Review of Chinese TV Drama - In Blossom - 花間令 (Huā jiān lìng)
And an alternate ending!!!

Overall it was good, but... It could have been better.

The last four episodes (29 to 32) could have been better scripted, as some plot choices feel weak; they don't have any purpose other than to add unnecessary twists & turns.

 And the drama’s ending...

Instead of delivering a satisfying conclusion, it forces suspense with an ambiguous scene that lacks context or payoff. Rather than a clever twist, it comes across as empty and confusing. Most viewers, myself included, are left wondering what it was supposed to mean. If the goal was to create an open-ended mystery, it fails because it lacks substance, and instead of a thought-provoking conclusion, it feels like an unresolved, last-minute attempt to appear deep without any real meaning.

So let's start with what I would change to make this a better story!

 

Ep. 29 - 24:30 min

Why would the princess choose to kill herself? But most importantly, why would she choose to kill herself in such a way that not only endangers Shangguan Zhi but also wastes an opportunity to make her sacrifice meaningful?  As someone raised in the palace, she should be resourceful and strategic enough to devise a last-minute plan.

Frankly, this plot twist is unnecessary and leads to even further unnecessary drama, thus it should be erased. Let's examine something else that could prevent her death:

 

Ep. 28 - 38:00 min

Zhuo LanJiang meeting the mastermind (Jia Quan - identity not yet revealed) and his personal assistant (Zuo Jingfei) at night time in an undisclosed location.

 

Ep. 30 -  5:30 min

Zhuo LanJiang meeting the mastermind (Jia Quan - identity revealed) and his personal assistant (Zuo Jingfei) during daytime at the "Grand Commandant's Residence".

After comparing both meeting locations, we can clearly see the same curtains and the same bookshelves in the background. Thus, we can deduce they meet in the same location.

We know Zhuo Lanjiang's motivations: to avenge his father. He's not there to stretch things nor investigate any further. This said, he had a very good opportunity to do this in Ep. 28's meeting. He could kill both at once swiftly at nighttime and try to escape alive.

But let's say for suspense's sake he does not do it just yet. Plus, he gets to witness the presence of Mr. Chen (the organization's accountant who brought the ledgers with him) as he's being escorted to his new room. This opens the plot twist for him to look for those ledgers later which brings us at back at Ep. 29, right before the Princess's death scene, the one we want to get rid of.

  

So here's what should happen:

(This removes all those scenes: princess's death, Shangguan Zhi going to jail, Pan Yue begging his father, Shangguan Zhi's trial + battle, them becoming fugitives, Zhuo LanJiang dying uselessly and in a very stupid way, etc.)

 

Ep. 29 - from 18:40 to 24:30 min

This is when the princess finds out her sister's husband (Jia Quan) is the great villain she and Pan Yue have been investigating. This triggers him to threaten her. But frankly, why would he ask her to kill Shangguan Zhi? That's just plain not plausible considering his shrews character. If he wanted Shangguan Zhi dead, he could have had her dead 100 other ways anytime he wanted.

In my opinion, once he made sure to make her understand that he can and will kill her and her sister (and make it look like an accident) if she tries to interfere, his most likely reaction would be to prohibit her from leaving the residence and keep her under watch at all times until the completion of his "Grand Marshal" promotion ceremony to ensure she won't leak any information.

 

Next would come the scene from Ep. 30 -  5:30 min

Zhuo LanJiang meeting the mastermind (Jia Quan - identity revealed) and his personal assistant (Zuo Jingfei) during daytime at the "Grand Commandant's Residence".

But this time, he kills both in stealth mode, then proceeds to look for the ledgers, finds them, and escapes successfully.

There should be a commotion once Jia Quan's death is noticed. It should be speculated that it must be related to the assassin who tried to kill Pan Yue the other day. The Princess would later go search for the ledger where she found evidence of Jia Quan's name change, then make a plan to meet with Pan Yue in order to discuss their next move.

Meanwhile, Zhuo LanJiang gives the accounting ledgers to either Pan Yue or Shangguan Zhi (or both, whatever suits the plot), tells them he fulfilled his vengeance (the bad guy is dead), and plans to head back home with his girlfriend and marry her.

Next, we should obviously see Zhuo LanJiang have some happy romantic reunion with Bai Xiao Sheng.

Then, the princess meets with Pan Yue and Shangguan Zhi to decide what will be done.

 

From there, I don't have anything concrete in mind, but I guess the most obvious would be:

 - The princess confesses everything to her sister.

- The wedding between the princess and Pan Yue gets canceled.

- The evidence against Jia Quan gets deposited to help close his death's investigation.

- Pan Yue and his father reconcile.

- Pan Yue will confess everything to Shangguan Zhi's brother as promised. She should also have a moment alone with her brother to settle things.

- Pan Yue gets back his Heyang's Magistrate position and finds a way to offer Zhuo LanJiang a good position too in managing the docks (or whatever else that fits his fancy in order to compensate him for shutting down his clan. Maybe letting him reopen his clan/private business?)

- Pan Yue and Shangguan Zhi get married in Heyang at the same time as Zhuo LanJiang and Bai Xiao Sheng (double wedding).

  

Oh, and another useless scene is this one:

 Ep 29: 6 min

Pan Yue's brother reveals to a stranger that Shangguan Zhi is Yang Caiwei.

Only Pan Yue's father should know about this, and this information should not have been revealed to anyone else in the household.

 

 

Song: 凝眸 - Stare Intently (Gaze) Performed by: 丁禹兮 - Ryan Ding Yuxi From the TV show: 永夜星河 - Love Game in Eastern Fantasy Adapted from the web novel: "The Guide to Capturing a Black Lotus" (黑莲花攻略手册) by Bai Yu Zhai Diao Gong (白羽摘雕弓).

