Former Head of the Chinese FDA Sentenced to Death

In a surprisingly harsh decision, the former head of China's food and drug agency was given a death sentence for the corruption of his department.

Zheng Xiaoyu was convicted on charges of taking bribes and dereliction of duty.

The severity of the sentence probably had something to do with China's embarassments over the pet food poisoning scandal as well as others involving toothpaste manufactured in China, but Xiaoyu's corruption apparently predated these events by years.

Xiaoyu was convicted with taking bribes from pharmaceutical companies amounting to more than 6.5 million yuan ($850,000 US). There is a long list of Chinese patients who died from drugs that were approved by his department and later found to be unsafe.

This is quite a story. It speaks to a lot of issues in China as well as issues we deal with in the U.S.

Massage Therapy Lowers Blood Pressure in Cancer Patients

In a study conducted at the University of Minnesota, patients undergoing chemotherapy were given massage therapy (MT) and Healing Touch (HT).

Both therapies were found to lower blood pressure, respiratory rate and heart rate. In the 230 patient trial, pain rates were also lower in a 4 week period with these therapies than without.

Another study, quotes in the April/May 2006 issue of Massage Magazine, conducted at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, found that sixteen healthy males had significantly lower blood pressure after the first two massage therapy sessions in the controlled trial.

Al Gore Should Host a Democratic Presidential Candidate Debate on the Environment

I was inspired reading the Time magazine article (read the whole thing here) on Al Gore where he was quoted as saying "If I do my job right, all the candidates will be talking about the climate crisis."

Hmm. I visualize Al Gore being the moderator at a Democratic Presidential Candidate debate that has one topic and one topic only: the environment.

Can you imagine? He would ask them great questions. They would be forced to bone up on the issues of climate crisis and come up with credible responses. If we're going to be faced with ten or twenty debates this year anyway, why not have one of them facilitated by Gore and focused on one extremely important issue?

The candidates of both parties are getting away too easily without having to face tough questions about the environment. Each candidate needs to be confronted by a knowledgeable questioner:

• What would you do about carbon emissions?
• Are you in favor of a carbon tax replacing the payroll tax (as Gore has proposed)?
  
• Would you allow new coal plants to be built?
  
• Do you think nuclear power is part of the solution?
• How would you advance biofuels, particularly cellulosic ethanol from corn stalks, straw and switchgrass?
• How can the United States become a world leader in reducing emissions?
• Will you create and enforce CAFE standards for automobile miles/gallon?
• How would you incent Americans to drive hybrid cars?
• Would you invest in solar and wind power research?
• Would you work on building a hydrogen infrastructure for fuel cell cars?
  

I really, really want to know what the candidates answers to these questions are. Do you? What do you think?

Maybe after that we could have a healthcare debate moderated by Dr. Andrew Weil.

How to Tell Genetically-Modified Foods by the Label

For years I thought (and was told) that there is no way to tell if a piece of produce in a grocery store was genetically modified or not. In the U.S., there is no regulation specifying that food retailers disclose whether food DNA has been tampered with.

Well, I was wrong. You can tell if a piece of produce is GM by looking at the "product look-up" (PLU) code on the little label.

According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, physician and activist, you can determine the following by looking at the label:

• Conventionally grown food (not GM, not organic): 4 digit PLU
• Organic food: 5 digits starting with a nine
• GM food: 5 digits starting with an eight

Of course, buying certified organic food means that it is, by definition, not GM. And these days, it's safe to say that if it's not organic, it is probably GM. Dr. Mercola says that 7 out of 10 items in a conventional produce department are GM.

NOTE: Whole Foods Market prides themselves on carrying *ZERO* GM foods in their entire store. They say that no ingredient in any product has a GM source. In Columbus, Ohio, we're lucky to have a Whole Foods Market very close to where we live. Yes, you could doubt Whole Foods claim, but my previous posting on this blog explains what I think is the flaw in that logic.

If you're on the fence with GM foods, read this study or this one. Rats fed a diet of GM corn developed smaller kidneys and had blood abnormalities. The study was conducted by Monsanto, a GM food manufacturer, but when they saw the results they tried to hush the researchers. Unfortunately for Monsanto, fortunately for us, the information got out anyway.

North Dakota to Legalize Hemp Cultivation

North Dakota has taken steps to make it legal to grow hemp. Hemp is a really useful plant that can be made into rope or clothing. Misguided lawmakers have outlawed it because they confuse it with marijuana, but the amount of hemp you would have to smoke to get high would be astronomical.

This is a great step. I hope it helps North Dakota's economy. The only trouble now is that they will have to fight off the feds, because hemp is still illegal at the federal level in the U.S.

Tomatoes Not Effective in Protecting the Prostate

Okay, are you tired of this crap? I sure am. Tomatoes, declared to be our savior against prostate cancer, are now declared to be...useless.

Sorry, but the latest study says that the lycopene in tomatoes doesn't help a bit against prostate cancer, in fact, it probably causes more problems than it solves.

