Friday, January 30, 2009

inspired by Life


I rarely read the
Life section of The Globe and Mail. In the mornings, I tend to skim the front section over breakfast and then get the rest of my news from the radio and online. However, today, as I was waiting for something on the stove, I grabbed the Life section and found several articles to be of interest.

I didn't know about modern Superheroes, who don costumes to patrol the streets or do good works. These guys are proud of who they are and they think they're pretty cool, too. "I'm not a fat kid in someone's basement or some geek living out a fantasy," says a caped crusader based in Vancouver, who calls himself 'Thanatos'. Dunno. Seems a little odd to me.

I am now worried about the fact Bhisphenol A can be absorbed through cash register receipts and water pipes as well as through food.

I have seen evidence of knitted graffiti in my own city but had no idea it had become a world wide phenomenon until my Danish friend M. sent me a link to an article about "craftivists" in Copenhagen. Now I can't help wondering, if it's in the Life Section of the Globe, is it still subversive?

I learned that men undergoing vasectomies can sometimes see a puff of smoke coming from their groin area during the procedure. What would make that happen?

I was reminded that yoga will enhance my cardio performance and that exercise can help stave off diabetes and heart disease. What I didn't know that short, intense burst can be especially beneficial. Now that got my wheels turning.

And I was moved to tears as I read how one woman lost her precious son to suicide at the age of 17. My spouse and I have both struggled with depression at various points in our lives, as have family members. I do worry about my boys. I want to protect them from everything. Hopefully, love, patience and all the right kinds of support (along with a generous dose of luck) will lead them to live happy and healthy lives.

What did you learn in the news today?


10 comments:

Bhuvana said...

Hmm Let's see....a little bit of local, a little bit of global says The News and Observer here:

There is a rising number of homeless people in the area and around the country.

A local rock band called N.E.D (No Evidence of Disease) is going to release an album to benefit gynecologic oncology.

The Arctic is thawing due to global warming and whether governments are worried about it or not, they are all keen on establishing a military foothold there.

Here at the heart of tobacco country (North Carolina), lawmakers are close to passing a statewide ban on smoking in restaurants and bars.

laurie said...

That's some interesting stuff! I think we should do this regularly!

The Maven said...

I learned that I should probably read The Globe and Mail more often and not just let Gutsy draw faces on the politicians.

I also learned that Barack Obama is being called a hypocrite because he's hiring lobbyists when he said he wouldn't. He can't keep all his campaign promises, can he? I mean, nobody's perfect.

T-Shirt Hell is closing its doors because one too many people accused the owner/creator of being racist/homophic/sexist. He really goes for shock value, that's for sure.

There have been far too many murder-suicides in the news as of late. It breaks my heart.

One interesting article on CNN reported how a man who was presumed drowned in Florida showed up 20 years later in a routine traffic stop. He had recreated his entire life in the last two decades and was going by a different name. A small part of me was a little envious.

deb said...

i learned that Bruce Springsteen made a mistake by signing a deal with Walmart.

I learned that Ottawa buses will get moving on/about February 9th (despite the mayor saying it would take several months!).

that's it for today.

Mom2Amara said...

I work in news and I don't think anything I learned was as entertaining or as informative as the things you listed. I clicked on nearly most of the items!

Anonymous said...

I didn't even look at the news today - but I read that story about the Mother whose 17 year old son killed himself and now I'm all weepy. I don't know how one could ever recover from that - I suspect that you don't.

Dee said...

Hmm, my local paper had an article about the Oregon Stimulus package, in which our state legislature wants to put a lot of money into deferred maintenance on state properties. It includes $2 million to renovate the vacant fourth floor of my office building.

I think I also read that Israel attacked Gaza again . . .

There were a couple of other things, but they're not coming to mind at the moment.

Anonymous said...

I learned from the NY Times that the pilot of the aircraft that went into the Hudson River left a book in the cargo hold, it was checked out from the pulbic library near his home in California. He called them to notify of the loss of the book. The librarians quickly dropped all late fines and donated the replacement cost in his name. I believe the name of the book was something about Ethics.

Oh, and the smoke during a vasectomy is the cauterization of the vas, makes a little puff of smoke as the flesh is seared.

Anonymous said...
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Dee said...

Laurie,
I have a favor to ask of you . . . I think at one point, we corresponded on email, but I can't locate your address. Can you contact me via my Oregon State email address?

There's a man who will be giving a talk in Ottawa next Tuesday, Feb 10, 2009. It's at the RCAF Officer's Mess, sponsored by The Arctic Circle. The man is Pita Aatami and his talk is entitled "Makivik Corporation: Successes and Challenges". It's related to one of my research projects, but I'll be recovering from surgery at that point . . . if you email me, I can give you more specifics. I can give a stipend of some sort . . . I'll understand if you're busy, though.
Thank you! Deanna Kingston