pinstripes. They are the best team that money can buy. Should we hate them for it? Maybe. But the Phillies have no shortage of cash these days. I have a feeling we are going to see them shell out for some pitchers in the off season.

So what about next year? First of all it is only five months away--that is amazing. And second of all, the nucleus of the team does not change much, so who knows. Baseball, in many ways, is like horseracing. You have to have talent but you also have to have luck. This year, the baseball gods smiled on the Yankees. Who knows where they will smile in the future.

One thing I do know is that this team has been in the World Series two years in a row with two different results and I'm pretty sure which one they enjoyed more.

You've Never Heard of a Talking Dog?

A guy is driving around the back woods of Montana and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: "Talking Dog For Sale "

He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard.

The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there.


"You talk?" he asks. 


"Yep," the Lab replies. 



After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says "So, what's your story?" 


The Lab looks up and says, "Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA. In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. 
I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals. I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired."



The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog. 


"Ten dollars," the guy says.


"Ten dollars? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?" 



"Because he's a liar. He never did any of that stuff."










Protecting Polar Bears

The Obama administration recently designated more than 200,000 miles in Alaska as protected ground for polar bears. This means that federal law prohibits agencies from taking any actions that will interfere with polar bear habitats.

"As we move forward with a comprehensive energy and climate strategy, we will continue to work to protect the polar bear and its fragile environment," said Assistant Interior Secretary Tom Strickland.

The total area is about 200,541 square miles and 93% of it is sea ice. Melting of Arctic sea ice is one of the most significant results of global warming and poses a significant threat to the survival of polar bears.

While environmental groups are hailing the effort, oil and gas companies hoping to drill off the Alaska Coast will now have to come up with alternative plans if these locations fall within the area designated for critical habitat. Designation of the area as a critical habitat does not specifically prohibit drilling in the same area but companies would have to prove that they are not interfering in any way with the polar bear's environment.

It is ironic to note that this action came one day after the state of Alaska filed a new complaint in its ongoing effort to remove polar bears from the list of threatened species.

Happiness is a Warm Ducky

Sometimes we forget the simple things in life. Like a "ducky" right out of the dryer.

That's Amos' behind in the photo--those two are rarely far apart but the duck is Sam's and Sam's alone.

It's a gift to be simple. It's a gift to be free. It's a gift to savor: A clean, warm, ducky!

Sniffing Out Bumblebees in Britain

I think I have found a great new job for Sam as a bumblebee sniffing dog! That's right. In England, at Stirling University to be exact, Toby, the world's first bumblebee sniffing spaniel has been trained to sniff out bumblebee nests so that scientists can determine why the bumblebees in Britain are dying.

According to the Guardian, there used to be at least 25 different species of bumblebees in the UK. Three are currently extinct and seven are close behind. Destruction of their habitats seems to be the leading cause with global warming close behind. With more intensive farming going on in Britain there are fewer open fields and meadows in which bumblebees thrive.

"If we are going to conserve them, we need to know more about them, where they live, what causes the nests to die," says Professor Dave Goulson. "The last few years have been really bad for bumblebees. We think it's probably the weather, but we don't know. We need to know how many nests there are. We need to find the nests to know how many nests there are. We need to find the nests to know how long they live and what destroys them."

The idea for a bee-sniffing dog came to the professors at Stirling when they realized that badgers, which are the bees main predators, sniff out the underground nests. They figured if badgers could do it, so could hunting dogs. Toby is a rescue dog with a new lease on life and a very important job. "Bumblebees are very important to the environment as pollinators of crops and flowers," says Goulson. If bumblebees continue to decline, there could be catastrophic ripple effects all along the food chain.

No word on whether or not Toby has ever been stung or how they trained him to sniff out the remnants of bees nests, but I'm holding out hope that Sammy could be trained for a similar endeavor!