Robert Capa 1936
Click here to view Magnum photos of Le Tour de France - beautiful!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy 4th of July...from the road
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I'm supposed to love everyone, everything, every town, every lifestyle. I think that idea was programmed in somewhere between the ABC's, America the Beautiful, and stupid mnemonic sentences that remind you of whatever is currently being considered a planet. So today I felt a little guilty when concluding that last week's town of choice ... was crap. Crap. crap. crap. Crap because googlemaps drew a cute yellow line from our sleeping quarters to the nearest conglomeration bookstore, a mere 4 miles away without noting it was a limited access SUPER HIGHWAY and the only way to get to said bookstore...was to careen down this SUPER HIGHWAY at 80mph, an impossible speed even for the most athletic cyclists (unless you are falling down a decline, something we're not encountering in the greater Boston area).
So when I gently, sweetly asked officer..so and so ...former Gulf war vet, who didn't care to see a double pedestrian homicide on 4th of July, what the back roads were to get to said conglomeration bookstore and he said "There ain't no way, just the highway." I concluded there was no justice for all, only justice for those who had cars and were inclined to use them, and what kind of place was this where the closest thing to knowledge could only be accessed by riding in tens of thousands of dollar cages made of steel and plastic. "Really?" I said to him with a scrunched up screwy face. I must have looked strange.
Some things you just can't love. Riding through neighborhoods with backyards full of grimy broken plastic children's toys, not lovable. Seeing a little boy take his toy gun, eye his dog and shoot with an unforgiving ''bang bang,'' not lovable. I don't know how these towns came to be, or how so much was left undone. I'm excited to be cruisin' through Salem, Massachusetts next though - witches, persecution, and the occult...now that's a town I can relax in.
Happy 4th,
Lauren
Friday, July 3, 2009
From two wheels...
Hi,
I'm a month out on the road, and have reclaimed my computer (thank you Rachel) for the purpose of doing work while I learn of new organizations, modes of thinking about sustainability, and that human rights activism is directly related to environmental activism. You may witness some restructuring of this website...don't worry, its all good.
Here are some new resources
News & Information:
One of my favorite new websites...serious to - the - point environmental debate and discussion. Aimed at anyone with a curious mind on climate issues.
"Yale's online magazine offer(s) opinion, analysis, reporting, and debate on global environmental issues...featuring original articles by scientists, journalists, environmentalists, academics, policy makers, and business people, as well as multimedia content and a daily digest of major environmental news."
Organizations & Action:
(National)
Van Jones, my new hero (I never was into heroes, but now I see its useful to have some), writer of New York Times bestseller Green Collar Economy and special advisor to the Obama administration on green jobs. Van and his organization Green for All promote green jobs and economic opportunities for all people, especially to low - income communities who suffer disproportionally from the pollution created by our current economic structure. Journey to this website to learn more about community activism, green jobs, and equity.
(NYC)
Connecting environmental justice advocates, businesses, labor unions, community organizers, and educators in creating and developing positive economic, societal, and political gains. Through alliances and collaborations, Urban Agenda works to transform New York City into a just and sustainable dwelling for its inhabitants. This organization works with the NYC Apollo Alliance, and through the Mayor's office PlaNYC 2030, in improving the working and living conditions for New Yorkers.
(NYC)
Majora Carter (another hero of mine) a Bronx resident "Greens the Ghetto" with environmentally just solutions to economic and environmental problems directed by community needs. Building green roofs, creating waterway access to Bronx residents, providing training for green jobs, what doesn't this organization do? Check it out.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Tosititos Salsa and Terminology continued...
Yesterday I wrote a nonsensical rant about terminology used on food labels...and my strange experience with two month old Tostitos Salsa ...
Well, I have a program on my blog that tells me what companies are contacting my website -- due to a 50/50 paranoia/curiosity split.
Among our honorable guests have been various spy networks from the US Gov't -- when I rant about policy -- The Dairy Farmers of America -- when I wrote this (http://www.laurenturnbull.com/2009/02/milk.html) last February on the treatment of dairy cows and my goal to stop drinking milk.
And now - who has joined our ranks as creepy infiltrators of the blogsphere? Why - PepsiCo.
PepsiCo. owns FritoLay which owns Tostitos! I invite whoever from PepsiCo is reading this website to write to me, and clear my paranoia/curiosity about why your Tostitos "All Natural" Salsa does not turn moldy after being open and unrefrigerated after two months in the grimy conditions of springtime in New York City.
If you respond I will surely post your answer for my readers to see. You might even gain some customers! I look forward to hearing from you!
- Lauren
Well, I have a program on my blog that tells me what companies are contacting my website -- due to a 50/50 paranoia/curiosity split.
Among our honorable guests have been various spy networks from the US Gov't -- when I rant about policy -- The Dairy Farmers of America -- when I wrote this (http://www.laurenturnbull.com/2009/02/milk.html) last February on the treatment of dairy cows and my goal to stop drinking milk.
