Daily Dose of Common Sense

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

Talk about a genius invention! The PeePoo bag allows someone to pee and/or poop in it and then bury the bag to use as fertilizer. Now, you might not need this in your suburban town with fancy city-run sewage. But, think about third-world countries who struggle with the human waste issue every day.

For slums in the developing world where human waste is an unregulated nightmare and flying toilets are common practice, the bag provides a means of waterless sewage disposal and organic fertilizer all in one easy, biodegradable step.

The bag has special lining that breaks down the waste and it even kills any bacteria or pathogens inside. Completely brilliant! If only every invention could be this useful. Sort of makes the Flowbee all that more embarrassing….

[Thanks to Denise R. for the link!]

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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Myth or fact: Wearing a bra causes breast cancer? Answer: MYTH.

Apparently, there’s an Internet rumor going around (and we all believe those, don’t we?) that women who wear bras have a higher rate of breast cancer than those who don’t. Here is what Dr. Ted Gansler, director of medical content for the American Cancer Society, told The New York Times:

There is no scientifically credible evidence of this, he said, and the proposed mechanism–that bras prevent elimination of toxins by blocking lymph flow–is not in line with scientific concepts of how breast cancer develops.

He goes on to say that the idea that bras might cause breast cancer is so ludicrous that it’s doubtful scientists will ever waste research dollars on it. So, don’t burn your bras yet, ladies, and don’t believe everything you hear on the InterWebs.

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

Some people had common sense.

• The city of Boston dismissed thousands of tickets and tow fines for people who were issued violations while preparing for a storm that never came. The city had declared a snow emergency in expectation of the big storm cutting up the eastern seaboard. Stay classy, Boston.
• A 5-year old girl in Indiana called 911 when her dad experienced chest pains. She remained calm and stayed on the line for nearly ten minutes. She is now credited with saving her dad’s life.

And, some did not.

• Southwest Airlines kicked Kevin Smith off a flight for being too fat. Smith claims he fits between the two arm rests, which is the test of whether a person is too large for their seat. Huge PR nightmare for Southwest Airlines because Smith is a celebrity. I ask why the airlines even let him board in the first place, instead of kicking him off once on the plane?
• New toy: Fisher Price’s Bigfoot the Monster. It’s cute in a Muppet-gone-bad kind of way, but do we really want to encourage children to believe in this nonsense?

This product cracks me up:

It’s a chewing gum that increases breast size. It’s so popular in Japan that it is sold in convenience stores. But, as with anything promising non-surgical enhancement, the jury is out on whether this works effectively. One British nutritionist said you may have to consume/use the product (whether pills, gum, or cream) every day for the rest of your life to maintain the effect. That doesn’t sound cheap. And it’s not known yet what the long-term side effects may be.

Save your money, ladies.

Proving that you really can pay someone to do anything, Holiday Inn Hotels in England are now offering human bed warmers. If you hate cold sheets (and, who doesn’t?), the staff will send someone up to your room to lie in your bed for you. This opens up a chasm of questions for me, some of which the hotel chain has already anticipated:

Holiday Inn said the warmer would be fully dressed and leave the bed before the guest occupied it. They could not confirm if the warmer would shower first, but said hair would be covered.

How do they know the bed warmer won’t fall asleep on the job? Can you request the gender of your bed warmer? And, what’s wrong with an electric blanket?

In a hotel, the last thing you want to think about is all the other people who have slept in your bed. Knowing someone has just hopped out of it doesn’t make for a restful night’s sleep.

[Via TwitterMoms]

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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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This story lacks common sense in so many areas that it’s hard to know where to begin.

A Connecticut mother left her two small kids in the car while she ran an errand. Big deal, right? Well, what if I told you it was in freezing conditions and the car was off? Bad. Really bad. Has this woman never heard of frostbite or hypothermia?

We can assume she left her 3-year old and a 1-year old to freeze their buns off in the car while going on a SUPER, IMPORTANT errand. Perhaps picking something up at the store, dropping of a letter at the Post Office, paying a bill, or maybe bringing peace to the Middle East.

Nope. She had to go sit in a tanning bed. Yep, getting a fake tan was that important.

Guess she hasn’t heard of skin cancer either.

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