10 things to scratch from your worry list

By John Tierney

International Herald Tribune

For most of the year, it is the duty of the press to scour the known
universe looking for ways to ruin your day. The more fear, guilt or
angst a news story induces, the better. But with August upon us, perhaps
you're in the mood for a break, so I've rounded up a list of 10 things
not to worry about on your vacation.

Now, I can't guarantee you that any of these worries is groundless,
because I can't guarantee you that anything is absolutely safe,
including the act of reading a newspaper. With enough money, an
enterprising researcher could surely identify a chemical in newsprint or
keyboards that is dangerously carcinogenic for any rat that reads a
trillion science columns every day.

What I can guarantee is that I wouldn't spend a nanosecond of my
vacation worrying about any of these 10 things:

1. Killer hot dogs. What is it about frankfurters? There was the nitrite
scare. Then the grilling-creates-carcinogens alarm. And then, when those
menaces ebbed, the weenie warriors fell back on that old reliable
villain: saturated fat.

But now even saturated fat isn't looking so bad, thanks to a rigorous
experiment in Israel reported this month. The people on a low-carb,
unrestricted-calorie diet consumed more saturated fat than another group
forced to cut back on both fat and calories, but those fatophiles lost
more weight and ended up with a better cholesterol profile. And this was
just the latest in a series of studies contradicting the medical
establishment's predictions about saturated fat.

If you must worry, focus on the carbs in the bun. But when it comes to
the fatty frank - or the fatty anything else on vacation - I'd relax.

2. Your car's planet-destroying A/C. No matter how guilty you feel about
your carbon footprint, you don't have to swelter on the highway to the
beach. After doing tests at 65 miles per hour, the mileage experts at
edmunds.com report that the aerodynamic drag from opening the windows
cancels out any fuel savings from turning off the air-conditioner.

3. Forbidden fruits from afar. Do you dare to eat a kiwi? Sure, because
more "food miles" do not equal more greenhouse emissions. Food from
other countries is often produced and shipped much more efficiently than
domestic food, particularly if the local producers are hauling their
wares around in small trucks. One study showed that apples shipped from
New Zealand to Britain had a smaller carbon footprint than apples grown
and sold in Britain.

4. Carcinogenic cellphones. Some prominent brain surgeons made news on
Larry King's show this year with their fears of cellphones, thereby
establishing once and for all that epidemiology is not brain surgery -
it's more complicated.

As my colleague Tara Parker-Pope has noted, there is no known biological
mechanism for the phones' non-ionizing radiation to cause cancer, and
epidemiological studies have failed to find consistent links between
cancer and cellphones.

It's always possible today's worried doctors will be vindicated, but I'd
bet they'll be remembered more like the promoters of the old
cancer-from-power-lines menace - or like James Thurber's grandmother,
who covered up her wall outlets to stop electricity from leaking.

Driving while talking on a phone is a definite risk, but you're better
off worrying about other cars rather than cancer.

5. Evil plastic bags. Take it from the Environmental Protection Agency :
paper bags are not better for the environment than plastic bags. If
anything, the evidence from life-cycle analyses favors plastic bags.
They require much less energy - and greenhouse emissions - to
manufacture, ship and recycle. They generate less air and water
pollution. And they take up much less space in landfills.

6. Toxic plastic bottles. For years panels of experts repeatedly
approved the use of bisphenol-a, or BPA, which is used in polycarbonate
bottles and many other plastic products. Yes, it could be harmful if
given in huge doses to rodents, but so can the natural chemicals in
countless foods we eat every day. Dose makes the poison.

But this year, after a campaign by a few researchers and activists, one
U.S. government panel expressed some concern about BPA in baby bottles.
Panic ensued. Even though there was zero evidence of harm to humans,
Wal-Mart pulled BPA-containing products from its shelves, and
politicians began talking about BPA bans. Some experts fear product
recalls that could make this the most expensive health scare in history.

Nalgene has already announced that it will take BPA out of its
wonderfully sturdy water bottles. Given the publicity, the company
probably had no choice. But my old blue-capped Nalgene bottle, the one
with BPA that survived glaciers, jungles and deserts, is still sitting
right next to me, filled with drinking water. If they ever try recalling
it, they'll have to pry it from my cold dead fingers.

7. Deadly sharks. Throughout the world last year, there was a grand
total of one fatal shark attack (in the South Pacific), according to the
International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida.

8. The Arctic's missing ice. The meltdown in the Arctic last summer was
bad enough, but this spring there was worse news. A majority of experts
expected even more melting this year, and some scientists created a
media sensation by predicting that even the North Pole would be ice-free
by the end of summer.

