Archive for the ‘not ninja-worthy’ Category

The Graffiti of the Philanthropic Class

That’s what the New York Times, via an article today by theater critic Charles Isherwood, calls the various plaques and signs honoring philanthropists’ donations to cultural venues, schools, hospitals, charities, libraries, parks, museums, etc.

With his personal interest focused on performing arts, Isherwood concentrates primarily on the "naming" of theatrical venues; but the implications of his lede line: "WHATEVER happened to Anonymous?" include the many other instances in which benefactors are identified by name.

One can only wonder if the Times’s resentment of the practice might stem in some small part from the curious absence of the name Sulzberger on any local buildings or public facilities. Certainly, there are no hospital wings, university labs, concert halls, or charitable organizations widely known for affiliation with the Sulzbergers — even in the weekly Sunday Styles pages of the family’s own newspaper, a reader would be hard pressed to see any photo of Pinch or pAAre among the attendees at charity balls, galas, and fundraisers. Which makes it unlikley that he and his family are anonymous donors.

Indeed, as far as a quick mental review by this lifelong New Yorker extends, there is no recollection of any public involvement of the Sulzbergers — certainly one of the city’s premier business dynasties — in any philanthropic endeavors save one. That’s the Times’s annual "Neediest Cases" drive, in which readers are asked to donate money for which the Times later takes credit by turning the funds over to various organized charities.

In a city where names from Andrew Carnegie to more recent philanthropists like Weill, Rose, Paley, Tisch, and many others are firmly attached to the walls and canopies of so many public structures, would it be so terrible if the Times’s Isherwood stopped whining so loudly about the recognition given to public-spirited citizens and spent his energy entreating his boss to become one of them?

americanthinker

Hacking Democracy - Documentary

I thought I posted this already, but I didn’t. This is an essential piece if you seek to have informed conversations.

Don’t say we didn’t tell you, now.

Blame Al Gore

When we start stringing people up - I’m talking post martial law/uprising, when the survivors are settled into the phase of attribution of blame and the doling out of severe justice - my friends, let us not forget about Sean Hannity.

What kind of Republican BS is it that bio-diesel is causing the worldwide food crisis? First of all, I understand that it is having an effect, to some extent, just like the decision to farm millions of acres of cattle as opposed to growing food is having/has had an effect. But as far as I know, it’s corn that the bio-diesel people are after not Hatian rice. ALSO, if bio-diesel is the problem, where are they using all of it? Certainly not to fuel the largest automatic pooper scooper in the world which we are going to need to clean up after FOX’s steaming loads.

I’m a little bit worried about these Republicans nowadays… I mean: When are they going to stop denying global warming and fighting any effort to solve what WILL be the biggest crisis of our lifetimes (speaking of oil/carbon)? Not only are we facing certain doom because of rising temperatures, but we’re also destabilizing the globe for oil, spending all of our money at the gas station, and we’re STILL running out of it. Do they have like… an escape plan or something?

Did they already reverse engineer a spaceship and populate Pluto or… Anyway, here’s someone who knows what they’re talking about (don’t let the bran flakes fool you):

Look, even if you don’t "believe in" global warming, which apparently is analogous to not believing that the earth is round, aren’t we better safe than sorry, especially when most scientists TOTALLY AGREE? Hm….

How To Avoid Buying a€oeGreenwasheda€A Products

OK, so I’m sure that a select few of you out there appreciate how hard it can be to scavenge the web for a perfect picture for a half-ass post.AA I wanted to put the solar butterfly wind chime on here but I couldn’t find the appropriate image.AA So for those of you who feel me on this and for those of you who simply don’t care about greenwashing (and just want a picture of cute cats)… this irrelevant picture before the article is for you.AA Watch as our hit count skyrockets.

a€oeGreen-washa€A (verb) - the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. Before you buy, be sure to ask yourself these questions:

1) What type of environmental claim is being made?

Is the manufacturer making a single or multi-attribute environmental claim? While valuable, single-attribute claims do not address other potential important human health and environmental issues. Environmental leadership standards such as EcoLogo and Green Seal examine all of the relevant environment impacts of a product category along with the products currently available in the market when developing a standard.

Read the rest of them at myyogaonline.com

We usually like "themed" days.AA Can you guess today’s?AA And please, no stupid questions as to why I reading this blog.

greenwashed

As the world goes eco-friendly - even eco-vodka is coming to martini bars - it’s not clear how much environmental good will come from all the green products consumers are buying. Companies regularly tout something as green when it is not even good for the environment - it might just be less harmful than a competitor’s product or than one the company sold previously.

Few companies out and out lie, but they often use vague terms with no defined meaning, such as "earth friendly," or tout an environmental benefit while leaving out the environmental harm their product can cause.

Consumers in the United States are expected to double their spending on green products and services in the next year to an estimated $500 billion, according to an annual consumer survey by Landor Associates. Turn on the television or walk down any store aisle, and it’s impossible to escape products and services being sold as greener: potato chips, household cleaners, garage doors - even trash hauling.

from Boston.com

I’m assuming there is some (ignorant) reason why you guys aren’t reading our green page at www.greenmnp.com. I’m just letting you know that the time for excuses is ovaahhh. Also, the blog that the picture links to is where I found the picture. Somehow I think that site is adorable.

Japanese Show of the Week #17

Ok, admittedly this not quite a "show"…AA But it DOES illustrate why ninjas tend to ride on top of trains instead of in them.

But honestly, WTF?!AA This is worse than Star Jones’ old one-piece.AA My sick days would be gone so quick…

Transperancy International : Increase Revenue Transparency

a€oeThe tragic paradox, that many resource-rich countries remain poor, stems from a lack of data on oil and gas revenues and how they are managed. Companies must do more to increase transparency,a€A said Huguette Labelle, Chair of TI.

[Transperancy International]

Burma : It Can’t Wait : Aung San Suu Kyi

Come on with the Lights…

People- you may remember, well let me rephrase. Those of you that do know how to read words may remember way back in November 2006 that we brought you ten ways to reduce your light pollution. Even before that we asked you to turn them joints off. Now we present to you the critical NASA study. Do your educational reading, my ninjas.

To an observer in space, humanitya€™s footprints on the surface of the Earth are large and varied. They include the regular patterns of irrigated cropland, straight lines of roads and railways running across continents, reservoirs on river systems, and the cement rectangles of ports and seawalls along coastlines. But what about humanitya€™s signature footprinta€"cities? By day, cities viewed from space can blend into the countryside, or appear as gray smudges, depending on the style of development and size of the urban area.

[LINK]