Bad News For Hippies

Long-term exposure to incense increases a person's risk for developing cancers in the upper respiratory tract.

"Given that our results are backed by numerous experimental studies showing that incense is a powerful producer of particulate matter and that incense smoke contains carcinogenic substances, I believe incense should be used with caution," said study author Dr. Jeppe Friborg, of the department of epidemiology research at Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark. "That is, frequent use in rooms where people live should be minimized, or at least sufficient ventilation should be secured. In our study, we find the increased risk of cancer to be present in individuals reporting frequent use of incense for many years, thus, repeated exposure for years should probably be avoided."

Bummer, dude.

Stretch Limo

Folks have been building stretch limousines for years, of course. They cut a car in half and add an extension, resulting in a huge vehicle. So, since that works so well, why not apply the same technique on a much large scale and produce a stretch cruise ship? That is exactly what Carnival Cruise Lines Royal Caribbean did.

It sounds like an unforgettable magic trick - sawing a cruise ship in half.

But this is no illusion, as the owners of this 916ft liner really did cut it open to extend its length by 73ft.

Such measures may seem extreme, but the £30million cost of the job is just a fraction of the £500million - and years of labour - needed to launch a new ship.

The Enchantment of the Seas now has an additional 151 rooms to rent. And it is currently cruising loaded up with passengers.

UPDATE: Got the wrong cruise line, sorry about that.

Two Things To Read

There are two interesting articles that deserve a read: one popped up over at Memeorandum, the other at Real Clear Politics. First, Joe Klein made a visit to a focus group:

–"Change" as a theme is over. Too vague. And Obama's rhetoric has begun to seriously cut against him. "No more oratory," one woman said. "Give us details." (There may be a racial component to this, by the way, as some white people associate soaring oratory with African-American leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesse Jackson.)

–What do they want? Given a list of 31 personal attributes the next President might have and asked to pick the eight most important, "Accountability" finished highest with 13 votes, next was "Someone I can trust" with 12, "honest and ethical" was third with 11. "Agrees with me on the issues" got one vote. They didn't care if the candidate was a Washington insider or outsider. "A dynamic and charismatic leader" got two votes…(Add: When Luntz asked them which was more important, "accountability" or "change," the vote was 17 to 4 in favor of accountability.)

There is a lot more and it is worth a read. The second item is from Stuart Rothenberg. He wonders about buyer's remorse:

Obama remains the favorite to win in November, but he has not yet come close to locking up the race, even with a political landscape that is slanted so completely in his party's favor.

Because of that, it's hard not to wonder whether his party would be in a far more secure position to win the White House if Democrats in Denver were preparing to nominate Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden, former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner or any of a number of other Democrats, possibly including New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

On one hand, voters remain very unhappy with the Bush administration and with the direction of the country, and Obama remains one of the party's strongest messengers for "change."

But, if Klein is right, the "change" thing is beginning to wear very thin with undecided voters. That is a real problem for a candidate who is big on hopeyness but short on specifics - other than raising taxes, of course.

Moon (Bats) Over Denver

Or all over Denver, as the case may be. Zombie (with an assist from El Marco) has documented many of the opening ceremonies in the Mile High City. The ones that began even before the opening of the Democratic National Convention.

Somewhere, there are mothers weeping.