tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78542499255062314802024-02-08T07:20:27.680-06:00Planet HomeThis planet, this body... it's all I've got.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-90363053629318890922011-05-13T12:53:00.002-05:002011-05-13T12:53:28.382-05:00This is a testHi Sine this is a testUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-40634021289224836992009-06-19T03:02:00.003-05:002009-06-19T03:04:17.521-05:00New Blog!If you're one of the two people reading this, please visit us at our <a href="http://troublewithbubbles.blogspot.com/">new location</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-70869834554552930622009-05-02T15:09:00.005-05:002009-05-22T00:27:39.813-05:00And We're Back...Finally!!! I'm currently working on a blog overhaul, transitioning into one that will be more meaningful and more varied. But alas, it takes time! I'll be changing things around here and brainstorming, but for now, for your viewing pleasure...I want all my news to be like this.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tBb4cjjj1gI&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tBb4cjjj1gI&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-79637014840545823252008-12-18T09:37:00.014-06:002008-12-18T10:29:48.522-06:00Healthy Obsessions: Zevia Diet SodaI don't drink or smoke. I have never done drugs and I tend not to gamble. But I have one serious vice: I love soda. I love soda of all kinds and can drink it non-stop. In college I would drink 10-12 cans of regular, sugary soda a day! (And I wonder why I'm pre-diabetic) I switched to diet for awhile, but as a person with an interest in avoiding chemicals, all that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy">aspartame</a> w<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F2cdnlrscCE/SUp4RfGEn5I/AAAAAAAAAJY/o92LS1Vuupk/s1600-h/Picture+2.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 361px; height: 163px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F2cdnlrscCE/SUp4RfGEn5I/AAAAAAAAAJY/o92LS1Vuupk/s400/Picture+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281165754845405074" border="0" /></a>asn't really working for me either. Enter <a href="http://www.zevia.com/">Zevia</a>, my newest love and soda replacement. With a main ingredient of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia">stevia</a>, it's an excellent, natural and healthy replacement for soda. It tastes like regular coke, without the sugar, carbs, and chemicals (minus the <a href="http://www.ewg.org/reports/bisphenola">BPA in the can lining</a>, but that's a story for another day). It does not effect the glycemic load. So if you're like me and would put your face under a soda fountain and drink in sugary bliss until your teeth fall out and your pancreas explodes, Zevia is for you.<br /><br />Stevia is a natural sugar replacement from South America called "sweet leaf" as the leaves of the plant are so sweet. In the summer, I actually grow this in my backyard and boil it, using the sweet water to add sweetness to tea and lemonade. The plant, which costs me around $2, lasts all summer, and proves much cheaper than buying the processed version in stores.<br /><br />Stevia can be purchased at most health food stores including Whole Foods in the sugar section, in either liquid or powder form, the powder form usually containing fiber and marketed as a supplement. Stevia is just now gaining popularity, as the sugar and sugar substitute industry <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia">lobbied against stevia growers</a> in the eighties and may have falsified reports regarding its safety. Thus it can only be sold in the United States as a supplement, despite the fact that it is merely just a natural sweetener. A word of warning: Stevia can be a little strong for some people, including my Dad who said, "I'd love it, except for that strange aftertaste." Check it out, see what you think!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-49022350910762684032008-12-17T23:36:00.001-06:002008-12-17T23:37:58.765-06:00Louis CK...Putting it All in PerspectiveOther than the new "Wolverine" trailer, this is the greatest video I've seen in a very long time. A must see!<br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vbIGbZ6gq_Y&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vbIGbZ6gq_Y&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-53538041488531124222008-12-16T12:26:00.004-06:002008-12-16T12:48:51.804-06:00In Your Space<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.powerpage.org/images/transparent_desktops.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 245px;" src="http://www.powerpage.org/images/transparent_desktops.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I'm one of those creepy people that has a strange winter hobby. With the trees bare and darkness engulfing the world much earlier, it allows me to peer inside the houses of people as I drive by. I like to quickly see what furniture they have, how they styled their rooms, and what their Christmas trees look like. This living space voyeurism was also present in college where I enjoyed visiting new and different dorm rooms, new homes where I babysat, and the various offices of teachers.