Friday, August 29, 2003
Not All Who Wander Are Lost
Yeah, it's been a while since I blogged. Lesley has been doing a great job, though!
Our friend Eric has just started a blog and it has started off swimmingly. His first post (Aug. 27) dealt with his feeling that, "rarely do we truly get below the surface in our interactions with others and, consequently, we rarely delve within ourselves for more meaningful truths." I really want to post a lengthy response here, but work calls again [sidenote -- this project-from-hell should be over soon; then and I should be able to post more]. Here's some random things that popped into my head while reading his post: Agree with his chitchat point, but I'm afraid I have fallen into doing this in the name of "social skills."...my insecurities are the main reasons why I don't bare my soul (and my opinions) more often...maybe it's selfish, but I am often quiet because I prefer to hear what others have to say rather than give my opinion -- I already know what I think, so I don't need to hear myself say them...unfortunately, people in this country who don't "forget [their] deepest passions" are often dismissed as freaks..."not all who wander are lost."
His other post is a great one as well (Aug. 28). If you want to know how it is really going in Iraq, check it out.
Thanks for the good read, Eric! Keep it up!
The rest of you -- go read it here: Eric's Rant
Our friend Eric has just started a blog and it has started off swimmingly. His first post (Aug. 27) dealt with his feeling that, "rarely do we truly get below the surface in our interactions with others and, consequently, we rarely delve within ourselves for more meaningful truths." I really want to post a lengthy response here, but work calls again [sidenote -- this project-from-hell should be over soon; then and I should be able to post more]. Here's some random things that popped into my head while reading his post: Agree with his chitchat point, but I'm afraid I have fallen into doing this in the name of "social skills."...my insecurities are the main reasons why I don't bare my soul (and my opinions) more often...maybe it's selfish, but I am often quiet because I prefer to hear what others have to say rather than give my opinion -- I already know what I think, so I don't need to hear myself say them...unfortunately, people in this country who don't "forget [their] deepest passions" are often dismissed as freaks..."not all who wander are lost."
His other post is a great one as well (Aug. 28). If you want to know how it is really going in Iraq, check it out.
Thanks for the good read, Eric! Keep it up!
The rest of you -- go read it here: Eric's Rant
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Canadian Muggles are Smart!
If you buy a Canadian printing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, you are buying a book printed on Ancient Forest Friendly paper (100% post consumer recycled, processed chlorine free paper). Canada is the only country to do this, and by doing so have saved:
* 29,640 trees (a forest area equivalent to 95 times the size of a football stadium)
* 47,007,044 litres of water (water to fill 31 Olympic sized swimming pools)
* 633,557 kgs of solid waste (equivalent to 155 average female elephants)
* 20,248 BTUs of electricity (195 years of electricity to power the average North American home)
* 1,215,443 kilograms of greenhouse gases (3.9 million kilometers traveled by car with average fuel efficiency)
* 8486.4 kgs of air emissions
Eco-Potter can be purchased at www.amazon.ca or www.indigo.ca.
* 29,640 trees (a forest area equivalent to 95 times the size of a football stadium)
* 47,007,044 litres of water (water to fill 31 Olympic sized swimming pools)
* 633,557 kgs of solid waste (equivalent to 155 average female elephants)
* 20,248 BTUs of electricity (195 years of electricity to power the average North American home)
* 1,215,443 kilograms of greenhouse gases (3.9 million kilometers traveled by car with average fuel efficiency)
* 8486.4 kgs of air emissions
Eco-Potter can be purchased at www.amazon.ca or www.indigo.ca.
Monday, August 25, 2003
It's about time
Ben and Jerry's now offers ORGANIC Strawberry, Vanilla, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, and Sweet Cream and Cookies ice creams. unfortunately, they are currently available in select stores in Boston and San Fran, or by mail (??!!). In a perfect world, all their ice cream would be organic. Actually, in a perfect world their ice cream would be organic and good for you. Ah well. Check out their "For a Change" line too. Chocolate and Coffee ice creams (and vanilla too, I think) that consist of fairly traded goods.
Anyway, at least now we know that some of their ice cream has fair trade chocolate in it. For a while they sounded like all the other chocolatiers... "we don't know if our chocolate is free of slave labor, we'll think about doing something..." Guess they thought about it!
