Home for a week = Critical thinking faculties are on vacation

Some random stuff:

I secretly think that our children are not going to grow up in a world that is better than the one we grew up in.  Neither does Newsweek, I infer, as they recently published this article: Today's youngest Americans are likely to be worse [economically] off than their parents.

Meanwhile, while we're becoming poorer and poorer, we're also possibly harboring eyelash lice.  EYELASH. LICE. Let that sink in.

And! Even worse, our dishwashers are out to get us.

But on the upside, rising gas prices might make us skinnier.

Gratuitous picture of my nephew, with whom I spent the whole day.

Dare to keep kids off drugs?

...Or dare them to do drugs? Let's just tell them about the flesh-eating levamisole that cocaine has allegedly been laced with, then see how bad they want to try it.

According to this article, "69 percent of cocaine shipments seized entering the United States contain levamisole, a veterinary drug linked to serious weakening of the immune system in humans." Says ABC, "the drug, used to deworm cattle, pigs and sheep, can rot the skin off noses, ears and cheeks."  Check out that picture I took from the ABC website. Ew!

This isn't just a sensational news story, either.  Even justice.gov warns of the dangers of laced cocaine--as of 2009, they report, 71% of tested wholesale cocaine samples contained levamisole.  And it's not just cocaine; New York State (from which I am proud to be from!) says that Heroin has also been laced with levamisole.

YUM.  And who said DARE doesn't work!

We made it!

3300 miles, untold amount of carbon emissions. Sorry, environment...I'll try not to do it again.

The final route, give or take.  Ithaca to Boston yet to be driven.

Petrified Forest National Park was wiiiindy!

Movin' right along!

More than 1,000 miles traveled; fewer than 2,000 to go!

Double rainbow!

The route so far:

Major waypoints shown; actual stops for sleeping not shown.

The Great Carbon Emission Expedition of 2011

It's my last packing day before stuff needs to get moved, and I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to finish putting stuff in boxes while my car gets insanely expensive things done to it to prepare for my cross-country road trip of 2011, or as I should probably call it, the great carbon emission expedition of 2011. So the lack of dire end-of-the-world predictions must continue until I have more time.

In the meantime, look, here is a collage of me "graduating"!

The great hooding debacle of 2011 will be remembered forever.

In case you're wondering, I don't yet actually have my doctorate.  I still need to finish my dissertation. That's task #1 when I get to Boston. The deal is: no making friends until the first drafts of the final two chapters are done.  No fun until done!

Lunar eclipse (of the heart)

There was a total lunar eclipse? I missed it, I was packing so hard.

So much stuff, so little time before I move!

Food recalls and knee-jerk reactions

An interesting perspective on how food-disease outbreaks and food recalls can cause knee-jerk reactions, yet have little lasting impact on consumer behavior, can be found here. (via)

In other news, I'm moving in less than two weeks and I haven't even begun to pack. At all. Oh god, I'm going to die. Why am I just sitting on the couch reading about E. coli?!

Friday! Links and random thoughts

1. Oh hai, Germany. I'm in ur food killin ur peeple.  E. ColiLOL. (Oh god, and I just ate raw cucumbers, raw tomatoes, and raw lettuces yesterday. I hope they weren't secretly imported from Europe!)

2.  For the record, this all-natural deodorant from Tom's of Maine DOES NOT WORK.  I really gave it a go, but I'm back to the poisonous kind for now...it's just so blissfully effective.

3. Why help the environment? Polluting is so cheap!

4. DYSTOPIA HERE WE COME.

And finally, the piece de resistance:

5. Everything you ever wanted to know about accidentally setting someone covered in gas on fire. Short of the story: you can't do it. Long of the story: Some scientists did an experiment proving it. From the abstract:

Thirty nine (39) ignition attempts that involved exposing lit commercial cigarettes, hand-rolled cigarettes and cannabis resin joints to petrol vapour were undertaken; ignition was not achieved in any of the scenarios. In addition, a single attempt to ignite petrol vapour emanating from a pool of liquid fuel was effected with a smouldering piece of cannabis resin; no ignition occurred.

And there's a visual aid!

Happy Friday.

Food advice of yore

Maybe it's not such a surprise that we're all so fat.

You laugh, but nowadays we get our vitamins in gummy bears.

Make sure you eat enough butter, plus whatever other foods you want! What could go wrong!

Other (not necessarily bad) advice:

Cottage cheese recipes?

And this one is my favorite of all:

One really cannot argue with such solid logic.

 Via.

Comic Wednesday!

Hump day, time for a laugh. This week, from the husband/wife team that brings you Natalie Dee, Toothpaste For Dinner, and Married to the Sea, I present to you some apt commentary on several of this blog's favorite themes...including but not limited to the lack of foresight by political leadership, and the contents of the internet.

Finally, guess which one I am: