I should change the name of this blog

To "Hi! You're an Idiot." Because that's my favorite thing to do. Point out how idiotic people are. One major difficulty I have with the internet is stupid people. Really really. They just kill me. Might literally someday ... you never know. I read a few blogs because they're entertaining and smart, and the bloggers aren't morons! They don't talk about what they don't understand. usually. When they talk about what they don't understand, you just can't prove them wrong, and don't even *try* to prove the commenters wrong, cuz that's just silly. I have come to the conclusion (which perhaps you have already attained) that the people who write blogs and comment are ... well, mostly unwaivering in their beliefs. They either know what they are talking about or have such specific research that they are certainly right (which I like), or they're morons who infer and have nothing to backup their claims and don't understand the full situation (which I do not like). And while it is moderately hilarious to read people making moronic asses of themselves, they are reenforcing the misinformed ideas of other morons who also don't understand everything. I try not to do that ... I also try to be devil's advocate which doesn't turn out very happy for me usually ... I would also say that I'm a rare blogger who doesn't resolutely stick to her position. Maybe that's why I have a small readership ;-)

Anyway here is just one example, but it's the simplest one to pick out and explain. We're back on BPA, btw. Hooray, Bisphenol-A! Anyway, as I have said before, the FDA said BPA is cool, and that's good enough for me thus far. They have some pretty good guys over at the FDA, one of them being one of my old professors from MIT who is smart as shit (seriously, how do you think he got where he is). He didn't work with BPA as far as I know, but still, if they've got him, they must have some big guns. The FDA said it wasn't harmful, but people are still complaining, (that's what happens when morons explode on the internet) and the consumerist wrote this post about an article printed by the Washington Post. About the 4th comment down, someone decides to post this graph. Let's see if we can point out everything wrong with this picture ...

So first of all, there's no reference and it's done in excel! If s/he wanted to make all this up, s/he totally could have. But I'm very clever and actually found the main site where the picture is from, and it looks to be a biotech company, but I still have no idea what this graph was intended for. I just got the URL of the pic, and I bet if you click on my pic you'll get the URL as well. So now you've got about as much information as I do. So since it's a biotech company who's obviously hurting for money since they are using excel to make graphs for what I assume are presetations or papers they are publishing, we'll just go ahead and say that the data is not BS. Accept the premise! So let's look at that increase. Whoa! that looks like a 200% increase in the last 30 years. We learned about this the 5th grade, so I make fun of it all the time. These people obviously want to make it look like cancer rates have gone up a lot. If I wanted to make it look less like cancer rates had gone up, I might, I dunno have started the y-axis scale from 0. This is actually only about a 27% increase. Which by itself is still a little disconcerting. I guess it just didn't look scary enough on the 0 graph, which, incidentally, excel defaults to. I'm just saying that they obviously had to do some work to make it look like that.

What next, friend? Well futher down, other people (thank god) start talking a little sense and point out that people are living longer and that by itself means there will be more incidences of cancer. Also that there are millions of carcinogens out there, and how do we know which causes what? And there's absolutely no evidence on that chart relating cancer rates to BPA use! There's not even a 'use of BPA' chart alongside it going up with the cancer rates ... that and we've been using BPA since before 1975. come on, buddy. And then some one made another lovely excel chart relating global warming to the number of pirates on the high (and low) seas. See, now that's funny.

The internet is such a vast and informative place. Where you could actually read the FDA review and the papers published examining the BPA as a carcinogen and actual scientists' responses to these papers. Why would you listen to the dumbass that posts on consumerist with a fake chart that is designed specifically to look like cancer has gone up dramatically more than it has? Or even the Washington Post or your local news? So many people have pointed out over time that these people know about as much about science and technology as you do. If not much much less (if you are one of my friends, you probably know what I am talking about). I never understand it ...

It's over!!!

The olympics are over now, and I can get back to normal life, although I've got to be honest with you, I was a little busy working 2 jobs all week last week in order to make up for my being on vacation in Boston over my 'extended' weekend (extended is in quotes, b/c I extended it ...), and I didn't really watch it at all. How sad. I kinda miss it now that it's gone. Perhaps China will, too.

Anyway, since I've been obsessing with the olympics and on vacation, I have missed a few updates that you might want to know about.

One is that the FDA recently declared BPA safe. This article was from just before everyone started freaking out about BPA. This is an obviously dissatisfied washinton post follow-up article (but of course they're dissatisfied--they didn't get their way!). And this is an article I like because, it's not so much a level headed evaluation as it is a direct oposition to the washington post articles in tone as well as spin. Turns out straight forwardness doesn't always get you what you want. If you want a more level-headed approach, you should go for the Web MD article. Now that's some good journalism. They displayed and defended all 3 viewpoints in this matter. The FDA seems to be continually monitoring new research about BPA just in case. They sound like they're doing a pretty good job to me, so feel free to drink your nalgenes!!! all day long!! Alright, don't drink the nalgenes. Just what's inside of them. Unless it's been in there since you were first worried about BPA. Then I might wash it out first ... I don't think BPA kill bacteria

The next part I was going to let you know about has to do with Pandora, but I don't know how long that's going to be, so I'll just wait until next post. I can, however, show you how the consumerist called Sam's club on being deceitful when it comes to polystyrene cups. Just check the picture out. It's from this post. Oh boy. You are so very not environmentally concious. Though, it doesn't actually claim that it is better for the environment. But if that's not what they are wink-nudging at, I don't know what it is. Sam's club (aka Walmart), you suck, and I am not amused!

More on my summer vacations and Pandora later!