Need more info? Fair trade chocolate? Bet you didn't know that the cocoa for your average candy bar was probably picked in the Ivory Coast by child slave labor - children kidnapped from their family and used to pick cocoa beans under horrid conditions for pennies. Yeah! Go chocolate! However, it has been determined that organically grown chocolate is not produced with slave labor, and is often bought at fair market value. For more info on fair trade goods.... www.maketradefair.com Glad to see they are making steps in the right direction. I guess they can't make their Heath Bar Crunch or Peanut Butter Cup ice creams with fair trade chocolate until the big guys do the same...
Anyway, at least now we know that some of their ice cream has fair trade chocolate in it. For a while they sounded like all the other chocolatiers... "we don't know if our chocolate is free of slave labor, we'll think about doing something..." Guess they thought about it!
Need more info? Fair trade chocolate? Bet you didn't know that the cocoa for your average candy bar was probably picked in the Ivory Coast by child slave labor - children kidnapped from their family and used to pick cocoa beans under horrid conditions for pennies. Yeah! Go chocolate! However, it has been determined that organically grown chocolate is not produced with slave labor, and is often bought at fair market value. For more info on fair trade goods.... www.maketradefair.com Glad to see they are making steps in the right direction. I guess they can't make their Heath Bar Crunch or Peanut Butter Cup ice creams with fair trade chocolate until the big guys do the same...
Thursday, August 21, 2003
Feng Shui, Child Abuse & Destiny
What a day. We (In-laws and O and I) went shopping. We went to Cost Plus, where I bought a windchime to add to my feng shui'ing of the house. Also bought a couple pink and white little cups for the table (also for feng shui - table is in the relationship area, and things pink and in pairs are good. Yes, Derek is aware I am weird). I also bought a new hamper! We've had this pair of pvc assembled hampers that constantly fall apart for 10 years. I figured I could spend $20 on a wicker hamper.
Next we went to Target, my favorite store. There, I had the privilege of shopping for linens in the same aisle as a lady and her 5 year old daughter. The lady was dressed skimpily, was very tan, very made up, and very intent on studying everything in the aisle. It was like, 11:15 am, and the girl was upset because she was hungry and probably bored. The mom never made eye contact with her, just threatened her numerous times to shut up or she'd get a spanking. I - Queen of Passive Aggressive - muttered "why don't you just get her a snack?". Of course, the girl ended up with a swat on the butt, which neither shut her up, nor made her less hungry/bored. Owen was in the shopping cart, munching on Triscuits and Pirate Booty, watching them intently. I said loudly "come on Owen, you don't need to see that." He made the sign for more food please so I said "oh you're hungry? I'll gladly give you something to eat, if it makes you happy while we shop around the store." Then I left. It was irritating.
After stuffing our faces at Sweet Tomatoes, we headed to the 50% off sale at Kitchen Kaboodle, then decided to check to see if donut's were in our future. See, we just got the first Krispy Kreme in the state about a month ago. We decided if we drove by and the "hot" sign was on, it was fate and donut's were meant to be! If the hot sign wasn't on, then we knew we were full enough from lunch, and that we were not meant to have donut's today. The light was on! So hot glazed donuts were enjoyed by all (except Owen, he was asleep). And we only had to wait 20 minutes....
Next we went to Target, my favorite store. There, I had the privilege of shopping for linens in the same aisle as a lady and her 5 year old daughter. The lady was dressed skimpily, was very tan, very made up, and very intent on studying everything in the aisle. It was like, 11:15 am, and the girl was upset because she was hungry and probably bored. The mom never made eye contact with her, just threatened her numerous times to shut up or she'd get a spanking. I - Queen of Passive Aggressive - muttered "why don't you just get her a snack?". Of course, the girl ended up with a swat on the butt, which neither shut her up, nor made her less hungry/bored. Owen was in the shopping cart, munching on Triscuits and Pirate Booty, watching them intently. I said loudly "come on Owen, you don't need to see that." He made the sign for more food please so I said "oh you're hungry? I'll gladly give you something to eat, if it makes you happy while we shop around the store." Then I left. It was irritating.
