JayB

People stop growing food crops when they can make more money growing crops for fuel. Brewers are apparently having a hard time finding hops now that the folks who used to sell it to them have switched to growing corn.

I'm personally relieved as hell to learn that the price of diesel is a top-of-mind concern in Rwanda these days...

I wasn't nearly as impressed with the site, which I found vaguely reminiscent of the tone and content one finds at vaccine-autism sites, but to each his own, I suppose. Unfortunately for me, the case has been conclusively settled in the court of public opinion at this point, so it looks like I'll have to start hoarding polycarbonate food containers. On second thought, I guess that I shouldn't be so fatalistic, since we've witnessed the resurrection of the silicone breast implant...

If you are interested, a great statistic is the following: ( iread this on Wikipedia a month ago) Of 131 studies of the health effects of bispehenol A, 110 studies funded and conducted by government and academia found some level of or potential adverse effect 21 studies funded and conducted by the plastics industry found no adverse effects JayB and Kk, you guys want to argue that the industry knows what they're doing and the special interest groups in government and academia are pumping our dangerous, biased data? I generally think that when it comes to arguments concerning contentious biological phenomena that have caught the public eye, it's generally safe to argue against whatever position that you personally take. Other than that, I'm basing my conclusions on what I know about the biology of nuclear receptors like the estogen receptor, retinoid receptors, etc, dose responses, toxic thresholds, the way animal studies are conducted...etc...on the fact that it's been used in a gazillion applications for decades without incident, and that the mode of action is to mimic a natural hormone. I also think it's highly amusing that this has become even a blip on the health-radar in a nation full of sedentary fatasses who are far more likely to consume themselves to death in some fashion or another than they are to sustain the slightest perturbation in their health on account of traces of estrogen mimetics - whether they're synthetic or natural. I think it's important to note biases, and eliminate them where possible in such studies. If there's a big disparity between the results obtained in one set of circumstances versus another, that's usually a problem. I also think that it's important to determine whether the experimental systems, etc that are being compared in meta-analyses are close enough to result in an apples to apples comparison. If the conflict persists, the best way to sort things out is to have independent facilities conduct the same experiments and see if the results are consistently reproducible. If there's data out there that conclusively prove that BPA exposure resulting from food and beverage containers constitutes a real threat to human health, I'll gladly revise my stance.

