Olympians

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In the spirit of the Olympics going on now, here are some clips from the Paralympics in 2008!

Starting with a 100 meter dash by blind runners. They get partners who run with them, so it’s a challenge of teamwork too. Their running buddy can’t cross the finish line before them, but must also stay within a certain distance, so they’ve got to be about equally fit.

men’s 100 meter from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Then on to the 4X100 on wheels! Check out the guy who was going so fast he flipped himself over!

men’s 4X100 meter race from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

And finally, the medal ceremony for the 4X100 relay.

chinese anthem for the men’s 4X100 from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

A spin on dental hygiene

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recycline's preserve toothbrush

How often do you replace your toothbrushes?  If you listen to your dentist, you probably do every three months or so, which means you go through three or four a year.  At that rate, Americans would be producing far more than the 50 million pounds of waste per year we already do from throwing those little guys away.  Since toothbrushes are inherently in need of replacing periodically, how do you avoid the waste issue?

Well, why not try Recycline’s Preserve toothbrush?

First of all, their handles are entirely made from recycled yogurt cups saved from ending up in landfills.  It’s free of BPA and the bristles are brand new, so you can rest assured it is safe to put in your mouth.  They consulted dentists to come up with the curved handle to help you reach those tricky places at just the right angles.  The tiered bristles are designed to fit around your teeth and gently massage your gums.  You have a choice of Ultra Soft, Soft, and Medium stiffness for the bristles, depending on your sensitivity.  Preserve toothbrushes also come in delicious colors such as Berry Red, Eggplant, and Pear Green.

Besides that, they come in a reusable travel case, complete with ventilation holes!  The case is made from wood-based plastic from renewable forests so you can feel good about using them too.  Once your toothbrush has reached the end of its effectiveness, you can send it back to Recycline in a postage-paid envelope.  Their partner company will recycle it for you and make plastic lumber for park benches, picnic tables, and boardwalks.  Rest assured that your environmental impact is minimized and every effort is made to keep plastic out of landfills!  If you like, you can even purchase a subscription to their toothbrushes and get a new one sent to you every three months, along with an envelope to send back your used one.

So, the next time you’re looking for a replacement toothbrush, think Preserve.  You’ll responsibly minimize your environmental impact associated with dental hygiene and even enjoy a better clean!  It’s truly “Nothing wasted.  Everything gained.™”  What’s not to love?

[written for OppGreen Insights]

LUSH facial

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A drizzly night earlier this month, my friend and I went into LUSH after a wooonderful dinner at Buddha’s Belly.  A lovely surprise awaited as I was invited to get a free facial!

getting a facial at lush, part one

Ready to start!

getting a facial at lush, part two

First layer, the face wash.

getting a facial at lush, part three

Having some fun with the fizzle they put in the water.

getting a facial at lush, part four

The final stage, a mask. Mmm, blueberries!

HOME

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A few nights ago, I went to a screening of HOME, a film by Yann Arthus-Bertrand.  It’s a film that brings to light many environmental issues surrounding the planet.  It has such spectacular graphics that sometimes it doesn’t feel real.  Plus, you’re seeing things from a bird’s eye view (or, more accurately, a hot air balloon’s eye view), which is rather unique in itself.  Such images are striking possibly purely because of the difference in perspective you get.  Whatever the case, the beauty of the film is undeniable and the message it spreads is powerful.  In fact, you should go see it yourself – it’s free to the world!

The bit that struck me the most was when it said that Dubai has just about as much sunlight as you can ever hope for, yet not a single solar panel.  It’s not really something that I had thought of before, but it’s ironic, isn’t it?  The great thing about films like these is that they not only inform you and teach you, they make you think.  They don’t always have the answers for you, but they bring about certain issues that are important to consider.  Just by starting conversations and getting people aware of things they should consider, they’re making a vital contribution towards the betterment of this world.  In addition to learning that tidbit, the film also showed me an area (I believe it was in Germany) that has solar panels covering the rooftops.  If a place like that with less sunlight can take advantage of the energy provided by the sun, why aren’t the countries closer to the equator and with far stronger sunshine following suit?

It’s truly a fantastic film that should be shared with the world.  By making it free, what better way to spread it far and wide?  That is his goal, and he has been traveling all over the planet to promote the film, answer questions at screenings, and generate the sort of momentum we must gather to turn the environmental movement into something that will truly change the world.  We are changing for the better, but not fast enough.  It’s not too late to right some of the many wrongs that have happened, but all too soon it could be.  Hence, it’s important that we take action now, in a way that we haven’t been.  Copenhagen was disappointing in the lack of unity between countries and that NEEDS to change.  We’re the first and only species that has ever done so much harm to the very environment we live in.  Are we set on self-destruction?!