I created this video because no other existed to accompany this beautiful song. As my very first venture into video editing, it became a labor of love, spanning 16 hours of dedication. I hope it brings you as much joy as it brought me. This song touches the soul and moved me to tears. Ryan Ding Yuxi is a rare talent whose artistry shines through. His character radiates love, and the depth of emotion in his voice lingers in every note, weaving a melody of heartfelt sincerity. 虞书欣 Esther Yu Shuxin not only brings Ling Miaomiao to life but also infused the role with humor and charm. Her acting made me laugh throughout the entire series. This romantic comedy was a delightful and unexpected discovery for me. =^.^= 我制作了这段视频，因为没有找到其他作品能与这首美丽的歌曲相匹配。这是我第一次尝试视频剪辑，用了16个小时的心血完成了它。我希望你能和我一样喜欢它。 这首歌深深触动了我的心，让我不禁落泪。丁禹兮是一位难得的才子，他的艺术才华熠熠生辉。他的角色充满爱意，他的声音中倾注的情感在每个音符中回荡，编织出了一曲真挚动人的旋律。  

虞书欣不仅完美诠释了凌妙妙这个角色，还赋予了她幽默与魅力。她的演技贯穿整部剧，让我笑个不停。这部浪漫喜剧是我意外的惊喜发现。 

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LYRICS (simplified Chinese - Pinyin - English) The English has been translated with the help of ChatGPT 4o to help retain both the poetic depth and emotional weight of the original composition.

说不清缘故我为何只顾着将你拥住 Shuō bù qīng yuán gù wǒ wèi hé zhǐ gù zhe jiāng nǐ yōng zhù I can't explain the reason why I just want to hold you in my arms 千万缕酸楚在你泪滴划过我时放逐 Qiān wàn lǚ suān chǔ zài nǐ lèi dī huá guò wǒ shí fàng zhú Thousands of sorrows are exiled when your tears pass over me 世人无数偏为你 神无主 Shì rén wú shù piān wèi nǐ shén wú zhǔ 连命数 都想宽恕 lián mìng shù dōu xiǎng kuān shù Amid countless people in the world, only for you, the gods seem lost. Even fate itself desires to forgive 相思入骨白首却无处 Xiāng sī rù gǔ bái shǒu què wú chù My love for you runs so deep it’s etched into my bones, yet there’s no place for us to grow old together 今生吻过你眉目是我的救赎 Jīn shēng wěn guò nǐ méi mù shì wǒ de jiù shú Kissing your face in this lifetime is my salvation 别哭 Bié kū Don’t cry 握过你手心纹路风雪不冷酷 Wò guò nǐ shǒu xīn wén lù fēng xuě bù lěng kù Having held the lines of your palm, the wind and snow no longer feel cold 乱世之中你向我凝眸 Luàn shì zhī zhōng nǐ xiàng wǒ níng móu 是我曾重生的一幕 shì wǒ céng chóng shēng de yī mù Amid the chaos of the world, your gaze upon me was a scene of my rebirth 爱过你让我一生 满足 Ài guò nǐ ràng wǒ yī shēng mǎn zú Loving you makes my life fulfilled 说不清缘故我为何只顾着将你拥住 Shuō bù qīng yuán gù wǒ wèi hé zhǐ gù zhe jiāng nǐ yōng zhù I can't explain the reason why I just want to hold you in my arms 千万缕酸楚在你泪滴划过我时放逐 Qiān wàn lǚ suān chǔ zài nǐ lèi dī huá guò wǒ shí fàng zhú Thousands of sorrows are exiled when your tears pass over me 世人无数偏为你 神无主 Shì rén wú shù piān wèi nǐ shén wú zhǔ 连命数 都想宽恕 lián mìng shù dōu xiǎng kuān shù Amid countless people in the world, only for you, the gods seem lost. Even fate itself desires to forgive 相思入骨白首却无处 Xiāng sī rù gǔ bái shǒu què wú chù My love for you runs so deep it’s etched into my bones, yet there’s no place for us to grow old together 今生吻过你眉目是我的救赎 Jīn shēng wěn guò nǐ méi mù shì wǒ de jiù shú Kissing your face in this lifetime is my salvation 别哭 Bié kū Don’t cry 握过你手心纹路风雪不冷酷 Wò guò nǐ shǒu xīn wén lù fēng xuě bù lěng kù Having held the lines of your palm, the wind and snow no longer feel cold 乱世之中你向我凝眸 Luàn shì zhī zhōng nǐ xiàng wǒ níng móu 是我曾重生的一幕 shì wǒ céng chóng shēng de yī mù Amid the chaos of the world, your gaze upon me was a scene of my rebirth 爱过你让我一生 满足 Ài guò nǐ ràng wǒ yī shēng mǎn zú Loving you makes my life fulfilled 今生吻过你眉目是我的救赎 Jīn shēng wěn guò nǐ méi mù shì wǒ de jiù shú Kissing your face in this lifetime is my salvation 别哭 Bié kū Don’t cry 握过你手心纹路风雪不冷酷 Wò guò nǐ shǒu xīn wén lù fēng xuě bù lěng kù Having held the lines of your palm, the wind and snow no longer feel cold 乱世之中你向我凝眸 Luàn shì zhī zhōng nǐ xiàng wǒ níng móu 是我曾重生的一幕 shì wǒ céng chóng shēng de yī mù Amid the chaos of the world, your gaze upon me was a scene of my rebirth 爱过你让我一生 满足 Ài guò nǐ ràng wǒ yī shēng mǎn zú Loving you makes my life fulfilled 爱过你让我一生 满足 Ài guò nǐ ràng wǒ yī shēng mǎn zú Loving you makes my life fulfilled

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Notes regarding the song meaning:Detailed Interpretation:

