June 27, 2008
Blame ADM
New Scientist magazine is running an article about researchers who have discovered links between high fructose corn syrup and obesity and diabetes. I've long wondered if the introduction of HFCS in American foods and especially soft drinks has caused the increase in the rate of obesity in America, and now it looks like researchers are publishing papers that support this notion.
I'm just not ready to give up my Barqs!
Posted by Steven at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)
February 15, 2007
Latest Trend of the Rich and Stupid: Homemade Snow
The New York Times has an article about home snow making.
Snowmaking, since the mid-1960s the provenance of ski resorts and, more recently, some party planners, has gone domestic.Companies like Snow Economics, a maker and inventor of resort-quality snow machines in Natick, Mass. — from which Mr. Heaven bought his two Backyard Blizzard snowmakers a few years ago — have been selling home snowmakers since 2000.
Snow at Home, a Cheshire, Conn., company run by Matt Pittman and Ken Jackie, has been shipping snowmakers for use in backyards from New Jersey to New Zealand for four years; sales are now “in the hundreds,” Mr. Pittman said.
“We’ve hit every state but Hawaii,” he said last week.
Mr. Pittman, who was speaking by cellphone, was with a client near Morristown, N.J., helping to put the finishing touches on what was essentially the client’s personal resort, he said: a 200-foot-long slope behind the house with a warming hut at its foot and two snow machines at its peak. The previous summer, trees had been cleared and water and power lines buried below the soil’s frost line, ready to hook up to two of Mr. Pittman’s machines. “New Jersey is a big area for us,” Mr. Pittman said. “There’s no snow, and lots of disposable income.”
Two observations come to mind quickly.
First, we have a new data point on the classic WRPI "Coke Scale" (i.e. an exponential scale of income, based on being able to afford continuous consumption of Coke™ or Cocaine (the two major reference points on the scale). I think this falls between Coke and Cocaine, but I could be wrong about the cost of "the other snow" (with apologies to Pork).
Second, New Jersey? That's where the ridiculously rich are now? Or is it merely that, thanks to Global Warming (there, now I've said it), Jersey no longer gets a reliable snowing, but it's still cold enough to harbor snow like some seasonal crop? Either way ... what a screwball response to explosive wealth and climate change.
Posted by Steven at 05:38 PM | Comments (0)
January 08, 2007
2006 In Review
I was going to write a bunch of stuff about 2006, but really, there's not a lot to say that isn't already on this blog, or the Boyd High School Band web site. I spent the year working for the best employer I've ever had, earning my highest paycheck ever (thanks to a vacation payout), all from home.
My kids did great in school and band, and we got to open a new High School (which had it's ups and downs). We left Elementary school behind forever, a milestone that left both Anne and I a bit misty-eyed.
There were some downers, like my foundation shifting in the drought, the three days of hell spent at Bennett Elem. "summer camp" (in the freezing cold), and not winning the Collin County Commisioner's election (working for Bill Baumbach).
But the highs were pretty good: the Democrats regained Congress, I got got rid of all my IBM-PCs and got myself a MacBook Pro, Alanna and I are at a new band program (Boyd HS) that will get better each year, Leo has taken to the saxophone in middle school band, and despite many of our friends and family getting divorced, Anne and I stubbornly buck the trend.
Oh, and Snuffers', Wine Styles, Ghengis Grill and The Great Outdoors opened in McKinney (food always makes me feel good -- I even found Anne's favorite upstate NY beer locally: Genesee Cream Ale).
I've been able to spread the technology of Drupal to most of the MISD band booster club's websites (Boyd, North, Dowell and Faubion, with Evans asking about it now), and with the help of other shutterbugs, I've posted almost nineteen thousand photos on Boyd's website (and over twenty thousand between North, Boyd and McKinney).
I've been volunteering like mad, and loving it. McKinney is a mess from growth, but it's still a very comfortable place to live, and as we closed our seventeenth year here, we were still glad we moved here.
Posted by Steven at 11:39 PM | Comments (0)
June 10, 2006
Democratic Party of Texas State Convention
I attended the Texas Democratic Party's State Convention in Ft. Worth this weekend as a full delagate. I got to vote for several local party seats, and for the party chair. In all races, my choice won the race!
