Monday Moaning

The Planet is Getting a Little Crowded

Yes, folks, it’s time to move over.

As the song goes:

There were ten little kids lying in the bed

And the little one said,

“Roll over, roll over,”

They all rolled over and one fell out,

And the little one said,

“Roll over…”

7,000,000,000 people are now hugging this dirt ball they call home. 31st October 2011 is the official estiamted date for the birth of the 7,000,000,000^th person.

I saw somewhere that it was best guessed that he/she would be born in the northwest of India, one of the more prolific areas of the planet; but apparently not.

Baby 7,000,000,000 arrived “symbolically’ in the Philippines.

A baby girl named Danica Camacho has been chosen symbolically as the world’s seven billionth baby. Photograph: Erik De Castro/AFP/Getty Images

“Danica May Camacho, a girl born in Philippine capital Manila, is chosen by UN to symbolically mark global population milestone.”

Danica will join 12-year-old Adnan Nevic of Bosnia Herzogovina, the sixth billionth baby, and Matej Gaspar from Croatia, who was number five billion in July 1987, no one knows for sure when in 1974 that the world population became 4 billion.

Source: The Guardian Read more

We are overloaded. There’s too many people. Somebody has to stop the bus and let a few off.

I read recently that the planet can support a maximum of 500 million and retain its sustainability; i.e. Mother Nature’s balance. But we have interfered with her equation to such an extent that we have doomed ourselves to extinction. Yes, our extinction is no longer a matter of maybe, it is guaranteed.

How have we unbalanced the scales so much? Simply we do not let people die. People (and some very notable scientists amongst them) have said the birthrate is too high. That’s pure unadulterated bollocks, the birthrate is perfect; Mother Nature designed that so it is perfect. What man has done behind Mother nature’s back has been to extend the life of many individuals so that less people are dying than she planned.

Have you ever wondered why we have global warming, worsening hurricanes, more earthquakes, resistant diseases and the like? Mother Nature is trying to balance the equation.

Imagine that the planet is like a dog, we are the fleas and Mother Nature is simply having a good scratch.

You want another analogy:

Agent John Smith to Morpheus in Matrix…

I’d like to share a revelation that I’ve had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species, and I realised that humans are not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment; but you humans do not. Instead you multiply, and multiply, until every resource is consumed. The only way for you to survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern… a virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer on this planet, you are a plague, and we… are the cure.

I happen to think that is so true, mankind is the virus on this planet.

I think it’s time for breakfast…

Milliways, yes, I could go to Milliways for breakfast while watching the whole of creation explode around me.

You see, for the uninitiated, Milliways is a restaurant at the end of the universe.

If you want more information about the restaurant at the end of the universe, click here.

To Ponder

Recycling Beer

You have to admire talent… and a good bladder.

Boys never really grow up, they just become bigger boys.

Saturday Satire

Make you Fink on Friday

Does your mail box look like this at Christmas?

Full of fliers, brochures, pamphlets, magazines,  and junk mail all telling you what to buy and what you have to buy to make your Christmas and that of your loved ones happy; where to go and what to do and how to do it. Really it’s all aimed at parting you from your hard earned dollars.

Christmas Fliers

Basically, they’re full of bollocks and end up in the trash. Literally, they are a waste of paper.

But… wait!

Are they, is there a way to recycle these for the benefit of making your Christmas a little bit greener?

I never gave it a thought before I saw this blog post:

Junk Mail Gift Wrap

Go there, check it out, maybe, just maybe you think this is a good idea.

I wrote a Change the World Wednesday post during the week suggesting the use of newspaper to wrap your presents. I never gave junk mail a thought.

Fool the foolers, exploit them as they are trying to exploit you.

Sorry, this is a day late…

Change the World Wednesday – 26th Oct

I sit here with writer’s block for most of the week waiting for CTWW, then it comes around all too fast, it’s here already this week…

Last week’s CTWW was about pets. There were two things that I left out of my post, one was the important issue of neutering or spaying your pet to avoid any more unwanted little pets to find homes for. I always managed to find homes for both Pexote and Pivete’s puppies and Hello Kitty’s kittens, but then I lived in a semi-rural area; not so easy if you are a city dweller. Although, I would have no problem here, just down the road lives Gustavo, he’s five and he just loves kittens and cats, loves them to pieces; most of the local cats tolerate him, but a few run… too much love.

Chew Bars

The other issue is pet toys. I have never bought toys for my pets, they’re not kids. But I did see a comment about snacks, I assume they meant like chew bars.

Dogs chew bones and, as any dog owner will tell you, anything  else they can find.

Bones contain high-calorie marrow. By chewing to get at the marrow, dogs also grind the bone to dust and get needed calcium. Bones and dog chew treats also help to remove plague from teeth.

