Why is it better for the planet and all that for him to drive it for the next ten years than for me to be driving it?

I know there’s a definition or many definitions, and because of this, some things are and other things are not genocide. But still, it strikes me as weasly, bureaucratic, dismissive. It’s almost always used in the negative. You hardly ever hear anyone say: “Well, how about that? This one *does* rise to the level of genocide. Yep. Sure does. It was just under that level, there’s the level, then it rose above that level.”

No — it’s usually, “that thing is horrible, but does it rise to the level of genocide?” (posed as a question but is really being answered in the negative). Or: “One thing is clear: it doesn’t rise to the level of genocide.” And then the argument hinges on a technicality or selective choosing of an operative definition of genocide. It’s like saying, “I’m indignant, but according to Webster’s dictionary, my indignation does not rise to the level of outrage. I’ll write one letter to my congressman, but I won’t write two, because this atrocity does not meet the two-letter criteria. I’ll send $100 to the relief of the victims, but I won’t send $200, because their suffering just does not quite rise to that level.” One’s suffering must rise to a certain level, after all.

“Ooo, so close! But it just doesn’t rise to the level of genocide. Try again next time!”

I need to draft my personal dirigible schematic, but it’s a no-brainer. Tie off the packs to the mini-zeppelin hovering overhead. The Zep will have a little propeller for propulsion so the soldier will hardly notice it’s there.

It can’t fail!

(link)

We dig fossil fuel out of the ground, burn it and fill the atmosphere with carbon dioxide, and then plant trees to soak it back up. If only it were so simple.

( linkeroonie )

DENVER (AP) — Natural foods grocer Wild Oats Market Inc. said Tuesday that federal regulators will file a lawsuit to prevent its acquisition by competitor Whole Foods Market Inc.Greg Mays, Wild Oats’ chairman and chief executive, said his company and Whole Foods will challenge any lawsuit that is filed because they believe the union of the two grocers will benefit the marketplace.

I’m no economist, but this makes no sense to me. Who does Whole Foods NOT compete with? The idea that the Wild Oats acquisition would limit competition in the whole/organic foods marketplace is preposterous. I can get organic food at Safeway, Long’s drugs, Trader Joes, Costco, Walmart, to name a very few competitors. To block this acquisition overly favors those competitors and violates the principle of anti-trust, does it not?