The Ultimate Branding Union

Two of the most prolific branding machines have joined forces in what may prove to be a beautiful partnership. Nike, the ubiquitous image of sport, and Apple Computer Company, whose iPod spread across college campuses and the rest of the music loving world, have joined to bring us the "Nike + iPod receiver."

With a sensor in your shoe and a receiver on your iPod nano, your run takes on a completely new dimension. See the minutes tick by. Watch the miles unfold. Hear real-time feedback. All to your favorite music — including the one song that always gets you through the home stretch. (via: Apple.com)

The branding power of these two giants is enough to scare any individual into running to the hills. You don't "get" sport if you don't get Nike. You don't "get" music if you don't get an iPod. Now, you don't get individualism unless you get Nike shoes, an iPod, and the Nike + iPod receiver. And as much as I hate the ethical implications of such intense branding both companies have used to get to where they are today, I must admit that this is a really cool idea.


(Disclosure: I own an iPod.)

(update: See Lance Armstrong endorse the Nike+ sytem.)

Fourth of July: Pets

Returning home from a holiday celebration, Sharon Moore and her family discovered feces on their living room floor. The sliding glass door to their backyard was open, and a hole had been dug under their fence.

The Moores were gone for only four hours, but D.O.G., their two-year-old, aptly-named white German Shepherd, was gone. Left on her own to face the tumult of fireworks and loud celebrations, she escaped, apparently to seek the familiar—her family, even if she had no idea where to look.

"From what we can tell, when D.O.G. heard the fireworks she freaked out and pooped on the floor inside—for the first time ever—then she opened the sliding glass door with her paw, and dug a hole outside our fence.... She went searching for us," says Sharon Moore of Maitland, Florida.

The Moores' search for D.O.G. ended when she was found dead alongside a road where she was often walked.

(Read More)

(via: The Humane Society of the United States)

"And then I slammed the phone down..."

Laura Rahn of the independent student magazine The Wake of the University of Minnesota explores that something that is missing in modern lover's quarrels--that ever so gratifying phone receiver slam--in her short story "A Modern Day Breakup."

A young man was on the phone and engaged in a heated fight with his girlfriend outside in the stairwell. Obscenities were screamed, curses were muttered, under-the breath-threats were offered and countered. And then…a faint beep. A meep really, to tell the truth. The hormonal young man had hung up on the words of the offending female. For the eavesdropper in the next room, this climax of the young lovers’ angst was terribly anti-climactic. The second meep through the wall indicated the temperamental young man to be equally unsatisfied as he pushed buttons in anger. But instead of inspiring images of the wronged lover fed up and taking his vengeance, were instead images of baby chicks. As the unsatisfied young man stormed down the stairs, one could not wonder whether the inability to offer a resounding click would finally be the end of the cell phone.
(Read More)

(via: The Wake)

I Hated The Competition

With little over a week left before the start of the 2006 Le Tour de France, it is hard not to wonder about the man who was the Tour for so many years. Lance Armstrong is a man who "lived for" the Tour and for many Americans was the Tour. Retiring after his 7th Tour win last year, which was sorrowfully followed by allegations of doping in 1999, he looks back upon those years now:

"I don't miss it at all. I miss the training. I miss the team atmosphere. I miss my guys. But the last couple of years I would even say I hated racing. The only peaceful times were when I was at training camps, alone or with a few team mates,
or at the races, in the hotel room, at the dinner table with my guys. That's the stuff I really love. I won't miss the Tour.”

[Read More]

(via: Softpedia}

Faster Than A Speeding Bullet

Perhaps Superman really does exist! From TreeHugger.com

Bikes to Fight Crime? A Lance Armstrong Story...

Remember kids, you don't need a ginormous SUV like Batman to fight crime. The Enquirer reports that seven time winner of the Tour de France Lance Armstrong used his bike to play super-hero. "The supercyclist was biking with a pal near the beach in Santa Monica, when a mugger pushed down a woman and sprinted off with her purse. Who knew they even had muggers in Santa Monica? Lance reportedly turned around, raced after the scruffy bad guy and bumped him to the turf with a crafty front-wheel whack. The reports says Lance snagged the purse from the sprawled perp, who reportedly then beat feet and ran off. The report then claims that Armstrong cycled the snatched satchel back to its owner and resumed his recreational ride." Bikes: 1 Muggers: 0

No More McMansion

MTV's Cribs may have to dig through their archives to tour McMansions in the future. Well, there is always dreaming:

Nation's love affair with McMansions shows signs of waning

The golden age of McMansions may be coming to an end. These oversized homes _ characterized by sprawling layouts on small lots, and built in cookie-cutter style by big developers _ fueled much of the housing boom. But thanks to rising energy and mortgage costs, shrinking families and a growing number of retirement-age baby boomers set on downsizing, there are signs of an emerging glut.