Maybe. None of the data I've seen suggests that there's any risk from the levels of BPA that anyone using polycarbonate containers for food or water is likely to encounter in any realistic scenario. ": Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2007 Feb 1;218(3):280-8. Epub 2006 Dec 5.Click here to read Links Analysis of the interaction of phytoestrogens and synthetic chemicals: an in vitro/in vivo comparison. Charles GD, Gennings C, Tornesi B, Kan HL, Zacharewski TR, Bhaskar Gollapudi B, Carney EW. Toxicology and Environmental Research and Consulting, The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI 48674, USA. charles_grantley@allergan.com In the evaluation of chemical mixture toxicity, it is desirable to develop an evaluation paradigm which incorporates some critical attributes of real world exposures, particularly low dose levels, larger numbers of chemicals, and chemicals from synthetic and natural sources. This study evaluated the impact of low level exposure to a mixture of six synthetic chemicals (SC) under conditions of co-exposure to various levels of plant-derived phytoestrogen (PE) compounds. Estrogenic activity was evaluated using an in vitro human estrogen receptor (ER) transcriptional activation assay and an in vivo immature rat uterotrophic assay. Initially, dose-response curves were characterized for each of the six SCs (methoxyclor, o,p-DDT, octylphenol, bisphenol A, beta-hexachlorocyclohexane, 2,3-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propionitrile) in each of the assays. The six SCs were then combined at equipotent ratios and tested at 5-6 dose levels spanning from very low, sub-threshold levels, to a dose in which every chemical in the mixture was at its individual estrogenic response threshold. The SC mixtures also were tested in the absence or presence of 5-6 different levels of PEs, for a total of 36 (in vitro) or 25 (in vivo) treatment groups. Both in vitro and in vivo, low concentrations of the SC mixture failed to increase estrogenic responses relative to those induced by PEs alone. However, significant increases in response occurred when each chemical in the SC mixture was near or above its individual response threshold. In vitro, interactions between high-doses of SCs and PEs were greater than additive, whereas mixtures of SCs in the absence of PEs interacted in a less than additive fashion. In vivo, the SC and PE mixture responses were consistent with additivity. These data illustrate a novel approach for incorporating key attributes of real world exposures in chemical mixture toxicity assessments, and suggest that chemical mixture toxicity is likely to be of concern only when the mixture components are near or above their individual response thresholds. However, these data suggest that extrapolation from in vitro assays to in vivo mixture effects should be approached with caution." Toxicol Lett. 2007 Apr 25;170(2):165-76. Epub 2007 Mar 12.Click here to read Links Estrogenic effects of mixtures of phyto- and synthetic chemicals on uterine growth of prepubertal rats. van Meeuwen JA, van den Berg M, Sanderson JT, Verhoef A, Piersma AH. Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. J.A.vanMeeuwen@iras.uu.nl Through the diet humans are exposed to many weak estrogenic phytochemicals (PCs) and synthetic chemicals (SCs), but most experimental studies used individual compounds rather than mixtures. Estrogenic effects were determined in the rat juvenile uterotrophic assay using a predefined phytochemical mixture (PCmix) containing coumestrol, genistein, naringenin, (+,-)catechin, (-,-)epicatechin and quercetin, and a predefined synthetic chemical mixture (SCmix) containing nonyl-, and octylphenol, beta-hexachlorocyclohexane, methoxychlor, bisphenol A and dibutylphthalate. The mixture composition was based on human dietary uptake and actual ratios in serum. 17beta-Estradiol and genistein were also tested individually. It was found that combinations of phytoestrogens and exogenous 17beta-estradiol act additive. In contrast SCmix, inactive by itself even at high dose levels relative to human exposure, caused no synergistic or antagonistic uterotrophic effect with E(2) and/or the PCmix. Based on ED(05) and ED(01) values of the PCmix the margin of exposure in regular human diet for a uterotrophic effect is estimated many orders of magnitude. However, food supplements with phytochemicals might bring individual exposure around ED(05) and ED(01) values of the PCmix. Based on the results of our study the contribution of SCs to total estrogenicity in human diet can probably be neglected." I'm not an expert in the field by any means, the biology of estrogen receptors is complex, the affinity of estrogen mimetics for estrogen receptors and their effect on the genes that ER's upregulate or downregulate is even more so, etc, etc, etc...but at the end of the day we're talking about a mode of action consistent with that of a natural hormone here. I think you may live in Canada, where perhaps there's a requirement that the scientific validity of a particular claim may have to be established before anyone can be held liable, but that's certainly not the case here in the US. Consequently, I can pretty much guarantee that it's the fear of liability - irrespective of scientific merit - that's driving the behavior of manufacturers and retailers in this case.

Another reason why I find this episode at least somewhat amusing is that for me, the funk growing inside the Nalgene that's been siting in the back of my truck for two months in the summer has always been the paramount health concern of mine - even after cleaning it out....

Yes. Absolutely.

BPA is a synthetic chemical that mimics estrogen, and under certain conditions trace amounts may leach out of the plastics in nalgene. The effective concentration of the said estrogen mimetic is probably at least several orders of magnitude lower than the threshold determined to have adverse health effects in animal studies, as is the frequency of the dose. The BPA that leaches from any plastic container under any circumstances will probably also have an effect on the genes governed by estrogen receptors that is also many orders of magnitude lower than the effect induced by the average meal of tofu, or any other dietary source of phytoestrogens. If you are concerned enough to replace your Nalgene bottles on account of the risks outlined above, please hang on to them for me as I'd be glad to purchase them from you for $0.50 per bottle. I need to stock up so that I'll have enough to last for a while....

