Whatever Wednesday

Climate Change + Toilet Seats + Avocados + Whatever

I never said that I didn't believe in global climate change

From Norfolk Daily News (1/11):  "Consider this cold comfort: Q quick study of the brutal American cold snap found that the Arctic blast really wasn't global warming but a freak of nature. Frigid weather like the 2-week cold spell that began around Christmas is 15 times rarer than it was a century ago, according to a team of international scientists who does real-time analyses to see if extreme weather events are natural or more likely to happen because of climate change. The cold snap that gripped the East Coast & Midwest region was a rarity that bucks the warming trend, said researcher Claudia Tebaldi of the National Center for Atmospheric Research & the private organization Climate Central."
COMMENTS:  What I have said & continue to say is that: (1) Global climate change occurs in cycles, which can be proven. (2) I am highly skeptical of humankind's ability to alter the global climate. (3) Attempts to stifle global warming could inevitably lead to hardships for those in lower economic classes & 3rd world countries.

Food for Thought

From Omaha World Herald (2/19):  "Enjoy your guacamole. It's keeping Mexican town safe. Profits have made it possible to fund a police force & take the area back from criminals . . . It's simple, said Jose Antonio Flores Quezada, 29, a farmer turned policeman. 'The more Americans eat guacamole, the better off we are. Avocados are our livelihood.'"
COMMENTS:  I do not like avocados. I do not like guacamole, although I very occasionally tolerate it on nachos supremos. After reading this article, I have determined that I will never discourage anyone from eating guacamole again. Favorite avocado story:  Our AAL guy in Hawaii had an avocado tree in his backyard. I sat in his house during a Saturday morning AAL chapter mtg & listened to ripe avocados pound the roof. When he found out that my family, sans me, liked avocados, it wasn't unusual to return home from work & find on our front step a sack w/dozens of avocados in it. 

Whatever

From Minneapolis Star Tribune (1/17):  "Jo Jo White dies. BB Hall of Famer Jo Jo White, a 2-time NBA champion w/the Boston Celtics & an Olympic gold medalist, has died. He was 71 . . . "  COMMENTS:  The Celtics have always been my favorite NBA team. My love affair began way, way back when the only NBA game on TV was the Game of the Week on SUN afternoons, which frequently featured the Celtics. I can remember watching Bill Russell & John Havlicek. [I know that this dates me. Shut up. * ] Jo Jo White, therefore, was also a favorite whom I watched, & we named our first cat Jo Jo in his honor. Yes, it was a black Siamese cat, but this is NOT racist. It's a tribute to one of the greatest guards on the greatest team in NBA history.
* I'm sorry IF I offended you.

From "Dear Annie," NDN (1/4):  "Is it OK to sit on the toilet sea w/o a cover? DEAR ANNIE: I have a somewhat uncomfortable question. Recently, I moved from CA to TX for my job, & I love it here. Though there are a lot of differences between the states, one has stood out to me more than any other. There are no paper toilet seat covers offered in public restrooms . . . Are toilet seat covers really a facade? Have I been wasting precious seconds carefully laying down covers & paper all thee years? Signed, Cover, Hover or Quit. ANSWER:  "In a word, yes. As University of AZ public health researcher Kelly Reynolds explained in an interview w/USA Today earlier this year, bacteria & viruses are tiny & easily able to pass through paper seat covers--an unpleasant thought but not reason to worry. Unless you have an open cut that would be making contact w/the seat, the risk of germ transmission from a toilet is incredibly low. So you'd be better off saving the paper & sitting down plainly. If that sounds gross, consider that most cell phones carry 10 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. Now go clean your phone & wash your hands. ANNIE" COMMENTS:  Here's additional food for thought. * Probably the most germ-ridden item in your hotel room is the remote, which all-too-often doesn't get disinfected by housekeeping. Solution? Carry antiseptic wipes & wipe down the remote before you use it.
Or ignore the TV & check out YouTube & The Drudge Report on-line instead.
* Get it? It's an intentional reference to the highlight above. **
** I hate having to explain myself.

NDN (2/9):  "Just a toy. Crouching tiger, hidden toy. Police in Scotland were called by a farmer who thought a big cat had invaded his cow shed. They ended up in a 45-minute standoff w/a large stuffed tiger. Police thought they had the tiger by the tail when they were deployed to a farm in Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, sending in a number of units, including an armed response team. The authorities eventually realized it was a toy . . . "
COMMENT:  What do you expect in a country that drinks its beer warm? *
* I am REALLY sorry IF I offended you.