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May 2004
Monday, May 31, 2004disposable crapHere's another gem from Mark Morford, who seems really pissed off these days. I agree with him on this issue 100%. As Satan Scrubbed My Toilet It's a slew of new, disposable products that really scream "Screw the planet, I'm an American!" Life is good http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2004/05/28/notes052804.DTL&nl=fix See, now, the happily narcotized, entirely sexless, vaguely bulbous modern housewife in the recent TV commercial as she finally tosses away her angry, growling, animated (!) toilet brush (see how it snaps and snarls at her like a drunken deadbeat dad! See her toss it into the trash can and then plop her butt down on it in satisfied glee!) in favor of -- say it with me -- disposable toilet scrubbers you use once and throw away! ... Just watch that brush head break apart in a swirl of pulpy chemical fibers in the toilet. Look at the nifty cheap-ass landfill-plastic handle -- remember, it's not a brush, it's a "toilet-cleaning system." Look at the shiny plastic tub of refills you have to buy every month just to keep the goddamn thing stocked before the handle snaps in half and you have to buy a whole new one because it's actually worth about seven cents and is made by disposable factory workers in Malaysia who die of petroleum-related cancer even faster than BushCo can decimate the Clean Air Act. Neat! posted @ 08:52 AM PDT Sunday, May 30, 2004tartrazine in the newsI created a website in 1998 about tartrazine (the food coloring "Yellow #5" aka E-102 in Europe) and the various health problems it can cause. I created the site after going through a long and difficult illness that turned out to be a sensitivity to this substance (which several doctors misdiagnosed.) That site is now a page on PH. In my research, I also learned that some parents noticed that colorings made their kids hyperactive, and that many had success with dietary changes. This is important information! Doctors are still prescribing Ritalin and other drugs for that nouveau "disease" ADD that half the kids out there today seem to have. I am thrilled that information about the link between food additives and hyperactivity in kids is finally getting some press! There was recently a study that reaffirmed it. Food chemicals send even mild children hyper http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,9684961%255E23289,00.html British research has found that certain additives made three-year-olds more hyperactive, regardless of whether they had been diagnosed with hyperactivity. Ban artificial food colourings http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3742423.stm Overall, the parents said their children became less hyperactive during the period when the additives were removed. Similarly, they said their children were much more hyperactive during the period when the additives were put back in. This was regardless of whether the child was hyperactive or allergic before the study. Unfortunately, the US press has hardly mentioned this important information. Do you want to know why? posted @ 11:33 PM PDT Friday, May 28, 2004can they really be called passing lanes when no one's moving?Here are some photos I took a few hours ago from the Toronto Critical Mass, a giant bike ride that happens on the last Friday of every month. Bicyclists go for a ride together during rush hour, but not everyone agrees on why. Some reasons I've heard include to protest cars, to increase awareness of urban cyclists, and simply because it's fun. It happens in hundreds of cities around the world. I try to check it out in other towns when I'm travelling when possible. This time we went through the Eaton Centre, which is a huge mall. The best part of the ride were the looks on the shoppers' faces...       