Wait a minute. Wait just a cottonpickin' minute.

What do they say? When your method continues to give you contradictory results, question your method.

Our "gold standard" of medical studies, the controlled trial, is not helping us converge on solutions to our health problems. In fact, it is providing us with wildly divergent results, time after time.

I say there's something wrong with the controlled trial. It hastens to "factor out" all possibilities to zero on...whatever is being studied. Does it work? Obviously not. Sorry, but if your controlled trials are telling me one minute that tomatoes/lycopene provide the ultimate protection against prostate cancer and then the next minute saying that lycopene actually causes prostate cancer... C'mon! Do you expect me to trust your methods?

The controlled trial can't factor out everything because it's not possible to factor out everything. Yes, on the physical side, you can factor out a history of cancer, or diet, or other drugs being taken. But what about emotional? We know the emotions have an effect on the body and health! My grandfather died only a few months after my grandmother. Why? Because something happened to his diet? Or because he was lonely?

Until controlled trials factor in (or out) all factors, including emotional, mental and energetic (which I think is actually impossible anyway) we can't trust the controlled trials themselves.

That's my (post-flu) rant. Hope you liked it.

Why Isn't there a Car Insurance Crisis?

In this excellent article from Capitalist Magazine, writer Wayne Dunn walks us through the easy steps to creating a "car insurance crisis" just like the health insurance crisis we already have.

Interested??

If you've read my book (now available as a free e-Book), you already know what I think.

(Thanks to Props Unlimited for the great gas station artwork.)

Natural Cosmetics (An Article for Estheticians)

A few months ago, I was asked to write an article for the great, great magazine called "Skin Deep" which is focused on helping estheticians with their skin care and hair care businesses.

They asked me to write an article on product knowledge. I actually wrote the totally wrong article, because they were asking me to write something on product inventories, trying to predict what customers want, etc.

The article I wrote was completely about natural products free of chemicals and harmful additives. They rejected that idea and asked me to rewrite it. I did the rewrite and the article went great, but I had this article that I really loved and did all this research for was just sitting here unused.

So here it is! This is an article that estheticians can use who are interested in using products for their customers that are more natural and better for the skin, hair and nails. And it is also an article for women who want to use these more natural products for themselves.

Please let me know what you think. This particular article ain't gonna make me any money, but hopefully it will help lots of people choose better cosmetics and beauty aids for themselves and their customers.

Could "Going Natural" Be Your Best Competitive Advantage?

As an esthetician, you put time and money into making sure you are the best at your work – facials, waxing, rejuvenation. But knowing your skin care products, what's in them and how to use them most effectively, is an equally important responsibility. And it can put your far ahead of your competition.

You are in a highly influential position. Clients come to you regularly for facials and beauty treatments. Unlike a retail store, you are performing a very personal service for each client, and at the same time, showing them how to take care of themselves between appointments. You are like a health, wellness and beauty coach.

They expect you to do good work, but they also expect that you will know exactly what products to recommend to them, that you'll have those in stock, and you'll know what will or won't fit their needs.

Many clients will ask you about “natural” versus “non-natural” skin care products. “There is a lot of misinformation about what is natural or not,” says Valerie Bennis, an aromatherapist who owns Essence of Vali, a maker of balms, mists and oils. “To me, natural means something that comes straight from a plant. The less it is changed by man, the more natural it is. Jojoba oil comes from the bean of a plant. Essential oils come straight from plants.”

And certainly the more manmade chemicals added as preservatives, coloring or fragrance, the less natural the product becomes, and the more potential harm it can cause.

Educate Yourself, Then Your Clients

“Selecting a product for your clients just because it smells nice or looks good isn't enough,” says Bennis. “You must understand the ingredients first.”

Sodium lauryl sulfate is a chemical that is added to most creams and shampoos. It adds texture to cream and helps a shampoo create lather. But it is a skin irritant. “Even worse,” says Angelika Arseneau, an esthetician who works in Hawaii, “Is that lauryl sulfates are often combined with nitrosamine, which is a proven carcinogen. And the nitrosamine might not be listed on the label.”

There's so much to know! Where can you get started?

Bennis suggests making it a habit to attend industry trade shows (See the sidebar for a list of shows.) “Ask the vendors what is in their product, and how it's made. Find new, smaller vendors who have products that are more natural, with fewer chemicals.” She also says you must use the Internet as your research tool. Find out what the experts say about the various additives, and stay up to date on the latest news and research. And be aware of the authority of the Website you're using. Understand that not all the information on the Internet is necessarily unbiased or authoritative.

Sidebar

Reed Spa and Resort Expo and Conference
New York and Los Angeles

I-Spa
Las Vegas

Natural Products Expo East
specializing in “natural products” including food and beauty products

Product Lines

Once you have the knowledge, how can you try to please everyone? It's a fact that not all of your customers will be interested in the most “natural” products, especially if it means a higher price.

