Coffee bean dream

What I look for in musicians is generosity. There is so much to learn from each other and about each other's culture. Great creativity begins with tolerance.

--Yo-Yo Ma, Cellist

How true, indeed. Our minds cannot be open to creative ideas unless it is open to life, and that includes being open to all of life's inhabitants. And what better way to judge tolerance - and, for that matter, acceptance - than by measuring generosity.

When celebrities do stupid things

First, Michael Phelps got photographed smoking the bong. Then A-Rod admitted to using drugs. And now Chris Brown is beating up his girlfriend. When are celebrities going to realize that they can't do stupid things anymore?

A spokesperson for Billboard records speculates that Chris Brown's career is now over. And while what Chris Brown did was terrible, I find that kind of interesting that beating your girlfriend can end your career.

After all, celebrities do drugs and their careers are fine. They can shave their heads and take a bat to their ex-husband's car and no one bats an eye. Cheat on their taxes and their significant others and face no consequences. They can even kill another man and their records sell more than ever. But beat your girlfriend...that's just too far.

Maybe part of it is our culture - men don't hit girls. And perhaps, because of that, what Chris Brown is unforgivable in fans' eyes. Don't get me wrong - I'm in no way justifying what he has done and I agree that Chris Brown's records and bank account should face a terrible consequence as a result. I just find it a bit amusing that the public has reacted so vehemently to this crime, when it tends to turn a blind eye to others. But it also makes me wonder how this reflects the way we think of women in our society - as vulnerable and needing protection.

Rihanna is a victim, no doubt. But I hope she doesn't fall into the annals of stupid-dom, as well. After all, if she chooses to go back to Chris Brown, to forget his past acts of violence and become his girlfriend again, then I think fans should react in kind. She has a chance to be a role model and stand up for other victims in her plight; I just hope she isn't stupid and screw it up.

UPDATE: Rihanna and Chris Brown are back together. They are both idiots.

A bit of the macabre

Along with the whole "living green" trend comes the "dying green" trend. This is one that I've heard about for some years and I completely agree with. In fact, when I die, I don't want to be cremated or preserved forever in some coffin. Just stick me in a burlap sack and plant a tree on top of me. What better way to poetically demostrate the circle of life.

But it appears that, in recent years, the dying green trend has really boomed. Now you can be cremeated in a cardboard box, which reduces the harmful emissions into the atmosphere when burned. Or you can be formed into a new coral reef, where fish can live among you and loved ones can visit during scuba diving trips.

For those with no intention of dying just yet, you can still recycle and feed your quirkiness at the same time. Coffin Couches takes unused or damaged coffins and renovates them into couches. At $3,500 each, they are not for the faint of heart (or wallet), but can add that touch of class to a tatoo parlor or celebrity's house. I would consider purchasing one, but none of the ones showcased on the website quite go with my Pottery Barn-like decor. I can already see the gears rolling in some producers' heads for a new show on TLG or HGTV: Pimp My Coffin.

And with the green movement underway, what network can resist?

Girl Power

I heard an interesting tidbit the other day:

For the first time in history, women are about to be the majority in the work force in about a month. This is according to analysts who have been looking at patterns and industries effected by job cuts. More men have recently been laid off due to the nature of the jobs/industries (e.g. manufacturing, labor, etc.) whereas women tend to have jobs that are more representative of services or are working part-time.

So this got me thinking: if this is true, then I wonder if this will have bigger implications down the road, to the benefit of women. In the 1940s, women started to have a larger presence in the work force due to men being deployed overseas to fight WWII and I wonder if that later led to women having the confidence (and men realizing the value that women bring to the workforce) to assume larger roles and later, career paths. Now, if women are becoming the main breadwinners, I wonder if this will lead to an increase in gender equality and pay in the workforce. Perhaps this is the silver lining to the economic crisis we're in - closing the remaining gap between women and men, at least when it comes to careers, especially in upper management which seems to be dominated by men.

Regardless, I think now is a good time to remember that women are classifed as minority group under the law. And this means that women need to help one another, especially when it comes to boosting one another's careers and helping one another rise to upper management positions. No one is more critical than a woman, especially of other women, myself included. But we need to support one another, champion one another so we can become more powerful and confident.

Yes, we should do this for everyone, regardless of gender. But we should especially do this for our own and help one another become the very best a woman can be.

Hope doesn't just belong to America

It also belongs to Zimbabwe. Today, Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition-party's leader, officially became Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, in a power-sharing agreement that he and Mugabe signed some time back.

I really hope that Tsvangirai can bring some peace, aid and resources to this country and its people. At the very least, I hope that he can stop the cholera outbreak and be able to treat the more than 65,000 people who are infected. And I hope that power doesn't go to his head, that he remembers the struggle, tyranny and fear that Mugabe and inflicted upon this country.

But Mugabe is still the President of Zimbabwe, so I suspect that it will be some time before we start to see some positive movement. After all, he's trying to fund his 85th birthday bash by soliciting donations from people (who in their right mind would fund this thing, I don't know).

While 65,000 of his people suffer from cholera (with 4,000 already dead), another 5 million of his people in need of food aid, and with his economy enjoying a 1,593% annual inflation rate, Mugabe's donation list includes the following:

• 2,000 bottles of champagne
• 8,000 lobsters
• 4,000 portions of cavier
• 8,000 boxes of Ferrero Rocher chocolates
• 3,000 ducks
• 100 kg prawn

Is anyone else but me sick to their stomachs?

Eat a doughnut and run

Saturday marked the 5th annual Krispy Kreme Challenge, sponsored by NC State University. The objective of the challenge is simple:

• Run the 2 miles from the NC State belltower to the local Krispy Kreme


• Eat a dozen glazed doughnuts


• Run the 2 miles back to the NC State belltower


• Do not throw up

The winner did all this is 28:09. This means he ate 12 doughnuts in 5 minutes. If you participate as a challenger and complete the challenge (you must finish in under an hour to be eligible), you get a free t-shirt. Now, you can compete as a casual runner, which means you can eat as many doughnuts as you like, but you don't get a free t-shirt.

Scott and I did our part to support the runners by waiting at the Krispy Kreme with one doughnut (each) and coffee in hand, cheering on the contenders. Over 5,000 people participated, and ESPN was on the scene, so it was pretty amazing to see. Plus, the funny costumes added to the liveliness. One guy was dressed in a full-out tuxedo. Another pair of friends were dressed as Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts coffee cups. Still others decided to run in nothing but a Speedo.

The truly amazing thing is how this story got picked up. My parents, in southern IL, read about the race on the second page of their newspaper. I guess when there are doughnuts involved, people pay attention.

All proceeds benefit the NC Children's Hospital, so it's all good fun for a good cause. Maybe next year we'll take a stab at the race...as a casual runner.

Latte Wisdom

On my Starbucks latte cup this morning, I came across this pearl of wisdom from "The Way I see It" series. This one is #129:

The first person to walk on Mars could be alive today. If so, she's most likely two years old and living in China.

--Andrew Zolli, Futurist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer

The sad thing is, he's probably right. We need to light a fire under our collective American arses and start getting excited about math and science. We're losing the battle and it's more than just national pride - it's about educating our children properly. While children in other parts of the world are learning math and science concepts and longing to get higher degress in these subjects, our children are watching TV or reading up on Jessica Simpson's weight battle. No wonder the Chinese our beating us in the economy and brains. We just don't care any more.

Maybe we need another space race. A race to Mars, perhaps. Something to join us as a nation and get kids and teenagers excited about learning and education.