The party chair was sought by two major and two minor candidates. The majors were Boyd Richie (acting chair) and Glenn Maxey. Both candidates are classic 'large white guys with white hair', and both espouse largely the same goals for the party using the same tools and techniques. However, one major difference between them is that Maxey is Texas' first openly gay politician (he sat in the State House for several terms). I felt that his ascendancy to party chair would give the GOP a hot-button label that would have kept the Dems. on the defense when we need to be making a strong offense.
Boyd Richie won on the second ballot.
Just experiencing the polticial process at this level was really interesting. Ironically, the Democratic Party offers newcomers a lot of responsibility early on, thanks to the relatively low turnout we get.
I did get to see Barbara Ann Radnofsky speak, and I was quite impressed. She's running for the U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by Kay Bailey Hutchinscum. We need a Democrat in the Senate from Texas to continue the proud tradtions of LBJ, Lloyd Bentsen and other great Texans. The current crop of GOP croynies are beyond bad.
One surprise visitor to the Convention was retired House Representative Jim Wright (for whom the contentious "Wright Amendment" is named, which restricts flights from Dallas Love Field to adjoining states). I got to take his photo and shake his hand. It was great seeing the old guard still at the "show" and to know that they are still with us. So many Democrats switched sides in the 1980's, cravenly joining the tidal surge of Southern GOP ascendancy. But now that the GOP has decided to demonize the Hispanic population, they may have actually dug their own grave as Hispanic voters will comprise 53% of the population by 2010. The turn around is near!
About the only real problem I had with the convention itself was that it was on the same weekend as Project A-Kon, which I traditionally attend with my kids. I've been going to A-Kon since 1990 (with a big gap during my first years as a new parent) and my kids are devoted fans of the genre so it's become a family affair. This year I barely made it to A-Kon. I hope I won't regularly be having to choose between these events, because I'll have to go with the Democrats. I'm in this for the long haul.
Posted by Steven at 06:00 PM | Comments (0)
December 31, 2005
2005: It Could Have Been a Lot Worse
Ok, my "year in review". Fasten seatbelts.
In January Alanna and I attended our first Ushicon in Austin, Texas. We also did our first father-daugther CosPlay (no, not some sick thing you'd read about in spam e-mail). She dressed as Fio and I was Porco from the movie Porco Rosso. I took advantage of the family iMac G5 to edit and produce the Decker Family Reunion DVD. My college car Huygens landed on Saturn's moon Titan. I retired Anne's white-box PC with a shiny new Mac Mini which has proven to be a godsend w/r/t viruses and interoperability. The Llama Song debuted in our house. We attended a private get together at John Davis' house (of Jimmy Neutron fame) with other LHHS FCP alumni. Alanna got her ears pierced.
In February we had a harbinger of bad news when we discovered that our cat Ruby had breast cancer. The SciFi channel renewed Battlestar Galactica for a second season. Alanna competed in the Solo and Ensemble Competition as an 8th grade band member. I spent the bulk of the month in Austin working at Maskina.
In March we saw the first reviews of Spamalot, which we would listen to all summer. Reid's Martial Arts Studio held its annual banquet, where Alanna and Anne won awards. After years of mulling about it, and weeks figuring out how to afford it, we bought Anne a new Yamaha U5 upright grand piano. McKinney entered a Renaissance of new stores and restaurants opening.
In April we extended Anne's winning streak by buying her a new VW Jetta Wagon. Later this year, I found out that VW is not making a Jetta Wagon anymore, which is what happened with the Honda Accord Wagon (we bought the last model year). Leo's 10th BD party was at Reid's Martial Arts Studio. Anne and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary (without the threat of supernatural doom keeping us together). I finally shutdown my noisy PC Linux server and replaced it with a Mac Mini, which returned silence to my house for the first time in almost ten years. I began working from home full time for Maskina and life became far less stressful as a result.
In May we made some long over due repairs to the house. The McKinney Snuffers continued to not be built. Alanna and I went to Six Flags with the Dowell Band (her last band trip to Six Flags at DMS), and I be-friended Jeff Cranmore, her 6th grade band teacher. She earned a seat as sixth chair clarinet in the MNHS band during tryouts. Clemmie celebrated her 90th birthday this year with a surprise party at Steak and Ale and her church. Jeff Cranmore took Alanna and I to the Texas Renfare for the first time. Alanna was named "Outstanding Woodwind Performer" at Dowell Middle School Band. We gave her an iPod at her middle school graduation ceremony (where she graduated with honors).