世人无数偏为你 (shì rén wú shù piān wèi nǐ): "Among the countless people in the world, only for you" "世人无数" sets the stage, describing the vast number of people in the world. "偏为你" adds a focused exclusivity: "only for you" or "uniquely for you." 神无主 (shén wú zhǔ): "The gods are untethered" or "Even the gods seem lost." It suggests that the divine powers, which are usually composed and authoritative, become disoriented or powerless when it comes to "you." 连命数都想宽恕 (lián mìng shù dōu xiǎng kuān shù): "Even fate itself desires to forgive." This conveys the idea that even the unchangeable concept of destiny is softened or willing to make exceptions for this person. Poetic Interpretation: 相思入骨 (xiāng sī rù gǔ): "My longing for you is so deep it feels etched into my bones." This line conveys an intense, almost physical yearning. 白首却无处 (bái shǒu què wú chù): "There is no place to grow old together." This implies a sense of hopelessness or unfulfilled love: the longing exists, but the opportunity for companionship into old age is absent. Contextual Meaning: The entire line reflects the speaker's deep and enduring love (or longing) that is simultaneously unreciprocated, forbidden, or destined to remain unfulfilled. The juxtaposition between the intensity of longing ("入骨") and the futility ("无处") creates a poignant emotional tension. Poetic Interpretation: "In this life, having kissed your face is my salvation." The speaker considers even a fleeting moment of intimacy—kissing the other person’s face—a deeply transformative or redemptive experience. It suggests that this act brought meaning or salvation to their existence. Contextual Notes: The 眉目 ("eyebrows and eyes") phrase is highly poetic and highlights the beauty of the beloved. It evokes a vivid and emotional image of the act. 救赎 ("salvation") adds a spiritual depth, implying that the act of kissing transcends mere affection—it’s a moment of profound significance. Poetic Interpretation: "Holding the lines of your palm, the wind and snow no longer feel cruel." The act of holding the beloved’s palm imbues the speaker with warmth and comfort, shielding them from the harshness of external conditions like the wind and snow. Contextual Notes: 手心纹路 (lines of the palm): Evokes intimacy and a sense of fate or destiny, as palm lines are often associated with individuality and fortune-telling in Chinese culture. 风雪 (wind and snow): A poetic symbol for life’s challenges or harsh environments. Here, the speaker suggests that love has softened these difficulties. 冷酷 (cold/cruel): The metaphor extends beyond the literal meaning to emphasize the emotional impact of love in overcoming hardships. Poetic Interpretation: "Amid the chaos of the world, you gazed at me with intent. It was a scene from my rebirth." This conveys the deep emotional and transformative power of the moment when the gaze happens, amidst turbulent circumstances. Contextual Notes: 乱世之中 (amid chaos): Implies a backdrop of turmoil, emphasizing how significant and grounding the gaze is . 凝眸 (intense gaze): A poetic phrase often associated with deep emotions, longing, or a powerful connection. 重生的一幕 (a scene of rebirth): Suggests that this moment symbolizes a turning point or renewal for the speaker, possibly tied to love or emotional awakening.

Fighting Pests With Sound Waves, Not Pesticides

http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/11/04/sound-waves-could-replace-pesticides-fighting-pest-devastation-orange-groves?cmpid=tp-ptnr-eatlocalgrown

Researchers invent a device that uses acoustics to mimic the mating call of an insect devastating Florida’s orange groves.

Guy Davies, an inspector for Florida's Division of Plant Industry, checks an orange tree for the Asian citrus psyllid, which carries the bacterium-causing 'citrus greening' disease. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

NOV 4, 2015

Katharine Gammon has written for Nature, Wired ,Discover, and Popular Science. A new mom, she lives in Santa Monica.

A tiny bug is threatening your morning orange juice.

In Florida, the Asian citrus psyllid, an aphid-size creature that feeds on the stems and leaves of citrus trees, cost the juice business $3.6 billion between 2006 and 2012. The real damage from “citrus greening” comes from bacteria spread by the bug, which causes leaves to turn yellow and kills the tree in a few years.

Researchers are looking into new ways to combat the pests, and one project focuses on sound rather than pesticides to disrupt the insects’ mating habits.

“We’re trying hard to cut down on use of pesticides in orange groves, partly because we are worried they’ll build up resistance to pesticides, and that will make things even worse,” said Richard Mankin, a research entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He presented findings on acoustic disruption at the meeting of the American Acoustical Society this week in Jacksonville.

When a male psyllid wants to mate, he alerts a female by sitting on a leaf and buzzing his wings to send vibrations along leaves and branches. To disrupt that activity, the researchers created a device containing a piezoelectric buzzer and a microphone wired to a microcontroller.

RELATED:  One Farmer’s Pest Is Another Farmer’s Pesticide: Ants Excel at Killing Other Bugs

The device detects the incoming male call and emits a fake female response call through the buzzer before any neighboring psyllids can answer. When the male bug comes near the device, he gets snagged and immobilized on an adhesive surface. In lab tests, the insects subjected to the noise were four times less likely to find a mate than other psyllids.

Mankin said the gadget will be tested soon in orange groves. He has worked on similar sound disruptors for grapevines. It is unknown if the vibrational sound would have other ecological impacts.

The team is working to lower the price of the device, which costs between $50 and $200 and only covers two feet of a tree. Mankin said that in the short term, sound will not trump pesticides in fighting the Asian citrus psyllid. “Looking ahead, we’re expecting, however, that the psyllids will become resistant to the pesticides and that the costs of the new technology will continue to decrease,” he said.

Mankin said he hopes the device can work in tandem with pesticides, targeting infestations to reduce the amount of chemicals used and to help postpone the psyllids’ development of resistance to insecticides.

“We’re looking at the devices more as partners than as a replacement,” he said.