[Read More]

(via: CoolTown Studios)

Give peace a chance, with hate!?

How do you end a war? Well, according to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach "hatred does."

How many times have we heard that the problem with the world today is that there isn't enough love, when precisely the opposite is true? Evil currently stalks the earth because there isn't enough hate. Moral people, afraid of being poisoned by hate, are becoming indifferent to evil.
(Read More)

Air Torture

Learn about the U.S. procedure for transporting detainees to torture sites around the world in this Amnesty International parody. Fill out the form letter to email your represntatives today:

Did you know the U.S. flies detainees to foreign countries that allow the use of torture? I just took action to ground Air Torture and end the U.S. renditions program. Join me and Amnesty and do the same by visiting:
http://www.airtorture.com

(Take Action)

(via: Amnesty International USA)

Help Farm Animals

Easy Action for Farm Animals: Congressmen Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) and Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) have introduced a bill that would require producers supplying animal products to the federal government to comply with minimal animal welfare standards. Please ask your representative to co-sponsor and support H.B. 5557, the Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act. It will only take a minute or two, but could make a real difference in the lives of millions of animals.

Innocent Armstrong

Not that it comes as much of a surprise, but Lance armstrong has been cleared of all allegations of doping:

An independent investigation has cleared seven times Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong of doping during the 1999 event and strongly criticised the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

"The report confirms my innocence, but also finds that (WADA president) Mr (Dick) Pound along with the French lab and the French ministry have ignored the rules and broken the law," the American said in a statement.

"They have also refused to cooperate with the investigation in an effort to conceal the full scope of their wrongdoing."

He added: "I have now retired, but for the sake of all athletes still competing who deserve a level playing field and a fair system of drug testing, the time has come to take action against these kinds of attacks before they destroy the credibility of WADA and, in turn, the international anti-doping system."

Dutch lawyer Emile Vrijman, assigned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) to investigate newspaper allegations, said on Wednesday testing procedures were insufficient to label Armstrong's sample positive.

He also referred to "misconduct" by WADA and the French national doping laboratory LNDD.

Armstrong had been accused by the French sports paper L'Equipe of using the endurance-boosting drug EPO on the way to the first of his seven victories.

And in an strongly-worded press release on Wednesday, the UCI said that they 'deplored' the behavior of Vrijman, claiming that he had released the report without their permission to the Dutch press and before all "interested parties" could comment.

"The UCI underlines its deep displeasure with regards to the regrettable development of this case," read a statement.

The 132-page report by Vrijman and his panel comes down firmly in favor of Armstrong, who has strenuously denied using banned substances.
[Read More]

Damn-it Jim. I'm a Doctor, not a pool man!

For those tech savvy individuals out there, here is the next step in human body modification and it is just perfect for you:

I've Got You Under My Skin

Gina Miller (also known as "nanogirl") is an artist who last year produced images on a concept first developed by Robert A. Freitas, Jr., a senior research fellow at the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing in Palo Alto, Calif. In his futuristic treatise, a display would be implanted just below the surface of the epidermis so that its light was visible through the translucent skin on the back of one's hand or forearm.

This "dermal display" (featured on the winter 2006 cover of Cryonics magazine) would consist of about three billion light-emitting nanorobots capable of rearranging themselves to spell out words and numbers and produce animations for the display. To turn on and control the display, you simply tap it with your finger.

The idea was first mentioned in "Nanomedicine," a series of books Freitas wrote describing possible future uses of nanorobotic medical systems. However, these display nanorobots and their sensing/networking kin have yet to be created. In the meantime, we may have to rely upon more traditional means to achieve such intimate displays.

Read More

(via: TattooBlog)

NPR

Subject: Save NPR and PBS (again)

Hi,

Everyone expected House Republicans to give up efforts to kill NPR and PBS after a massive public outcry stopped them last year. But they've just voted to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS—unbelievably, starting with programs like "Sesame Street."

Public broadcasting would lose nearly a quarter of its federal funding this year. Even worse, all funding would be eliminated in two years--threatening one of the last remaining sources of watchdog journalism.

Sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS again this year:

http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/

Last year, millions of us took action to save NPR and PBS, and Congress listened. We can do it again if enough of us sign the petition in time.

