Thursday, August 22, 2002

Wait 'til Anna Nicole hears about this

A Chicago company says it has developed a process for turning cremated human remains into diamonds that can be worn as jewelry.

"We're building on the simple fact that all living creatures are carbon-based and diamonds are carbon-based," said Greg Herro, head of LifeGem Memorials.

The blue diamonds are the answer to people who think a tombstone or an urn full of ashes is not personal enough.

Getting it together against greenhouse gases

Whether greenhouse gases are a problem or not, the following are simply good ideas for the locals, from this article:
MAPHEPHETHENI, South Africa - In rural South Africa, where getting electricity isn't simply a matter of flicking a switch, Myeka High School is looking to its pupils to supply an unusual source of power.

For several years, the school has only had solar power, but the system's output is erratic and computer classes can be held just two or three days a week. Now the school plans to add electricity produced by burning methane gas from decomposing sewage from the school toilets.

Such innovations could be vital to South Africa, where the government is trying to extend electricity to 300,000 more households each year. About 50 percent of rural families and 22 percent of urban dwellers now lack electricity — a total of 3.6 million households.
And as poor as they are, they won't have Western-style power distribution until the cows come home:
Greg Austin, an engineer who designed the school's biogas system, believes gas generated from cattle dung is also an ideal power source in rural south Africa where more than a half million households keep cattle and rely on fossil fuels to cook.

"With the dung from three cows, you can generate enough gas to run a fridge and cooker," he said.

Tuesday, August 20, 2002

He's right, I don't understand

Susanna Cornett and a host of others have zeroed in on some asininities by one Charles Barron at Sunday's reparations rally in Washington. It's black hyperbole alright.

And for this achievement in furthering more harmonious race relations I declare Mr. Barron an "Al Sharpton Scholar". Can a Nobel Peace Prize be far behind?

Monday, August 19, 2002

Fighting fire with fire

They're handing out potassium iodide (KI) pills near the nuclear power plants in PA. This tells a bit about why.

It mentions the Chernobyl accident, and 1000 cases of thyroid cancer that allegedly resulted from it (other sources, including the previous link, differ).

Whatever the right number is, it's a shame. If the Russian Communists had given a damn about civil defense and passed out such pills, most of those could have been prevented. Instead, they chose to deny the existence of a problem that was visible from outer space and set off radiation alarms in Scandinavia.

Incidentally, these pills will be radioactive. Never mind the poll.

Hoosier party school?

I'm not Joshing, it's Indiana University.

The source also offered a list of 20 "stone-cold sober" schools, with Brigham Young winning for the 3rd straight year. Now that's a shocker.

Sex and Martha Stewart (?)

I have read odds and ends about Martha Stewart's alleged involvement with insider trading involving ImClone. Basically I've been giving her the benefit of the doubt, figuring that lots of people had their knives out for her. After all, she's guilty of being rich, and I hear she's no treat to get along with either.

But the sympathy is gone as of today. Martha Stewart thinks the Republicans are out to investigate her sex life.
Embattled media mogul Martha Stewart is said to see a political conspiracy behind the deepening investigation into her questionable stock trades, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

"Martha really believes it is the Republicans who are behind this -- and they are chasing her for purely political reasons," a Stewart intimate said this weekend.

"Martha told me that she believes they are doing the very same thing to her, they did to President Clinton. What Ken Starr did. She believes it is nothing short of a witch hunt! They are even digging into her private e-mails! They are demanding to know who she's dated. Martha said to me, 'Can you believe they want to know who I'm dating?' Republicans on Capitol Hill are probing her sex life!"
Alright, I'm a bit morbidly curious, just as I was about hedgehogs a few weeks ago. But really - Martha Stewart? How vain is that? Those Congressmen may be old, but lots of women have given big chunks of money to the Democrats - couldn't they find someone with more potential?

Don't get me wrong. She's well preserved, and I'd rank her well ahead of, say, Hillary Clinton or Janet Reno. But I'm thinking she'd be a bit, uh, particular. No thanks.

I see a David Letterman Top Ten list coming - "Top 10 things heard in Martha Stewart's Bedroom".

UPDATE: the real Letterman fails us, but she's been on his Top 10 lists before. Like this one.

Sunday, August 18, 2002

Spin? What spin?

See kausfiles for 8/14/02 for an interesting discussion of "child-only" welfare cases.

After turning both cheeks...

Normally I don't bother to link to something after Glenn Reynolds has - odds are you've already seen it. But for this item, about the "Peace Abbey", make sure you read the comments if you haven't already. There are some choice Gandhi quotes that don't get enough airplay.

Say hello to Ellen Feiss, a Rula Lenska for our time

Oh never mind, you really don't care. But if you must, here's Ms. Lenska and here's Ms. Feiss.

The Ellen Feiss link was from Daniel Pink, who usually has something more profound to say.