<br /><br />A new website has taken my strange living space fetish to a new level. At <a href="http://on-my-desk.blogspot.com/">On My Desk</a>, you can see how and where other people work. I especially find the work spaces of artists the most interesting, especially as I'm about to design my own mini studio space. It's just as good as the Lifehacker <a href="http://lifehacker.com/search/desktop/">posts</a> on people's computer desktops!<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>Another great <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.theselby.com/9_10_08_chase_cohl/images/9_10_08_Chase_Cohl7181.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 505px; height: 336px;" src="http://www.theselby.com/9_10_08_chase_cohl/images/9_10_08_Chase_Cohl7181.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>site for space voyeurs....The Selby's <a href="http://theselby.com/">collection</a> of artist studios/living spaces.<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Photo above of computer from powerpage.org</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-48209382787645727902008-12-16T12:04:00.001-06:002008-12-16T12:05:09.647-06:00A Friend's Away Message...If you can find money to kill people, you can find money to help them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-73888807628555292042008-12-15T22:33:00.000-06:002008-12-15T22:34:47.921-06:00Two of My Great Loves, One Great Video<object width="640" height="470" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="movie" value="http://player.ordienetworks.com/flash/fodplayer.swf" /><param name="flashvars" value="key=477f3b6bc5" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed width="640" height="470" flashvars="key=477f3b6bc5" allowfullscreen="true" quality="high" src="http://player.ordienetworks.com/flash/fodplayer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><div style="text-align:center;width:640px;"><a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/87437" title="by Between Two Ferns">Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis </a> by <a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/between_two_ferns">Between Two Ferns</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-35930483208680208562008-12-12T14:40:00.004-06:002008-12-12T14:46:14.835-06:00Fly By Mooning<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://englishrussia.com/images/personal_moon/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 558px; height: 700px;" src="http://englishrussia.com/images/personal_moon/3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This Friday the moon will be not only full, but the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7779294.stm">closest it's been to earth in 15 years!</a> As a lover of the moon, my little <a href="http://www.lunarliving.org/moon/cancer.shtml">crabby ass</a> will be out tonight gazing at the huge moon and hopefully getting some pictures.<br /><br /><p style="font-style: italic;">"It will be a little over 350,000km away as it passes over the northern hemisphere, which is about 30,000km closer than usual. </p><p style="font-style: italic;">If the sky is clear it will appear brighter and larger than usual, say astronomers. <!-- E SF --></p><p style="font-style: italic;"><b>Closest path</b> </p><p style="font-style: italic;">Friday's full moon could appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons this year, Nasa said. </p><p style="font-style: italic;">The Moon's orbit is elliptical, meaning it does not follow a circular but rather an oval path." </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-87985932258516284022008-12-10T12:48:00.005-06:002008-12-10T12:59:20.467-06:00Bow Down Before the One You Serve<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blogtopicz.com/media/NineInchNailslaunchMysteriousWebCampaign_BEBB/nine_inch_nails_12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 388px;" src="http://www.blogtopicz.com/media/NineInchNailslaunchMysteriousWebCampaign_BEBB/nine_inch_nails_12.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />In alarming news today, the government has reportedly been using a variety of music to torture prisoners, from my personal favorites of Nine Inch Nails and Sesame Street to Pantera, which would make me go insane almost immediately. According to the <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28144557/">MSNBC post</a>:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />The tactic has been common in the U.S. war on terror, with forces systematically using loud music on hundreds of detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, then the U.S. military commander in Iraq, authorized it on Sept. 14, 2003, 'to create fear, disorient ... and prolong capture shock.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">According to an FBI memo, one interrogator at Guantanamo Bay bragged he needed only four days to “break” someone by alternating 16 hours of music and lights with four hours of silence and darkness.</span><br /><br />Excellent.