After stuffing our faces at Sweet Tomatoes, we headed to the 50% off sale at Kitchen Kaboodle, then decided to check to see if donut's were in our future. See, we just got the first Krispy Kreme in the state about a month ago. We decided if we drove by and the "hot" sign was on, it was fate and donut's were meant to be! If the hot sign wasn't on, then we knew we were full enough from lunch, and that we were not meant to have donut's today. The light was on! So hot glazed donuts were enjoyed by all (except Owen, he was asleep). And we only had to wait 20 minutes....
Small Town Bring Down
Today (well really last night) on the Daily Show, they mentioned my little hometown. Ed Helms introduced Steve Carrell from his "estate in El Segundo, California." Let's hear it for the lamest city in SoCal!
Jon Stewart also interviewed Will Shortz, NY Times Crossword Puzzle Editor (you may have heard Will on Weekend Edition on NPR). Apparently Will helped create a crossword puzzle for Jon that helped him propose to his wife. Too cute! ~sniff~
Jon Stewart also interviewed Will Shortz, NY Times Crossword Puzzle Editor (you may have heard Will on Weekend Edition on NPR). Apparently Will helped create a crossword puzzle for Jon that helped him propose to his wife. Too cute! ~sniff~
This blog thing is for s#!%
All right, so its my first blog as guest blogger, and I type up this carefully-worded- trying-to-be-kinda-funny post, and I hit the "Post and Publish" button. Fine right? Wrong. I'm not connected to the internet because I'm stuck in the middle of NOWHERE with a freakin' dial-up (currently connected at 46.6 btw -- ~it's like lightning!!).
Anyway, what I tried to post about is this weekends big event in Toronto. No, not another SARS benefit. It's the World Rubik's Game Championships. Fourteen year old Andrew Camann is going. He found his mom's old Rubik's Cube in a closet, and can now solve it in record time (his personal best is 16.3 seconds!!). Everybody now -- to the attic to find our old toys! Or, you can just be like Derek and buy an Enron promotional Rubik's Cube on ebay.
Anyway, what I tried to post about is this weekends big event in Toronto. No, not another SARS benefit. It's the World Rubik's Game Championships. Fourteen year old Andrew Camann is going. He found his mom's old Rubik's Cube in a closet, and can now solve it in record time (his personal best is 16.3 seconds!!). Everybody now -- to the attic to find our old toys! Or, you can just be like Derek and buy an Enron promotional Rubik's Cube on ebay.
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
GM Food Ban Complaint
The U.S. filed a formal complaint with the World Trade Organization saying that Europe's refusal to import genetically modified (GM) foods is illegal. Surprisingly, it's all about the money. The U.S. is complaining that it's farmers are losing a lot of money every year since they can't export to Europe. Hello? I have two problems with that: 1) You can't lose money that you never had; and 2) if you didn't genetically modify your crops, you could export it to Europe -- it's a choice that you have made.
I'm not going to go into the problems with GM foods right now -- you can read about it here.
Isn't this the same country with Senators that tried to ban French water and wine because the French didn't think we should go kill people? Apparently, it's okay to ban food based on ideology, but not health and environmental reasons.
I'm not going to go into the problems with GM foods right now -- you can read about it here.
Isn't this the same country with Senators that tried to ban French water and wine because the French didn't think we should go kill people? Apparently, it's okay to ban food based on ideology, but not health and environmental reasons.
Monday, August 18, 2003
Reason #64 On Why You Shouldn't Throw A Surprise Party
Accurate Reporting
Whatever happened to research and accurate reporting? Consider the following articles:
I could go on and on. The common theme? 50 million people lost power during the recent blackout. However, the fact is that 50 million people did not lose power -- it was much lower than that. New York Times reporter Mike McIntire reported that this number was taken out of context. The source was a statement made by the North American Electric Reliability Council, which stated, "Approximately 61,800 megawatts of customer load was lost in an area that covers 50 million people." The report made it clear that the total who actually lost power was unknown. The statement referred to the total populations of the area affected by the blackout, but a lot of people in this area actually had electricity.
To this day, however, all I hear in the news is that 50 million people lost power. Even our federal energy secretary stated, "More than 50 million people in two nations suddenly lost electricity in this blackout." I guess if our energy secretary isn't going to bother with the facts, why should anyone else?