The idea of using sound to catch or deter insects has wider applications, Mankin noted. Acoustic devices have been successfully used to trap pests such as mosquitoes, midges, mole crickets, field crickets, moths, cockroaches, and fruit flies. Ultrasonic signals that simulate bat cries could deter night-flying insects.

“Trying to develop electronic-based pest control is a good idea, because it will help the production of food—and we need all the help we can get to feed the world’s growing population in the future,” Mankin said.

Is Your Make-up Killing You?

http://www.arizonaadvancedmedicine.com/articles/makeup.html

(resumé à la fin du texte, au bas de la page)

Women absorb 5lb of chemicals from cosmetics every year - from cancer-causing compounds in face cream to arsenic in eyeshadow. We tested two beauty junkies to reveal the shocking toll on their bodies... Charlotte Kohl and her sister Emma are attractive young women. Their looks, they admit, are very important to them, which is why, between them, they use more than 70 different beauty and cosmetic products every day. 

Take Charlotte, 27, an estate agent from East London. Each evening, after slathering her face with a concoction of night creams, she sleeps with a dental bleaching kit on her teeth and fake tan all over her body. 

Wake-up call: Emma, left and Charlotte were shocked by their results

Every morning, she uses an array of products in the shower, ranging from shower gels and exfoliating scrubs to 'body building' lotions to give life to her fine hair.

Her make-up regime includes blusher, bronzer, eyeliner, eye shadow and mascara, and she never leaves the house without covering her head in a thick cloud of hairspray.

Her 24-year-old sister Emma, a personal trainer, follows a similar routine, but she also has an obsession with lipgloss: she owns 60 different ones and touches up her lips every few minutes.

In a bid to ensure she always has fresh breath, Emma also cleans her teeth seven times a day and carries a tube of toothpaste in her handbag, which she rubs into her teeth and gums at almost hourly intervals.

Between them, the two girls get through four cans of deodorant a week, and spend £1,000 a month on cosmetics.

"We have been into cosmetics since we reached our teens," says Emma.

"We're the sort of people who rush out to buy a new mascara just because it claimed to do more for our eyelashes than any other mascara previously.

"I'm a complete sucker for anything that says it can make me look or feel better, or that is endorsed by a celebrity."

And Charlotte and Emma are not alone. Last year, Britons spent £6.4billion on cosmetics and grooming products, with the average woman applying 12 toiletries every day.

But here's the rub - these toiletries can bring with them at least 175 chemical compounds.

A recent study found that British women are one of the heaviest users of cosmetics in Europe and, as a result, we ingest through our skin, and occasionally through the mouth, up to 5lb of chemicals a year.

Take Emma's favourite fuzzy peach lipgloss for instance: she loves its colour and the fact it 'tastes nice', but according to the list of ingredients, it contains 28 manmade chemicals.

Her deodorant contains 26 chemicals and Charlotte's hairspray has 23.

Of course, the manufacturers would say these chemicals and resulting products are safe, but a growing school of thought begs to differ.

As part of a new television documentary, presented by Sarah Beeny (who for the past two years has been on a personal mission to remove as many chemicals from her lifestyle as possible), Charlotte and Emma agreed to have their blood and urine tested for a selection of chemicals found in their cosmetics.

They were then challenged to live without their beauty products for eight days, swopping everything for natural chemical-free varieties.

They also stopped using domestic cleaning products.

Natural beauty: TV presenter Sarah Beeny has been without make-up for two years

The results will surprise even those who find it hard to believe that everyday cosmetics could really be doing us any harm.

Certainly, both sisters did not think there would be anything potentially dangerous in their make-up bags.

"The ridiculous thing is that I've always tried to avoid chemicals whenever I can," says Emma. 

"I always buy organic food.

"I never in a million years thought I could be exposed to chemicals which could damage me through my make-up.

"Make-up makes me feel good and it wouldn't have even crossed my mind that it could be doing me harm."

Cosmetics contain many different kinds of chemicals, but of particular concern are a group of preservatives called parabens, which by some estimates are found in 99per cent of all 'leave on' cosmetics, and 77 per cent of 'rinse off' cosmetics.

These are known hormone disruptors: evidence suggests they can mimic the female hormone oestrogen, and a lifetime of increased exposure to oestrogen is linked to a heightened risk of breast cancer.

One study found parabens present in 18 out of 20 breast cancer tissue samples (though it is important to note that the study did not prove they'd actually caused the breast cancer).

Parabens are also thought to adversely affect male reproductive functions.

Another troubling chemical is the antibacterial agent and pesticide triclosan, which is used in toothpastes, soaps, household cleaning products and body washes.

It belongs to the chlorophenol class of chemicals, which are suspected of causing cancer in humans and taken internally, even in small amounts, can cause cold sweats, circulatory problems and - in extreme cases - coma.

Also of concern are phthalates, a substance that gives our lotions that silky, creamy, texture, but which are also a 'plasticiser' used to make plastics flexible.

Certain phthalates are known carcinogens, and studies have suggested they damage the liver, kidneys, lungs and the reproductive system, as well as affecting the development of unborn baby boys.

The list goes on. Sodium laureth sulphate, a frequent ingredient in shower gels and shampoos, is a skin irritant; propylene glycol, found in soap, blushers and make-up remover, has been shown in large quantities to depress the central nervous system to make it function less effectively; and aluminum in deodorants is linked to breast cancer by medical research.

And did you know that certain eye shadows contain arsenic?

One thing is for sure: few of us would want to rub any of these chemicals into our eyes, far less ingest them in liquids by drinking them.

Yet, every day, we rub them into our skin, and allow them to enter our bodies.

Given the facts, it's hardly surprising that a growing number of experts believe these substances have a cumulative effect on our bodies.