Junk for your dog

So now we have things like Nylabone and many other products made for the dog.

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The production of stuff manufactured for pets is a billion dollar business and from what I have read, dogs use it or eat it simply because you buy it.

Pets don’t need this stuff, mainly it’s junk, just profit-making junk. Oh, and look at that packaging…

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The old style chew bars were made from bull’s pizzles, I believe some of them still are. They are natural, no artificial additives, no junk, just pizzle.

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One comment I saw during the week: “They eat dry food which is healthier & more environmentally friendly.” Dry food is made from dehydrated waste meat from abattoirs and vegetable matter like corn. It is not healthy for our pets, it is only healthy for corporate pockets. This comment shows that corporate advertising has done its trick.

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Here, I have to reprint Small Footprints ‘Final Thoughts.’ “Our love for a pet is often exploited by companies trying to convince us that we must buy their product to be good, responsible owners. Often those products are made of plastic, come in wasteful containers and aren’t healthy for animals. And even more often those products are harmful to the environment.”

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This week’s CTWW is a toughy and there’s no ‘easy’ alternative:

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This week, please share ideas on Eco-friendly gift giving. We’re looking for anything which helps us choose “green” gifts that will please the receiver. Feel free to offer links, do-it-yourself projects, etc. … the more creative the better.

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Buying presents, I was never any good at buying presents.

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An obvious choice for a ‘green’ gift is something that grows, but not everybody has room for a tree in their lounge. You can get novelty ideas like ‘garden in a bag’ herbs which are a lot smaller than a tree and useful if the recipient is a good cook.

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Recycle old jars

You can recycle some things like jars and other glassware; and if you are good in the kitchen, make preserves or jams, bottle chillis and the like (I do this), put a homemade label and a ribbon and it looks presentable enough to be a real gift without looking cheap.

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Recycle PC boards

Everybody, well almost, has an old PC at home just sitting there waiting to be repaired/upgraded but never will be; I have three… I use one as a coffee table.  Think of some way use can use it’s bits. I have even seen jewellery made from circuit boards and I have a plan to make a keyring from an old RAM board.

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Doesn't look so bad

Finally, do something that is really ‘green’ this year. Don’t buy wrapping paper; use newspaper, it’s novel, it’s cheap and it’s recycling.

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I guess when you are looking you can find ideas, but there is one idea that is important; if you plan on having a live, ah dead Xmas tree, make sure there is a tree recycling/mulching programme in your area.

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Yule log

Or, cut the trunk into usable sizes to use as a base for next years Xmas decorations.

Smart Thermostat

iPod creator switches attention to ‘smart’ thermostats

The thermostat is able to "learn" and adjust itself

The man known as the “godfather” of the iPod has invested his energy in a home appliance: a thermostat.

Tony Fadell caused surprise when he quit Apple in 2008 after heading its music player division. Fortune magazine once tipped him as a successor to former chief executive, Steve Jobs.

Mr Fadell has now revealed his efforts went into the Learning Thermostat.

The smart device adjusts the temperature based on the presence of people and their habits.

It can “learn” about a house’s cooling and heating patterns to optimise its performance, and adjust itself to the weather conditions.

Mr Faddell said the device could cut 20 to 30% off the average household’s energy bill.

He said it is also possible to control the $249 (£156) thermostat remotely via a smartphone app.

The price is around fifteen times higher than what basic thermostats sell for in the US.

Smart gadgets…

Source: BBC News Read more about smart gadgets.

 

Man’s Finest Hour

Javan rhino ‘now extinct in Vietnam’

Genetic analysis of rhino dung samples revealed that there was only one individual left in Vietnam

A critically endangered species of rhino is now extinct in Vietnam, according to a report by conservation groups.

The WWF and the International Rhino Foundation said the country’s last Javan rhino was probably killed by poachers, as its horn had been cut off.

Experts said the news was not a surprise, as only one sighting had been recorded in Vietnam since 2008.

Fewer than 50 individuals are now estimated to remain in the wild.

“It is painful that despite significant investment in Vietnamese rhino conservation, efforts failed to save this unique animal, ” said WWF’s Vietnam director Tran Thi Minh Hien.

“Vietnam has lost part of its natural heritage.”

The authors of the report, Extinction of the Javan Rhino from Vietnam, said genetic analysis of dung samples collected between 2009-2010 in the Cat Tien National Park showed that they all belonged to just one individual.

Shortly after the survey was completed, conservationists found out that the rhino had been killed. They say it was likely to have been the work of poachers because it had been shot in a leg and its horn had been cut off.

Source: BBC News

Cát Tiên National Park , a diverse landscape

Possibly the rarest large mammal on earth

The Javan Rhinoceros (Sunda Rhinoceros to be more precise) or Lesser One-horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) with only one known population in the wild, and none in zoos. It is possibly the rarest large mammal on earth.

