tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11167350.post7195859255560837630..comments2023-10-31T05:37:45.410-07:00Comments on Hungry Hyaena: Picturing Alternative FuturesHungry Hyaenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06354349850246750046noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11167350.post-42595335187936502752009-12-04T07:55:04.650-08:002009-12-04T07:55:04.650-08:00AndisCandis:
At the very least, the shoreline of ...<b>AndisCandis</b>:<br /><br />At the very least, the shoreline of the Eastern Shore will be redrawn by the ocean and the bay.<br /><br />Have you seen the sea level rise predictions for the region? The western shore of the Chesapeake is more adversely affected, but the peninsula is not spared, by any means! Fortunately, the barrier islands on the Atlantic side will help mitigate storm surge effects.<br /><br />Unfortunately, many people continue to dismiss global warming and the pertinent environmental symptoms. Perhaps the percentage of those in denial is even higher on the Shore? It certainly wouldn't surprise me!Hungry Hyaenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06354349850246750046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11167350.post-75038590628291031032009-12-03T11:22:28.989-08:002009-12-03T11:22:28.989-08:00A decade hence the Eastern Shore may be under wate...A decade hence the Eastern Shore may be under water. This week I visited my grandmother's cottage (shack) near Tilghman Island, MD. We couldn't pull into the driveway (portion of the yard designated for parking) for fear that the Prius would sink. Our car has gotten stuck on every visit in the past 5 years or so. Yet when I lived there in the summer of '95, my gigantic diesel beast of a car never once got stuck. I'm starting to think we should put the house up on pilings.andiscandishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01409153642285844201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11167350.post-65077102889181879342009-12-02T06:55:21.587-08:002009-12-02T06:55:21.587-08:00Chris:
I'm in the same boat as you...and I he...<b>Chris:</b><br /><br />I'm in the same boat as you...and I help edit the scientific grants!Hungry Hyaenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06354349850246750046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11167350.post-76386163028622029902009-12-01T16:27:08.740-08:002009-12-01T16:27:08.740-08:00I've heard vague and distant rumblings about a...I've heard vague and distant rumblings about an obesity gene but not much more. I'm looking into it now, thanks. I'm pretty sure I have two or three obesity genes judging by my increasing pants size.<br /><br />I looked at Dr. Greengrass' page there. Wow. I now feel like a dope. Me put paint on wood, me no understand, uh, cyclic AMP-regulated phosphoprotein.Chris Rywalthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15766746064219235983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11167350.post-21477493663930952492009-12-01T14:04:27.340-08:002009-12-01T14:04:27.340-08:00Chris:
Thanks for the thoughtful comment.
Your c...<b>Chris</b>:<br /><br />Thanks for the thoughtful comment.<br /><br />Your concern about toxins present in the vegetables grown in urban community gardens is an important one. Unfortunately, many of the toxins present in urban soils are also present in urban air and water. They're therefore affecting local populations regardless of whether or not they eat locally grown food. Moreover, the chemicals used by industrial agriculture and pharmaceutical companies are, in many cases, no less capable of fundamentally altering our corporeal chemistry.<br /><br />Testing in the United States is revealing alarming concentrations of various "poisons" in urine from rural, suburban, and urban populations alike (as well as in mammals, fish, and other non-human animals). The particular poisons detected differ, of course, but the salient point is that we're gambling with our health and the health of future generations. That being the case, I'd rather risk poisoning from a more ethical diet than from the grossly immoral and unethical industrial model.<br /><br />Having said all that, I do think that testing should be done. Perhaps it is already being investigated? The truth is, I really don't know what toxins are present in urban garden vegetables. I should dig a bit (bad pun intended)!<br /><br />Also, thanks for your thoughts on obesity. In fact, I didn't intend to connect the food desert phenomenon with obesity, though I did imply a connection between an over-reliance on fast food and additional girth. I appreciate that the correlation is not so clear as I suggested.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rockefeller.edu/research/abstract.php?id=41" rel="nofollow">Dr. Jeffrey Friedman</a>, head investigator at one of the labs here at <a href="http://www.rockefeller.edu/" rel="nofollow">Rockefeller University</a>, studies obesity and genetics. He collaborates with <a href="http://www.rockefeller.edu/research/abstract.php?id=53" rel="nofollow">our lab</a>, and his research makes it abundantly clear that inheritance is the most important factor in obesity. They've even dubbed a gene "the obesity gene," as you probably know.<br /><br />Finally, your pictures of the "reclaimed" truck are great. I love looking at pictures like that. Thanks for sending them.Hungry Hyaenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06354349850246750046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11167350.post-18936862555649959142009-12-01T10:35:43.075-08:002009-12-01T10:35:43.075-08:00I love this post. In total, very well written, ve...I love this post. In total, very well written, very well said.<br /><br />Two things occurred to me while reading. Nothing of deep importance, and maybe tangential to your piece. But I'll note them anyway.<br /><br />First, I've got to wonder what kind of toxins all those urban gardens are picking up. <a href="http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2889/is-the-arsenic-in-treated-wood-dangerous" rel="nofollow">Studies have shown that plants growing a short distance away from arsenic-treated lumber have high levels of the poison</a>, and who knows what's been dumped in the ground around Detroit? <a href="http://www.northjersey.com/news/environment/specialreports/Making_a_wasteland_Ford_the_feds_the_mob.html" rel="nofollow">A town in my county here has gutters that run fluorescent orange when it rains</a> due to contamination from a Ford paint plant.<br /><br />Second, you use the term "food desert", which I guess is okay, but then you suggest that food desertification is connected to obesity. I know you can't research everything yourself and you have your own interests to keep up with. But obesity is one of my pet areas of study -- being obese myself -- and I can tell you that the connection many people make between obesity and fast food is a flip one. It looks good on paper, but then so does flat Earth, and the sun going around it. Obesity researchers honestly don't know why so many Americans are obese. There is a correlation between obesity and economic status, and there's some correlation between economic status and food quality, but in fact the correlations aren't that strong and the causes of either are obscure. Fact is, plenty of skinny people eat a lot of fast food, and plenty of obese people eat vegetables.<br /><br />If you can slip it into your reading list, and you're interested, I recommend<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Thin-Science-Loss-Realities/dp/0312427859" rel="nofollow"><i>Rethinking Thin</i> by Gina Kolata</a>. It sums up the last hundred years or so of obesity research. Short summary: It's much more complicated than most people think.<br /><br />Just my pet project, educating people about obesity.<br /><br />Here, <a href="http://www.crywalt.com/blog/images/Feral%20Houses-001.jpg" rel="nofollow">two</a> <a href="http://www.crywalt.com/blog/images/Feral%20Houses-002.jpg" rel="nofollow">examples</a> from western New Jersey of feral cars and advertising.Chris Rywalthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15766746064219235983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11167350.post-56348110141562133212009-12-01T07:39:07.025-08:002009-12-01T07:39:07.025-08:00Lisa:
Thank you for letting me know about Griffio...<b>Lisa:</b><br /><br />Thank you for letting me know about Griffioen's blog. I will definitely check it out.<br /><br />I hope that you're thriving in Boston as winter begins to lay down its hand.Hungry Hyaenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06354349850246750046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11167350.post-78947724501895208152009-11-30T18:38:09.410-08:002009-11-30T18:38:09.410-08:00I've followed James Griffioen's blog for a...I've followed James Griffioen's blog for a couple years -- http://www.sweet-juniper.com/ In it, he blends tales of being a stay-at-home-dad with essays and photos about their chosen city. Check out the "Detroit" and "abandoned places" tag threads.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11926492823015667177noreply@blogger.com