They think the 'chemical cocktail' inside us is contributing to the increased frequency of a host of illnesses ranging from eczema to cancers as well as developmental problems such as autism and dyslexia.

"It's difficult to see the link between chemicals in cosmetics and damage to health unless you stand back and look at the wider picture," says Dr Paula Baillie-Hamilton, author of Toxic Overload and supporter of the campaign group Chemical Safe Skincare.

"Man-made chemicals first emerged 100years ago, and every decade since, the overall production of these synthetic chemicals has doubled.

"We are surrounded by chemicals: in the air, in our food, in our water and especially in our cosmetics, and the fact is that our bodies can't break many of these substances down.

"Our systems are becoming more polluted and we are beginning to see the results of that in terms of increased illnesses and even birth defects, especially in boys.

"There is no doubt that one of the ways we are exposing ourselves to these chemicals is through our cosmetics."

Dr Baillie-Hamilton also thinks that absorbing chemicals through our skin is more dangerous than swallowing them.

"At least if you ingest chemicals through your mouth, your digestive system can do something towards dealing with them," she says.

"If they go through your skin they hit your blood stream immediately and are then transported to vital organs such as kidney and liver, where they may be stored for many years."

So how did Emma and Charlotte's chemical detox pan out?

Before they started, both girls had to get rid of all their old products. 

The contents of their make-up bags and bathroom cabinets filled a black bin liner, and they were given alternative products, from ranges including Elave, Skin Shop, Aubrey Organics, Jane Iredale, Burts Bees and Purenuffstuff. Household cleaning products came from Ecover.

"At first, I really missed my own cosmetics and our new make-up didn't seem that good," says Charlotte.

"The chemical-free mascara I was using didn't seem to hold onto my lashes and the hairspray felt as if I was spraying my hair with water.

"I had to reapply the natural lipgloss so many times because it kept rubbing off."

Emma agrees: "We went out one night with our new make-up on and it was hopeless, the hairspray didn't hold, the lipgloss kept rubbing off and I ended up less than fragrant, too, because the natural deodorant wasn't powerful enough."

During the experiment, perhaps to encourage them not to go back to their old products, the girls were given information about their usual make-up.

For instance, the average woman eats, albeit unwittingly, five lipsticks a year, which in her lifetime is the equivalent volume of 1.5 blocks of lard. 

But Emma's lipgloss obsession means that she'll eat 54 lipglosses a year - the equivalent of eight blocks of lard during her lifetime.

And that's on top of all the chemicals it contains.

Charlotte's obsession with hairspray is just as troublesome.

"I was shown that when its sprayed onto a smooth surface, hairspray solidifies into a clear plastic that you can actually peel off in solid form," says Charlotte.

"Not only had I been putting this onto my head all day, but I'd also been unwittingly breathing it in. I was effectively-clogging up my lungs with plastic."

The girls' monthly trips to the hairdresser to have their hair coloured are fraught with hidden dangers. People who use permanent hair dye are more than twice as likely to develop bladder cancer as those that don't.

Both ammonia and paraphenylenediamine (PPD) - chemical substances used in dyes - can cause allergic reactions, too.

As the experiment progressed, Charlotte and Emma began to grow accustomed to their new products, and to discover brands they felt were comparable to their old make-up.

"I began to realise it was just a question of getting used to using different brands," says Emma.

"After a week, we'd both completely forgotten that we weren't using our own make-up and were putting on the chemical-free alternatives as though nothing had changed."

So AT the end of the eight days, had such a detox really made a difference to the chemical levels found in their bodies? The highest reading of parabens found in humans is 730mg per litre of urine.

Tests taken at the beginning of the experience had revealed that Charlotte had 650mg, which is in the higher range. Her reading fell dramatically to 21mg at the end of the experiment.

Her level of triclosan - found in toothpaste and body washes - fell from 490mg per litre to zero.

"I was shocked at the results," says Charlotte. "I hadn't believed we'd see such a dramatic difference in such a short time, let alone as a result of something as simple as changing our cosmetics.

"Once I understood what our old cosmetics contained, psychologically it felt better to be using chemical-free alternatives. We both noticed our skin seemed brighter and smoother.

"Our eyes were also brighter and our hair felt softer."

Emma's results showed an equally dramatic fall in triclosan levels, which fell from 90mg per litre to just 2mg per litre.

Her paraben level was more surprising - it actually increased from its initial level of 7mg per litre of urine, though medical experts point out that parabens can be taken into the body through eating dried and snack foods, in which they are used as preservatives, and medicines, so Emma's diet during the experiment may have had a bearing.

"What really hit home to me was that the way we go about our daily life really does have an instant impact on chemical levels in our bodies," she says.

"It made me realise that I am being bombarded with chemicals from all sorts of directions, many of which I can't avoid. Anything I can do to cut back, can only be a good thing."

Since the experiment finished, both girls have continued to use natural make-up where possible and switched to natural cleaning products.

Charlotte has reduced her use of hairspray and Emma now cleans her teeth a sensible twice a day. Both girls use a natural deodorant, which contains no chemicals.

"We don't want to get fanatical about it, and the fact is that certain chemical-free cosmetics don't work as well," says Emma.

"We've yet to find a chemical-free mascara that is as good as my normal one, and chemical-free hair dye isn't that great either.

"But for pretty much everything else there is an excellent chemicalfree alternative.

"Given what we've learned, it would be madness to go on as we were."

--------------------------------RÉSUMÉ

So AT the end of the 8 days, had such a detox really made a difference to the chemical levels found in their bodies? The highest reading of parabens found in humans is 730mg per litre of urine.

Tests taken at the beginning of the experience had revealed that Charlotte had 650mg, which is in the higher range. Her reading fell dramatically to 21mg at the end of the experiment.
Her level of triclosan - found in toothpaste and body washes - fell from 490mg per litre to zero. (...)