posted @ 07:26 PM PDT Thursday, May 27, 2004liI have always been fascinated by patterns in nature. Galaxies, tornadoes, whirlpools, seashells, and cabbages all have the cosmic spiral in common. To me, this seems like an example of the divine on Earth. I have just read the short but beautiful book Li: Dynamic Form in Nature. It studies recurring patterns in nature, such as ripples, cellular formations, the patterns made by cracks in dried mud, and "physiographical configurations" which the author calls contonare: This category of li includes all manner of topographical boundaries and contours. They are obviously among the largest of all formations, but they indicate the general scalelessness of li like no other. Many of the contours and textures in the images of landmasses viewed from space seem so reminiscent of those on our own level of existence that it can be difficult to grasp the great differences in scale involved. Some formations can indeed look positively organic, evoking the forms of plants or the markings of animals. ... This indicates another aspect of li: their essentially uncovenanted nature -- they are neutral. Like the forces that create landscapes, they are intimately involved in the processes of creation and destruction but are neither innately creative nor destructive in themselves -- they just are.  flying over the Rockies, May 2004 This beautiful book was a gift from one of you who noticed the support my book habit link now available on this site. Thank you so much for supporting my (as yet unpaid) efforts here! posted @ 08:15 PM PDT Wednesday, May 26, 2004attention America: please be afraidThe Department of Homeland Security has announced that they think there will be terror attacks this summer. This is entirely possible (gee, what are those ppl so angry about?) but raising fear among the general public does nothing to prevent terror attacks or protect anyone. It's just an irresponsible way to try and gain public support for the expensive and doomed "war on terror" and the current administration in general. I predict we'll see some kind of dramatic stunt in which some kind of "terrorist plot" is foiled just in time for the election... Summer terror attack fears grow http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3748987.stm US Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller are to hold a joint press conference amid fears that a new US terror attack is looming. Officials say they will address reports that terrorists are planning a major strike on US soil as early as summer. ... However, no date, time or method of a possible attack has been mentioned, and according to Department of Homeland Security officials there are no plans to raise the colour-coded terror alert level. posted @ 01:27 PM PDT Tuesday, May 25, 2004what liberal media?These kind of views don't reflect the opinions of the majority of Americans, but unfortunately these two get a national audience on hundreds of radio stations... Defend Our Radio Waves from Hate http://www.mediafordemocracy.us/campaign/rush/w8ggwdw2lmmb3x In May 2004, Clear Channel syndicated radio host Michael Savage called Arabs "non-humans" and asks President Bush to "drop a nuclear weapon" on a random Arab capital. £I think these people need to be forcibly converted to Christianity,§ Savage told millions of listeners on May 12. £It's the only thing that can probably turn them into human beings." Limbaugh, for his part, likened the torture at Abu Ghraib prison to a "Skull and Bones" fraternity initiation, with American soldiers just having a good time and "blowing off steam." posted @ 09:31 AM PDT Sunday, May 23, 2004violets & cherry blossomsMy tiny urban garden is finally coming to life...   posted @ 01:34 PM PDT Friday, May 21, 2004bad precident for family farmersThe Supreme Court of Canada has upheld a decision against a Saskatchewan farmer named Percy Schmeiser in favour of the agribusiness giant Monsanto. Monsanto sued Schmeiser for using Monsanto's patented genetically modified seeds without paying the required "technology fee." Schmeiser claims his fields were naturally cross-pollinated from neighboring farmers' fields. The case has been going on for several years now, and I really admire this farmer for taking on the big boys. Monsanto Prevails in Patent Fight http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,63555,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_2 In a 5-4 decision, the court sided with the biotech giant, which sued Percy Schmeiser in 1997 after Monsanto agents found the company's patented gene in canola plants on his farm near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The court agreed that he stole Monsanto's seed, even though Schmeiser maintained that he inadvertently used seed that had blown into his field. .. Despite the ruling, Schmeiser, 73, said the decision is a personal victory because the court also ruled that he did not profit from the seed. Schmeiser will not have to pay the $200,000 sought by Monsanto to cover court costs and the profit the company said Schmeiser had gained by using its seed. posted @ 03:40 PM PDT Thursday, May 20, 2004fun with FDA approved dyesThe people who make Pringles have