Dead whale dumped at Japan�s doorstep – Environment – MSNBC.com

Dead whale dumped at Japan’s doorstep – Environment – MSNBC.com

Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we cull the seas of these incredible creatures? What purpose does their destruction serve the world? By and large, the world’s nations have realized (perhaps too late, who knows yet?) that whaling has decimated these majestic leviathans. Only Iceland, Norway, and Japan still harvest these intelligent and magnificent animals.

Oddly enough, I find myself in agreement with Greenpeace’s tactics. These peaceful creations need our protection, even if the steps we take to secure their future seem a bit extreme. (Mind you, I’m not talking about mindlessly slaughtering humans to save the whales or anything that extreme.) We need to keep “interfering” in these so-called “research” hunts. After all, the ocean is the keystone in our global ecology. If it fails, we fail.

Whales have natural predators, of course. Mankind, however, is not one of them. They are too close to us, in intelligence and in emotive ability. They seem quite self-aware, almost sentient, to any who have studied them and especially those who have spent time around them.

They deserve our apologies, our respect, and our care. Not the tips of our harpoons.

Gourmet Self-Heating Perfection? No Thanks!

Yesterday, on an adventurous and daring whim, I decided to buy two Wolfgang Puck Gourmet Self-Heating Lattes. (And also, Cub had them 2 for $3, so my inner Jew said it was okay.) [And before you get your hackles up, I am of Hebrew descent (my great-great aunt never married, and her maiden name was Myrtle Israel).] I thought to myself, “Gee, I’ve been good, I can spoil myself this week.”

This morning I–being of impatient nature and wanting to wake up more quickly–decided to indulge myself. On the way out to the bus stop (which is all of 15 steps from my building) I looked at the directions and tried to figure out how to heat this crazy concoction. The cans label was seemingly unintelligible, until I realized that half the directions were upside-down (conveniently, its the half where you need to hold the can upside-down). It took only a few minutes for the drink to heat up, and it was ready to open before the bus crossed Cedar.

Drinking the Gourmet Self-Heating Caramel Latte was somewhat of a disappointment. Don’t get me wrong, it was sweet and pleasant to the tongue, but the flavor was very bland and screamed generic. I’m sure it tested well with all the different focus groups, but I’m not a focus group. I’m an individual with individual tastes. In a flash, I realized why I prefer coffee shops.

The reason? The end result is always a surprise. Sure sometimes the drink is too hot and sometimes its too sweet and sometimes the taste is inexplicably off, but its always a treat to savor every little nuance. In that first sip, I realized I frequent Tillie’s Bean and Uncommon Grounds and Wilde Roast as a sort of exploration, if you will, for my taste-buds.

Thank you, Wolfgang Puck. You’ve helped me to realize I hate bland perfection. Especially when it comes to my coffee.

WARNING: PHYSICS PUN AHEAD

Dictionary.com/Word of the Day: quondam

As In: “His Quondam Uncertainty was resolved by further studies in advanced physics.”

If you still need help getting the pun (yes, its uber-geeky, i know…) please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle

Cats II — The Uptown Litter

Scene–My messy bedroom Time–6:03am CST

The room is dark with only dim blue lighting, emanating from the alarm clock/radio next to my bed. The alarm is going off.

A hand reaches from under the covers, misses once, then finds its target (the snooze button). The alarm falls silent, and three dark shapes can be seen swarming up to the bed.

Brooklyn: Hey Mister! [head-butt to the skull]
Me: whu? … grrrrnnnng.
Brooklyn: Mister [head-butt] I’m hungry.
Me: go away, cat… I’m sleeping.
Brooklyn: [head-butt]
Me: don’t you have something you could be licking right now?
Brooklyn: just wanted to let you know we haven’t been fed yet… [head-butt to the back]
Me: keep it up and i will feed you… to the Malamute down the block!
Brooklyn: you’re mean, Mister Person. [head-butt]
Me: and you’re a cat… but I don’t hold that against you.

BBC NEWS | Health | Sight warning on impotency drugs

BBC NEWS Health Sight warning on impotency drugs — You’ll go blind! It really IS true!!!