Daily Dose of Common Sense

Yesterday was World Water Day. Did you celebrate? No, we didn’t either. But, water is a huge issue globally. Did you know that dirty water kills more people than violence? It’s true, according to the U.N.

We’re not a fan of bottled water, so it was great to find this. “The Story of Bottled Water” is by The Story of Stuff Project, and it should make you think twice about buying that next bottle of water.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se12y9hSOM0

We’ve talked about water more than a few times here on DDOCS. (See “Water, Water Everywhere” and “The Great Water Debate: Bottled vs. Tap“.) But this video, while slightly on the hippie side, makes it plain and simple: you’re a rube if you buy bottled water. Unless your community has proven unsafe tap water, purchasing water in plastic bottles is absurd.

Drink tap water and save the money. If you don’t like the taste of your city water, buy a filter.

[Source: BoingBoing]

As a self-professed “black thumb” who loves eating garden-fresh vegetables (but struggles with the actual garden part), I was thrilled to discover the the square foot gardening concept.

Popularized in 1981 by Mel Bartholomew in his book (and subsequent PBS series) “Square Foot Gardening,” the concept is experiencing a resurgence in the blogosphere everywhere from home design blogs to of course, gardening blogs–many of which are dedicated specifically to square foot gardening.

The basic concept is just as it sounds: take a 4′x4′ plot, divide it into 1′x1′ squares and plant one type of plant in each square. Proponents claim that the square garden is space efficient (it can be as small as 4′x4′), outproduces conventional gardens, uses less water, is pestcide and fertilizer-free and reduces weeding to minutes a day. While this may sound a little too-good-to-be-true, the longevity of the idea speaks to its practicality and overall success.

Now, can a black thumb like myself pull this off? That remains to be seen.

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A 604 lb. woman living in New Jersey says it would be a “fantasy” to be the world’s fattest woman, which would mean weighing 1,000 lbs. She’s only 42 and has a 3-year old daughter. To supplement her $750-a-week grocery bill, she has a web site where men can watch her eat fast food.

“When you have a 3-year-old daughter and you’re trying to run a household, things like this tend to be a fantasy,” Simpson told The Post today.

Yes, quite the fantasy. CRAZY fantasy. Does this woman have no one in her life that can teach her the serious health consequences of being so overweight? Does she not want to be around to watch her daughter grow up, and possibly have grandchildren? Also, what quality of life can she give her daughter when, admittedly, she can only move 20 ft. on her own without a break.

It all reminds me of The Simpsons episode where Homer wants to gain weight. He wants to be fat enough to be considered disabled, which would allow him to work from home. As Dr. Nick Rivera advises him, use Pop-Tarts instead of bread….

Via PatsPapers

You frequently hear people wishing for a return to “the good old days.” Study your history and learn the science, is what Dr. Amy Tuteur argues over at Science-Based Medicine. The days of yore were tough, and a lot of us alive today wouldn’t have made it way back then if it weren’t for modern science (me included).

Yes, there is obesity, heart disease, cancer, and more. But, the average lifespan just keeps climbing. As recent as the early 1900s, the average expected lifespan was only 48. And this was when food was organic, people got lots of exercise, and when doctors still made house calls.

Advocates of alternative health have a romanticized and completely unrealistic notion of purported benefits of a “natural” lifestyle. Far from being a paradise, it was hell. The difference between an average lifespan of 48 and one of 77.7 can be accounted for by modern medicine and increased agricultural production brought about by industrial farming methods (including pesticides). Nothing fundamental has changed about human beings. They are still prey to the same illnesses and accidents, but now they can be effectively treated. Indeed, some diseases can be completely prevented by vaccination.

So, don’t knock modern times. It may not be perfect, but it’s sure better than polio, cholera, plague, dysentery, and smallpox. In the good old days, “your doctor couldn’t do much more than provide comfort until your body defeated the illness, or until the illness defeated you.” Doesn’t sound like much fun to me.

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In economic downturns, it seems like everyone is looking for a way to stretch a buck. Whether it’s cutting back on luxury expenditures or simply getting back to budgeting, we all appreciate a little more green in our pockets.

Enter AltUse.com. A relatively new website fueled by user-generated content, their purpose is to provide alternative uses for everyday products you most likely already have in your house. Suggestions range from using dryer lint to make firestarters (I’ve actually done this and it works!) to smelling coffee ground to alleviate car sickness.

While I won’t be wasting my Vodka stash to help my cut flowers stay fresh anytime soon, I might try the hangover cure.

