Whole Wheat Bread - Does anyone really bother to check the ingredients of wheat bread when asking for a sandwich "on whole wheat" at a deli? I've noticed a lot of people specifying "whole wheat" for their sandwich, and from a consumer advocacy perspective, it's hard to decide who is accountable for these people nearly always not getting what they ask for. You see, most wheat bread sold in Joe Bob's Deli, Mom and Pop shops, or even Subway (thanks for the clue Jarrod) is not whole wheat bread. By using enriched wheat bread (enriched wheat flour), these establishments save a LOT of money in preparation costs and happily sell what the general public thinks is a very healthy and tasty (due to the molasses and/or honey added to make these breads dark in color) alternative. Think again. It's not so healthy. You may as well be eating white bread. So next time you ask for whole wheat, make sure someone can show you the ingredients (first ingredient should be whole wheat flour) on their bread to ensure you are getting what you ask for. And for those who ask for whole wheat that do so just out of ignorant habit and have not tasted a real whole wheat bread, please take the time to do so. Know what you're asking for, know what your getting.
For Free - This statement burns me up every time I hear it. How can you get something "for free"? In other words, how do you exchange free? Try this sentence... I will give you a box of detergent in return for a package of free. Free is not something that can be exchanged (a noun), it describes an object (an adjective). In this instance, free describes that an object is obtained without cost. So... Try this sentence... I will give you a free box of detergent. Or even... I will give you a box of detergent, free.
Wheeled Briefcases - As a train and bus commuter, these things are my ultimate nemesis. It's not that I have a problem with the concept of these contraptions, so much as the morons that are driving them. At least if you are wearing a backpack you remain cognizant that there is some extra bulk that you must account for when squeezing through people and through tight spaces. These "wheelers", as I like to call them, seem to forget about this bulky, heavy package that they are dragging behind them. While bobbing and weaving through pedestrian traffic, I cannot count the number of times a "wheeler" passed me on one side, only to cut across my path in the other direction. Normally this is fine and speed adjustments are made on the fly for such an occurrence. However, when a 25 pound box is lagging 2-3 feet behind, the logistics become a bit more dicey. One of two things happen. Either I have to slam on the brakes, thus being bumped into from behind by someone or I have to send the briefcase careening off its wheels with a swift kick that would make David Beckham beam with pride. More and more often I opt for the latter. Interestingly, I do not really have this issue at airports, where the "wheeler's" bags are MUCH bulkier. Perhaps because they have to shorten their stride to be able to pull such bulk with some control heightens their awareness of it. In any case, if you are a "wheeler", please take a little more consideration of your baggage behind you or you may just hear me saying "GOOOOOOOAAAALLL" just before your arm is ripped out of its socket by your bag being kicked end over end down The Shoppes at Union Station.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Slanted Science
The information age. With the internet and cable news, we are subjected to the product of a 24-hour news cycle. To that end, we really have to deal with a lot of crap being thrown at us to fill up those 24 hours in a day! Has our appetite for information become so insatiable that we gobble up any bit of data, however unsubstantiated it is? Medical studies that never would have seen the light of day 20 years ago are now being published in summary and presented as groundbreaking discovery. Ethanol and "Clean Coal" are going to free us from dependence upon foreign oil! Global warming will kill us all in 50 years! The crux of the issue, however, is that when you really read the studies and take into consideration the funding sources, most of the time there is an economic, political or sociological cause to be advanced based on the study findings.
If so cynically inclined, one could come to the conclusion that a lot of published science are merely implicit commercial advocation of any cause or business that would benefit from the acceptance of that scientific assertion and not necessarily for the benefit of humankind. It is of utmost importance, that we, as a general public, be more informed about how these "experts" are conducting their research to determine their true motive. Ulterior or Pure?