“Set up several product lines for your customers,” says Bennis. “One for people who want to go completely natural, a medium line, and one for people who don't care about anything but effective treatment.”

And when you are choosing products for those lines, find the products that have what Bennis calls “integrity. Try the products yourself. Make sure they do what they say they will do.”

Stocking products can sometimes be tricky. Buy too few and you might run out at a critical time when clients are clamoring for them. Buy too many and you might have problems with expiration dates. “Natural products often have a shelf life of six months to a year. Jojoba oil doesn't go rancid, but canola, almond, grapeseed and avocado do,” warns Bennis. Jojoba is technically a liquid wax, not an oil. That's why it doesn't have rancidity problems like true oils, and this also makes it easier to be absorbed into the skin and scalp.


Questionable Ingredients

We've already mentioned the lauryl sulfate (and companion laureth sulfate) family of chemicals. These are skin irritants that are often paired with carcinogenic chemicals.

But did you know that antifreeze is a common ingredient in personal care products? A type of antifreeze, propylene glycol, is used in many deodorants and cosmetics, even cleansers. Although this is considered to be the “safer antifreeze” in that it is less toxic than ethylene glycol, it is still suspected to play a role in compromising the immune system and the nervous system if absorbed into the body (according to Scorecard.org).

“Women underestimate how completely chemicals can absorb into the body,” says Arseneau, the Hawaiian esthetician. “Breast tissue is very sensitive. It is part of the lymphatic system, so when the body is trying to remove chemicals absorbed through the skin, from cosmetics, oils or creams, those toxins can accumulate in the breast tissue and eventually cause cancer there. Researchers have investigated the breast tissue of cadavers and found more than 80 different chemicals in them, from cosmetics, hair care, even fabric softener. The fewer chemicals we expose our skin to, the healthier our bodies will be.”

Also be aware of anti-bacterial products. Arseneau warns that soaps and cleanser touted to be anti-bacterial often contain triclosan, which is an irritant and tends to create “super germs” like those found in hospitals. Approximately 90,000 people die each year in hospitals from staph infections caused by super germs, which are created largely by overuse of antibiotics and anti-bacterial products (Triangle Business Journal). Don't turn your salon into a super-germ factory!

NOTE: Most U.S. states require that you use anti-bacterial products to sterilize your equipment. We are not suggesting that you break the law. Our suggestions are for the products that you use with, and sell to, clients.

Blindly buying products that “seem healthy” is not a good strategy for your clients either. You must examine the ingredient lists. Whole Foods Market, the largest health food store chain in the U.S., sells a shampoo under its own label that contains sodium lauryl sulfate. Tom's of Maine deodorant contains propylene glycol. It is you, the esthetician, that must stand up for your clients and fully understand the details of what you are selling to them.

Other things to watch for:

• Coloring, dyes that are not vegetable based
• Added fragrances are almost always chemically enhanced

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)

Finally, it's worth noting an increasing problem happening to Americans called multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS). This is a condition where a person's health deteriorates rapidly and seemingly inexplicably, due to a hypersensitivity to chemicals. The patient gets to a point where they can't tolerate even the slightest amount of manmade chemicals in their food, makeup or even in the air they breathe, with debilitating results. It is fairly clear that this frightening condition is caused by a lifetime of absorption of chemicals, so if you, as the esthetician, can help your clients avoid problems like this in their future, it seems like it's worth educating yourself and helping them avoid health problems like this. Ohio State University has done a fair amount of research into this condition and has identified some of the main culprits in causing MCS as formaldehyde, pesticides, nitrogen dioxide (from unvented gas stoves), solvents, latex and dyes. If someone you know needs help with MCS, they may or may not get help from a Western medical doctor. Many doctors are unaware or suspicious of this condition. They may need to seek help from a qualified naturopathic physician.


Now for the Good Stuff

Now that we've warned you about all the “bad stuff,” let's talk about some great products that you really can trust. Most of them are from small manufacturers who pay close attention to staying “natural” with their ingredients. For this, we turn again to Angelika Arseneau for her suggestions.

Essence of Vali – The owner is one of our featured interviewees in this article. They feature compresses for the face, massage oils and energizing sprays.
Epicuren – Enzyme-based, metabolically active spa and cleansers, exfoliants, masks, scrubs and creams using a variety of ingredients including rosemary extract and essential oils.
Well-in-Hand – Carry a selection of shower soaps, bath soaps, essential oils and even acne treatments.
Farm Esthetics – homegrown herbs put into toners, powders, body scrubs, lotions
RoopHerbal.com – ayurvedic treatments, fragrances, flower oils
Country Herbals – candles made from beeswax, pure essential oils; also spa soaps
Primavera – essential oils from Germany


So how did Arseneau get to be so well-informed? “Usually, when I find a product I'm interested in carrying, I call the company directly. I ask them 'How do you put these products together? Where do you get the raw materials?' I learn a lot just by having the courage to question them.”