And here we go... "Nalgene sports bottle maker sued over toxic claims Wed Apr 23, 2008 9:24pm EDT LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California mother sued Nalge Nunc International Corp, claiming the company knew, but downplayed risks, that a toxic substance in its popular Nalgene plastic sports bottles could leach into the bottles' contents and sicken consumers. The case, filed on Tuesday, is believed to be the first consumer class action over the use of Bisphenol A, or BPA, in plastic sports bottles since Canada moved to ban baby bottles containing the substance and the U.S. government expressed concern over its safety last week. Nalge Nunc, a unit of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc, said on Friday it will phase out production of its Outdoor line of polycarbonate containers that include BPA over the next several months. Wal-Mart Stores Inc also said on Friday it will pull baby bottles and other products made with BPA from its Canada stores immediately and phase the items out of its U.S. stores next year. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Sacramento, accuses Nalge Nunc of continuing to assert that BPA is safe long after dozens of studies linked the substance to hormone disruptions, infertility, early puberty, and cancer." http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN2335756720080424 Jesus...

I've heard some interesting things about using the heat and CO2 in the exhaust from coal and gas fired power plants as feedstock for alagae that are engineered to capture sunlight more efficiently and generate compounds that can be more easily converted into fuel than sugar. "Engineering photosynthetic light capture: impacts on improved solar energy to biomass conversion. Mussgnug JH, Thomas-Hall S, Rupprecht J, Foo A, Klassen V, McDowall A, Schenk PM, Kruse O, Hankamer B. Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia. The main function of the photosynthetic process is to capture solar energy and to store it in the form of chemical 'fuels'. Increasingly, the photosynthetic machinery is being used for the production of biofuels such as bio-ethanol, biodiesel and bio-H2. Fuel production efficiency is directly dependent on the solar photon capture and conversion efficiency of the system. Green algae (e.g. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii) have evolved genetic strategies to assemble large light-harvesting antenna complexes (LHC) to maximize light capture under low-light conditions, with the downside that under high solar irradiance, most of the absorbed photons are wasted as fluorescence and heat to protect against photodamage. This limits the production process efficiency of mass culture. We applied RNAi technology to down-regulate the entire LHC gene family simultaneously to reduce energy losses by fluorescence and heat. The mutant Stm3LR3 had significantly reduced levels of LHCI and LHCII mRNAs and proteins while chlorophyll and pigment synthesis was functional. The grana were markedly less tightly stacked, consistent with the role of LHCII. Stm3LR3 also exhibited reduced levels of fluorescence, a higher photosynthetic quantum yield and a reduced sensitivity to photoinhibition, resulting in an increased efficiency of cell cultivation under elevated light conditions. Collectively, these properties offer three advantages in terms of algal bioreactor efficiency under natural high-light levels: (i) reduced fluorescence and LHC-dependent heat losses and thus increased photosynthetic efficiencies under high-light conditions; (ii) improved light penetration properties; and (iii) potentially reduced risk of oxidative photodamage of PSII."

Yes. Seems like spending some more time at the gym or on the rock might beat out time hunched over the toilet if you're looking for improved climbing performance, but to each his own...

My wife and I once found a catatonic transient with crack-burns around his mouth lying in the middle of the street outside our apartment one morning. We took his vital signs, called 911, and when the fire-department rolled in, found out that the sores on his skin were most likely the result of a necrotizing fasciitis infection he'd managed to pick up by shooting "Mexican Dirt" heroin that'd been cut with manure. They were nice enough to give us some sanitizing gel so that we could get back into our apartment to start the decontamination process without contaminating the doorhandles and anything else that we touched on the way to a more thorough de-lousing. We saw the guy on a nearby street corner nearly a year later, more or less in the same condition except that he was on his feet. Nice to see him alive, sad to see what constituted "alive" in his case. Ah - Capitol Hill, you find the darndest things there...