It takes some reading to get to the bottom of these issues. Time, effort, all things that are precious to the "busy busy Americans" who just want the truth delivered to them through mainstream media. The problem is, even with mainstream media - time, effort and most importantly of all, money. The research it would take to bring the truth, or even just the facts about any study - clinical, environmental, economic or otherwise would cost so much that mainstream media has little choice but to report the sound-bite, the synopsis, the promise of something for nothing. So when reading the newspaper, surfing internet news, or watching your favorite 24 hour news channel, and some scientific revelation piques your interest, do the due diligence. Find out how the study was conducted. Who paid for it? Who stands to gain from its findings? Who stands to lose? A critical and almost skeptical eye is required to separate the true advances from a policial slant or economic gain.
Below are some articles to help us separate fact from fiction, in some cases to further muddy the waters, and to help us learn how to read between the lines.
Regarding Medical Studies
http://www.umdnj.edu/idsweb/shared/how_to_read_articles_simon.htm
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/WhosCounting/story?id=997688&page=1
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2352839.stm
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2005/08/15/flaws_are_found_in_validating_medical_studies/?page=1
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=16227
Regarding The Environment - Specifically on the issue of Global Warming, there is little consensus out there and even less hard science to back up any claims in either direction. Examples of the polarity of this issue and how environmental science is being taught in our schools. Pity about environmental science... It is hard to prove anything in a short period of time, harder to fund the research and hardest of all to profit at improving the environment itself.
How Environmental Science is being taught in schools
A 2004 review of Environmental Science textbooks
A 1996 Senate investigation on Environmental Science misconduct that finds no such misconduct in cases reviewed, praises the peer review process.
Senator James Inhofe's (R-Oklahoma) speech on the Senate floor of September 25th, 2006
Regarding Ethanol and "Clean Coal"
Ethanol Pros & Cons
"Clean Coal" Pros & Cons - How it works
Just remember, as Don Henley said in "The Garden of Allah" -
"Because there are no facts, there is no truth..
Just data to be manipulated..
I can get you any result you like..
What’s it worth to you?
Because there is no wrong, there is no right..
And I sleep very well at night..
No shame, no solution, no remorse, no retribution.."
If so cynically inclined, one could come to the conclusion that a lot of published science are merely implicit commercial advocation of any cause or business that would benefit from the acceptance of that scientific assertion and not necessarily for the benefit of humankind. It is of utmost importance, that we, as a general public, be more informed about how these "experts" are conducting their research to determine their true motive. Ulterior or Pure?
It takes some reading to get to the bottom of these issues. Time, effort, all things that are precious to the "busy busy Americans" who just want the truth delivered to them through mainstream media. The problem is, even with mainstream media - time, effort and most importantly of all, money. The research it would take to bring the truth, or even just the facts about any study - clinical, environmental, economic or otherwise would cost so much that mainstream media has little choice but to report the sound-bite, the synopsis, the promise of something for nothing. So when reading the newspaper, surfing internet news, or watching your favorite 24 hour news channel, and some scientific revelation piques your interest, do the due diligence. Find out how the study was conducted. Who paid for it? Who stands to gain from its findings? Who stands to lose? A critical and almost skeptical eye is required to separate the true advances from a policial slant or economic gain.
Below are some articles to help us separate fact from fiction, in some cases to further muddy the waters, and to help us learn how to read between the lines.
Regarding Medical Studies
http://www.umdnj.edu/idsweb/shared/how_to_read_articles_simon.htm
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/WhosCounting/story?id=997688&page=1
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2352839.stm
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2005/08/15/flaws_are_found_in_validating_medical_studies/?page=1
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=16227
Regarding The Environment - Specifically on the issue of Global Warming, there is little consensus out there and even less hard science to back up any claims in either direction. Examples of the polarity of this issue and how environmental science is being taught in our schools. Pity about environmental science... It is hard to prove anything in a short period of time, harder to fund the research and hardest of all to profit at improving the environment itself.
How Environmental Science is being taught in schools
A 2004 review of Environmental Science textbooks
A 1996 Senate investigation on Environmental Science misconduct that finds no such misconduct in cases reviewed, praises the peer review process.