Multi-Level Marketing Products

Sooner or later, as an esthetician, you will be approached by someone about a multi-level marketing product (also known as “network marketing.”) These are products that are not usually sold through normal retail outlets, and are instead marketed through person-to-person relationships. Multi-level marketing is either the next generation of retail or the scourge of modern civilization, depending on whom you talk to.

“If it's a good product, who cares whether it's multi-level or not,” says Arseneau. “Just be sure to check the ingredients thoroughly. Look for the manmade chemicals, preservatives, foamers and coloring. Even in the multi-level products, there are several lines of cleansers and creams that claim to be 'all-natural' that contain many of the most dangerous chemicals that you don't want on your skin or your customers' skin.”

Know the products you sell. Know how effectively they clean and moisturize the skin, and know what's in them. Give your clients a choice – remember the three product lines (all natural, medium, treatment-oriented).

Your products say a lot about you. When your clients are at home, your product is the nearest representative of your esthetic practice. Don't you want that representative to be the best it can be?



Written by Daryl Kulak





This
work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Sir Ken Robinson's Funny, Provocative Speech on How Education is Undermining America's Creativity

At a time when we need our citizen's creativity the most, our education system is sapping it out of our children so completely and so consistently.

Sir Ken Robinson, a former (reformed?) professor who now speaks out against our current mode of education in schools and colleges, has a very engaging, witty message for us all. He may be addressing an American audience (the TED Conference in California) but what he says applies to many of our educational institutions worldwide.

Be sure to check out the other speakers at TED over the years, including Seth Godin, Jeff Bezos, William McDonough and others.

An Intelligent Response to "The Great Global Warming Swindle"

Nicholson of "The Australian"
newspaper: www.nicholsoncartoons.com.au


When I viewed the documentary called "The Great Global Warming Swindle" I was more than a little suspicious.

Were these scientists who were quoted really scientists, and if so, where did they get their funding?

The source I always ALWAYS turn to when I'm concerned about scientific issues is the podcast "Geek Counterpoint." This podcast is produced by a guy who is a scientist and engineer and the information is always backed up by tons and tons of references. The host, Lorne Ipsum, uses the podcast to cut through the hysterics and misinformation which dominate the mass media, and he does it in a calm, professional manner. No name-calling, no screaming.

Lorne took on "The Great Global Warming Swindle" a few weeks ago and documented exactly the problems with each argument presented in the film and the extensive questionable associations that the featured "scientists" had with oil companies and lobby groups.

I especially find it very interesting that the scientists who are the most-quoted advocates of the "Swindle" are some of the same scientists who were happy to say that cigarette smoking didn't cause lung cancer in the 70s and 80s. Can you say "PhD For Sale???"

I strongly suggest that you listen to the Geek Counterpoint podcast on this documentary and read the Website entry as well. I think you'll be very happy you found it.

I also found it useful to go through the Geek Counterpoint podcasts on global warming preceding this episode, including Climate Change 101, Climate Change and Logical Fallacies (The Argument Clinic), Climate Change - The Skeptics Pt 1, Climate Change - The Skeptics Pt 2, Climate Change - The Skeptics Pt 3 (Naming Names), and a quickie post (not a podcast) called More on the "Swindle."

Geek Counterpoint Podcast Home Page
"The Great Global Warming Swindle" Geek Counterpoint episode
"The Great Global Warming Swindle" trailer
Recent evidence of Exxon's attempt to bribe scientists to criticize global warming

NOTE: The film had been viewable online through Google Video, but it looks like it has been removed, probably for copyright violations, would be my guess.

Bill Maher and His Bevy of Hot Republicans

Bill Maher hosted another great Real Time episode this week. I can't get over how he finds so many hot Republican women to be on his show! This week it was Amy Holmes (shown above), a beautiful African-American conservative activist and former speechwriter. Last season he had fewer, but I think it's so cool because there just aren't many beautiful women who are Republicans. But Bill, horn dog that he is, seems to find them all and put them on his show for us. Thanks Bill!

Bill's "New Rules" segment was about how bees seem to be sensitive to cell phone radiation and how bees are disappearing, which could be disastrous for all life. I like how Bill, more than almost anybody, puts environmental and medical issues front-and-center. Thanks for that too, Bill.

Charging for Food Left on the Plate

There just ain't much room left in Hong Kong. For this reason, and as a gesture toward preventing global warming, restaurants in this small Asian country are now charging customers for leaving food on their plate. The food gets dumped into a landfill, starts to rot, which creates methane, which is a notorious greenhouse gas. Plus, the landfills are too big and there's no space left to create new ones.

The charge for not being a "clean plater" is about 64 cents per ounce of food left. What a surprise it must be to get your check at the end of dinner and see a charge at the bottom for what you didn't eat!

It kind of makes sense though. Every little thing we can do to create less waste is a good thing.