This would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting. The Boston Globe reports the cuts "could force the elimination of some popular PBS and NPR programs." NPR's president expects rural public radio stations may be forced to shut down.

The House and Senate are deciding if public broadcasting will survive, and they need to hear from viewers like you. Sign the petition at:

http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/

Thanks!

P.S. Read the Boston Globe story on the threat to NPR and PBS at:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1864

(via: MoveOn PAC)

If They Can Do It...

I'm frequently told by friends who live in small towns that they would love for the town to be more "green" friendly but that it is just too small for it to be feasible. That may be so, however Reynolds, Indiana (pop 533) has the plans and is going to do it:

This corn and soybean and hog farming town, which pops up out of nowhere at a crossroads and disappears as fast, has only 533 residents left. As in many withering rural communities, worries here lean toward keeping the school open, persuading sons and daughters to stay and finding a role for small farms in a changed economy. But a different worry has risen here, too.

With government financing and help from state agriculture officials, Reynolds is wrestling with the nation's dependence on ordinary energy supplies and starting a one-town rebellion. Some say the goal may be too ambitious, too fantastic, for any place, much less little Reynolds.

True, most of the plans are just that, for now. But in the end, the town wants to secede from America's energy grid and power itself entirely with renewable sources, like its corn and pigs.

[Read More]

(via: Grist Magazine)

Why It's Over For America

From Common Dreams comes this excerpt from noted intellectual Noam Chomsky on the state of America:

An inability to protect its citizens. The belief that it is above the law. A lack of democracy. Three defining characteristics of the 'failed state'. And that, says Noam Chomsky, is exactly what the US is becoming. In an exclusive extract from his devastating new book,"Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy," America's leading thinker explains how his country lost its way.

The selection of issues that should rank high on the agenda of concern for human welfare and rights is, naturally, a subjective matter. But there are a few choices that seem unavoidable, because they bear so directly on the prospects for decent survival. Among them are at least these three: nuclear war, environmental disaster, and the fact that the government of the world's leading power is acting in ways that increase the likelihood of these catastrophes. It is important to stress the government, because the population, not surprisingly, does not agree.

That brings up a fourth issue that should deeply concern Americans, and the world: the sharp divide between public opinion and public policy, one of the reasons for the fear, which cannot casually be put aside, that, as Gar Alperowitz puts it in America Beyond Capitalism, "the American 'system' as a whole is in real trouble - that it is heading in a direction that spells the end of its historic values [of] equality, liberty, and meaningful democracy."

[Read More]

Higher Education: A Sick Campus

For those of you unfamiliar with the University of Kansas, there is one building at the center of the main campus that is infamous for its ugliness: Wescoe Hall. It houses the Humanities Departments, many professor and GTA offices, and a large number of classrooms, among which are two of the larger and most frequently used lecture halls.

Very few undergraduate students will graduate from KU without having at least one class at Wescoe. Now we find out that there maybe something going on at Wescoe that is affect the health of faculty and staff members. I first heard about the larger than normal number of brain tumours occuring in faculty and staff who work in these offices the weekend after a departamental meeting first released this "hush-hush" information to a few faculty members. The issue has since caused alarm with many professors changing their offices hours and locations away from the building. From the Lawrence Journal-World:

The recent concerns arose this spring when an English department faculty member was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Swann said there have been three cases of faculty members diagnosed with brain tumors in the last year. She said in two cases, the tumors are malignant. She said there also was a diagnosis four years ago and another eight years ago. Four of the cases involved people within the history department, and several people shared the same second-floor corridor.

[...]

According to the Chronicle, officials at RMIT University in Melbourne last month evacuated two floors in a main building after reports of several staff members diagnosed with brain tumors. An investigation is under way.

Swann said she believes KU should follow the Australian university’s lead and evacuate faculty and staff during the investigation.

In the meantime, Swann isn’t waiting for an evacuation. She has moved out of her office and only drops in when she needs to.

“In my own case, I’m completely changing my work habits and I’m going to stay out of my office.”

[Read More]

KBOE is at it again!

The leaders in the state of Kansas are ever ready to push regressive politics into reality. Once again the Kansas State Board of Education is seeking to mandate abstinance only sex education for Kansas Public Schools.

Urge the State Board to support comprehensive sex ed!

The Kansas State Board of Education will vote this month on adopting the following statement:

"Each board of education shall provide a comprehensive abstinence until marriage program in human sexuality that is developmentally appropriate, including information about sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV/AIDS. It is imperative that medically accurate and research-based information be provided, including factual information regarding contraception and disease prevention."

