Happy New Year to All!

Or better yet, Happy right at this moment!

French clay, new penicillin?

MRSA is the scourge of the country's hospitals, but now the discovery in France of a volcanic clay with miraculous healing properties raises the prospect of a cure for it, and to other dangerous superbugs.

Clay has long been used as a health treatment in spas, but that is because it holds heat longer than water, and draws toxins out of the skin. Clay is also sometimes eaten as a folk remedy for nausea.

Read more from the UK's independent. In the US more than 90,000 Americans develop the invasive infections each year, according to the study, a figure the journal (JAMA) called "astounding."
I hope this turns out to be valid. Many schools in Southern California have reported students with MRSA.

1-800-GOOG-411: Google's 411 service

Zero emmissions, Honda Clarity is here.

Honda is introducing the Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicle to Southern California in 2008. It is only available if you live in Santa Monica, Irvine or Torrance areas. These cities have Honda hydrogen fuel cell stations. The mileage with a fill-up is approximately 270 miles. Mainly for local driving, but I suppose driving to San Diego, Santa Barbara, mountain and desert areas would be in that mileage range. It is lease only, $600 a month for 3 years and includes service. Honda is also working on a home energy station which would heat and power your home as well as converting natural gas into hydrogen for your Clarity. They claim it (home fuel cell generator) will save you 30% on your home utilities.
Personally I feel a rechargable battery vehicle would be more efficient and economical and of course accessable to all. Read more about it here.

Thanks to Mike Adams, creator, and artist Dan Berger.

Luz's comment below reminded me of this great green idea.

If you live in San Francisco or Portland, Ore., you can even rent a living Christmas Tree (starting at $75 for a 7-foot Douglas fir) that will be delivered to you, then picked up after New Year’s to be replanted in areas such as parks and school districts.

For $60 and up, San Diegans can adopt a living potted tree—delivered by singing, dancing elves, we kid you not—that comes with its own adoption certificate, plus care and feeding instructions. When the merrymaking is over, the elves return to pick up the tree for replanting in areas destroyed by the Cedar Fire in San Diego

Japan stops humpback whale hunting

Japan has backed down from a highly controversial plan to hunt endangered humpback whales off Antarctica, after fierce criticism by Australia. The Japanese whaling fleet, however, still plans to hunt almost 1,000 whales this season

But, there is always a "but" read here from Voice of America

Bio Battery by Sony

How sweet it is...

Sony announced the development of a bio battery that generates electricity from carbohydrates (sugar) utilizing enzymes as its catalyst, through the application of power generation principles found in living organisms.

Test cells of this bio battery have achieved power output of 50 mW, currently the world's highest level for passive-type bio batteries. The output of these test cells is sufficient to power music play back on a memory-type Walkman.

I read elsewhere that the case for the battery will be made from a vegatable based plastic. Full story from Sony

Congratulations Ottmar Liebert

For your Grammy award nomination in the New Age catagory and for your outstanding album One Guitar. If I were a member of the Grammy organization I would do as many faithful Chicago voters do, and that is to vote early and vote often.

No more coffee pleasure

As some of you know I was seriously ill for about month. I am ok for now. But I am curious about one thing. I have lost all interest in tasting or smelling that morning cup(s) o'coffee. We're talking talking 40+ years of enjoying java. What happened?
I don't know.
I developed my taste for coffee when I was very young, maybe 9 or 10. When visiting my grandmother she would set me up with a small cup of very sweet and creamy(evaporated milk) coffee usually a brand of decaf called Sanka, against my mothers wishes. I kept it a secret until now and I told my 88 year old mom, and her response was "she did what!"
Well, I did try a cup and it was totally unappealing and bitter; one sip and I threw it out.
Does anyone out there know why this happened?