June, as always, started with Project: Akon, Dallas' biggest anime convention and Alanna's favorite weekend of the year. I took Alanna down to Austin the next week for band camp and we met with a number of friends at Fujiyama's in the Arboretum. Alanna took another step towards her full black belt by earning her deputy two belt. We drove up to Kansas City to attend my father's Sailing Regatta at Weatherby Lake. We also were introduced to Alanna's online boyfriend Kyle who came to KC from St. Louis. The Saturday night party at the Regatta was a blast. On the drive home, Ray called to say that he won the Regatta, for the first time!
July opened with my forty-third birthday. My sister Leigh-Anne and her husband Todd decided not to buy a $500K monster house in Cedar Park and instead settled for a more modest home in Leander. Anne cut her hair really short and sassy. McKinney (and most of Collin County) lost their water supply for two days and we started drinking water from bottles. Anne invited Alanna's online boyfriend Kyle to stay for a week with us. We had some difficulty sending him home, foreshadowing future problems. "Scotty" Doohan died. Wal*Mart opened a "green Wal-Mart" in McKinney, complete with a wind turbine.
In August a whole new chapter in the Staton family opened with Alanna's entry into High School. Cafe Brazil opened in McKinney. Alanna entered marching band camp, before school began. I started taking photos of the band (just a few here and there ... honest). Bob Moog died. Ruby is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. I bought a Nikon D70s digital SLR and began the largest photo library in my life (12K band photos and counting). Alanna performed at her first MNHS football game and I take over five-hundred photos. Alanna's braces come off.
In September we lost Ruby (our cat of sixteen years) to cancer on the 9th. We took her to the vet and had her put down in what had to be the worst day of the year. Alanna and I went to several MNHS football games (here, here and here, the Crosstown game we won). I ran into Lyle Griffith (the VP from Micrografx who put me through my first death march) at Alanna's open house. I did my first MNHS Band fundraiser for Experience McKinney (dubbed "Apocalypse McKinney" by Mike Jones). Anne had another birthday but I'm not allowed to say what the number is.
October opened with MNHS Marching Band's first competition in Carrollton, Texas. We did very well, earning top scores and winning our "division". Anne took Alanna to Glamour Shots and all we got was a set of four photos. I finally saw P. D. Q. Bach in concert. The MNHS Band competed in Denton, Texas and came in third overall. Alanna earned her deputy three belt. Leo's braces came off! The MNHS Band advanced to UIL Area with a strong performance at the Regional UIL competition. The MISD announced its plans for McKinney Boyd HS, and it became apparent that Alanna will attend Boyd starting next year. The MNHS Band failed to advance in the first round of UIL Area competition. The band played at several football games (here, here, here, where I started my football game announcing career).
November opened with Anne and Alanna performing in the pit for Bye Bye Birdie, a last-minute, seat-of-the-pants effort that took up two weeks of Anne's time simply trying to learn the music. We met the Schmalzried's and Martha Cates at The Grape Restaurant to present her with the elements of a new Xmas tree based on the APE Society. I got my hands on a zoning map for Boyd HS and confirmed that Alanna will attend Boyd next year. Lilly Staton passed away leaving only Mamie Staton as the surviving sibling of eleven. Anne and Leo went to NY for Thanksgiving, while Alanna and I went to Austin but ended up eating at Snuffer's for dinner. McKinney, Texas welcomed it's 100,000th citizen.
And finally, in December I reached my first anniversary at Maskina. McKinney had it's first ice storm of the season. The MNHS Band performed a Winter Concert. Anne's mom visited for ten days and got to see Alanna earn her full Tae Kwon Do black belt. We attended Monse's Quinciñiera. Ma Cates' Xmas Party featured our APE Tree, which she dramatically enhanced. I finally saw Jeff Long's new wife at the party, too. We had a very good Christmas dinner with my brother and Anne's friends. Anne found the Lego Vikings kit and gave it to me for Xmas. Leo got the Nintendo DS and iPod shuffle he's wanted all year. I found a llama doll for Alanna that she adores.