Cát Tiên National Park Bau Sau (Crocodile Lake)

 

This post has been posted simultaneously on Tomus Arcanum

Monday Moaning

Myth: Cooking oil is good for you.

The argument about natural fat from animals and cooking oil has been around for a long time now. People have been convinced that animal fat is bad and cooking oils are good for the health. Who did the convincing? Why the producers of cooking oils, of course.

But the issue goes much deeper.

Cholesterol, is bad for you; it causes heart problems. (Generally held belief)

Bollocks, this idea comes from manipulated data.

The body needs cholesterol. “Cholesterol is a key component of the cell membrane, and as such, is an important factor in the health and integrity of the trillions of cells that your body is made of.”

NB: These quotes are from: Natural Bias, read there to confirm.

“Cholesterol is required to produce important sex and corticosteroid hormones. It’s a precursor to vitamin D as well which is also a hormone and is of equal importance. These hormones effect human function in nearly every way imaginable and low levels of cholesterol will result in hormonal deficiencies and imbalances that can leave you susceptible to major disease.”

“Obviously, the body considers it [cholesterol] to be an important resource.”

High Cholesterol Doesn’t Cause Heart Disease

“Much of the general population still believes that atherosclerosis is caused by cholesterol and saturated fat sticking to artery walls simply because of high concentrations in the blood. However, it is now widely accepted in the scientific community that atherosclerosis is instead caused by cell damage and inflammation that occur within the arterial lining.”

The Paradox

“In 1953, determined to identify intake of saturated animal fats as the cause of heart disease, Ancel Keys published a chart showing that the number of deaths caused by heart disease increases sharply along with an increase in fat intake.

Manipulation

While the research used to create this chart included data for 22 countries, Keys only used data for 6 of them and conveniently excluded the 16 other countries that didn’t support his theory. Many of the excluded countries showed either low incidence of heart disease despite a high fat intake or a high incidence of heart disease with a low fat intake.

In the early 1960s, Professor George Mann of Vanderbilt University visited the Masai tribe of Kenya to solidify Key’s theory, but instead, he found evidence that strongly contradicted it. The diet of this tribe consisted entirely of milk, blood and meat. They ate no vegetables whatsoever and consumed excessive amounts of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat.“

Who’s doing this?

Although most of the information we receive about cholesterol is through mainstream media, much of it originates from the pharmaceutical industry, and they’ve been quite successful at leading us to believe that the majority of the population is at risk for heart disease.

Based on the shocking number of people currently taking cholesterol medication and the drug ads that downplay the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, it seems as if a large percentage of the population is genetically dysfunctional and is producing too much cholesterol.

Top selling cholesterol medication

Cholesterol medication is a $29 billion dollar industry that is keeping many families fed, putting many kids through college, and is providing many executives with big houses and fancy cars. As such, there is tremendous incentive for the pharmaceutical industry to have you believe that your cholesterol level puts you at risk for heart disease. Citing cholesterol as the root cause of heart disease is like blaming a fire truck for starting a fire…

The pharmaceutical industry has significant influence on politics, medical schools and doctors. As such, many of the doctors that prescribe you cholesterol lowering medication are products of this influence.

Another revealing piece of evidence that can be found from a close look at the research is that in many cases, low cholesterol levels can be more dangerous than high levels, particularly in the elderly…

The pharmaceutical industry is literally turning millions of healthy people into patients and customers with their questionable guidelines.”

I suggest you read the full story on the above link. I have selected and used these quotes as incentives to do so.

Chips taste better in natural fat

Now, would you like to return to having your chips (French fries to our American cousins) cooked in good old beef dripping, or have the flavourless tripe produced by the cooking oil industry?

Read some info on which tastes better  on Chip Recipes. And read the appended email: Quote “However I would ask you to reconsider what you say regarding some health issues with cooking in Beef Dripping and Lard.  These traditional fats are not as bad as once thought for ones health.  In fact many of the so called “healthier” oils are very bad for one’s health.”

Almost everything you see on the net and the information you get from doctors about cholesterol is contrary to nature. Remember, when a doctor recommends a medication, he benefits financially; so the more medication he recommends, the more money in his pocket.

I refuse to have cooking oil in the house. I use only beef dripping and lard.

What about you?

Old Boots

Another idea to recycle old stuff. Most households have a corner in the garage, an old shed, an attic or basement where they have old stuff that ‘might be needed one day.’

Check this out.

Old Boots

Yup, literally fill them with dirt and use as planters, make a false decoration. You can leave them as is, polish them, varnish them, paint them. Lots of ideas to recycle old boots

Saturday Satire