Charlotte's obsession with hairspray is just as troublesome.
When its sprayed onto a smooth surface, hairspray solidifies into a clear plastic that you can actually peel off in solid form. "Not only had I been putting this onto my head all day, but I'd also been unwittingly breathing it in. I was effectively-clogging up my lungs with plastic." (...)

The average woman eats, albeit unwittingly, five lipsticks a year, which in her lifetime is the equivalent volume of 1.5 blocks of lard. But Emma's lipgloss obsession means that she'll eat 54 lipglosses a year - the equivalent of eight blocks of lard during her lifetime. (...)

A growing number of experts believe these substances have a cumulative effect on our bodies. (...) 
It's difficult to see the link between chemicals in cosmetics and damage to health unless you stand back and look at the wider picture (...) 

We are surrounded by chemicals: in the air, in our food, in our water and especially in our cosmetics, and the fact is that our bodies can't break many of these substances down. Our systems are becoming more polluted and we are beginning to see the results of that in terms of increased illnesses and even birth defects, especially in boys. (...) 

If they go through your skin they hit your blood stream immediately and are then transported to vital organs such as kidney and liver, where they may be stored for many years. (....)

Une société programmée pour l’obsolescence

http://www.ledevoir.com/environnement/actualites-sur-l-environnement/427260/une-societe-programmee-pour-l-obsolescence

20 décembre 2014

Photo: Jacques Nadeau Le Devoir

Une laveuse ou une télévision qui vous lâche moins de cinq ans après son achat et dont les coûts de réparation se révèlent plus élevés qu’un nouvel appareil. Un téléphone « intelligent » qu’on remplace après deux ans d’utilisation pour un nouveau modèle, ou un ordinateur encore récent dont on ne peut plus mettre à jour les programmes.

  Les exemples d’appareils électroniques ou électroménagers dont la durée de vie nous semble trop brève sont légion. Cette obsolescence, programmée dans certains cas, provoquée par des effets de mode ou la piètre qualité des matériaux dans d’autres, est une réalité pour ainsi dire indéniable.

  « Les témoignages des réparateurs, mais aussi des consommateurs, indiquent clairement que les appareils durent de moins en moins longtemps et qu’ils ne sont plus conçus pour être réparés, constate Alexandre Plourde, avocat chez Option consommateurs. Les gens n’en ont pas pour leur argent. Mais pour le fabricant, il y a un intérêt économique puisqu’on augmente le taux de remplacement du bien. »

  M. Plourde reconnaît toutefois qu’on manque de données pour démontrer hors de tout doute le phénomène, surtout lorsqu’il est question de l’obsolescence qui serait provoquée par un fabricant produisant un bien conçu pour ne pas durer.

  Il existe néanmoins des exemples d’appareils dont la faible durée de vie a provoqué un certain tollé. C’est le cas de l’iPod d’Apple. La pile des premières générations de l’appareil, impossible à changer, rendait l’âme en moyenne après 18 mois d’utilisation. Et lorsque les consommateurs mécontents contactaient l’entreprise, on leur conseillait de se procurer un nouvel iPod.

  Jugeant que cette situation avait toute l’apparence d’une politique d’obsolescence programmée, des clients ont intenté en 2003 un recours collectif contre la multinationale. Le géant a finalement décidé de dédommager les plaignants, mais aussi de mettre en place un service de remplacement de pile et une garantie prolongée à deux ans.

  Une courte vie

  Au-delà de ces cas médiatisés, Le Devoir a recueilli plusieurs témoignages de consommateurs dont les appareils électroniques ou électroménagers ont présenté diverses défectuosités dans des délais plus ou moins brefs. Les plaintes reliées à ce genre de situation représentent de « 40 à 50 % des appels chez Option consommateurs », souligne d’ailleurs Me Plourde.

  Une étude du Centre de recherche sur le développement durable de l’Université d’Arizona a ainsi conclu qu’en 20 ans, la durée de vie d’un ordinateur est passée de 10 à 5 ans. Selon l’Agence de protection de l’environnement des États-Unis, celle-ci avoisinerait même les trois ans, au mieux. Dans le cas du cellulaire, la moyenne mondiale dépasse à peine les deux ans. Le même phénomène de réduction de la durée de vie est présent pour les électroménagers — réfrigérateur, laveuse, lave-vaisselle —, qui étaient auparavant utilisés pendant plus d’une décennie.

  « Il n’y a aucun doute que le cycle de vie des produits s’est raccourci », affirme Jacques Nantel, professeur titulaire de marketing à HEC Montréal. Il estime toutefois que cela ne se résume pas à un « complot » ourdi par les entreprises. « C’est une responsabilité partagée. On pourrait construire des biens qui durent plusieurs années. Ils seraient plus chers que ce qu’on achète aujourd’hui, mais sur le long terme, ils seraient beaucoup plus économiques. Le problème, c’est que les consommateurs n’en veulent pas. Ils ont des budgets planifiés à court terme, donc ce sont les produits les moins dispendieux qui vont prévaloir. »

  Ces produits, habituellement fabriqués dans des complexes industriels situés en Asie, coûtent certes moins cher à produire, mais ils sont aussi moins durables. Et, bien souvent, les consommateurs constatent avec surprise qu’il est plus coûteux de les faire réparer que d’en acheter de nouveaux. « Le produit est fabriqué à un coût très bas parce qu’il est basé sur un coût de main-d’oeuvre très bas. Une fois ici, si on veut le réparer, la main-d’oeuvre est dix fois plus chère. C’est donc vu comme une anormalité de le réparer », explique M. Nantel.

  Une culture consumériste

  Dans le cas de l’électronique, comme les téléphones intelligents ou les tablettes, les consommateurs seraient de toute façon portés à acheter des appareils neufs plutôt que de les faire réparer.