I'll take "What are questions with obvious answers when we're talking about Capitol Hill for $200, Alex..."

The Economist has been the last man standing in the glossy arena for some time. Hopefully my worst fears for the WSJ won't materialize and the same wont be true for the FT.

Cool. Thanks for the feedback - sounds like they'll be just the ticket. I think I'll follow your lead on the seam grip.

The BD Bullet has worked well for me. Enough room for shoes, water, jacket, headlamp, food, etc most of the time.

"Lynchings in Congo as penis theft panic hits capital By Joe Bavier Tue Apr 22, 1:24 PM ET KINSHASA (Reuters) - Police in Congo have arrested 13 suspected sorcerers accused of using black magic to steal or shrink men's penises after a wave of panic and attempted lynchings triggered by the alleged witchcraft. Reports of so-called penis snatching are not uncommon in West Africa, where belief in traditional religions and witchcraft remains widespread, and where ritual killings to obtain blood or body parts still occur. Rumours of penis theft began circulating last week in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo's sprawling capital of some 8 million inhabitants. They quickly dominated radio call-in shows, with listeners advised to beware of fellow passengers in communal taxis wearing gold rings. Purported victims, 14 of whom were also detained by police, claimed that sorcerers simply touched them to make their genitals shrink or disappear, in what some residents said was an attempt to extort cash with the promise of a cure. "You just have to be accused of that, and people come after you. We've had a number of attempted lynchings. ... You see them covered in marks after being beaten," Kinshasa's police chief, Jean-Dieudonne Oleko, told Reuters on Tuesday. Police arrested the accused sorcerers and their victims in an effort to avoid the sort of bloodshed seen in Ghana a decade ago, when 12 suspected penis snatchers were beaten to death by angry mobs. The 27 men have since been released. "I'm tempted to say it's one huge joke," Oleko said. "But when you try to tell the victims that their penises are still there, they tell you that it's become tiny or that they've become impotent. To that I tell them, 'How do you know if you haven't gone home and tried it'," he said. Some Kinshasa residents accuse a separatist sect from nearby Bas-Congo province of being behind the witchcraft in revenge for a recent government crackdown on its members. "It's real. Just yesterday here, there was a man who was a victim. We saw. What was left was tiny," said 29-year-old Alain Kalala, who sells phone credits near a Kinshasa police station. (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/ ) (Editing by Nick Tattersall and Mary Gabriel)"

How have these worked out for you on overnights? Just got a pair in the mail today, as a long overdue gap-filler between the approach shoes and the ten-year-old Makalu's - and I'm hoping they'll work well for day-pack or light-overnight sized loads.

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/weather

Hoping that yesterday's new entry on the Editorial Page is not an omen of things to come. Also kind of worried by Brauchli's (sp?) resignation, the shift away from business news coverage to more general news, and the expansion of the weekend/fluff insert. Say what you will about the entry of women into the work force, but how-to articles on the latest trends in designer office casual *anywhere* in the WSJ is an unalloyed tragedy of the highest magnitude. Most of this stuff predates Rupert by a few years, but...