Thanks to Greethinkers for pointing this article out.

Beautiful Bamboo Countertops

I saw these bamboo countertops on a home improvement store Website today. How gorgeous! The store is marketing them as eco-friendly, I think because bamboo grows so quickly and eats up so much carbon dioxide while it's growing. I read that bamboo grows up to a foot a day but that's only when you add up all the stalks on one plant. Still, that's a lot of fast growth.

I'm actually thinking of visiting this store in Fairfield, Iowa. My company is asking me to travel to Des Moines quite regularly soon, so I might get the chance to zip over to Fairfield over a weekend or something.

Getting the FujiFilm F20SE Camera to Use iPhoto on Mac OS X

I just bought a Fuji FinePix F20SE digital camera for my wife. She already had a nice little Nikon Coolpix 2500, but it didn't have the resolution she needed, plus the Fuji had image stabilization and a huge LCD panel on the back.

Anyway, I set it up on her computer (a Mac Mini running OS X Tiger) and was dismayed to find out the installation CD wanted me to install a bunch of crap software, including a viewer program called FinePixViewer. What a disaster! The installer looks like a Mac OS 9 program, and then when the viewer comes up it looks like a clunky version of iPhoto.

And the integration between FinePixViewer and iPhoto??? None.

Oh, I was mad.

So, I set about figuring out how to get FinePixViewer off the machine and get the camera talking to iPhoto. I checked the Apple Website for cameras that it supported - alas, the FinePix F20SE was not on the list.

I decided to take the two FinePixViewer packages sitting in my application folder and drag them to the trash to see what happened.

Then I tried loading the photos from the camera. iPhoto popped open! Yes! But then, it wouldn't load the photos in. It recognized the camera model perfectly, but no photos.

My solution was to close iPhoto, disconnect the camera, and reboot the machine. After that, I connected the camera again, with great apprehension. Guess what?? It worked.

iPhoto immediately loaded all the pictures in from the camera, and everything recognized everything else.

I don't know whether I could have avoided the installation disks altogether. I'm guessing I couldn't, because it's pretty clear that Apple's iPhoto does NOT carry the drivers for the FujiFilm FinePix F20 SE, so the drivers would have to be loaded somehow. And the installation CD from the camera would NOT allow me to load drivers only.

So, that was my story for getting the Fuji F20 SE to work with iPhoto:

1. Load the drivers and crappy viewer software (Fine Pix Viewer) from the camera installation CD.


2. Load the photos from the camera into FinePixViewer.


3. Close FinePixViewer and delete it and the other application in the Applications folder.


4. Disconnect the camera, reboot the Mac.


5. Load the photos in from the camera into iPhoto.

It should work. Hopefully, Apple will have the drivers for this camera as standard within iPhoto. I think this is going to be a popular model, it has excellent features. My wife loves it.

Holistic Health Nation Featured on Global Public Radio

I've decided to feature my podcast Holistic Health Nation on the radio network Global Public Radio.

Global Public Radio is a Website that features a variety of podcasts that express alternate points of view from the mainstream.

Here is what they do:

Our goal - To bring political and economic awareness, personal responsibility, and the development of consciousness and environmental awareness and sustainability into the mainstream through the Global Public Radio program.

Non-commercial - As you listen to Global Public Radio you will notice that we don't air commercial messages like other talk radio stations do. Neither do we solicit cash contributions.

Support - You can help support Global Public Radio in a unique way. We offer shopping opportunities with affiliated sponsors through the GPR Sponsors page. When you do this, a portion of your purchase goes to Global Public Radio.

You can also support GPR by telling friends and associates to listen and and encourage them to shop affiliated sponsors.

Let me know what you think of their Website. The streaming radio program should begin shortly.

Modern Marvels Hosts a Renewable Energy Show on the History Channel

Modern Marvels, the often interesting series on the History Channel, is showing a feature on Renewable Energy this coming Wednesday (9/20). I'm excited to see their take on the status of these sources of energy, and that perhaps this message will be getting to a lot of people who haven't heard the details of what's going on in this field.

Modern Marvels
"Renewable Energy"
History Channel
September 20 - 8pm (7pm Central)

Jennifer Aniston - Yoga Gives Me Strength

Fashion Monitor's Website has an article on Jennifer Aniston's dedication to yoga, especially since her break up with Brad Pitt.

Apparently Jen had a breakthrough moment right after a yoga class. As she describes it "I was doing yoga with my girlfriend and we were finished and we were sort of sitting there just stretching and I looked over at her and I said, 'You know what, I'm feeling a feeling - I don't know if I've ever actually felt before, buy I don't want to be anywhere other than where I am right now - sitting across from you."

Yoga really is special. I've had moments similar to that, and also after I had been doing yoga for a long time.

There is something about Jennifer's energy. It seems like no matter what movie she's in, I like it. I know she's been in some really bad movies (I haven't seen The Breakup, though) , but something about her being there makes it okay. Yes, she's incredibly pretty, but is there something else? Or am I just being a man?

