Coffee and Provocation

Fear Mongering Over Roundup
Did you recently hear that Rounduyp, aka glyphosate was deemed to "probably cause cancer."  Guess what?  It almost certainly doesn't. The chemical itself breaks down into inert substances in three days, is less toxic than vinegar, and is found in only micro amounts on fruits and vegetables. The testing here was for pure glyphosate, dosed in massive amounts, and which was not allowed to break down. And even then, the data was not very strong. We know this because the term "probably causes cancer," does mean what most people think it does. It turns out this is a scientific term of art (i.e. a term with a very specific definition) that really means "This might be a carcinogen, but if it is, it may or may not ever give anyone cancer."  Coffee, french fries, gasoline, hair coloring, and pickled vegetables (damn vinegar!) all carry the same label.

Want to Get Rid of Ants in the Kitchen?
Sprinkle ground cinnamon where ant enter or travel.

A Chicken Poop Power Plant in Maryland?
Maryland is going to solve its chicken manure problem by improving the environment with it.  The solution is a Purdue proposal to build a power plant that will us 228,000 tons of chicken waste a year to generate  electricity.

Genius Hole Dog
During a massive fire near Valparaiso, Chile, a mother dog with a 9 small puppies found a way to save them all -- she buried them in a hole. Rescue workers found them there, and all of the puppies are in good health and back with their mother.

Philly Dawg Blog is Hanging it Up
The Philly Dawg Blog is hanging it up after six years of working very hard to make life better for dogs in Pennsylvania. Amy Worden's work has made a difference.

Bear Insurance
Turkish beekeepers are now able to get bear insurance thanks to a new Agricultural Insurance Pool.

God Damn the Pusher Man
One in ten Americans is on an anti-depressant such a Zoloft, Prozac or Wellbutrin, but two-thirds of the people on the pills do not meet the criteria for major depressive episode. What's happening? Basically, doctors are being paid kicbacks to prescribe drugs to a patient population that thinks every day should be full of sunshine and rainbows.

Long Distance Flyer Miles
The black poll warbler flies 1,700 miles twice a year, from Puerto Rico to Vermont.  It weighs only 12 grams -- about as much as ball point pen -- and about half of every cohort that takes off dies along the way.