So far, though, there's more ice than at this time last summer, and most
experts are no longer expecting a new record. You can still fret about
long-term trends in the Arctic, but you can set aside one worry: This
summer it looks as if Santa can still have his drinks on the rocks.

9. The universe's missing mass. Even if the fate of the universe -
steady expansion or cataclysmic collapse - depends on the amount of dark
matter that is out there somewhere, you can rest assured that no one
blames you for losing it. And most experts doubt this collapse will
occur during your vacation.

10. Unmarked wormholes. Could your vacation be interrupted by a sudden
plunge into a wormhole? From my limited analysis of space-time theory
and the movie "Jumper," I would have to say that the possibility cannot
be eliminated. I would also concede that if the wormhole led to an
alternate universe, there's a good chance your luggage would be lost in
transit.

But I still wouldn't worry about it, In an alternate universe, you might
not have to spend the rest of the year fretting about either dark matter
or sickly rodents. You might even be able to buy one of those Nalgene
bottles.

"Victor Sack" > wrote in message
. ..
> 10 things to scratch from your worry list
>
> By John Tierney
>
> International Herald Tribune
>
> For most of the year, it is the duty of the press to scour the known
> universe looking for ways to ruin your day. The more fear, guilt or
> angst a news story induces, the better. But with August upon us, perhaps
> you're in the mood for a break, so I've rounded up a list of 10 things
> not to worry about on your vacation.
>
> Now, I can't guarantee you that any of these worries is groundless,
> because I can't guarantee you that anything is absolutely safe,
> including the act of reading a newspaper. With enough money, an
> enterprising researcher could surely identify a chemical in newsprint or
> keyboards that is dangerously carcinogenic for any rat that reads a
> trillion science columns every day.
>
> What I can guarantee is that I wouldn't spend a nanosecond of my
> vacation worrying about any of these 10 things:
>
> 1. Killer hot dogs. What is it about frankfurters? There was the nitrite
> scare. Then the grilling-creates-carcinogens alarm. And then, when those
> menaces ebbed, the weenie warriors fell back on that old reliable
> villain: saturated fat.
>
> But now even saturated fat isn't looking so bad, thanks to a rigorous
> experiment in Israel reported this month. The people on a low-carb,
> unrestricted-calorie diet consumed more saturated fat than another group
> forced to cut back on both fat and calories, but those fatophiles lost
> more weight and ended up with a better cholesterol profile. And this was
> just the latest in a series of studies contradicting the medical
> establishment's predictions about saturated fat.
>
> If you must worry, focus on the carbs in the bun. But when it comes to
> the fatty frank - or the fatty anything else on vacation - I'd relax.
>
> 2. Your car's planet-destroying A/C. No matter how guilty you feel about
> your carbon footprint, you don't have to swelter on the highway to the
> beach. After doing tests at 65 miles per hour, the mileage experts at
> edmunds.com report that the aerodynamic drag from opening the windows
> cancels out any fuel savings from turning off the air-conditioner.
>
> 3. Forbidden fruits from afar. Do you dare to eat a kiwi? Sure, because
> more "food miles" do not equal more greenhouse emissions. Food from
> other countries is often produced and shipped much more efficiently than
> domestic food, particularly if the local producers are hauling their
> wares around in small trucks. One study showed that apples shipped from
> New Zealand to Britain had a smaller carbon footprint than apples grown
> and sold in Britain.
>
> 4. Carcinogenic cellphones. Some prominent brain surgeons made news on
> Larry King's show this year with their fears of cellphones, thereby
> establishing once and for all that epidemiology is not brain surgery -
> it's more complicated.
>
> As my colleague Tara Parker-Pope has noted, there is no known biological
> mechanism for the phones' non-ionizing radiation to cause cancer, and
> epidemiological studies have failed to find consistent links between
> cancer and cellphones.
>
> It's always possible today's worried doctors will be vindicated, but I'd
> bet they'll be remembered more like the promoters of the old
> cancer-from-power-lines menace - or like James Thurber's grandmother,
> who covered up her wall outlets to stop electricity from leaking.
>
> Driving while talking on a phone is a definite risk, but you're better
> off worrying about other cars rather than cancer.
>
> 5. Evil plastic bags. Take it from the Environmental Protection Agency :
> paper bags are not better for the environment than plastic bags. If
> anything, the evidence from life-cycle analyses favors plastic bags.
> They require much less energy - and greenhouse emissions - to
> manufacture, ship and recycle. They generate less air and water
> pollution. And they take up much less space in landfills.
>
> 6. Toxic plastic bottles. For years panels of experts repeatedly
> approved the use of bisphenol-a, or BPA, which is used in polycarbonate
> bottles and many other plastic products. Yes, it could be harmful if
> given in huge doses to rodents, but so can the natural chemicals in
> countless foods we eat every day. Dose makes the poison.
>
> But this year, after a campaign by a few researchers and activists, one
> U.S. government panel expressed some concern about BPA in baby bottles.
> Panic ensued. Even though there was zero evidence of harm to humans,
> Wal-Mart pulled BPA-containing products from its shelves, and
> politicians began talking about BPA bans. Some experts fear product
> recalls that could make this the most expensive health scare in history.
>
> Nalgene has already announced that it will take BPA out of its
> wonderfully sturdy water bottles. Given the publicity, the company
> probably had no choice. But my old blue-capped Nalgene bottle, the one
> with BPA that survived glaciers, jungles and deserts, is still sitting
> right next to me, filled with drinking water. If they ever try recalling
> it, they'll have to pry it from my cold dead fingers.
>
> 7. Deadly sharks. Throughout the world last year, there was a grand
> total of one fatal shark attack (in the South Pacific), according to the
> International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida.
>
> 8. The Arctic's missing ice. The meltdown in the Arctic last summer was
> bad enough, but this spring there was worse news. A majority of experts
> expected even more melting this year, and some scientists created a
> media sensation by predicting that even the North Pole would be ice-free
> by the end of summer.
>
> So far, though, there's more ice than at this time last summer, and most
> experts are no longer expecting a new record. You can still fret about
> long-term trends in the Arctic, but you can set aside one worry: This
> summer it looks as if Santa can still have his drinks on the rocks.
>
> 9. The universe's missing mass. Even if the fate of the universe -
> steady expansion or cataclysmic collapse - depends on the amount of dark
> matter that is out there somewhere, you can rest assured that no one
> blames you for losing it. And most experts doubt this collapse will
> occur during your vacation.
>
> 10. Unmarked wormholes. Could your vacation be interrupted by a sudden
> plunge into a wormhole? From my limited analysis of space-time theory
> and the movie "Jumper," I would have to say that the possibility cannot
> be eliminated. I would also concede that if the wormhole led to an
> alternate universe, there's a good chance your luggage would be lost in
> transit.
>
> But I still wouldn't worry about it, In an alternate universe, you might
> not have to spend the rest of the year fretting about either dark matter
> or sickly rodents. You might even be able to buy one of those Nalgene
> bottles.