To summarize the summary:
New car, new piano, new camera, new chimney and fence. More Macs and iPods. Straighter teeth and blacker belts. Ruby and Lilly passed on. Lots of anime. Anne and I became high school parents (worse, we became high school band parents). McKinney and my job both got better as the year progressed (when has that ever happened?). I rarely say this, but this year was a general improvement overall for us. Amen.
Posted by Steven at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
June 16, 2005
Autism Coverup?
Today's cover story on Salon is about how the CDC and the GOP have covered up the connection between thimerosal and autism.
In June 2000, a group of top government scientists and health officials gathered for a meeting at the isolated Simpsonwood conference center in Norcross, Ga. Convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the meeting was held at this Methodist retreat center, nestled in wooded farmland next to the Chattahoochee River, to ensure complete secrecy. The agency had issued no public announcement of the session -- only private invitations to 52 attendees. There were high-level officials from the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration, the top vaccine specialist from the World Health Organization in Geneva, and representatives of every major vaccine manufacturer, including GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Wyeth and Aventis Pasteur. All of the scientific data under discussion, CDC officials repeatedly reminded the participants, was strictly "embargoed." There would be no making photocopies of documents, no taking papers with them when they left.The federal officials and industry representatives had assembled to discuss a disturbing new study that raised alarming questions about the safety of a host of common childhood vaccines administered to infants and young children. According to a CDC epidemiologist named Tom Verstraeten, who had analyzed the agency's massive database containing the medical records of 100,000 children, a mercury-based preservative in the vaccines -- thimerosal -- appeared to be responsible for a dramatic increase in autism and a host of other neurological disorders among children. "I was actually stunned by what I saw," Verstraeten told those assembled at Simpsonwood, citing the staggering number of earlier studies that indicate a link between thimerosal and speech delays, attention-deficit disorder, hyperactivity and autism. Since 1991, when the CDC and the FDA had recommended that three additional vaccines laced with the preservative be given to extremely young infants -- in one case, within hours of birth -- the estimated number of cases of autism had increased fifteenfold, from one in every 2,500 children to one in 166 children.
Even for scientists and doctors accustomed to confronting issues of life and death, the findings were frightening. "You can play with this all you want," Dr. Bill Weil, a consultant for the American Academy of Pediatrics, told the group. The results "are statistically significant." Dr. Richard Johnston, an immunologist and pediatrician from the University of Colorado whose grandson had been born early on the morning of the meeting's first day, was even more alarmed. "My gut feeling?" he said. "Forgive this personal comment -- I do not want my grandson to get a thimerosal-containing vaccine until we know better what is going on."
Coverup aside, the most shocking thing was their real focus was on limited financial exposure to the drug companies. Remember, the CDC is supposed to protect American citizens, not corporations.
"We are in a bad position from the standpoint of defending any lawsuits," said Dr. Robert Brent, a pediatrician at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Delaware. "This will be a resource to our very busy plaintiff attorneys in this country." Dr. Bob Chen, head of vaccine safety for the CDC, expressed relief that "given the sensitivity of the information, we have been able to keep it out of the hands of, let's say, less responsible hands." Dr. John Clements, vaccines advisor at the World Health Organization, declared flatly that the study "should not have been done at all" and warned that the results "will be taken by others and will be used in ways beyond the control of this group. The research results have to be handled."In fact, the government has proved to be far more adept at handling the damage than at protecting children's health. The CDC paid the Institute of Medicine to conduct a new study to whitewash the risks of thimerosal, ordering researchers to "rule out" the chemical's link to autism. It withheld Verstraeten's findings, even though they had been slated for immediate publication, and told other scientists that his original data had been "lost" and could not be replicated. And to thwart the Freedom of Information Act, it handed its giant database of vaccine records over to a private company, declaring it off-limits to researchers. By the time Verstraeten finally published his study in 2003, he had gone to work for GlaxoSmithKline and reworked his data to bury the link between thimerosal and autism.
Vaccine manufacturers had already begun to phase thimerosal out of injections given to American infants -- but they continued to sell off their mercury-based supplies of vaccines until last year. The CDC and FDA gave them a hand, buying up the tainted vaccines for export to developing countries and allowing drug companies to continue using the preservative in some American vaccines -- including several pediatric flu shots as well as tetanus boosters routinely given to 11-year-olds.
In some ways this is old news to the Autism community, but the fact remains that the GOP is only interested in protecting Big Business, and the citizens can be damned.
Posted by Steven at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)