<br /><br />But while some musicians, like Lars and company from Metallica fight illegal downloads, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, Tom Morello, and Massive Attack, are working to get this practice stopped.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-8776804351632363572008-12-09T15:59:00.004-06:002008-12-09T16:18:46.148-06:00Thanks Nick!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F2cdnlrscCE/ST7qlFEr9JI/AAAAAAAAAI4/h_6r5D9qs4Y/s1600-h/Picture+8.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 478px; height: 274px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F2cdnlrscCE/ST7qlFEr9JI/AAAAAAAAAI4/h_6r5D9qs4Y/s400/Picture+8.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277913736062694546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: courier new;font-size:180%;" >THINGS BEARS LOVE!!!</span> <a href="http://www.thingsbearslove.com/">more here...</a><br />A hilarious site dear Nick just sent to me. He's a great Santa Claus!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-70676940959913128702008-12-09T14:57:00.004-06:002008-12-09T15:04:12.987-06:00Charting Your Fears<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F2cdnlrscCE/ST7crg7XRaI/AAAAAAAAAIw/rJNFzTIoGr8/s1600-h/Picture+7.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 186px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F2cdnlrscCE/ST7crg7XRaI/AAAAAAAAAIw/rJNFzTIoGr8/s320/Picture+7.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277898453456209314" border="0" /></a><br />Not unlike the excellent <a href="http://www.google.org/flutrends/">Google Flu tracker</a>, this <a href="http://maps.scienceprogress.org/climate/index.php">new map</a> from the Center for American Progress now tracks the human toll of climate change. If you were not already worried, this is a great way to start, and to see how your friends on the coasts are doing. You are also given the freedom to post your own weather events. It's especially a great tool for those with budding meteorology careers.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-87508527089548109602008-12-09T14:34:00.007-06:002008-12-09T15:40:02.406-06:00Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/elephant-donkey-boxing-thumb.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 407px; height: 433px;" src="http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/elephant-donkey-boxing-thumb.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I’ve never been one that can handle a lot of unnecessary stress. Call it the OCD German roots or just my inability to stomach endless viewings of the Fox News network, but I, not unlike most people, am tired of the political back and forth. What a wonderful night it was when Obama cast his spell over America with his rallying and beautiful speech. It was in that moment, Democrat and Republican alike, that we were allowed to think about what’s really important. It was in that moment that we were allowed to get excited about our new government, to get excited about the possibilities. I might have even held a Republican’s hand. But now, just a little over a month later as we all check our inboxes for the pink slip of death, we have returned to the inane blather of before.<br /><br />This is my first major life changing election as a true adult, and thus it’s the first one I really remember (I was involved in the whole Kerry thing, but after his loss, it seems to all have faded, and I try not to think about the Gore/Bush debacle). As a result, it also seems the most aggravating. But as the older family members of mine keep reminding me, and my history textbooks keep telling me, politics have been, and always will be incredibly annoying, made worse by our use of the internet, MSNBC, and all that other jazz that you already know about. Now that Obama is no doubt working tirelessly to figure all this stuff out and keep us together in some mish mash of our former glory, we’re hearing the socialist word again, the big government complaints, and the small government complaints, and the constant anxiety over regulation. I’d like to put all those fears to rest.<br /><br />Even if Obama is a socialist, which he is not, we could not become a socialist country because of the failed nature of our system. In fact, no president it seems has really been able to accomplish anything of consequence since World War Two. Why? Four years, even eight years, is hardly enough time to enact real change, especially if you have a hefty opposing group sitting in your congress doing its job of checking and balancing your power and over two hundred years of messes to fix. Although I’m entirely hopeful and excited by Obama, it is ridiculous to assume that he will be able to totally and utterly flip this country into something entirely different and contrary to our nature without intense military force reminiscent of the Russian communists circa Stalin.