  Bombardés de publicités vantant la nouveauté et y accolant une image prestigieuse, voire avant-gardiste, ils ont parfaitement intégré la « culture » consumériste du jetable après usage, selon Bertrand Schepper, chercheur à l’Institut de recherche et d’informations socio-économiques. Et ils sont prêts à s’endetter pour consommer.

  Notre modèle économique basé sur une croissance infinie se maintient d’ailleurs essentiellement grâce à la consommation. Celle-ci représente près de 60 % du PIB canadien. « Le capitalisme et la société de consommation encouragent le phénomène, souligne M. Schepper. Ce n’est pas un complot, mais les entreprises ont un intérêt à revendre le même produit. Et personne ne s’attend, par exemple, à conserver le même téléphone cellulaire pendant 10 ans. »

  Mais serait-il possible de légiférer pour obliger les entreprises à fabriquer des produits plus durables ? La chose apparaît complexe, selon Alexandre Plourde.

  Il faudrait pour cela mettre en place une coordination internationale entre les pays producteurs et ceux où sont consommés les biens. La France vient d’adopter une loi interdisant l’obsolescence. Mais selon Me Plourde, celle-ci sera difficile à appliquer, en raison de la complexité de la preuve.

  Pour le chercheur Bertrand Schepper, la réflexion doit de toute façon être plus profonde. « Il faudrait se demander s’il ne serait pas intéressant d’intégrer la durabilité dans nos valeurs, ou même de consommer moins. Par exemple, si nous décidions de produire des biens plus durables, serait-il possible de consommer moins, et donc de travailler moins et d’avoir plus de temps pour soi, pour être plus heureux ? »

L’origine du problème : le simulacre de démocratie dans lequel nous vivons

Le simulacre de démocratie dans lequel nous vivons permet aux politiciens d’ignorer le problème : la compétition déloyale des fabricants outremer, avec le soutien des gouvernements de leurs pays.

Leur compétition déloyale est celle-ci :

La production de biens de piètre qualité et durabilité ayant les apparences de biens de bonne qualité et durabilité. Conséquemment, le consommateur (p.ex., canadien) ayant acheté un produit fabriqué outremer (p. ex. en Chine) se voit souvent obligé de racheter le même produit peu de temps après suite à une défaillance du produit. Dans le cas de la Chine, cette compétition est encore plus déloyale par le contrôle qu’exerce le gouvernement chinois sur le taux de change de sa monnaie. Le tout contribue à l’équivalent effectif et exact d’une pratique de « dumping ». C’est-à-dire la vente de biens en dessous de leurs prix coûtants afin de mener à la faillite les compétiteurs pour cerner le marcher et, par la suite, augmenter les prix.

Cette compétition déloyale contribue à mettre au chômage les gens d’ici qui fabriquent (fabriquaient) les mêmes produits, et envoyer à la faillite les producteurs d’ici ; ce qui se reflète en taxes pour les Canadiens (p.ex., taxes pour défrayer les coûts du chômage et du bien-être social + les coûts engendrés par les conséquences indirectes du chômage et du bien-être social). Conséquemment, la richesse qui était produite ici est maintenant acheminée vers la Chine. Conséquemment, le niveau de vie des Canadiens glisse de plus en plus vers celui des Chinois, et même en dessous de celui des Chinois. Conséquemment, ces derniers viennent maintenant acheter nos entreprises avec notre argent.

En apparence, le produit que vous achetez fabriqué en Chine coûte moins cher, mais en réalité coûte plus cher que s’il était fabriqué au Canada (prix du produit + non-durabilité + non réparable + taxes pour les frais du chômage et du bien-être social + coûts socio-économiques indirects reflétés en taxes additionn

Obsolescence Programmée

Le documentaire «Prêt à jeter», réalisé par Cosima Dannoritzer en 2010

New Evidence That Grandmothers Were Crucial for Human Evolution

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/new-evidence-that-grandmothers-were-crucial-for-human-evolution-88972191/?no-ist

A computer simulation supports the idea that grandmothers helped our species evolve social skills and longer lives

By Joseph Stromberg

smithsonian.com
October 23, 2012

For years, anthropologists and evolutionary biologists have struggled to explain the existence of menopause, a life stage that humans do not share with our primate relatives. Why would it be beneficial for females to stop being able to have children with decades still left to live?

According to a study published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the answer is grandmothers. “Grandmothering was the initial step toward making us who we are,” says senior author Kristen Hawkes, an anthropologist at the University of Utah. In 1997 Hawkes proposed the “grandmother hypothesis,” a theory that explains menopause by citing the under-appreciated evolutionary value of grandmothering. Hawkes says that grandmothering helped us to develop “a whole array of social capacities that are then the foundation for the evolution of other distinctly human traits, including pair bonding, bigger brains, learning new skills and our tendency for cooperation.”

The new study, which Hawkes conducted with mathematical biologist Peter Kim of the University of Sydney and Utah anthropologist James Coxworth, uses computer simulations to provide mathematical evidence for the grandmother hypothesis. To test the strength of the idea, the researchers simulated what would happen to the lifespan of a hypothetical primate species if they introduced menopause and grandmothers as part of the social structure.

In the real world, female chimpanzees typically live about 35 to 45 years in the wild and rarely survive past their child-bearing years. In the simulation, the researchers replicated this, but they gave 1 percent of the female population a genetic predisposition for human-like life spans and menopause. Over the course of some 60,000 years, the hypothetical primate species evolved the ability to live decades past their child-bearing years, surviving into their sixties and seventies, and eventually 43 percent of the adult female population were grandmothers.

