Brushing and bubblegum

I know a lot of people who brush their teeth twice a day but do not floss. Bad move. When asked whether he would want floss or a toothbrush on a desert island, our family dentist chose floss in a heartbeat. It turns out that saliva actually helps prevent cavities by breaking down food on your teeth. However, food will often get stuck between your teeth, and neither saliva nor brushing can get it all out. So really, if you're gonna half-ass it, choose to floss instead of brush.

This brings me to my next point. Even if you don't have toothpaste, you should still brush. While toothpaste does help prevent cavities, the act of physically passing a toothbrush over your teeth actually helps clean plaque off of them.

And finally, that is why sugarless gum is good for you (and the other stuff isn't bad). Chewing gum increasing saliva flow, helping to prevent cavities. Many sugarless gums also have xylitol, which prevents cavities. And my own little theory is that the gum can also help rub off the plaque, although I make no claims about the accuracy of my theory.

Till next time!

Rick Steves

I have done some traveling in my time. I do not claim to be the expert on world travel. Unlike some people. However, I will warn people about Rick Steves. I know he's local (Edmonds) and I think it's great that he tries to give people resources when they're traveling. At the same time, there are many other guidebooks out there, and people should know that sometimes he is just plain wrong.

For example, I have noticed several mistakes in his language books. Perhaps the most egregious being the incorrect translation of "I do not speak German" into German. (Although perhaps that would get the point across even better than saying it correctly. But still. It's the principle.) Even worse in my mind is the relationship between him and some of the people, places, and things that he writes about. Writing about the Eurail (train) pass, he directed readers of his Italian guidebook to a website that charged almost double the actual cost of the pass. No biggie? That's around $200--not exactly small change.

So feel free to use his books as resources, but don't blame me if he's wrong. Over the next few days I will fill in some of the gaps in his guidebook to Rome and correct some of the mistakes. In other areas, take his advice with a grain of salt.

Maia

So you've come here looking for the new Maiapedia. But as always, it is important to know who your source is. In this case, Maia.

Maia may not be a worldwide team of individuals working together to put all the information you could possibly want at your fingertips, but she is better. She prioritizes. She knows what you want and she's got what you need. She gives you the essential information without all the extraneous filler. She may not always give her sources, but you know she's got them. And they're good. Even better, she is a primary source for much of the information. This is based on her personal knowledge, expertise, and experiences.

Of course, if you do want the convenience of looking up (often inaccurate) information about world countries and whatnot, feel free to go to Wikipedia. Just remember, Maia does not claim to have all the answers or be right all the time. She only claims to have a unique fount of knowledge that gives you some of the answers some of the time. (She is always right, though.)

More concrete background information will be added as necessary. :) In the meantime, feel free to direct questions to the blog and she will get back to you ASAP. Really.

Welcome!

Welcome to the first post of the new Maiapedia. Maiapedia has an array of amazing features such as access to her blog on her exciting adventures in Rome (in Spanish) and her literary livejournal, which lists quotes to live by from the books she reads! Feel free to compare Maiapedia to Wikipedia, but be forewarned: Maiapedia will come out on top!

For now, know that Maia is scouting out suitable topics for posts and will update you on her results ASAP. You can now R.I.P. knowing that she is on the job.