Ozone action

San Francisco Photos


So tomorrow is to be an ozone action day in the Chicago area, meaning that those in "sensitive groups" who have sensitive lungs should limit their outdoor activity. And those who pollute (most of us) should try not to. As a sensitive grouper because of my asthma, I therefore should stay indoors in the air conditioning, which filters out many allergens and pollutants, but uses up much energy. And I shouldn't ride my bike, but if I drive instead, that's no good, either. I plan to row on the polluted Chicago River, which is filled with untreated sewage, though the EPA says it needs to be swimable. I like what BART does in the Bay Area: lets people ride the train free on when the ozone is high, on Spare the Air days. Free is always a good incentive. I think all public transit should be free. Which is a dangerous thing to say in these Government is Bad times. It used to be that the anarchists were the ones saying There's no government like no government. Now it's the guys in suits holding tea bags that they could steep safely if they wanted to because the manufacturer had to follow guidelines set by the FDA and OSHA and so on.

{photo courtesy of Tripadvisor}

Training


So I get a robo-call from Rite Aid Pharmacy, where I got one prescription when I was in Massachusetts this summer. The computer voice asked me to input my date of birth, and then asked if I wanted to refill my prescription. It said that the call might be recorded for training purposes.

So another robot will listen to it and thus learn how to improve its customer service skills?




{Image from Metropolis}

Brain and Body


The New York Times reports that moderate exercise, including light weight-lifting twice a week, can help keep your brain from deteriorating, at least at a fast clip. We are always worrying about our brains at Cancer Bitch HQ, and we are determined to use our left hand (when we remember) and to learn something new (chess) so that we can make new grooves in our brains--at least that's the way we imagine it. For various technical reasons, I have to put the New York Times' article URL here: http://tinyurl.com/3lhgptm
instead of hiding it under a highlighted word. But you can figure out how to find it, right?

On Vacation

Haymarket Cafe, North "don't aspirate the H" ampton, MA:





Cancer Bitch has been studying African-American history in New England, and now she's on vacation in central and western Massachusetts. Please forgive her lack of posts.