<br /><br />What about Bush? Didn’t he destroy our country given at least four years? He did, but a nice, clean foundation was built for him to work off of, starting with rise of consumerism and the “what-ev, I’ve got my ipod” mentality that brewed in the 80’s and 90’s and the smarmy conservativeness he claimed to have. And yes, some presidents do great things in the face of adversity, like the New Deal, or Kennedy’s dealings with the Bay of Pigs, and so forth and so on. But those were the days when the country cared, when the country was able to agree in those brief moments when something, anything had to be done. But those were also the times when the majority of the country was white, the majority of the country was Christian, and no one’s shoes were scuffed, even if their feet were run over, at least publicly. It was a time when you could go to church, both elitist and six pack Joe without wondering whether your neighbor was an idiot, a terrorist or, gasp!, gay and how as a result he would bring down the country.<br /><br />Now, in a time when everyone is searching for an identity and so desperate to hold on to it, when issues are complicated by a multitude of world views, races, genders, and classes, no one can agree, no one can relent. Because relenting no longer makes you smart, it makes you wishy washy, a flip flopper, as Bush so loved to name Kerry.<br /><br />And so it goes in America where we will never be small or big government, socialist or democratic, because we sit in an endless cycle of buzzwords. Clinton put some minor regulations in place, increasing the government’s “power.” The Bush administration decimated the government by ending all regulation, even on itself. We go back and forth, only perpetuating and sticking a finger in the bursting dam, as other holes leak around us. Instead, I hope Obama will be that rarity of a president who puts politics aside and does something, even if it’s a minor something, to fix the root system itself, and not just pander to fixing the last administration’s mistakes by rocking the boat the other direction. I think he has a pretty good shot, especially when conservatives like Bill Kristol seem just as fed up as me. As he says that the end of a recent <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/08/opinion/08kristol.html?bl&ex=1228971600&en=02a20d67d05bac74&ei=5087%0A">New York Times piece</a>,<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“I can’t help but admire some of my fellow conservatives’ loyalty to the small-government cause. It reminds me of the nobility of Tennyson’s Light Brigade, as it charges into battle: “Theirs but to do and die.” Maybe it would be better, though, first to reason why.”</span><br /><br />Perhaps we can begin something of a hybrid government system where we have just enough gas to keep ourselves individual and innovative, but try to do the right thing at the same time. Yes we can?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-19265147364457456422008-11-18T12:59:00.004-06:002008-11-18T13:13:51.380-06:00Today in Pretty Pictures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F2cdnlrscCE/SSMTcW07yEI/AAAAAAAAAIY/TfkLvBqU-NA/s1600-h/decor+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 308px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F2cdnlrscCE/SSMTcW07yEI/AAAAAAAAAIY/TfkLvBqU-NA/s400/decor+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270077366838478914" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I have fallen in love with this house, designed by <a href="http://www.marcelbreuer.org/">Marcel Breuer</a>. The perfect mix of books and nature, non? You can see more if you pick up this month's Dwell magazine.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-42216265272758455802008-11-18T12:53:00.003-06:002008-11-18T12:58:51.066-06:00For Your Consideration: Let the Auto Companies Fail?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.monroecountysheriff.info/images/historical/164-Trainvscar.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 465px; height: 370px;" src="http://www.monroecountysheriff.info/images/historical/164-Trainvscar.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I've been well aware of the snarky, manipulative history perpetrated by the auto industry against public transportation back in the day before nearly every American owned at least one car, but <a href="http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2008/11/americas-love-a.html">No Impact Man</a> posts a great run down from Commondreams.org.<br /><br /><p>From a post by Harvey Wasserman on CommonDreams.org:</p><blockquote><p>In a 1922 memo that will live in infamy, GM President Alfred P. Sloan established a unit aimed at dumping electrified mass transit in favor of gas-burning cars, trucks and buses.</p> <p>Just one American family in 10 then owned an automobile. Instead, we loved our 44,000 miles of passenger rail routes managed by 1,200 companies employing 300,000 Americans who ran 15 billion annual trips generating an income of $1 billion. According to Snell, "virtually every city and town in America of more than 2,500 people had its own electric rail system."</p> <p>But GM lost $65 million in 1921. So Sloan enlisted Standard Oil (now Exxon), Philips Petroleum, glass and rubber companies and an army of financiers and politicians to kill mass transit.