I seem to recall hearing about a fatality a few of years ago where a man leading a route at CamelBack Mountain, in Phoenix, was stung and took a fatal fall. Took a bit of searching, but I think I found the story on a cached Chineese mountaineering page... "In March, Keith Abbe and Jeff Passage were climbing the three-pitch Heart Route (5.2) near a formation known as the Praying Monk on Camelback's north side. On a large belay ledge below the last pitch, the two climbers accidentally disturbed a colony of Africanized honeybees (AHBs) in a hole in the rock about 30 feet up and left of their belay. AHBs are a hybrid species of European honeybees and an African strain that was accidentally released in Brazil in 1957. They have since migrated north. (AHBs were first discovered in Arizona in 1993.) Extremely aggressive, AHBs have followed people for up to a mile, and even chased them to water, where they'll wait for the victim to surface and sting again; 500 stings can kill an adult. The bees attacked the two men, who attempted to flee. Abbe, 34, a schoolteacher, untied from the belay, slipped, and fell 50 feet down the face. His was the first known climbing death caused, if only indirectly, by bees. Passage sustained more than 100 stings, and was evacuated to the Arizona Heart Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. Though bees only attack when provoked, this was the second time within a year that Arizona climbers had been their targets. In September, a Tucson man and his 13-year-old son were climbing at Saguaro National Park when they accidentally dislodged a nest of AHBs, which then attacked. The two fled to a nearby fire station, and were transported to a local hospital. The father was stung more than 200 times, the son about 50. Both recovered. Bee attacks, like rattlesnake bites, are mostly a matter of bad luck. Still, know that bees are especially active on hot days, build their hives in protected environments (e.g. under roofs and in alcoves), and swarm to relocate four or five times a year, from March through November. Unfortunately, AHBs are becoming more prolific and are indistinguishable from honeybees except in the ferocity of their attack; their venom, however, is no more potent. Bees are attracted to dark colors and flowered prints, so wear light colors or plain white. To further minimize your chances of attack, move quietly and slowly when near bees. Less than a week after the fatal Camelback accident, another team of climbers encountered the AHBs, but avoided trouble simply by keeping quiet and cautiously scooting away. If attacked, run for your car and seek immediate medical attention. For more information on AHBs and their range in the United States, visit http://agnews.tamu.edu/bees/." http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:L-7VpqElMqUJ:www.cc.nctu.edu.tw/~mclub/meichu/teach/accident/issue137.htm+climber+dead+camelback+phoenix.+Passage&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

One would think that they'd have been able to "frame" the value of their institution effectively enough to persuade people to give them their money or buy their stuff... Seems roughly analogous to the late night "Wealth Coach" guys who go bankrupt.

Exactly.

Drink tap water? Who knows what's in THAT shit! People are chasing some mythical perfect diet and perfect set of habits that will result in zero health problems. It's just thrashing. Something is gonna get you at some point. I don't advocate snorting asbestos for fun. There are things that are genuinely harmful and worth freaking out about, but I'm not convinced yet that this bis-a thing is really one of them. The NYT article I read earlier today pointed out that these resins have been used to line metal cans for the last 20 years and there is no good replacement for them yet. I think we ought to take a deep breath. Not to mention that most of the substitutes have been less extensively studied, and have little or no track record in actual applications. It's also worth considering the mode of action*, the dose threshold at which the effects occur, the duration of exposure at the said dose required to result in harmful effects, etc. *mimics estrogen. Not the most worrisome mode-of-action for a toxin IMO. Might also be worth evaluating the potency of BPA versus phytoestrogens found in soy, flaxseed oil, etc - and just what we're talking about in terms of the harmful long-term effects of exposure to trace amounts of exogenous compounds that activate the estrogen receptor. I wish I needed more Nalgenes, since I suspect that you can score some sweet deals on all of the polycarbonate bottles right now. Great waterbottles, but I've always prefered a bladder in the pack + hose + bite valve for most outdoor activities, climbing included.

Another exercise in "framing" and "rebranding" comes to an end.. "The Rockridge Era Ends First, a big Thank You! The Rockridge Institute was founded with a mission: to teach Americans about the role of values and framing in political debate, and to help progressives equalize the framing advantages enjoyed by conservatives. With your help, Rockridge has done more than any small think tank could be expected to do. About 1,000 of you have donated to support our efforts. More than 8,000 have registered as members of Rockridge Nation to engage actively with us. And hundreds of thousands, both in the US and abroad, have bought our books and used our materials. If you are one of those hundreds of thousands, political discourse will now look different to you. As you read the newspapers and the blogs and watch TV, you can see the effects of our work everywhere. Your support has made that possible. For this and so much more, you have our complete admiration and gratitude. Nonetheless, the Rockridge era will come to an end on April 30." :cry: http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/