Also, here's a little known fact about Jennifer. She went to a Rudolf Steiner school as a little girl when she lived in New York with her mother.

From Sewage Sludge, Wood, Manure, Trash, and Even Plastic To Diesel

AutoblogGreen has an article today stating that University of California Riverside, in parnership with a private company, have created a new process that can turn many of society's waste products into diesel fuel, including sewage sludge, waste wood products, agricultural waste, trash and plastics.

Diesel engines have long been able to burn a surprising variety of compounds as fuel, but this new process has more promise than most. First, the items are turned into a gas, then that gas is converted into a liquid fuel.

This process is supposed to be less costly, more efficient and faster than previous gassification efforts.

The end result is that a gallon of diesel can be created for about $1 U.S. per gallon. Retail prices would obviously be higher, but a $2/gallon price doesn't seem out of the question, making it very competitive with gasoline today.

I have two big questions. One is -- what waste gases come out of the gasification process and just filter out into the atmosphere? It seems like there would be a lot. And two - is the diesel fuel that results high quality, or would it have a lot of impurities in it that would damage or clog engines?

Still, this is another positive step towards energy efficiency and actually turning our trash problem into an advantage. I love ideas that take a systems view of our entire society and our planet.

Transaction Number and Label Number for Post Office Click and Ship Refund

Okay, this took me days (literally) to figure out, so I'm telling you here and hopefully you can just search for it and find it easily on this blog.

Being a home-based entrepreneur (and married to one) I use the U.S. Post Office's service "Click 'n Ship" a lot. Almost every single business day.

It is an excellent service. We sign in to the USPS.com Website, print out a mailing label and stamp using our credit card, and then leave it on the porch for the mail carrier to pick up that morning. It is so friggin' easy and convenient.

But what about refunds? Well, yes, you can get a refund for a Click 'n Ship label that you didn't use. But their refund page is VERY confusing.

Here's what I finally figured out:

1. When the refund request page asks you for Transaction Number you look on your receipt on the label you printed (but didn't use) and use Transaction #. Simple enough.

2. When the refund request page asks you for Label Number you again go to the receipt for the label and use Delivery Confirmation Number. That's the big bold number across the top of the "Online Label Record" box.


Number 2 is what took me days to figure out. I entered so many different numbers that I thought it would lock out my user ID (but it didn't, thankfully). I just couldn't believe that they meant delivery confirmation.

I guess it was weird for me, because delivery confirmation number is optional when you take a package to the post office manually, but with Click 'n Ship is is mandatory (and free, by the way).

Okay, got it??

Transaction Number = Transaction #
Label Number = Delivery Confirmation Number


I feel better now.

Oh, and if you need a place to buy the labels with a perfect little peel-off for the label then the bottom for the receipt, choose Label Universe. They're excellent.

EPA Going With 100% Green Power

You know me, I'm always trying to find both sides of the story, but on this one, it's all up side as far as I can tell.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. has proclaimed that it will use 100% green energy for its buildings. It's doing this by purchasing nearly 300 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of green power annually in the form of renewable energy certificates (RECs) or delivered product. They say that this amount is equal to 100 percent of the total estimated annual electricity consumption at all of EPA’s nearly 200 facilities across the country—enough electricity to power 27,084 homes for an entire year.

How cool is that? The EPA leading the way for the rest of us on green power! I'm so proud of them! Holy crap!

I guess there's no mention of their automotive usage, so maybe they're just focusing on how much electricity and natural gas, etc. they're using for the buildings. That's my guess.

Even one agency doing this has such a huge effect on our environment. The EPA's decision will mean that 616,279,179 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will be avoided annually.

And all of this under the Bush administration! Why aren't the media going nuts over this? I guess it got missed in all the coverage of the fifth anniversary of 9/11. Too bad. But understandable.

Bill Maher is Back!

Well, it's official. Bill Maher is back.

Yes, his season of Real Time started about two weeks ago, but it was a rocky start. I blogged about his first show, where most of the jokes bombed and the guests were even worse. Even "New Rules" was a washout.

But this week's show was great. Bill's back.

The Best Earphones for Your iPod or Other Portable Music Device

Okay, after years of searching, I stumbled upon the best earphones for my iPod --- for me.

They are the Koss P-9 In-Ear Headphones. They're actually earphones - no padding around the ear.

Here's why they're so great:

• They stay in my ears. The regular Apple earbuds do not stay in, especially on my left ear. My ear canal must be shaped a little weird or something. But these Koss earphones stay in.


• Great sound. They're Koss.


• Easy to put on and off. You can tell which one is left/right just by the shape, no need to look for "L" and "R."


• Cheap. Amazon has them for only $10 plus shipping.


• Fits people with funny ear lobes. My wife has a hard time clipping earphones over the top of her ear, but these fit her fine.


