Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Kinda want these


(From Daily Candy):

"Simply toss them in the dryer where they’ll tumble around, lifting and separating fabrics and relaxing fibers so the air can get in and do its thing more efficiently. Each pair of balls does the trick for at least two years. Plus, they’re toxin free, so you’re doing good for the environment. They also rid your garments of wrinkles, so clothing doesn’t need to be ironed."

nellieslaundry.com.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Iran keeps Picassos in basement

For a 2005 exhibition, authorities issued an order to remove the central panel of Francis Bacon’s triptych “Two Figures Lying on a Bed With Attendant” because of its purported homosexual overtones.

"Ruled by one of the most vehemently anti-Western governments in the world, Iran is, by many assessments, home to the most extensive collection of late 19th and 20th century Western art outside the West. It is a treasure trove of masters that is all but forgotten outside knowledgeable art circles because, for all but a few of the last 30 years, it has been virtually unseen."

'The Pidge' -- I could make these




Literally. But man, they are beautiful. I may have to copy it as Christmas gifts this year.

the Web site says: "The Pidge is luxury at its finest. Composed of premium Italian cashmere and accented with elegant Olivewood buttons, the Pidge is unique and refined. The short design complements any outfit gracefully without the bulk of a traditional scarf."

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Rose Bowl cyclists on rough road with officials


For 60 years, riders have trained in packs around the Rose Bowl. Now the city is addressing rising concerns about safety.

From the L.A. Times

China frees New York Times researcher

Zhao Yan was jailed for three years as after the newspaper ran an exclusive article on a government figure.
(LA Times)

Mouse envy







http://www.mousenvy.com/collections/all

Don't you just need one for your desk at work?

Friday, September 14, 2007

From today's Globe

"For years, the makers of birth control pills have supplied them to college health services at greatly reduced prices. A 2005 federal law, however, eliminated an incentive the drug companies had for discounting the pills for colleges and other health clinics. So, the price for a month's supply has risen from an average of $7 to between $25 and $50. Some colleges are stopping sales of the pills altogether, advising students to buy them through private health insurance. "

The real problem here is that, to get pills through private insurance, you must go to a doctor first. If you go to school out of state from where your parents insurance is based, you have to pay out of pocket for the appointment just to GET the pills!

Manipulation on Storrow Drive fix


This doesn't seem like the state is giving residents real options:

(From the Globe)

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Monday, September 10, 2007

Dying in pain


From the New York Times:


The World Health Organization estimates that 4.8 million people a year with moderate to severe cancer pain receive no appropriate treatment. Nor do another 1.4 million with late-stage AIDS. For other causes of lingering pain — burns, car accidents, gunshots, diabetic nerve damage, sickle-cell disease and so on — it issues no estimates but believes that millions go untreated.
Figures gathered by the International Narcotics Control Board, a United Nations agency, make it clear: citizens of rich nations suffer less. Six countries — the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Britain and Australia — consume 79 percent of the world’s morphine, according to a 2005 estimate. The poor and middle-income countries where 80 percent of the world’s people live consumed only about 6 percent.

There is video, audio and more here.

And in a related story....
"Japanese Slowly Shedding Their Misgivings About the Use of Painkilling Drugs."

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

'Microfinance loans' can change the world

With full credit to today's "Al's Morning Meeting," this Web site is amazing.

http://kiva.org

The group finds people around the world who need small loans to start or improve their businesses. The loans, as little as $25, are coupled with other small loans from people just like you. This is not a handout -- it is a real loan, and the borrowers from Kiva almost never default.
This MSNBC.com blog says:

I went to the site and picked a few small businesses to support, including two medical clinics in Kenya, a blacksmith in Ecuador, a flower store in Cameroon, a grocery in Ivory Coast and a grocery in Paraguay (five of the six entrepreneurs are women). Within 24 hours, I had already received a note that the grocer in Paraguay had received the loan.


Here is a video from The New York Times, in which a journalist actually traveled to Afghanistan to meet a baker who needed a few hundred dollars to improve his small bakery business.

The Wall Street Journal explains how micro-finance loans and social networking Web sites can make a big difference.