Beach with more plastic waste than sand – in Hawaii
According to this BBC report, an endless supply of rubbish from the Pacific is filling up what should be a pristine Hawaiian beach. The Pacific Ocean is arguably the world's biggest garbage dump.
The fake problems of infomercials
I caught this video on the Daily Dish. It is a compilation of excerpts from numerous infomercials. This excellent editing of a string of disasters that suggests the need for one more infomercial offering this bit of free advice: Slow down; quit being such materialists; simplify your life and quit acting so recklessly. Excellent humor and anthropology, "kickintheheadcomic"! I suspect we'll soon be hearing a new soundtrack on this clever video, unless the creator has his use rights to the Beatle's "Help" nailed down . . .
Stifling our teenagers?
Are we wrecking our teenagers by over-protecting them? That is the conclusion of Dr. Joe Allen. Newsweek sums up his book as follows:
Allen has concluded that our urge to protect teenagers from real life – because we don’t think they’re ready yet – has tragically backfired. By insulating them from adult-like work, adult social relationships, and adult consequences, we have only delayed their development. We have made it harder for them to grow up. Maybe even made it impossible to grow up on time.
New Smithsonian human origins exhibit
A new $20 million 15,000 square foot exhibit has been built around a central question: "What does it mean to be human?" says paleoanthropologist Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian's Human Origins Program and curator of the project. It all makes good sense, which means that it is about to be attacked by a huge numbers of people who dread the idea that they are human animals. If only these anti-science types would learn to take deep breaths to follow the evidence wherever it leads. They would find that we humans are part of an immense and intricate tree of life. what possible concocted story could be more amazing than that?
Tell me about my house
I recently learned about a data-rich site focusing on real estate: zillow.com Would you like to know about your own house, for instance, would you like to know what it's worth? Then type your own address into the home page field. You'll also find lots of information about your neighbors' homes. Looking for a home? Zillow will help you with that too