• Widely available. I actually bought them at Radio Shack, but it seems like Amazon's price is better.


• Cord is the right length. I am kind of tall, so sometimes I get these earphones with short cords that don't allow me to have the iPod in my fanny pack, but this cord is just the right length.

I think the iPod earbug crisis has been solved. I can listen to my music without worrying about the earbuds falling out while I'm mowing the lawn or bending over to pick a weed. These suckers stay in.

I haven't really found a downside. I'll let you know in a future post if they crap out on me for any reason.

Way to go, Koss!

Contact ABC to Ask Them to Drop Their Miniseries "The Path to 9/11"

I urge you to contact the ABC television network today to ask them not to show their new miniseries "The Path to 9/11."

This miniseries is filled with inaccuracies and falsehoods created to portray the Clinton administration as bumbling and inept, while showing the Bush government as strong and on top of it all.

We really don't need this kind of crap on television. Ask ABC to cancel their showing of this TV special.

Even Harvey Keitel, pictured above, has stated that he feels there are inaccuracies in the film and has called on ABC to fix them before airing the miniseries.

Project Censored - Here are the Top 25 Underreported News Stories

Project Censored is a kind of media watchdog organization that maintains a list of the most underreported (hmm, least reported?) stories in the media.

Why aren't these stories getting aired? Some say they already are, but maybe not. If they're not getting reported, maybe there's something happening behind the scenes.

Here are their Top Twenty-Five Underreported Stories:

#1 Future of Internet Debate Ignored by Media

#2 Halliburton Charged with Selling Nuclear Technologies to Iran

#3 Oceans of the World in Extreme Danger

#4 Hunger and Homelessness Increasing in the US

#5 High-Tech Genocide in Congo

#6 Federal Whistleblower Protection in Jeopardy

# 7 US Operatives Torture Detainees to Death in Afghanistan and Iraq

#8 Pentagon Exempt from Freedom of Information Act

#9 The World Bank Funds Israel-Palestine Wall

#10 Expanded Air War in Iraq Kills More Civilians

#11 Dangers of Genetically Modified Food Confirmed

#12 Pentagon Plans to Build New Landmines

#13 New Evidence Establishes Dangers of Roundup

#14 Homeland Security Contracts KBR to Build Detention Centers in the US

#15 Chemical Industry is EPA’s Primary Research Partner

#16 Ecuador and Mexico Defy US on International Criminal Court

#17 Iraq Invasion Promotes OPEC Agenda

#18 Physicist Challenges Official 9-11 Story

#19 Destruction of Rainforests Worst Ever

#20 Bottled Water: A Global Environmental Problem

#21 Gold Mining Threatens Ancient Andean Glaciers

#22 $Billions in Homeland Security Spending Undisclosed

#23 US Oil Targets Kyoto in Europe

#24 Cheney’s Halliburton Stock Rose Over 3000 Percent Last Year

#25 US Military in Paraguay Threatens Region


You be the judge. And if the mainstream media is self-censoring, who will jump in?

Bloggers unite.

The Cost of Solar Power to Drop 50% by 2010

MSNBC reports that Katsuhiko Machida, president of Japan’s Sharp Corp., the world’s largest maker of solar cells, expects the cost of solar power generation to be cut in half by 2010. Solar electricity now costs about $0.50 per kilowatt hour to produce.

Machida also predicted the cost of solar to comparable with that of nuclear power by 2030, and that the use of fossil fuel “will be totally out by then.”

With the price of oil going up (except for the downward blip the past 2 months) and the price of everything else coming down, it seems like it's just a matter of time before Mr. Machida is right, we'll all be using something other than oil.

Thanks to Solar Energy Investing for the tip.

Steve Carson and Pat Smith

Steve Carson


Pat Smith


Strangest darn thing!

As you probably know, I used to work in the computer consulting field for many years. I got out in 2002.

For most of the 1980s and early 1990s, I worked for SHL Systemhouse, Inc. This was a Canadian company that grew to be quite large and was later acquired by EDS, I think.

In the late 1990s, I worked for Claremont Technology Group, acquired by Covansys.

With Systemhouse, our top technologist for many years was Pat Smith. Pat was a great guy. Extremely knowledgeable, could deal with the politics, impressed the hell out of clients, good salesman. He was also one to go to the bar with the young people and tell stories. I liked Pat a lot.

With Claremont, we were growing like gangbusters and then we suddenly had two big projects go bad and the company was about to go under. The Board fired the CEO (Paul Cosgrave) and an interim CEO took over. His name was Steve Carson. I got to know Steve a little bit, because I was in a corporate overhead position at the time and Steve was giving me a fair amount of direction as to how he wanted me to run it. I didn't agree with everything he said, but he was an approachable guy and really knew a lot about running a business.

Well, in each case, we went our separate ways. But my friend mentioned Steve's name the other day and I decided to search for him on Google. Steve is now a CFO at a WIMAX company, riding the Web 2.0 boom, I'm sure. And he is also a Board member for Natural Convergence, a new company that does a software-only VoIP product (Skype-like, I guess).