decided printing trivia questions right on the chips is a good idea! Goes perfect with purple ketchup... Eat Pringles, get smarter http://money.cnn.com/2004/05/20/news/fortune500/trivia_chips/index.htm?cnn=yes The new brand, called Pringles Prints, will feature jokes, fun facts and animal facts such as "How fast can a dolphin swim?" or "How long is an alligator?" printed in red and blue food coloring. ... "The coloring is FDA approved and will not alter the taste of the chip," said Becker. "The options for us are endless with this innovation. We may introduce new colors down the road or even chips with images on them." posted @ 11:42 AM PDT Wednesday, May 19, 2004join the army, it's fun!While this publicity stunt is pretty disturbing, the fact that free video games are being used as an army recruitment tool is far more so... How to Promote a Game With Flare http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,63469,00.html For about 45 minutes, one downtown street was transformed into a scene from a military first-person shooter game -- complete with helicopters, machine guns and face-painted soldiers leaping off tall buildings, while the jaws of shocked onlookers dropped. To promote America's Army: Overmatch, a free game created by the Army as a recruitment tool, a group of Army Special Forces personnel staged an urban tactical assault exercise outside the L.A. convention center where the E3 gaming expo was taking place. It may have been a staged promotional event, but judging from the panicked expressions on pedestrian faces, some may have thought it was the real thing. posted @ 10:54 AM PDT Tuesday, May 18, 2004why drive to the gym when you can bike to a restaurant?I've just pulled my bicycle out of the shed for the season and am back to using it as my primary mode of transportation. It's good for my mood (and my body) and in the downtown area I live in, it's often the fastest way to get anywhere. Urban cycling can be a bit of a danger sport, but for me, that's part of the appeal. It's good to be careful though, as it really is potentially quite dangerous. Practical tips for biking in traffic:
posted @ 07:35 PM PDT Friday, May 14, 2004unidentified flying objectsIt's been a big week for UFO sightings. I can't offer any "proof" that aliens exist, but think it's damn arrogant to believe that we're the only thing living in an infinite universe. Since the news is getting weirder and weirder every day, it wouldn't surprise me too much to see first contact stories on CNN. Or perhaps they're just orbiting around waiting for us to reach warp speed like on Star Trek before they do the "take me to your leader" routine... Mexican Air Force pilots film unidentified objects http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/05/11/mexico.ufos.ap/index.html The lights were filmed on March 5 by pilots using infrared equipment. They appeared to be flying at an altitude of about 3,500 meters (11,480 feet), and allegedly surrounded the Air Force jet as it conducted routine anti-drug trafficking vigilance in Campeche. Only three of the objects showed up on the plane's radar. Flying saucer fever grips Iran http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/04/28/iran.ufos.reut/index.html Newspapers and agencies reported people rushing out into the streets in eight towns Tuesday night to watch a bright extraterrestrial light dipping in and out of the clouds. posted @ 12:18 PM PDT Thursday, May 13, 2004ethical scandal at HarvardAnother example of what happens when science meets the true dangerous moral perversion of our time: greed. Lapses cited in Harvard clinical trials http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/05/13/lapses_cited_in_harvard_clinic_trials/ Federal health officials recently found ethical lapses in eight Harvard Medical School experiments involving human subjects and have asked the school to enact measures that would heighten protections for patients involved in clinical trials there. ... Medical research at Harvard is widely considered guided by a model of ethical conduct, and the lapses at Harvard would probably turn up at any medical school examined, said medical ethics specialists. Nonetheless, they illustrate the complexities involved in protecting human subjects. posted @ 02:30 PM PDT Tuesday, May 11, 2004food newsGood news on the genetically modified (GM) food front! GM wheat put on hold http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994977 "As a result of our portfolio review and dialogue with wheat industry leaders, we recognise the business opportunities with Roundup Ready spring wheat are less attractive relative to Monsanto's other commercial priorities," says Carl Casale, Monsanto's executive vice president. But opponents of GM technology have little doubt that the company halted development of the wheat because of overwhelming consumer opposition in Europe and Japan. posted @ 11:09 AM PDT Monday, May 10, 2004batteries not necessaryI just got a Forever Flashlight, and was happy to see that they're now available at my local hardware store. This flashlight requires no batteries, but is powered by a human being shaking it first. It's definitely a clever device! Makes a great gift