</p> <p>The campaigns varied, as did the economic and technical health of many of the systems themselves. Some now argue that buses would have transcended many of the rail lines anyway. More likely, they would have hybridized and complemented each other.</p> <p>But with a varied arsenal of political and financial subterfuges, GM helped gut the core of America's train and trolley systems. It was the murder of our rail systems that made our "love affair" with the car a tragedy of necessity.</p> <p>In 1949 a complex federal prosecution for related crimes resulted in an anti-trust fine against GM of a whopping $5000. For years thereafter GM continued to bury electric rail systems by "bustituting" gas-fired vehicles.</p> <p>Then came the interstates. After driving his Allied forces into Berlin on Hitler's Autobahn, Dwight Eisenhower brought home a passion for America's biggest public works project. Some 40,000 miles of vital eco-systems were eventually paved under.</p> <p>In habitat destruction, oil addiction, global warming, outright traffic deaths (some 40,000/year and more), ancillary ailments and wars for oil, the automobile embodies the worst ecological catastrophe in human history...</p> <p>...So let's convert the company's infrastructure to churn out trolley cars, monorails, passenger trains, truly green buses.</p> <p>FDR forced Detroit to manufacture the tanks, planes and guns that won World War 2 (try buying a 1944 Chevrolet!). Now let a reinvented GM make the "weapons" to win the climate war and energy independence.</p> <p>It demands re-tooling and re-training. But GM's special role in history must now evolve into using its infrastructure to restore the mass transit system---and ecological balance---it has helped destroy. </p></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-18641803089329652282008-11-14T10:03:00.001-06:002008-11-14T10:04:13.408-06:002009 May Surpass 2008 as Best Movie YearI think this speaks for itself:<br /><br /><object width="400" height="327" id="uvp_fop"><param name="movie" value="http://l.yimg.com/cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/fop/embedflv/swf/fop.swf"></param><param name="flashVars" value="id=10658091&rd=eyc-off&ympsc=&postpanelEnable=1&prepanelEnable=1&infopanelEnable=1&carouselEnable=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed width="400" height="327" id="uvp_fop" allowscriptaccess="always" src="http://l.yimg.com/cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/fop/embedflv/swf/fop.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="id=10658091&rd=eyc-off&ympsc=&prepanelEnable=1&infopanelEnable=1"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-52832847390501914842008-11-13T19:47:00.007-06:002008-11-13T20:07:57.700-06:00The Problem with Busmans' Holidays<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/officespace_theprinter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 450px; height: 300px;" src="http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/officespace_theprinter.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Do you work more than 40 hours a week (I'm including school here)? I have been working two jobs, sometimes three, with some school thrown in since I was 16 years old. It's been the norm for so long, nearly ten years, that I was beginning to forget what it was like to have some time off. It seems I am not alone. Americans, <a href="http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/106830/overworked%2C_vacation-starved_america_ranks_%231_in_depression%2C_mental_health_problems/?page=1">according to several new studies</a>, are the most overworked, under-vacationed, and miserable people out there, one of the few industrialized countries that still does not have <a href="http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/106830/overworked%2C_vacation-starved_america_ranks_%231_in_depression%2C_mental_health_problems/?page=1">mandatory vacation days</a> (I can see those de-regulators and my boss out there already getting their panties in a bunch). But wouldn't that be nice, if you could take those days, nay, had to take those days off work and still get paid?<br /><br />I am now beginning to cut my work hours down and already notice a difference, a lightening of my mental load, and man, it sure feels nice. How much nicer would it be to not feel guilty about it? We've got a lot of restructuring to do for ourselves here in the states. I wonder how long it will be before we make it ok for us to take care of ourselves (if we ever get there).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-88766134189814188662008-11-13T13:01:00.007-06:002008-11-13T13:32:32.242-06:00Blog Love: Ecology of Absence<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3010/3023641818_40a9ce460e_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 284px; height: 377px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3010/3023641818_40a9ce460e_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">If you're not reading <a href="http://ecoabsence.blogspot.com/">Ecology of Absence</a>, initially started with regards to the North St. Louis revitalization project, then you should. Michael Allen's catalog of the St. Louis built environment is an interesting read for both St. Louisians and those of you far away alike. Each post pacts a motivating history lesson about architecture, St. Louis, and how cities work. This site will be a great asset in the years to come, not only collecting a vast amount of St. Louis history, but may also be responsible for saving some of our best buildings! His pictures alone are worth a visit. The photo is from a recent post of his.