Eclectica (n): Miscellany gathered by an eclectic; or, the result of behaving or thinking eclectically.
Don’t check Webster’s.
1. From CBC yesterday: the news that a cocaine “vaccine” is in development in Texas (see article). While it is eerie to think that we actually need to pharmaceutically engineer something to prevent certain people from destroying themselves, the initiative may hopefully prevent even more tragedy. I’m no expert on substance abuse, but during my volunteer shifts I see first-hand the effects of addiction and how it ruins lives. I wish that a similar antidote could be made for that cheaper, “legal” addiction: alcohol. But most of all, I’d wish that no-one ever felt so abandoned and hopeless in our society that they would turn to drugs as a coping mechanism.
2. Speaking of coping mechanisms, music was mine. Why would anyone want to drink, smoke, or snort if they could instead hear—and lose themselves in—the most beautiful musical passage ever written? The slow movement of Beethoven’s 5th piano concerto always makes me shiver; I can’t help it! Sure, you laugh now… but I dare you to listen.
3. The best headline of the New Year: Machete-wielding Grinch caught on tape deflating Christmas display. Whoa, and I thought I was the only one who disliked such gaudy exhibits of Christmas commercialism.
4. I bought Oil futures in my “fantasy stock exchange” game, but in real life it also would have paid off. As for gas, “Les Canadiens vont payer”; that’s not just gas at the pump that will be more expensive, but also air travel, food, and other commodities. Whether or not you accept James Howard Kunstler’s theory of “peak oil” (and really, it’s not hard to see the logic in that), the golden age of the automobile is losing its lustre. Our long commutes and suburban retreats will eventually become luxuries, unaffordable for most. Not an overnight phenomenon; just the inevitable consequence of the world’s reliance on non-renewable resources.
5. Internet trivia: Albatrosses have a glide ratio of 22:1 (which means they can glide 22 meters for every 1m of drop). They may also weigh up to 22 pounds... In general, I've been wary of the class aves since I was dive-bombed by a seagull in front of the CN tower several years ago. A flying creature as big as a dog is a frightening image indeed.