for those living in blackout-prone areas... posted @ 09:26 PM PDT Sunday, May 9, 2004get back to workHere is an excerpt from James Gleick's 1999 book, Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything about the effects of so-called "efficiency measures" in the workplace that started during the Industrial Revolution: In his quest for ever more efficiency, Taylor barely distinguished between the lathes and the men who worked them. His treatise on, simply, "Shop Management" four years later in 1903, made a powerful mark on industrial leaders then and later. It was a farewell to an unhurried world. "After the men acquiesce in the new order of things," he wrote, "it will take time for them to change from their old easy-going ways to a higher rate of speed, and to learn to stay steadily at their work, think ahead, and make every minute count." ... Today's speed bosses use software to assemble time-and-motion studies from standardized parts: get tool, place tool, focus eyes. We don't have to like it. We can assign Taylor ultimate blame for the creation of what the psychologist Robert Levine calls "Tick-tockman" (you know who you are.) ... In the world's Taylorized factories, assembly-line efficiency is by its nature brutal, stripping craftsmen of autonomy, overriding what might have been a more natural, variable work rhythm. Then again, the countless little speed-ups engrained by efficiency experts in every facet of the modern workplace have created wealth and brought prosperity, or so economists will argue. "Each day we reap the material benefits of the cult of workplace efficiency that the championed," writes Kanigel, "yet we chafe, we scream, we howl, we protest -- at the psychic chains in which it grips us." posted @ 11:43 PM PDT Friday, May 7, 2004Pac-ManhattanNow this looks like a ridiculous and fun way to spend an afternoon.... Pac-Manhattan http://pacmanhattan.com/ Pac-Manhattan is a large-scale urban game that utilizes the New York City grid to recreate the 1980's video game sensation Pac-Man. This analog version of Pac-man is being developed in NYU's Interactive Telecommunications graduate program, in order to explore what happens when games are removed from their "little world" of tabletops, televisions and computers and placed in the larger "real world" of street corners, and cities. A player dressed as Pac-man will run around the Washington square park area of Manhattan while attempting to collect all of the virtual "dots" that run the length of the streets. Four players dressed as the ghosts Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde will attempt to catch Pac-man before all of the dots are collected. Using cell-phone contact, Wi-Fi internet connections, and custom software designed by the Pac-Manhattan team, Pac-man and the ghosts will be tracked from a central location and their progress will be broadcast over the internet for viewers from around the world. photos: http://pacmanhattan.com/photos.php Computer games don't affect kids, I mean if Pacman affected our generation as kids, we'd all be running around in a dark room munching pills and listening to repetitive music. -- old rave scene joke posted @ 11:31 AM PDT Thursday, May 6, 2004& no end in sightI believe that in the future, history will show that extreme military expenditures were a major factor in the fall of the American Empire... Bush asks for $25bn for war costs http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3688449.stm The White House is now asking for an extra $25bn from Congress as a "contingency reserve fund" out of the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2005, beginning on 1 October. That will come on top of the $160bn already allocated to Iraq and Afghanistan in President Bush's previous spending bills. posted @ 12:11 PM PDT Tuesday, May 4, 2004Have problem fish? Drain the lake!I enjoyed taking a short vacation from the news media, but now I'm working again and getting plugged back in. Here's a story I found yesterday which really pissed me off... Snakehead found in another Maryland lake http://espn.go.com/outdoors/conservation/news/2004/0503/1794645.html WHEATON, Maryland Authorities plan to drain a Maryland lake after an angler caught a Northern snakehead, the same voracious nonnative fish that infested a pond only miles away in 2002. State officials said the 19-inch fish, an Asian species that can wriggle on land for short distances and eats so many smaller fish it can destroy an ecosystem, was pulled out of Pine Lake in Wheaton Regional Park Monday afternoon. ... In the summer of 2002, snakeheads were found breeding in a private pond in Crofton, about 20 miles east of Wheaton. More than 1,000 juvenile snakeheads and six adults were recovered when state officials poisoned the pond and two others to keep the fish from spreading. All the Crofton fish were traced to a Maryland man who discarded two fish after buying them live in a New York market. posted @ 09:59 AM PDT Monday, May 3, 2004back to smogvilleI'm physically back from my vacation and have unpacked, but my mind still hasn't come back 100%. More later when I'm coherent... posted @ 05:04 PM PDT |
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