Senator James Inhofe's (R-Oklahoma) speech on the Senate floor of September 25th, 2006
Regarding Ethanol and "Clean Coal"
Ethanol Pros & Cons
"Clean Coal" Pros & Cons - How it works
Just remember, as Don Henley said in "The Garden of Allah" -
"Because there are no facts, there is no truth..
Just data to be manipulated..
I can get you any result you like..
What’s it worth to you?
Because there is no wrong, there is no right..
And I sleep very well at night..
No shame, no solution, no remorse, no retribution.."
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Rants, Raves and Observations before the 4th
This entry may be all over the place, but I have a lot of thoughts rolling around that don't necessarily merit an entire entry themselves so.... Here it goes.
Quiznos - Screwing up their menu! In the past few weeks, Quiznos Subs (most notably the one at 12th and I St. NW, Washington DC) has pared their menu in an apparent attempt to simplify things for their ummmm... Ingles challenged staff. Who loses? The customer! The irony of this is.... the two favorite subs of mine that I can no longer get there are The Baja and The Cabo Chicken. Pair that with myriad Health Department violations and brief closures the past few weeks, and it's safe to say I need to take my business elsewhere. Sad.
Public Restrooms - What the hell is wrong with the general "public" when they get out into the world? Do they lose their minds? Throwing trash on the floor, pissing on a toilet seat with no regard for the person that may need to actually sit there to take care of business later on, or worse yet, pissing on the FLOOR! People always complain about how nasty public restrooms are, yet many of these same people treat them in the same careless manner as the rest of John Q. Public. Talk about a bio-hazard. If people would treat these places with just a modicum of decency and respect, they would not be the cesspools that most of them are. It's pretty simple really. Don't pee on the floor. RAISE THE SEAT of the toilet before you pee! Just use your foot if you don't want to touch it, but RAISE the damn SEAT. And please, if you have a movement... FLUSH, just like you would at home. I know this will do nothing to correct this problem, but it's a good vent anyway. :)
President Bush Commutes Libby's Sentence - This just smacks of more cronyism that has been the hallmark of the current administration from the get-go. You can be sure that a full pardon will be given on Bush's way out the door (if not sooner). And I thought Nixon left a trail of shit behind him.... Tricky Dick will look like a patron saint in comparison by the end of Bush's eight years in office. I suppose history will have to be the true judge of this president, but from the cheap seats things haven't looked this bleak for the USA's standing in the world in a long time. The USA's reputation in the international community has been tarnished for perhaps a generation or more. While I'm still proud to be an American, I'm not very proud of how my country has used its influence lately. Oh, by the way, Happy 4th of July! :) Isn't it great that we still have the right to talk trash about our leaders without fear of retribution or reprisal? I just hope Karl Rove or Cheney don't read this entry, or the previous sentence may be rendered moot.
Rags To Riches Wins The Belmont Stakes - What a race! It was awesome to see this little filly take on the mighty Curlin in the final leg of the Triple Crown races and prevail! Just goes to show you that the best races are run when the best horses are entered, regardless of sex. I'm not sure how it came to be that only the rare filly is entered into the Triple Crown races, but I think it would be better for racing in general if we saw more action like we saw in the Belmont this year. It was an inspirational run by Rags To Riches.
Clark W. Griswold - Since it is tourist season here in the nation's capital, once again the city is awash with families wandering around lost, looking for the White House which is, invariably, not where I am. Nevertheless, while I am outside getting a breath of air, I am consistently asked where various Washington landmarks are. I don't mind directing people to the general area of the monuments, since by and large this city is not the friendliest in the world, and a little kindness can make a big impression. However, I am continually puzzled by the majority of family guys who take a family vacation and try to paint a Rockwell to the point where no one is having fun anymore. Hawaiian shirts are the standard issue, along with khaki shorts with black dress socks pulled up to the calf in boat shoes. Let's not forget the token "Panama Jack" or straw hat. It seems as if these guys watched National Lampoon's "Vacation" and used it as a vacation handbook. Combine that with a driven attitude toward cramming every single attraction in the city into a single day, a "I'm on vacation damnit!" sense of entitlement, and let the hilarity ensue. Please let me exercise better judgment when vacationing with my own family, by not leaving my brain at home.
