The Surgeon General is a Maniac

In my household we have a word : "BIG SKIN"--our term for sneaky corporate dermatology and sunscreen tycoons. Now the surgeon general (who is a suspicious dermatologist) has gotten up on the  'sun will kill you' soap box...This is of course the same sun, that has sustained ALL LIFE ON EARTH for billions of years--yet now is apparently out to kill you.
So they say melanoma has increased three fold since the 1970's --well,  wait a minute--isn't this about the same time we STOPPED covering ourselves in greasy Coppertone oils?? And replaced the oily sheen with sunblock ?
And you tell me--are we spending more time outdoors, or less???
But nobody (most of all "big skin") wants to add a bit of accuracy to the dialogue. Namely why would increased sunblock use lead to skin cancer?
Well, the answer is pretty simple--melanin (a tan!?) protects you from the harmful UV rays of the sun. Slow sun exposure prepares your body for UV, versus keeping yourself pale as a lab rat until you accidentally get stuck outside and burn like a piece of bacon. This is why skin cancer rates are actually higher in rainy Oregon , than in sunny Texas--because daily low level sun exposure is the best protection!! Secondly, studies show that sunblock wearers spend more time in the sun than they should. (because nature has this awesome way of protecting you--maybe you feel red, or uncomfortable and know you better get under the shade--how novel!) But when you are covered in globs of nasty toxic sunblock, all you are doing is blocking vitamin D!! Yet ironically allowing some harmful radiation in..
But no pimple popper MD wants to explain these obvious facts to the public.
I just can't believe the surgeon general refuses to articulate the true nature of the problem, nor cares about the health costs associated with vitamin D deficiency. Any evolutionary biologist can tell you, that white folks (once black) lost their pigment as they migrated North so they could absorb MORE sun, not less. But obviously dermatologists are (well meaning perhaps) but misguided creationists.

Try Something New

As I was reading a CityData forum the other day, I came upon an irritated comment by a poster stating: "why does everyone pick on box stores and chain restaurants? I happen to like box stores and will happily live in a community with lots of them."
This statement shocked me.

I looked away from the screen, as this required serious contemplation.
Shopping at Sam's club or Walmart because of financial need is completely understandable--but to actually "like" them??? I thought that the only sane reason people went to Applebees, Lowes, or PetCo, was because IT WAS THERE.

And so I came to realize, that many towns look exactly like "everywhere else in America", because certain people actually want it that way!!! And is it merrily a coincidence that these same areas happen to have more conservative residents??


Yet (no surprise here): independent book stores, sea-weed cupcake shops and Cambodian craft brew cafe's are fairly good indicators of a progressive community....
Some people can be classified as either "avoiders" or "seekers". Avoiders can't stand change, cling to familiarity, repetition and routine. Perhaps the kind of people who would appreciate the safety and familiarity of a box store or chain restaurant? 
Avoiding new experiences might seem safe and all, BUT lucky for our human history--some had the gall to seek out novelty and actually leave the cave....!