Thanks Victor.

I needed a good laugh.


--
Old Scoundrel

(AKA Dimitri)

On Jul 31, 6:11 pm, (Victor Sack) wrote:
> 10 things to scratch from your worry list

> 10. Unmarked wormholes. Could your vacation be interrupted by a sudden
> plunge into a wormhole? From my limited analysis of space-time theory
> and the movie "Jumper," I would have to say that the possibility cannot
> be eliminated. I would also concede that if the wormhole led to an
> alternate universe, there's a good chance your luggage would be lost in
> transit.
>
> But I still wouldn't worry about it, In an alternate universe, you might
> not have to spend the rest of the year fretting about either dark matter
> or sickly rodents. You might even be able to buy one of those Nalgene
> bottles.

But. but what about those evil scientists in Switzerland who are
planning on creating a black hole with their super collider or
whatever?

We could all be sucked into that black hole, sun, planets, and all,
and then where would we be?

maxine in ri, back from TO

"maxine in ri" > wrote in message
...
> On Jul 31, 6:11 pm, (Victor Sack) wrote:
>> 10 things to scratch from your worry list
>
>> 10. Unmarked wormholes. Could your vacation be interrupted by a sudden
>> plunge into a wormhole? From my limited analysis of space-time theory
>> and the movie "Jumper," I would have to say that the possibility cannot
>> be eliminated. I would also concede that if the wormhole led to an
>> alternate universe, there's a good chance your luggage would be lost in
>> transit.
>>
>> But I still wouldn't worry about it, In an alternate universe, you might
>> not have to spend the rest of the year fretting about either dark matter
>> or sickly rodents. You might even be able to buy one of those Nalgene
>> bottles.
>
> But. but what about those evil scientists in Switzerland who are
> planning on creating a black hole with their super collider or
> whatever?
>
> We could all be sucked into that black hole, sun, planets, and all,
> and then where would we be?
>
> maxine in ri, back from TO

Hmmmm

You leave the door open to all levels of speculation about being sucked to
death.