I hope not.  Which is why I appreciate efforts like these to get people to take charge of the future and make this world better, not worse.  And for those who laugh and make fun of the environmentalists out there… well, you can be the ones to blame when our progeny no longer have a safe planet to live on.  That’s just a lose-lose situation for us all.  It’d be pitiful for a “great” population such as ours to contribute to our own undoing.  So much for being superior.  Ultimately, the film ended by saying that “it’s too late not to be optimistic” and I think that’s true.  If we give up hope, all is lost and we destroy so much beauty and wonder.  So, we have no choice but to put our hearts and souls into saving the future of the planet and believe that we can.  I certainly believe we can.  Now, will we?

Stuck on the 405

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One late night on my drive home, traffic suddenly came to a standstill on the 405 North. (Read the story here.)

The ambulance arrives on the scene…

ambulance rushes to the accident from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

After an hour of waiting, many got impatient and started to back out, including this limo.

limo backing down shoulder of highway from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Southern California wildfires: suppression is not the solution!

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blazing wildfires in southern california

photo credit: Chris Doolittle

Firefighters in California have adopted a fire suppression policy for over a century now, which works very effectively in the underbrush type fires of Northern California, but do very little to stop the brush type fires of Southern California.  In fact, wildfires are still occurring increasingly year after year, with over 99% of the ones in coastal Southern California started by human activity.  It’s not just an issue of how we fight the fires; it’s how we prepare ourselves to prevent the fires.

Much of the problem arises with urban sprawl.  As our communities push further out into the undeveloped land surrounding us, we not only put ourselves at risk of being in the path of a wildfire, we are more in danger of starting them.  Since fires are something humans feel they can control, more or less, there is often a misconception that we can just stop the unwanted ones from happening.  However, that is not the case, especially since our homes are teeming with highly flammable materials, including the very palm trees swaying our backyards.  Fires are bound to break out, whether caused by humans or nature.

So, we should follow Dr. Jon E. Keeley’s advice: think of wildfires like we do of earthquakes.  We certainly don’t go around trying to patch up the San Andreas Fault, and neither should we try to stop all the brushfires from igniting.  As a matter of fact, in a study conducted by Keeley and Fotheringham in 2000, they found that chaparrals (native plants in Southern California) need periodic wildfires to help their seedlings grow!  It’s actually the smoke and chemicals from charred wood that allow the seeds of chaparral to germinate, otherwise they lay dormant.

Chapparals have adapted to the wildfires that swept the area every decade or two and now need them to continue to survive.  That’s not to say that the increased frequency of wildfires is a good thing, though!  When fires occur too frequently, native chaparrals die before they get a chance to recover and soon the hillsides are replaced by non-native weeds and dry vegetation.  These new plants are far less resistant to burning, increasing the frequency of fires, which spread to kill off even more native plants.  And thus the cycle continues, to the point that of the nine megafires (fires that burned more than 100,000 acres) in the past century, half occurred in just the last six years.

So how should we deal with the wildfires?  Well, to start off with, it would be smart to NOT build homes and developments in high-risk areas, which experts have identified.  Then, for those homes that are already on the fringe of wild land, clear out the vegetation in a 100-yard radius.  Also, homeowners should be cognizant of the materials in and around their homes.  Palm trees in particular are dangerous because they are extremely flammable.  Embers flying from a burning palm tree in your yard could then ignite a fire on nearby structures.  Finally, we should accept that wildfires are part of the cycle of life for our local vegetation and have a plan like we do for earthquakes.

To learn more, check out Dr. Keeley’s Oppenheim Lecture Series presentation.

The haircut

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Been a long day, so a quick post for now…

I showed it in my video awhile ago; now here is a picture for posterity.  The wonderful cut I got from Panda.  😛

my funky haircut

UCLA squirrel

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You know you’re at UCLA when the squirrels are absolutely fearless and rather ODD.

fearless squirrel from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

The “near attack” part was far scary in real life, I tell you.

The big, bad wolf

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When I was three and a half, I flew from China to meet my parents in Pennsylvania.  On the plane ride, I was with a family friend who had been tasked with babysitting me for the trip.  The one thing I remember from that time in my life was during the plane ride, when the lady had to go to the bathroom.  She took the airplane blanket we were using, opened it up, and draped it over me.  Hidden securely underneath, she told me not to move until she came back, or else the big, bad wolf would come and eat me.  Obediently, I huddled in my little cave, waiting for her to return.

A long time later, my little toddler self was getting antsy, but I was a good kid, so I stayed under the blanket.  As the minutes passed, I began to wonder if perhaps the wolf had gotten her.  What was  taking so long?  When she finally came back, I was so relieved to get my freedom back!  Turns out she’d gotten distracted talking to a flight attendant on her way back from her restroom break.  And here I’d thought maybe she’d forgotten me there.  Thank goodness, we were both safe and the wolf was nowhere to be seen!  🙂

Overcast skies

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When the rains come to LA, it sure does dampen the place.  Check out the dense fog that covered us for a week!

heavy fog from the rain covers hillside

Visibility sucks and drivers get even worse than they already were.

fog covering hills

I don't even know how much more of that hill there might be.

heavy fog hides what is behind the hills

The world beyond is veiled...

Oh, dreary days!

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