And now - who has joined our ranks as creepy infiltrators of the blogsphere? Why - PepsiCo.
PepsiCo. owns FritoLay which owns Tostitos! I invite whoever from PepsiCo is reading this website to write to me, and clear my paranoia/curiosity about why your Tostitos "All Natural" Salsa does not turn moldy after being open and unrefrigerated after two months in the grimy conditions of springtime in New York City.
If you respond I will surely post your answer for my readers to see. You might even gain some customers! I look forward to hearing from you!
- Lauren
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Terminology and Tostitos Salsa
...Apparently I do have reliable internet until I leave for the bicycle adventure...so why not blog?
A few weeks ago I was cleaning the household's recycling area, when I spotted a jar lodged in the back of one of our cupboards. It was a Tostitos salsa jar with about two table spoons of salsa still in it. It had not been washed out and placed in its proper receptacle. This name -brand salsa is an odd thing for our household to have, and I realized that jar must have been there for a minimum of two months. Aside from the repulsion one might feel, what really struck me was that the salsa in the jar emitted no odor, contained no mold, no discoloration, and its texture – I daresay looked as edible as it would have upon being first purchased.
So today my grandpa was describing the leeching that had occurred in his old place of work - an aerosol plant. "In the old days " they dumped the toxins, black, and grey water into one single septic tank until the EPA got a hold of them and the plant must now filter the aquifer's contaminants 'round the clock. So I was thinking about this, water, chemicals, decomposition and the body in general -And was struck with a vision of the ever-so-delicious Tostitos salsa.
I investigated and apparently Tostitos salsa has no preservatives in their “All Natural” line and are flashed with high heat to kill off any standing bacteria -making them suitable for grocery shelves. If this is true, and the only method of preserving without preservatives (verb vs. plural noun), then the salsa should quickly turn after it is opened, and certainly not have lasted for months in the back of a cupboard. Another possibility is that the tomatoes and other vegetables are stewed in vinegar before “heat preserved” which would extend its shelf life once its opened…such as with pickles.
Doing this research lead me to discover a process called Food Irradiation. Wikipedia – “Food irradiation [1]is the process of exposing food to ionizing radiation to destroy microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, or insects that might be present in the food. Further applications include sprout inhibition, delay of ripening, increase of juice yield, and improvement of re-hydration.”
Basically manufacturers zap your food to kill and delay the “bad stuff.” My questions are: Does Tostitos use this technique? But more importantly: Are preservation processes separate and apart from claims of “no preservatives”? – The verb vs. the noun. Can a potentially harmful or at least scientifically inconclusively not-harmful (according to wiki) methodology be masked by our terminology? Common sense tells me “yes.” I have no idea if Tostitos uses the food irradiation technique or not. (Data on this is dificlut to find online). I think we can all agree that a mixture of tomatoes, onions, jalapeno peppers, salt and yes…vinegar and “natural flavor” see here natural vs artifical flavors – (my hyperlink key is dead due to Gram’s JavaScript sorry for the unclean URLs gang http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=130) – ought to go bad after two months unrefridgerated. Having made my own salsa, not that much vinegar is used…certainly not compared to pickling.
Anyway, email me if you have any thoughts or theories on this – and good eats . :)
A few weeks ago I was cleaning the household's recycling area, when I spotted a jar lodged in the back of one of our cupboards. It was a Tostitos salsa jar with about two table spoons of salsa still in it. It had not been washed out and placed in its proper receptacle. This name -brand salsa is an odd thing for our household to have, and I realized that jar must have been there for a minimum of two months. Aside from the repulsion one might feel, what really struck me was that the salsa in the jar emitted no odor, contained no mold, no discoloration, and its texture – I daresay looked as edible as it would have upon being first purchased.
So today my grandpa was describing the leeching that had occurred in his old place of work - an aerosol plant. "In the old days " they dumped the toxins, black, and grey water into one single septic tank until the EPA got a hold of them and the plant must now filter the aquifer's contaminants 'round the clock. So I was thinking about this, water, chemicals, decomposition and the body in general -And was struck with a vision of the ever-so-delicious Tostitos salsa.
I investigated and apparently Tostitos salsa has no preservatives in their “All Natural” line and are flashed with high heat to kill off any standing bacteria -making them suitable for grocery shelves. If this is true, and the only method of preserving without preservatives (verb vs. plural noun), then the salsa should quickly turn after it is opened, and certainly not have lasted for months in the back of a cupboard. Another possibility is that the tomatoes and other vegetables are stewed in vinegar before “heat preserved” which would extend its shelf life once its opened…such as with pickles.
Doing this research lead me to discover a process called Food Irradiation. Wikipedia – “Food irradiation [1]is the process of exposing food to ionizing radiation to destroy microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, or insects that might be present in the food. Further applications include sprout inhibition, delay of ripening, increase of juice yield, and improvement of re-hydration.”
