This is a fascinating graphic.
Not Gonna Go There
This photo was taken by National Geographic photographer Joe McNally in Dubai, after climbing atop the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. Looking at it for more than a few seconds can trigger my vertigo.
Green Chopsticks?
China is urging its people to carry their own tableware when they go to restaurants. The country goes through 80 billion sets of throw-away chopsticks every year. That comes to 20 million trees, per year. China is the world’s largest consumer of wood, and demand for imported lumber has tripled since 2000. So Americans can properly display an aire of superiority for our reusable metal forks and spoons.
Intermezzo: the Wonder Drug for Stupid People
One of the funniest ads on TV isn’t meant to be funny. It’s for Intermezzo, a drug for people who wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble getting back to sleep, a condition which is the scourge of Western Civilization. A woman with a soothing voice explains the benefits of Intermezzo, and then, as we watch happy pictures, soothingly gives all the possible risks of taking Intermezzo. Including:
Severe allergic reactions, some of which could be fatal. Hives. Difficulty breathing. Headache. Nausea. Fatigue. Swelling of your face lips, tongue, or throat. Having no memory of something you just did, like driving or making a phone call. Confusion, hallucinations, and agitation. Increased aggressive behavior. Impaired thinking or reactions. Suicidal thoughts. Drug dependency. Withdrawal symptoms if you’ve used it a long time. And if you stop using Intermezzo, your insomnia may be worse than before. Also: don’t take it unless you have four hours of sleep time left.
Instead of that soothing woman’s voice, I think New Jersey governor Chris Christy should do the voice-over. It would go something like this.
“Do you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep? Then do what I do, for goodness sakes–read a book or watch TV for a while. But if you’re impatient and totally stupid, you can try a dangerous and habit-forming drug called Intermezzo. Just don’t blame me if you break out in hives, have debilitating headaches, and your tongue swells up like a balloon. You might drop your kids off somewhere, and totally can’t remember where. This stuff can kill you, and if it doesn’t do the job by itself, it might drive you to commit suicide. Then, if you try to quit, you’ll discover–surprise!–that you’re hopelessly addicted. And even if you DO manage to quit, your insomnia might be worse than before.
“I mean, this Intermezzo drug is a total joke, and you’ve gotta be stupider than a dirt clod to take it. But hey–if you find it annoying to wake up in the middle of the night, and if you routinely engage in such activities as Russian Roulette or running blindfolded across freeways, then by all means try Intermezzo. It may be just what you, and the human gene pool, need.”
Cellphones vs. Our DNA
If listening to someone talk on a cellphone seems incredibly distracting, there’s a reason for it. Researchers say the mind automatically tries to fill in missing information. So when you hear only half of a conversation, your mind tries to figure out what’s being said on the other end.
One study showed that people can tune-out a full-blown conversation, but have trouble tuning out a one-sided cellphone conversation.
So it’s not cellphones that are the problem, but our response to them. God designed us to be annoyed by cellphones.
The Clip Vs. the Twist-Tie
There’s Mac Vs. PC, and there’s “clip” vs. “twist-tie.” It’s a $10.6 billion industry.
Imagine being a salesman for twist-ties. Your life’s work is to convince breadmakers to switch from plastic clips to twisties. Can anything be more rewarding, or make a child more proud? (“My dad sells those plastic clips on hamburger bun packages.”)
Also imagine putting together a PowerPoint presentation to sell your product. Twist-ties provide a tighter seal, but clips can be applied faster, and you can print stuff on them (like expiration dates). Yes, this sounds fulfilling.
I’m Down with Them Being Down with Us
Words get redefined. I remember in the 1970s, as a high schooler, when the word “bad” suddenly began meaning “cool.” A basketball player would make a great move, and you’d say, “That was so bad!”
The word “down” has assumed a similar meaning. When you say, “I’m down with that,” you’re saying, “That’s cool,” or “I agree with that.”
So when Iranians paint “Down with USA” on the old embassy in Iran, they are saying, “We like the USA.” They just don’t realize it.
Rumor Control
I just read a great story about an 11-year-old clay shooting champion from Butte, Montana. Two illegal aliens broke into her home while her parents were away. She grabbed a shotgun and killed both intruders. One was armed with a .45 handgun stolen during a previous break-in, during which they murdered gun’s owner.
The story is a double whammy, supporting the gun-rights cause and the anti-illegals cause. BUT IT NEVER HAPPENED.
These stories are SO easy to check. Nevertheless, they turn up regularly on Facebook, blogs, and emails. I continually post links to Snopes on Facebook, to let people know the story they just published is false. But too many people don’t think of going to Snopes BEFORE they post.
I guess when people want to believe something is true, when it confirms their own viewpoints or tugs their emotions, they just accept it as true and pass it on.
Not Having Enough to Eat Isn’t the Problem
For the first time on a global scale, being overweight has become more of a health problem than lack of nutrition. This comes from a massive study involving 500 scientists in 50 countries. Some results:
- More disease is resulting from people being fat and eating too much, than from people having too little to eat.
- People are living longer, but in worse health and with more disability.
- We’ve conquered many deadly disease, but people are suffering more from ailments that won’t necessarily kill you (neck and back pain, mental disorders, substance abuse).
- One-fourth of all deaths come from strokes and heart disease, which can often be traced to being overweight.
- The death rate among children under age 5 has dropped 60% since 1990.
(From an article on the New Scientist website.)
Let’s Book the Sistine Chapel
It must be pretty cool to have a conversation like this:
“We’ve got a bunch of people coming in for a big meeting.”
“Where should we meet?”
“I don’t know. How about the Sistine Chapel?”
Pam and I visited the Sistine Chapel in 2000, on a two-week trip that started with the Oberammergau Passion Play and ended with a week-long tour of Italy. The Sistine Chapel was amazing. I imagine the cardinals, as they work on selecting a new Pope, spend a lot of the time just staring at the ceiling and walls. That’s why it takes them so long to reach a decision.
