Welcome to the Mushroom House

At the corner of Tarpis and Erie Avenues in Cincinnati, Ohio, sits a house that looks plucked out of a children’s fairy tale. Porthole windows are inset against a swirling, cedar-shingled exterior, while a glass room juts from a cone-shaped addition to the main structure, and an orange metal staircase winds up to a breezeway between the home’s two parts. This is the Mushroom House, a product of late architect Terry Brown’s lifetime of design and inspiration and more than a decade of construction. What appears to passersby as a magical sort of flowing structure is actually the result of meticulous drawings and hard geometry. With help from a team of metalworkers, glass artists and his architecture students from the University of Cincinnati, Brown reworked what was once a Midwestern cottage into a studio of unique components, from the layers (in some places 10 inches thick) of hand-cut shingles to bright swatches of stained glass. After Brown’s death in 2010, the privately owned property became a Cincinnati landmark. 

 

 

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Why Doctors Are Losing the Public’s Trust

There's no relationship where the bond of trust should be so strong as that between a doctor and patient. Patients rely on doctors to help them make life-saving decisions. Unfortunately, doctors are no longer held in such high esteem because the public is losing their trust in them. The biggest complaint from patients is that they don’t feel heard by their doctors. A Harris Poll survey on patient experience found that 52% of Americans feel their symptoms are “ignored, dismissed, or not believed” when seeking medical treatment. If you don’t feel like your doctor isn't helping or listening to your needs, there are steps you can take to advocate for the medical attention and care you deserve. 

• • Prepare for your appointment. Jot down your symptoms, questions, or any concerns you want to discuss. Having notes can help you stay on track and ensure that you’re covering everything.
• • Be honest and direct with your doctor. When sharing your symptoms, use specific examples to illustrate your points. For instance, instead of saying, “I feel tired,” try, “I feel so exhausted that I can’t get through my workday without multiple breaks.” 
• • Ask questions. If you don’t understand something your doctor says, ask for more information. It’s important to fully grasp your diagnosis or upcoming tests, treatment options, and next steps. You have the right to understand your own health and the plan for managing it. 
• • Bring a friend or family member. It can sometimes be helpful to bring a friend or family member to provide moral support, help you remember the details of the discussion, or even to advocate on your behalf if you feel overwhelmed. 
• • Ask for more time. Many patients complain about feeling rushed when seeing their doctor. Some practices offer extended visits for patients with complex issues or multiple concerns, so don’t be afraid to ask for extra time. 
• • Advocate for yourself. You are your own best advocate, so don’t be afraid to speak up if your doctor doesn’t seem to be listening to you. You can say something like, “I feel like my concerns aren’t being fully addressed. Can we explore this further?” It’s okay to be assertive about your health and your needs.

If, after all this, you still feel unheard, it may be time to find a new doctor.

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Swiss Scientists Eliminate the Need For Sugar in Chocolate

Until now, most of the fruit used in the process of making chocolate has been thrown away. It was a bit like picking up a nice ripe apple, but instead of biting into it, you keep the seeds and throw the rest away. That’s what chocolate producers have traditionally done with the cocoa fruit — used the beans and discarded the rest. Now, food scientists in Switzerland have come up with a way to make chocolate using the entire cocoa fruit rather than just the beans……and without using sugar. The chocolate, developed at Zurich’s Federal Institute of Technology by scientist Kim Mishra and his team, includes the cocoa fruit pulp, the juice, and the husk. The key to the new chocolate lies in its very sweet juice, which tastes a bit like pineapple. The juice, which is 14% sugar, is distilled down to form a highly concentrated syrup, combined with the pulp, and then mixed with the dried husk to form a very sweet cocoa gel. The gel, when added to the cocoa beans to make chocolate, eliminates the need for sugar. In Switzerland, some of the bigger producers, including Lindt, are beginning to use the cocoa fruit as well as the beans, but so far no chocolatier has taken the step of eliminating sugar altogether. Mishra and his team are hopeful that the innovation will soon attract the attention of chocolate manufacturers.

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Chipotle Eviscerated After Photo of $12 Order Shocks Customers

When it comes to burritos, apparently size matters. In an economy where food seems to be ever-growing in price and not at all in size, it’s not a good idea to “go light” on anything. Chipotle customers are hardly visiting the Mexican food chain for a “snack” — they want loaded bowls, stuffed burritos and brimming tacos. That’s why social media is in an uproar lately, after seeing what one customer got for his $12. The unidentified customer took to social media to post a picture of a tiny burrito that cost $12.28. The burrito was filled with one of Chipotle's signature proteins — barbacoa, a shredded beef dish known for its smoky and spicy flavor — and was purchased at a location in La Jolla, Calif. Last year, the chain launched a GLP-1-friendly menu with smaller, higher-protein options. The menu featured various items like special protein cups and high-fiber bowls - such as the High Protein Cup with Adobo Chicken, a four-ounce side chicken  coming in at 180 calories and 32g of protein starting at $3.50. For those who aren’t interested in losing weight, all they can see from the new menu is that their wallets are getting thinner.

 

Chipotle Burrito before the new menu (left) and after

 

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