Quiznos - Screwing up their menu! In the past few weeks, Quiznos Subs (most notably the one at 12th and I St. NW, Washington DC) has pared their menu in an apparent attempt to simplify things for their ummmm... Ingles challenged staff. Who loses? The customer! The irony of this is.... the two favorite subs of mine that I can no longer get there are The Baja and The Cabo Chicken. Pair that with myriad Health Department violations and brief closures the past few weeks, and it's safe to say I need to take my business elsewhere. Sad.
Public Restrooms - What the hell is wrong with the general "public" when they get out into the world? Do they lose their minds? Throwing trash on the floor, pissing on a toilet seat with no regard for the person that may need to actually sit there to take care of business later on, or worse yet, pissing on the FLOOR! People always complain about how nasty public restrooms are, yet many of these same people treat them in the same careless manner as the rest of John Q. Public. Talk about a bio-hazard. If people would treat these places with just a modicum of decency and respect, they would not be the cesspools that most of them are. It's pretty simple really. Don't pee on the floor. RAISE THE SEAT of the toilet before you pee! Just use your foot if you don't want to touch it, but RAISE the damn SEAT. And please, if you have a movement... FLUSH, just like you would at home. I know this will do nothing to correct this problem, but it's a good vent anyway. :)
President Bush Commutes Libby's Sentence - This just smacks of more cronyism that has been the hallmark of the current administration from the get-go. You can be sure that a full pardon will be given on Bush's way out the door (if not sooner). And I thought Nixon left a trail of shit behind him.... Tricky Dick will look like a patron saint in comparison by the end of Bush's eight years in office. I suppose history will have to be the true judge of this president, but from the cheap seats things haven't looked this bleak for the USA's standing in the world in a long time. The USA's reputation in the international community has been tarnished for perhaps a generation or more. While I'm still proud to be an American, I'm not very proud of how my country has used its influence lately. Oh, by the way, Happy 4th of July! :) Isn't it great that we still have the right to talk trash about our leaders without fear of retribution or reprisal? I just hope Karl Rove or Cheney don't read this entry, or the previous sentence may be rendered moot.
Rags To Riches Wins The Belmont Stakes - What a race! It was awesome to see this little filly take on the mighty Curlin in the final leg of the Triple Crown races and prevail! Just goes to show you that the best races are run when the best horses are entered, regardless of sex. I'm not sure how it came to be that only the rare filly is entered into the Triple Crown races, but I think it would be better for racing in general if we saw more action like we saw in the Belmont this year. It was an inspirational run by Rags To Riches.
Clark W. Griswold - Since it is tourist season here in the nation's capital, once again the city is awash with families wandering around lost, looking for the White House which is, invariably, not where I am. Nevertheless, while I am outside getting a breath of air, I am consistently asked where various Washington landmarks are. I don't mind directing people to the general area of the monuments, since by and large this city is not the friendliest in the world, and a little kindness can make a big impression. However, I am continually puzzled by the majority of family guys who take a family vacation and try to paint a Rockwell to the point where no one is having fun anymore. Hawaiian shirts are the standard issue, along with khaki shorts with black dress socks pulled up to the calf in boat shoes. Let's not forget the token "Panama Jack" or straw hat. It seems as if these guys watched National Lampoon's "Vacation" and used it as a vacation handbook. Combine that with a driven attitude toward cramming every single attraction in the city into a single day, a "I'm on vacation damnit!" sense of entitlement, and let the hilarity ensue. Please let me exercise better judgment when vacationing with my own family, by not leaving my brain at home.
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