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-65263185758267031442008-11-11T14:24:00.003-06:002008-11-11T14:36:35.503-06:00I Love You Too Debbie LiebersteinThings have been getting a bit plasticy and depressing around here, so for your enjoyment and mine, a belated, postmodern Halloween romp. :<br /><br /><object width="512" height="296"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/aRvCChdNKTYGPfgSrO5BOw"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/aRvCChdNKTYGPfgSrO5BOw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="296"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-23478457816843580742008-11-11T13:40:00.004-06:002008-11-11T14:15:38.791-06:00"We call ourselves the living dead."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/BritishDemon/Green-Skull.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/BritishDemon/Green-Skull.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Government departments like the EPA are meant to protect us right? Not necessarily. What other purpose could they possibly have? A new <a href="http://www.salon.com/env/feature/2008/11/11/epa/index.html">article</a> on Salon.com reports the awful truth. If you find it difficult to focus on a very long, yet good article, there are some highlights below. Should we push for more regulation, now that it may be too late for nearly all sections of our decrepit government? I think we already know my answer.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Beneath the Alvarados' house and those of their neighbors are shallow pools of groundwater that are polluted with tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, a chemical associated with cancer, liver and kidney disease... On cool or rainy days, when the Alvarados close the windows and shut off the air conditioning, a sweet chemical smell floods the house. When they eat dinner during these times, says Robert, 66, it's like tasting something acrid. "We drink bottled water but there's nothing we can do about the air except go outside and wait," says Lupe, 64.<br /><br />"We call ourselves the living dead."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A survey by the University of Texas found that 91 percent of adults in the area experienced multiple illnesses</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Although it has conducted limited testing, the EPA acknowledges that it's possible for PCE vapor to rise from groundwater into people's living rooms and kitchens. Yet it says the Alvarados and their neighbors have nothing to fear.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"It feels like Stalin-era Russia, like the administration </span>[Bush]<span style="font-style: italic;"> set themselves up to decide what's allowable science and what isn't," says a high-ranking staff scientist at the EPA</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Public health officials say this attempt to derail the scientific evaluation of toxins is one of the most damning legacies of the Bush administration.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Although not widely known, the Integrated Risk Information System</span> [IRIS] <span style="font-style: italic;">is a database that houses the scientific analyses of toxic chemicals. It's the foundation for most environmental regulations in the U.S. and beyond.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">...because the human population is so diverse, there's always an inherent uncertainty of how one person may react to low levels of exposure versus his neighbor.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Not incidentally, under Gray's tenure at the EPA, the agency has lowered the economic value of human life by nearly $1 million, or 11 percent. A human life is now worth just under $7 million. Such calculations are critical when government determines whether a proposed regulation is financially cost-effective to enforce.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Concurrently, a preliminary EPA review of trichloroethylene (TCE), used by the military to degrease jets and metal parts, found that the chemical was up to 40 times more likely to cause cancer than was previously believed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The plan that emerged calls for expanding the role of other federal agencies in determining which chemicals are assessed each year. It allows agencies like the Pentagon, Department of Energy and NASA to identify "mission critical" chemicals to the agency's operations.