We support most of this statement, but unfortunately, Board Member Kathy Martin has proposed removing the term "comprehensive" and keeping "abstinence-until-marriage."

Please urge your board member to reject Martin's proposal and support comprehensive, abstinence-plus education.

If you go to the URL below you can check out what is at stake and send your own message directly to the relevant decision makers. Take action on this action alert at: http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/opposeabonly_clone_2

(via: PPMK)

Take Action: Voting Rights

The historic Voting Rights Act of 1965 secured equal opportunity rights for millions of Americans. Many of the provisions of the VRA are set to expire in 2007. Today, some legislators are seeking to limit the effectiveness of this anti-discrimination act. The following call to action comes from the ACLU:

While progress has been made in the years since the VRA was first signed into law, discrimination in voting still exists in the United States as state and local jurisdictions continue to enact laws, regulations and procedures intentionally designed to dilute minority voting strength and prevent members of minorities from voting.

A handful of lawmakers are attempting to block passage of H.R. 9 in an attempt to weaken or eliminate key provisions of the VRA that prevent voting discrimination. Not surprisingly, these lawmakers come from states that have the worst records of continued voter disfranchisement.

Some lawmakers have suggested extending Section 5 coverage to the whole country a proposition that would effectively destroy the provision. The prohibition against discrimination in voting applies to the whole country, but nationwide application of Section 5 would make the VRA unconstitutional and would shift the focus of this provision away from those areas that have the longest and most persistent history of voting discrimination.

[Read More]

Contact your representative right now and tell him or her to support H.R. 9 without making changes that would weaken the Voting Rights Act.

AIDS Deniers

Deadly Quackery

H.I.V. causes AIDS. This is not a controversial claim but an established fact, based on more than 20 years of solid science. It is as certain as the descent of humans from apes and the falling of dropped objects to the ground.

So why reiterate the obvious? Because lately, a bizarre theory has gained ground — one that claims that H.I.V. is harmless, and that the antiretroviral drugs that curb the growth of the virus cause rather than treat AIDS. Such talk sounds to most of us like quackery, but the theory has emerged as a genuine menace to public health in the United States and, particularly, in South Africa.

[Read More]

(via: Aetiology)

Food: War On Obesity

Whose fault is it that America is so fat? In a society whose economic system demands freedom to do what it will, for the market will correct any flaws, the growing health concerns around obesity demand someone take responsibility. Is it the individual alone or do buisnesses share in this failure of the system?

FDA: Restaurants Have Role to Play in Sorting Out U.S. Obesity

As reported by CNN, the FDA has released the findings of an inquiry that the administration had commissioned to look into how Americans can fight the obesity epidemic while eating away from home. Compiled by the Keystone Forum, the report found that Americans now consume one third of their daily caloric intake outside of the home.

The report does not explicitly link dining out with the rising tide of obesity, but does cite numerous studies that suggest there is a connection.

The report encourages restaurants to shift the emphasis of their marketing to lower-calorie choices, and include more such options on menus. In addition, restaurants could adjust portion sizes and the variety of foods available in mixed dishes to reduce the overall number of calories taken in by diners.

[Read More]

(via: Anxiety, Addiction and Depression Treatments)

Paying for Your Super-size Meal

Super-sizing your meal at the drive through window is almost a no-brainer. For an extra 50 cents you can have a half gallon of soda and nearly twice as many delicious french fries. While the national average of "up-sizing" a fast food meal was calculated at 67 cents, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that the actual cost of super-sizing your meal is actually much more than that.

The difference comes mostly from the added expenses incurred in the form of gas, food bills and health care costs. The school's press release spells out all the gory details:

[Read More]

(via: Anxiety, Addiction and Depression Treatments)

Portland the Sustainable and Pesky Wind Farms

Sustain't Misbehavin'
Portland, Ore., ranked as most sustainable city in U.S.