And the chairman of that board? Pat Smith.

I was so surprised. I wish this company and Pat and Steve well. I'm a little shocked that a company could make a go of it offering such a simple product/service, but it seems like they're doing alright. They must have carved out a niche for themselves.

Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Surfaces in South Africa

A new strain of tuberculosis has been discovered in South Africa. It seems that it is resistant to all known forms of drugs.

This is bad news. However, I haven't seen the media reporting on an important facet of the story.

Why? That's the question.

Why did we get this new strain of tuberculosis? To my understanding, these new strains have a predictable trigger. They come into being because we are overusing antibiotics. When we are buying anti-bacterial soap to wash our hands, we are unnecessarily using an anti-bacterial product (scientists agree that the extra ingredient, triclosan, adds NO protection) and we're creating more exposure for these new strains to be created.

I'm not saying South Africans in particular are using too much anti-bacterial soap, but all of us are too cavalier about taking antibiotics for every little infection or perceived problem. Then when the new strain comes along, we wonder "How could this have happened?"

For myself, I stay away from anti-bacterial anything. I wash my hands often, and use cleaners, like Miracle II, that don't contain these substances. Miracle II has anti-viral properties without creating a haven for new strains of infectious diseases like TB.

Please, media. We want to know the WHY.

Disney Branded Fruit?

I'm not sure how to feel about this one.

Disney is allowing its brand to be used on a variety of fruit packages now, using the Mickey Mouse, Tasmanian Devil and Sponge Bob characters.

"We're doing it predominantly because it is the right thing to do, but secondarily because it is the right business to be in," said Harry Dollman, head of food products licensing for Disney.

There are a couple of great things about this. First, it's a great business move. Disney is distancing itself from the McDonald's Happy Meal thing, and moving towards fruit. Excellent.

Also, heck, it's fruit! That's better than some sugar-coated piece of whatever. That's good too.

I guess (wishful thinking) there's a part of me that wanted them to endorse organic produce. Would that be too radical? Pesticide-free, not genetically manipulated, non-petroleum fertilized organic stuff. There is a Winnie the Pooh organic apple that is coming out in September, but what I'm saying is I wish the whole line was organic. And don't give me the excuse that there isn't enough organic food to make up the volume. Whole Foods Market is a multi-billion dollar grocer that serves a ton of organic produce. It just takes extra work to find it.

But this half-way measure is still pretty great.

So, that's how I feel about this. (How's that again??)

It looks like at least one other columnist is as conflicted as I am, albeit in a different way.

And here's what CNN had to say.

Garden Railroad Tour

Columbus, Ohio (my home town) has a very cool tour coming up this weekend. It's a tour of "garden railroads." These are miniature railroads built in people's backyard gardens. The pictures are breathtaking.

I'm thinking about taking my little brother (from Big Brothers) on this tour if he can make it. Sounds really fun!



Here are the details.

Under USDA Proposal, Beef Can Be Labeled "Grass Fed" Even If It's Feedlot Raised

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing a new standard to lower the bar on what it means for a cow to be "grass fed." If this passes, beef marketers can sell their beef as "grass fed" as long as they were fed grass at some point in time, but it doesn't have to be grass that they eat while on the open range.

It would also allow cows to be fed "immature corn silage" which you would think would constitute a "corn fed" cow, but under this proposal, it's still grass. Apparently, corn is considered a grass until it starts to sprout the ears, but the USDA is trying to push the definition a little.

And finally, this proposal would allow cows that are injected with antibiotics and hormones to be called grass fed as well. This has the American Grassfed Association up in arms, but I don't really understand that part. It seems like the antibiotics and hormones are a separate issue from whether a cow is grass fed or not. Still, if they can constrict those practices, that would be great, I don't like having them in there anyway.

This is why I tend to ignore the labels on meat or other produce and put my trust into the retailer. I talked about this in my previous post "How to Close the Organic Gap."

Idaho Observer - Aspartame Makes a Great Ant Poison!

The Idaho Observer reports a first-hand account of how aspartame, known as Equal, makes a great ant poison.

This lady had a bad ant problem in her bathroom, and the Orkin Man wasn't able to help. She read that aspartame was originally developed as a poison, so she thought she might try using it.

It worked! The ants took the aspartame crystals away and the ant hill was completely gone - all the ants either dead or evacuated.

She doesn't know the nature of how aspartame poisons the ants. It is an excitotoxin that causes specific brain cells to be become excited to the point where they quickly die.

As with any poison, she warns, wear gloves while using it and DO NOT get any in your mouth!

NOTE: As far as I can tell, the Idaho Observer is not a regular daily newspaper, like the name sounds. It seems to have a lot of articles about aspartame, so this article may be suspect. Still, it's worth a try. We've had ant problems from time to time in our house, and I'm wondering if this might be a solution.