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Already, say critics, it's possible to determine how the influence of the Pentagon and other agencies will play out. In the past two years, since Gray has been at the agency, the EPA has produced more than 40 chemical assessments. Yet only four evaluations met OMB approval and were finalized. The EPA, which should be completing 50 per year to stay current, faces a backlog of 70 chemical assessments in need of updating.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Yet because IRIS is so obscure, it's doubtful there will be a national clamor demanding restoration of EPA control. And that makes it easy for politicians to maintain the status quo, says David Michaels, a professor at the George Washington University School of Public Health</span>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-68475541690196959942008-11-10T11:05:00.002-06:002008-11-10T11:09:33.097-06:00Update: Obama Beats Bush in Plan to Slip in Under the WireAs I noted <a href="http://bluegreenhome.blogspot.com/2008/11/george-bush-to-do-more-damage-in-his.html">before</a>, President Bush is going to be doing some sneaky work behind the scenes for the next few months in order to pass some bad legislation for both stem cell research and the environment. But have no fear...MSNBC is already <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27628719/%22">reporting</a> that Obama is aware of the changes and has already taken steps to fix them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-45604408520589902722008-11-10T10:55:00.004-06:002008-11-10T11:01:21.722-06:00"He Never Spoke Down to Children..."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://acerve.files.wordpress.com/2006/09/charlie_and_the_chocolate_factory_06.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 450px; height: 300px;" src="http://acerve.files.wordpress.com/2006/09/charlie_and_the_chocolate_factory_06.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />If you were ever a giant Roald Dahl fan like me, you might want to read this <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/nov/09/felicity-dahl-roald">interview</a> with his wife and pick up the upcoming British Vogue to see Tim Burton and wife Helena Bonham-Carter acting out scenes from his books.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-87025422414580718692008-11-10T10:31:00.003-06:002008-11-10T10:41:19.727-06:00The Bad News on Plastics, the Good from Gore<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/plastic-5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/plastic-5.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />One of my favorite blogs, <a href="http://www.fakeplasticfish.com/">Fake Plastic Fish</a>, written by no-plastic enthusiast Beth Terry had a great <a href="http://www.fakeplasticfish.com/2008/11/more-sad-plastic-news-plus-year-2-week.html">post today</a> regarding the safety of plastic.<br /><br />1.) Polypropylene (#5) plastic is now proven to also leach into food and water. Previously, it was considered a food safe plastic, but as Beth points out, just because something hasn't been studied, does not mean it's safe. I'm going to use this post as a reason to buy my second Pyrex food set.<br /><br />2.) A PVC plant caught on fire in Texas yesterday. The plant says that the smoke is "non-toxic." Eeep! Look at the picture and see if you agree.<br /><br />3.) Why recycling isn't always the answer--the horror stories of electronic recycling in China.<br /><br />And for some happy news....Al Gore<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/opinion/09gore.html"> reminds us</a> that luckily:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"the bold steps that are needed to solve the climate crisis are exactly the same steps that ought to be taken in order to solve the economic crisis and the energy security crisis."</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-33661611673752436522008-11-05T13:43:00.003-06:002008-11-05T13:52:59.626-06:00George Bush To Do More Damage in His Remaining Days<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.topnews.in/uploads/george-bush3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 340px;" src="http://www.topnews.in/uploads/george-bush3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />There's not much I can say about the incredible election of Barack Obama other than, YES! THANK YOU!<br /><br />But now that the fear of a deep dystopian end to America has disappeared for me in wake of his victory, we still have to be vigilant, especially since Georgie Boy is still in office. Both the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/opinion/04tue1.html?em">New York Times</a> and the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/30/AR2008103004749.html">Washington Post</a> have written articles following the various measures that Bush is seeking to get inacted, none of them promising, many of them horrifying, that we need to be aware of as we wait for Obama to enter the White House.<br />Both articles acknowledge that these measure will take years to reverse.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854249925506231480.post-80882309608913426402008-11-05T10:26:00.001-06:002008-11-05T10:26:41.142-06:00<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >YES WE CAN!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0