Portland, Ore., took top honors in SustainLane.com's 2006 ranking of the sustainability of America's 50 most populous cities. The rankings were based on a laundry list of the usual environmental factors: breathable air, clean drinking water, renewable energy, parks, green buildings, farmers' markets, affordable housing, recycling, walkable communities, and, especially, public transit. Commuting was weighted more heavily in the rankings than other factors; nine of the bottom 10 cities have less than 5 percent transit ridership. San Francisco came in second, despite being 49th in affordability (ouch); Seattle rounded out the top three. Philadelphia, somewhat surprisingly, was No. 4; Chicago, Oakland, Calif., New York, Boston, Denver, and Minneapolis made the top 10. Number 50? Columbus, Ohio. Perhaps Columbus should discover some new sustainability strategies. Get it? Columbus? Oh, never mind.

straight to the source:MarketWatch, Kristen Gerencher, 01 Jun 2006

straight to the source:InsideBayArea.com, Eve Mitchell, 01 Jun 2006

straight to the rankings:SustainLane 2006 U.S. City Rankings

(via: Grist Magazine)

Under the Radar
FAA shuts down work on proposed wind farms

The Federal Aviation Administration has shut down work on at least 15 Midwest wind farms pending ... wait for it ... more research. Last year, Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), a critic of the Cape Wind project planned for Nantucket Sound, added an amendment to a military spending bill directing the Defense Department to study wind turbines' effect on small-aircraft radar signals. Since then, despite the fact that dozens of wind projects currently operate within sight of radar systems and have caused no discernable problems, all proposed turbines within the scope of military radar have been blocked. The stalled projects include an Illinois wind farm that would have been the nation's largest. "Until the potential effects can be quantified and possible mitigation techniques developed, it is prudent to temporarily postpone wind-turbine construction in areas where the ability of these long-range radars that protect our country might be compromised," says a Pentagon spokesflack. That sounds not-at-all promising.

straight to the source:Chicago Tribune, Michael Hawthorne, 31 May 2006

straight to the source:Peoria Journal Star, Andrea Frampton and Erinn Deshinsky, 02 Jun 2006

(via: Grist Magazine)

Marriage Ban and War on Science

Bush to Support Same-Sex Marriage Ban:

"Ages of experience have taught us that the commitment of a husband and wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society," Bush said in his Saturday radio address. "Government, by recognizing and protecting marriage, serves the interests of all."

(via: CNN.com)

"The American War on Science"

From one of my favorite popular science magazines, Seed, comes this editorial by Christopher Mims exploring America's dependence on "foreign born" students' brainpower:

By most objective measures, the United States is the undisputed world leader in science and innovation, whether it's funding for research and development, the number of PhD students it graduates or its share of the world's patents. For the world's wealthiest nation, this is hardly a remarkable feat. What is remarkable is that the US accomplished this with a supply of domestic talent whose skills in math and science are, also according to most objective measures, merely mediocre.

(Read More)

Eternal Forces

The following is from a fellow KU-SOMA member concerning the militaristic rhetoric and values of extremist religious groups:

Sanity: Left Behind
I'll make no secret about it. I frequently wonder what goes on in the mind of the True Believer that makes them reject what most people would call common sense.

I'm not sure what it takes for someone to think that God is telling them to murder their children (1, 2), or that their faith in the literal truth of the bible is so strong that they can justify child molestation. It's enough for them to overlook their blatant hypocrisies when they claim to be pro-life, yet call for assassination of leaders or shooting illegal immigrants on sight. They'll laugh when Mohammed is the victim of satire in cartoons, but God forbid it be Jesus that's the target of fictional books and movies.

And just when I thought they couldn't get any dumber, they announce the plans to release a game based on the left behind series in which players enact virtual spiritual warfare, killing any non-believers they come across. The game, Left Behind: Eternal Forces, is based on the best selling book series.

(via: AngryAstronomer)
[Read More]

Health: Canadian vs. American System

Canadians Healthier Than Americans

Despite complaints about long waits for services, Canadians are healthier than their U.S. neighbors and receive more consistent medical care, according to a report released on Tuesday.

[...]

The researchers found that U.S. residents had higher rates of diabetes, arthritis, chronic lung disease, high blood pressure and obesity.

[Read More]

(via: Common Dreams)

ENERGY STAR

Learn how to Cool Your World with ENERGY STAR @ home

The average family spends $1,900 a year on energy bills, much of which goes to heating and cooling. With summer on the way and facing high energy costs, Americans are looking for ways to cool their homes, stay comfortable and save money. When you reduce the amount of energy used in your home, you save money on energy bills, and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated by burning fossil fuels to make that electricity. That also reduces the risks of global warming and protects our environment for future generations.

Explore the ENERGY STAR @ home Interactive Tool and find energy-efficient home improvement ideas and advice to help cool your world! EPA has designed this tool to bring you the best information on how you can save energy and protect the environment. We offer advice on home sealing, what products to buy and everyday energy-saving tips. You can turn to ENERGY STAR for the guidance you need to improve your home's efficiency and save money on your energy bills. (via: EnergyStar.gov)