Basically manufacturers zap your food to kill and delay the “bad stuff.” My questions are: Does Tostitos use this technique? But more importantly: Are preservation processes separate and apart from claims of “no preservatives”? – The verb vs. the noun. Can a potentially harmful or at least scientifically inconclusively not-harmful (according to wiki) methodology be masked by our terminology? Common sense tells me “yes.” I have no idea if Tostitos uses the food irradiation technique or not. (Data on this is dificlut to find online). I think we can all agree that a mixture of tomatoes, onions, jalapeno peppers, salt and yes…vinegar and “natural flavor” see here natural vs artifical flavors – (my hyperlink key is dead due to Gram’s JavaScript sorry for the unclean URLs gang http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=130) – ought to go bad after two months unrefridgerated. Having made my own salsa, not that much vinegar is used…certainly not compared to pickling.
Anyway, email me if you have any thoughts or theories on this – and good eats . :)
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Out of the Office
Hi Ya'll
I will be away from the wonderful worldwide web until August 1st. Give me a call at the usual number if you want to reach me. I'll be biking across Massachusetts starting in Western Mass. - Deerfield specifically -and working my way east. We will be in teams of 8 camping and promoting sustainable practices. The specifics of the trip are still shrouded in much mystery, but that's half the fun!
I was thinking the other day that the last time I haven't had internet for two months was probably when I was twelve years old. Think of it. What could be comparable to the electronic age pre-internet? Books, perhaps, had the informative power of the internet though most people were illiterate so even books did not necessarily have the communicative power.
I am wondering how this has shaped my thinking in subtle ways, and also how the use of the computer has influenced our house pets evolutionarily. I use the computer quite a bit and often my house kitty will crawl up to it like a person or its mother, purring at the screen and is often captivated by the little movements of the mouse or sound of my typing. If through breeding of house pets we've influenced their evolutionary path, meaning we choose friendlier, more loving dogs and cats over aloof and hostile ones ... then how might our changing relationship with technology mold our thinking and inter-species relationship with our house pets (and even wild animals)?
Cats and dogs of the recent past are being exposed to our computers as well as us humans. If my cat can show affection to the computer screen because of its hum or look, how might computers, animal, and human relationships change as the givers and receivers of love and affection are not limited to biological organisms? Can we find a mathematical formula for house pets and maybe eventually humans to develop relationships with machines? Can emotions be replicated and used by technology for its own end? and Will computers have the ability to formulate these tactics alone, or will man 's "dominion" over technology and animals remain ... holding us accountable for how the use of new emotive bits of technology are used? Anyway, I would love to continue talking about this, but I'm at my grandma's and little Sebastian calls.
Check out this website http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/ journals, articles, photos, and equipment lists from people who have toured all over the world on their bicycles. I really enjoyed this one - http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=1&v=2l - from Neil Gunton, a daily journal of his trans-america trip in 1998.
Give me a ring this summer, be well friends and family!
I will be away from the wonderful worldwide web until August 1st. Give me a call at the usual number if you want to reach me. I'll be biking across Massachusetts starting in Western Mass. - Deerfield specifically -and working my way east. We will be in teams of 8 camping and promoting sustainable practices. The specifics of the trip are still shrouded in much mystery, but that's half the fun!
I was thinking the other day that the last time I haven't had internet for two months was probably when I was twelve years old. Think of it. What could be comparable to the electronic age pre-internet? Books, perhaps, had the informative power of the internet though most people were illiterate so even books did not necessarily have the communicative power.
I am wondering how this has shaped my thinking in subtle ways, and also how the use of the computer has influenced our house pets evolutionarily. I use the computer quite a bit and often my house kitty will crawl up to it like a person or its mother, purring at the screen and is often captivated by the little movements of the mouse or sound of my typing. If through breeding of house pets we've influenced their evolutionary path, meaning we choose friendlier, more loving dogs and cats over aloof and hostile ones ... then how might our changing relationship with technology mold our thinking and inter-species relationship with our house pets (and even wild animals)?
Cats and dogs of the recent past are being exposed to our computers as well as us humans. If my cat can show affection to the computer screen because of its hum or look, how might computers, animal, and human relationships change as the givers and receivers of love and affection are not limited to biological organisms? Can we find a mathematical formula for house pets and maybe eventually humans to develop relationships with machines? Can emotions be replicated and used by technology for its own end? and Will computers have the ability to formulate these tactics alone, or will man 's "dominion" over technology and animals remain ... holding us accountable for how the use of new emotive bits of technology are used? Anyway, I would love to continue talking about this, but I'm at my grandma's and little Sebastian calls.
Check out this website http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/ journals, articles, photos, and equipment lists from people who have toured all over the world on their bicycles. I really enjoyed this one - http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=1&v=2l - from Neil Gunton, a daily journal of his trans-america trip in 1998.
Give me a ring this summer, be well friends and family!
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