So whether your goal is to go green, save green or simply experiment, AltUse is worth checking out.

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With stomach flu taking over our house this week, we didn’t have much time for the news. But, of the little we saw, here are some of our favorite brief Web stories from this week.

Some people had common sense.

• Heinz has redesigned the ketchup packet. No longer do we need to fool with torn packets and ketchup everywhere. Behold the new packet that lets you either dunk or squeeze.

And, some did not.

• A man at a sledding party in Michigan wanted a boost of power. So, he filled a car muffler with gasoline and gunpowder, strapped it to his back, and ignited it for what he hoped would be a rocket-launch effect. He was burned over 20% of his body. No word on why NO ONE at the sledding party warned him what a bad idea this was.

If you’re a fan of wearing your PJs in public, be glad you don’t live in Shanghai or in Cardiff, Wales.

With the World Expo 2010 looming, officials in Shanghai have launched a campaign encouraging citizens to leave their pajamas at home. If you look at the photos, it’s hard to see what the fuss is about. The pajamas look quite respectable: They match, they’re bright and colorful, and we don’t see any obvious stains or signs of wear. I mean, most people don’t have PJs this nice.

A grocery store in Wales is now refusing service to anyone shopping while wearing PJs. I understand that a few folks might be uncomfortable at the thought of someone, fresh from bed, frolicking amongst the cantaloupe in his or her night clothes. However, there isn’t much difference between pajamas and most of the casual “workout” clothes you see people wearing all the time. In fact, athletic clothes are usually tight, and some of the folks wearing said outfits should be in much, much looser clothing.

It can be a hard call, too. Some pajamas don’t look like pajamas, and some regular clothes might be confused for PJs. How can you really be sure?

I would much, MUCH rather see people in loose-fighting, tasteful pajamas than some of the outfits I’ve seen while shopping in Target and Walmart. Not to pick on those two fine retail establishments, but…well, there’s a web site you can check for verification. We made fun of the “pajama/jean” concept here, but perhaps this is a just a bigger trend to get us all in pajamas 24/7. (Sure would come in handy after a big meal!) So, lighten up on the PJs, folks. It could be worse.

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Here are some of our favorite brief Web stories from this week.

Some people had common sense.

• Time Magazine did a profile on They Might Be Giants‘ kids album called Here Comes Science. Glad to see a great band getting some props. Kids need smart music!
• Too broke to fly home for Uncle George’s funeral? No problem. Some funeral homes now begin to stream funerals live on the Web.
• A Texas family cut their grocery bill in half by planning their meals a year in advance. A lot of work, I’m sure, but knowing what you need to buy down the road allows you to wait until it goes on sale, etc.

And, some did not.

• A TSA agent planted fake drugs on a traveler as a gag. Nice, huh? Agent no longer employed by TSA.
• A New Hampshire man called the cops to complain that he paid for sex and did not receive it. Clearly not a student of the law. He and the woman were both arrested (shocker!).
• Detroit shoplifters ran over and killed the Kmart employee trying to stop them. Now they face armed robbery and homicide charges. The shoplifters were making off with $400 of CDs. That’s worth going to jail for, don’t you think?

I was very surprised to see someone buying a pack of organic hot dog buns today. (Who knew they even made organic hot dog buns?) This struck me as really silly and a giant waste of money.

First, I’ve read all the recommendations on what organic products to buy. Mostly, these include apples, berries, spinach, and a few others. Nowhere on any of these lists are “hot dog buns.”

Second, I can’t see how the occasional regular hot dog bun (one or maybe two a week?) would really be detrimental to your system. Could there be THAT many pesticides in eating an infrequent, non-organic bun? Methinks not.

Third, do you know how much they cost? Almost double the price of regular hot dog buns.

Can you imagine how funny it would be if someone put a non-organic hot dog in an organic bun? Now that’s comedy.

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Then, the EZCracker is here to solve all your egg-cracking problems!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CB2MVZgt5Y

Really? Is this how pathetic we’ve become? Cracking an egg is neither difficult nor time consuming. I think this product should only be purchased by amputees and people with severe arthritis. Anyone else who owns one has surely lost his or her dignity.

What’s next? A product that will shovel the eggs into our mouths for us? I can hear the informercial now…. “Using a fork is hard! And, how many times have you poked yourself in the eye? Well, put down that fork because now we’ll do it for you….”

[Thanks to Ken S. for the link!]