Coffee from a Reusable Ceramic Mug

Just because Sagan was so cool…..

But, Seth over at Quizlaw, had a link to this new study which shows, yet again, that the administration lied and lied and lied about the lead up to Iraq. As Seth points out, the study itself is not the crazy thing (because everyone kind of knows by now). It’s the fact that there haven’t been any articles about it in the media except for the initial AP release. Of course, the report also examined the media coverage at the time, which basically took all of the lies at face value and amplified them to the public - so maybe they don’t want to make a big story out of it. Like I said in that last post - I don’t trust them anyway.

But it is a pretty astounding piece of information.

“Growing meat (it’s hard to use the word “raising” when applied to animals in factory farms) uses so many resources that it’s a challenge to enumerate them all. But consider: an estimated 30 percent of the earth’s ice-free land is directly or indirectly involved in livestock production, according to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization, which also estimates that livestock production generates nearly a fifth of the world’s greenhouse gases — more than transportation.”

A similar kind of over consumption issue is making me withdraw from consuming fish as well.

I’m not sure how accurate the quote is - it comes from this New York Times article. I am usually skeptical of numbers quoted in news papers. They are so often wrong. I have been particularly impressed in the past year or so with errors regarding issues coming out of my own office that are completely misunderstood by writers.

I have been feeling totally over stimulated lately. Even though I work alone from home, I am in front of the computer all day. Between emails and just my regular work duties, i don’t even want to look at the computer in the evening, but I am usually catching up on personal emails then as well (and blogging, like now).

So, to give myself a break, I am sending my little computer on a mediation retreat this weekend - to her carrying case. I am going to take a computer fast. I’m not sure if I am strong enough to do it, but I think it would be good for me. So, for those of you who contact me strictly through email, I’ll get back to you on Monday. If you need to reach me, you can always call (that means you, Sarah and Cliff). No Skype either, Dad. Though I don’t think Mathias is convinced that such a fast is useful for him, so he might be online.

Before I go though, one story to illustrate how Germany and the U.S. are different. Matthias and I went to the gym tonight. When I walked into the women’s locker room, there was a guy in a towel sitting on a stool with four EMTs sitting round him (3 of which were also men). I suspect something happened while he was in the sauna - he was sitting near the door to the sauna. That wasn’t really the interesting part. What was interesting, to e anyway, was the reaction of the women in the locker room - there was none! They continued on with their business (with some curious glances at the scene), but they were completely undisturbed by the fact that four guys were hanging out in the locker room with them. Now, imagine if that same scene happened in the U.S. I am pretty sure the locker room would have been closed down while there were boys in there! I remember women hiding their bodied from other women in my gym in Virginia. I do appreciate the German attitude toward nudity and how comfortable people seem to be with their bodies.

Does anyone out there know what Tartar sauce is in German? Better yet, do you know where I can get some in Regensburg?

Rummy Resurfaces, Calls for U.S. Propaganda Agency - I thought that was what the first website was about???

The State Department just launched http://www.america.gov/. I thought the URL was interesting. I haven’t had a chance to peruse it yet, but I wonder how they represent us on the web. This was forwarded to me by another AAAS fellow working in State. It is supposed to be a sight for people wanting to learn more about America (in English only, of course - other languages are in the works). If anyone has a chance to check it out, let me know what you think.

One of my new years resolutions this year was to see new places more often. So, as a beginning, Matthias and I headed to the zoo in Nuremberg on Sunday. I have seen the sign every time we drive to Matthias’ parent’s house, so it was fun to finally go!

It is a really nice, outdoor zoo. There aren’t a lot of cages, and the animals are in little habitats. The weather was a bit warmer than normal, so it was really nice to be outside in the fresh air (unlike a typical January day in Germany).

I learned that Matthias’ favorite thing to say at the zoo is “They can TOTALLY get out of there!” referring to the animals in their little yards. Matthias theorized that all of the animals must be sedated not to be trying to escape through the ridiculously low fences and pits holding them in. Only some of the nastier hunters had proper restraints according to him. Notice the giraffes and the little rocks standing between me and their enclosure - they could have totally escaped.

Aside from the gorillas (with their sad eyes in captivity, which always leave me sad), the highlight of the day had to be the French fries! Matthias proclaimed that the best fries in Germany can be found at the public swimming pools and at zoos. I’ve tried the fries at both, and I think I agree. The fries at the beer gardens are often pretty darn good as well.

And, of course, the big spectacle of the park is the “Eisbaeren” (polar bears). Ever since last year when a polar bear cub was abandoned by its mother in the Berlin zoo, the Germans have been going crazy over the cub named Knut. The Nuremberg bears had twin cubs at the end of last year. The mother ate one of them, and then kept dropping the other on its head (if I have my story straight). SO the trainers have decided to raise the baby there as well. This time, they are not letting the public see it because they felt like the baby Knut got a bit too much exposure. The craziness around Knut did seem to increase popularity of the zoos though. After all, it was the middle of January, the zoo was still full of people.

It so unpredictable. Sometimes, when I get home from the U.S., it takes me one or two days to get over the time shift. Sometimes it takes me well over a week. I just hate the stupid stuff like waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and finding that your body is wide awake afterwards! Stupid time shift. It is always easier going west.

I am back at the Austin airport ready to head home. It was a good and exhausting meeting. I met so many people, and I even got to talk some science. I am still amazed to know more about my PhD work than anyone else in the world. I hope I can absorb all of info crammed into my head this week.

It was also really nice to see my coworkers again and to have the chance to hang out with Kyler. Kyler showed me around Austin a bit and told me little piece of wisdom about Texans that I put in the title. I also got a chance to meet a few new people including a postdoc in Garching (near Regensburg) who works in the same research area I did and has a European husband. We have a lot to talk about.

Before I head off, here is a cute little song Kyler showed me last night after we watched one of the MANY drug commercials on TV. I still think that is odd.