- 50 million without power as huge failure in eastern US and Canada
- Blackout hits 50 million in U.S., Canada
- Historic outage puts 50 million in the dark
I could go on and on. The common theme? 50 million people lost power during the recent blackout. However, the fact is that 50 million people did not lose power -- it was much lower than that. New York Times reporter Mike McIntire reported that this number was taken out of context. The source was a statement made by the North American Electric Reliability Council, which stated, "Approximately 61,800 megawatts of customer load was lost in an area that covers 50 million people." The report made it clear that the total who actually lost power was unknown. The statement referred to the total populations of the area affected by the blackout, but a lot of people in this area actually had electricity.
To this day, however, all I hear in the news is that 50 million people lost power. Even our federal energy secretary stated, "More than 50 million people in two nations suddenly lost electricity in this blackout." I guess if our energy secretary isn't going to bother with the facts, why should anyone else?
Friday, August 15, 2003
DEAL: Great deal on a DVD Burner
321 Studios, the makers of DVDXCopy, have an amazing deal going on right now. Buy any 321 Studios product and get a 4x DVD+R/+RW burner for $99. From what I understand, this same burner is going for $189 at Amazon. I highly recommend DVD X Copy Gold or DVD X Copy Xpress -- they are great products. So, you could get DVD X Copy Xpress and a DVD Burner for $159.99. Amazing!
You're In Control
Ever bored while urinating? Well, some MIT students have the answer for you!
Now, only if they could figure out how to have "force feedback" for that...
Now, only if they could figure out how to have "force feedback" for that...
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
Fair and Balanced?
Fox News Channel is suing Al Franken because they say that the title of his upcoming book Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right uses their trademarked slogan "Fair and Balanced." They think that it will "confuse the public." Yeah, by the title of that book, I would think Al Franken works for Fox News. The suit actually attacks Franken personally as well, calling him a "parasite," who is "unstable," "shrill" and "not a well-respected voice in American politics." They must have had their best lawyer writing up that lawsuit!
Read the linked article -- as usual, Franken makes Fox News sound like the idiots that they are.
Read the linked article -- as usual, Franken makes Fox News sound like the idiots that they are.
Tuesday, August 12, 2003
SportsCenter
In sad news, the legendary Herb Brooks died in a car crash yesterday. A Hockey Hall of Famer, Brooks was the coach of the legendary "Miracle on Ice" USA hockey team that defeated the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympics. He also played for five U.S. national teams, coached the New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, and was a great success coaching NCAA hockey. Ironically, a film about him and the 1980 Olympic hockey team called "Miracle" is scheduled to be released in February (written by former Portland radio DJ Mike Rich).
To lighten it up a bit, I saw a funny license plate on the way to work today. The plate said "NX YEAR". Next Year....hmmmm... It didn't mean much until I saw the license plate frame -- "Chicago Cubs".
To lighten it up a bit, I saw a funny license plate on the way to work today. The plate said "NX YEAR". Next Year....hmmmm... It didn't mean much until I saw the license plate frame -- "Chicago Cubs".
Tuesday, August 05, 2003
DEAL: Thank You For Being a Baja Friend
I love Mexican food -- even though every dish is exactly the same, but the ingredients are just put in a different order. Here's a new twist on this theory -- it's a burrito in a bowl. Normally, I'd call that a salad, but Baja Fresh is calling it a "Bare Burrito." Print out this coupon, buy a large beverage, and get a free Bare Burrito. (expires 9/22/03)
Monday, August 04, 2003
Tired of My Weblog?
Bill Maher has started a weblog with the same biting humor that got him in trouble with the TV networks (that is, the advertisers). So, if you are tired of my weblog or just miss Bill Maher, give it a read. He actually has a lot of links that look like they belong on my blog...
Friday, August 01, 2003
Man Breastfeeding Too Much For New Zealand
In honor of World Breastfeeding week, an organization in Auckland created a poster depicting a popular New Zealand actor "breastfeeding" a baby. According to an article on www.stuff.co.nz, "The image invites people to consider whether it would be easier to breastfeed at work if men had to do it." One of the main reasons women give for stopping breastfeeding is returning to work. The New Zealand Health Ministry, however, pulled the plug on the ad because it felt that it was too controversial for the people of New Zealand.
Sure, the picture was a little shocking, but would it really cause negative affects on people who see it? I think it's a great poster -- it would definitely cause people to think. The fact that it is being banned just goes to show that people still think of breastfeeding as some type of sexual thing. Wake up, people! Breasts are meant for feeding!
