Ice is INconvenient

NY-1 News never ceases to amaze me with their creative weather reports - -today they reported the sound of rain on the reporter's umbrella. This was, of course, with little external validity because most NYC umbrellas actually only consist of the metal sticks with the covering still clinging to about 1/4 of the umbrella - - Wind + Rain = umbrella failure.

Good thing NY has a designer that can make things with old umbrella remnants Click Here for the story... Think doggie coats or scarf like things.

With the uproar in Egypt - I was upset to hear about what was going on - - well I was also pretty upset that Diane Sawyer interrupted Oprah with a special report about it all. Why Oprah? (preface, I usually don't have time to watch TV) Because UC Berkeley Knight Professor of journalism / food expert Michael Pollan was on. Check out Oprah's site - there are also many great links to other resources regarding food:

Click Here for Oprah's site




Mr. Pollan himself...I think I am wearing his same jacket today.


His main point: we don't know where our food comes from. Do kids know that a chicken was killed in the process of making their nuggets? Do you even think about the distance your food has traveled to get to the convenient supermarket? You can also look inside Cargill - one of the largest slaughterhouses - and how your cow becomes dinner.

Meanwhile the weather outside was frightful...

And it took me an hour to get to my thesis setting. Primarily because I had to walk on what appeared to be a free ice rink that decided to cover NYC.

From Southern California, ice is relatively controlled and found mainly in cube trays in the freezer, in the Anaheim Ice Skating Rink, and in Big Bear when your dad decides it would be fun to go off roading in the snow and nearly slide the jeep off the mountain due to icy roads.

However, it was a great workout. Point being - - all of you readers who are reading this amidst inclement weather, I want you to rejoice. Think of the novel workout you are getting by shoveling snow, sweating profusely, trekking through rain, dressing and undressing with all of those layers.

If icy conditions and NY1 news' continual report of puddle conditions correlates with a healthier and more active population, then my grey morning just got much sunnier! Oh cardiovascular activity....30-45minutes daily folks!

In other news - - checkout the Michael Pollan interview on Oprah. It is worth a moment. Be weary of the lady that speaks with him (Kathy) - she does NOT have any nutritional training and while I respect her - - she says a bunch of nonsense. It is interesting to see how much false information is readily advertised and accepted by the population, desperate for a better way of eating and for regular bowel movements.