;-)


--
Old Scoundrel

(AKA Dimitri)

"maxine in ri" > ha scritto nel messaggio
...
> On Jul 31, 6:11 pm, (Victor Sack) wrote:
>> 10 things to scratch from your worry list
>
>> 10. Unmarked wormholes. Could your vacation be interrupted by a sudden
>> plunge into a wormhole? From my limited analysis of space-time theory
>> and the movie "Jumper," I would have to say that the possibility cannot
>> be eliminated. I would also concede that if the wormhole led to an
>> alternate universe, there's a good chance your luggage would be lost in
>> transit.
> But. but what about those evil scientists in Switzerland who are
> planning on creating a black hole with their super collider or
> whatever?
>
> We could all be sucked into that black hole, sun, planets, and all,
> and then where would we be?
>
> maxine in ri, back from TO

You'll be sharing the void with Sheldon.

maxine in ri wrote:

> On Jul 31, 6:11 pm, (Victor Sack) wrote:
>
>> 10 things to scratch from your worry list
>
>
>>10. Unmarked wormholes. Could your vacation be interrupted by a sudden
>>plunge into a wormhole? From my limited analysis of space-time theory
>>and the movie "Jumper," I would have to say that the possibility cannot
>>be eliminated. I would also concede that if the wormhole led to an
>>alternate universe, there's a good chance your luggage would be lost in
>>transit.
>>
>>But I still wouldn't worry about it, In an alternate universe, you might
>>not have to spend the rest of the year fretting about either dark matter
>>or sickly rodents. You might even be able to buy one of those Nalgene
>>bottles.
>
>
> But. but what about those evil scientists in Switzerland who are
> planning on creating a black hole with their super collider or
> whatever?
>
> We could all be sucked into that black hole, sun, planets, and all,
> and then where would we be?

Duh? Inside a black hole. Sheesh!

BTW, I work for the High Energy Physics group here at
the Univ. of Pittsburgh and several of the physicists
in that group are part of the collaboration at CERN
that is building the supercollider that ultimately
will (or, more likely, will not) produce said black
holes. They don't seem too worried and to date none
of them have mover their loved ones to another solar
system or galaxy in order to avoid having them sucked
into a black hole. I'm not the lease bit worried. :-)

Kate


--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

Giusi wrote:

> "maxine in ri" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> ...
>> On Jul 31, 6:11 pm, (Victor Sack) wrote:
>>> 10 things to scratch from your worry list
>>
>>> 10. Unmarked wormholes. Could your vacation be interrupted by a sudden
>>> plunge into a wormhole? From my limited analysis of space-time theory
>>> and the movie "Jumper," I would have to say that the possibility cannot
>>> be eliminated. I would also concede that if the wormhole led to an
>>> alternate universe, there's a good chance your luggage would be lost in
>>> transit.
>> But. but what about those evil scientists in Switzerland who are
>> planning on creating a black hole with their super collider or
>> whatever?
>>
>> We could all be sucked into that black hole, sun, planets, and all,
>> and then where would we be?
>>
>> maxine in ri, back from TO
>
> You'll be sharing the void with Sheldon.

The good side of that is that we'd find all of those single socks the
dryer ate.


--
Blinky
Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://improve-usenet.org
Need a new news feed? http://blinkynet.net/comp/newfeed.html

On Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:05:45 -0700,

>>>> 10 things to scratch from your worry list


It is a proven fact that 97.69834% of all the things we worry about
NEVER happen.

On Fri, 1 Aug 2008 08:39:12 -0700 (PDT), maxine in ri wrote:

> On Jul 31, 6:11 pm, (Victor Sack) wrote:
>> 10 things to scratch from your worry list
>
>> 10. Unmarked wormholes. Could your vacation be interrupted by a sudden
>> plunge into a wormhole? From my limited analysis of space-time theory
>> and the movie "Jumper," I would have to say that the possibility cannot
>> be eliminated. I would also concede that if the wormhole led to an
>> alternate universe, there's a good chance your luggage would be lost in
>> transit.
>>
>> But I still wouldn't worry about it, In an alternate universe, you might
>> not have to spend the rest of the year fretting about either dark matter
>> or sickly rodents. You might even be able to buy one of those Nalgene
>> bottles.
>
> But. but what about those evil scientists in Switzerland who are
> planning on creating a black hole with their super collider or
> whatever?
>
> We could all be sucked into that black hole, sun, planets, and all,
> and then where would we be?
>
> maxine in ri, back from TO

at least there won't be any Shit Creek left.

your pal,
blake

On Aug 1, 1:36 pm, "Giusi" > wrote:
> "maxine in ri" > ha scritto nel ...

> > We could all be sucked into that black hole, sun, planets, and all,
> > and then where would we be?
>
> > maxine in ri, back from TO
>
> You'll be sharing the void with Sheldon.

That would suck!
;-)
maxine in ri