Monthly Archives:

February 2009

Uncategorized

NYTimes.com: Mr. Whipple Left It Out: Soft Is Rough on Forests

From NYTimes.com: Mr. Whipple Left It Out: Soft Is Rough on Forests

The national obsession with soft paper has driven the growth of brands like Cottonelle Ultra, Quilted Northern Ultra and Charmin Ultra — which in 2008 alone increased its sales by 40 percent in some markets, according to Information Resources, Inc., a marketing research firm.

But fluffiness comes at a price: millions of trees harvested in North America and in Latin American countries, including some percentage of trees from rare old-growth forests in Canada. Although toilet tissue can be made at similar cost from recycled material, it is the fiber taken from standing trees that help give it that plush feel, and most large manufacturers rely on them.

For me, this is a pretty easy change, but not something that I had thought about until I read this article.  There are so many little changes that we make that can make the environment better without sacrificing much.
Uncategorized

6 year old soccer prodigy

Saw this on Huffingtonpost.com.  I played soccer throughout my youth and I can’t even imagine what it would be like to have moves like this!  I think if this 6 year old kid were coming at me I’d probably have to tackle him to stop him.

Uncategorized

Cincinnati.com: Ch. 64 flooded with calls after switch

Cincinnati.com: Ch. 64 flooded with calls after switch

Channel 64 was the only area TV station to turn off analog at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. It was one of more than 400 stations nationwide which switched totally to digital broadcasting this morning, according to Associated Press.

All other stations in Cincinnati, Covington and Dayton delayed ending analog until spring, under legislation approved earlier this month by Congress.

“We’ve received quite a few calls from elderly people who aren’t familiar with electronics, and don’t know how to hook up their (converter) box,” Lawhead says.

I didn’t really see the point in delaying the switch to digital.  As long as the analog signal is still working, many people won’t bother to take the time to make the switch.  But, once they lose Matlock or Judge Judy, then people will make the change.

There is a cost in having this delay.  It’s estimated that the delay will cost Public Television 22 Million due to broadcasting both a digital and analog signal.

Uncategorized

Automakers Seek $14 Billion More in Aid

From NYTimes.com: Automakers Seek $14 Billion More in Aid

The price tag for bailing out General Motors and Chrysler jumped by another $14 billion Tuesday, to $39 billion, with the two automakers saying they would need the additional aid from the federal government to remain solvent.

How many times are we going to see GM and Chrysler back asking for government money?  It almost seems like they either don’t know how much money they truly need or are purposely asking for smaller amounts more frequently because they always have the threat of unleashing several hundred thousand unemployed workers.

This is almost an argument for never letting a company get too big where it could actually affect the economy if it goes under.

Uncategorized

Barack Obama handwriting font

I think the Barack Obama handwriting font looks great, but when would it be appropriate to use it besides quoting the President?

ObamaFont Sample.jpgFrom the insignedesign.com website:

44th President” is based on the handwriting of President Barack Obama. A number of sources were studied and the font produced from those references. Barack Obama is the 8th left-handed American president. His left-handed stroke is quite obvious. As seen in recent legislation signing ceremonies, President Obama uses the “hooked” style of left-handed writing where the paper is held horizontally and the pen is “pulled” diagonally over the writing surface, and his signature is bold and elegant. The script flows swiftly with a clear and fluid motion, and includes a complete standard character set and Central European, Baltic, Romanian and Western European character sets. “44th President” is available for immediate download for $15.95, and 20% of all profits will be given to charity.