How would grandmothers help us live longer? According to the hypothesis, grandmothers can help collect food and feed children before they are able to feed themselves, enabling mothers to have more children. Without grandmothers present, if a mother gives birth and already has a two-year-old child, the odds of that child surviving are much lower, because unlike other primates, humans aren’t able to feed and take care of themselves immediately after weaning. The mother must devote her time and attention to the new infant at the expense of the older child. But grandmothers can solve this problem by acting as supplementary caregivers.

In the hypothesis—and in the computer simulation—the few ancestral females who were initially able to live to postmenopausal ages increased the odds of their grandchildren surviving. As a result, these longer-lived females were disproportionately likely to pass on their genes that favored longevity, so over the course of thousands of generations, the species as a whole evolved longer lifespans.

But why would females evolve to only ovulate for 40 or so years into these longer lives? Hawkes and other advocates of the hypothesis note that, without menopause, older women would simply continue to mother children, instead of acting as grandmothers. All children would still be entirely dependent on their mothers for survival, so once older mothers died, many young offspring would likely die too. From an evolutionary perspective, it makes more sense for older females to increase the group’s overall offspring survival rate instead of spending more energy on producing their own.
Hawkes goes one step further, arguing that the social relations that go along with grandmothering could have contributed to the larger brains and other traits that distinguish humans. “If you are a chimpanzee, gorilla or orangutan baby, your mom is thinking about nothing but you,” she says. “But if you are a human baby, your mom has other kids she is worrying about, and that means now there is selection on you—which was not on any other apes—to much more actively engage her: ‘Mom! Pay attention to me!’”

As a result, she says, “Grandmothering gave us the kind of upbringing that made us more dependent on each other socially and prone to engage each other’s attention.” This trend, Hawkes says, drove the increase in brain size, along with longer lifespans and menopause.
The theory is by no means definitive, but the new mathematical evidence serves as another crucial piece of support for it. This could help anthropologists better understand human evolution—and should give you another reason to go thank your grandmother.

Pollution : 33 photos qui montrent la situation en Chine

http://www.espritsciencemetaphysiques.com/pollution-33-photos-montrent-chine.html

Posted on 22 novembre 2014 by claire C.

Pollution : 33 photos qui montrent à quel point la situation en Chine est critique

Avec un nouvelle croissance moyenne de 10 % par an en Chine, l’environnement est passé au second plan. C’est le pays le plus peuplé de la planète et il commence à montrer une forte augmentation du nombre de malformations congénitales, des cours d’eau inutilisables et son air est le plus pollué au monde. La pollution est telle qu’un nouveau mot a été inventé : « somgpocalypse ».
Ceci étant, cela ne signifie pas que la Chine ne cherche pas à changer les choses, elle prendrait même ce défi beaucoup plus au sérieux que d’autres selon la Harvard Business Review. Ce sont les leaders mondiaux de l’investissement dans les technologies énergétiques à faible émission de carbone. Ils s’engagent également sur le long terme pour lutter contre leurs problèmes. Ils voient l’énergie propre comme une grande opportunité économique.

Les photos suivantes prouvent à quel point la croissance économique peut avoir un impact sur l’environnement…

Une journaliste prend un échantillon de la rivière Jianhe. Elle est devenue rouge à cause des produits chimiques déversés illégalement d’eaux usées non traitées.

Ce petite garçon nage dans une prolifération d’algues à Qingdao. Ces algues sont causées par le ruissellement agricole excessif. Cela devient des zones mortes inhospitalières pour la flore et la faune.


Des scientifiques ont récemment dit que la pollution de l’air en chine est devenue si grave que cela pourrait conduire à l’équivalent d’un hiver nucléaire: refroidissement global et durable du climat terrestre lié à l’absorption des rayonnements du soleil par les particules de pollution.

Des algues toujours des algues… Ces eaux polluées sont un danger pour la santé des gens qui s’y mouillent.




Chaque année, près de 750 000 Chinois meurent prématurément de la souillure.

Un pêcheur patauge dans un déversement de pétrole.





En 2010, une explosion dans une installation de stockage de pétrole à Dalian a répandu plus de 400 millions de litres de pétrole dans l’eau. C’est une quantité énorme qui équivaut à plus de 4 fois la taille du déversement de la BP Deepwater Horizon de la même année.





Un petit garçon boit de l’eau d’un ruisseau rempli de déchets à Fuyuan, en Chine.

Un homme de la région ramasse des poissons qui sont morts à cause de la pollution de l’eau.

En 2007, les autorités chinoises ont annoncé que plus d’un tiers des espèces de poissons de la rivière Jaune ont maintenant disparus à cause de la construction de barrages ou de l’immondice.


Un lac à Hefei contient une couche importante de polluants et d’algues à la surface.







Selon Greenpeace, Beijing a connu 2589 décès et une perte de 328 M $ US en 2012 à cause de la pollution.

En 2030, les émissions de dioxyde de carbone de la Chine pourraient égaler la production mondiale de CO2 actuelle…

La Chine brûle près de la moitié du charbon du monde! En 2011, elle a consommé 3,8 milliards de tonnes de charbon.

Etant donné que la demande en Chine pour l’énergie ne fait que monter en flèche, l’incidence des déversements de pétrole et la pollution liée au gaz ne fera malheureusement qu’augmenter.

Selon Greenpeace, Beijing a eu 2589 décès et a perdu 328 M $ US en 2012 à cause de ce poison.

Le 12 Janvier 2013, le niveau d’indice de la qualité de l’air à Beijing était si dangereux qu’il allait au-delà de la mesure existante.


La collecte et l’élimination des déchets est plus un luxe qu’une réalité de la vie. Dans les zones rurales, les cours d’eau servent souvent à l’élimination des déchets.








Merci à  National Geographic, Business Insider, CBS, et all-that-is-interesting pour les images.
À propos de l’Auteure : Claire C.
J’ai rejoint http://www.espritsciencemetaphysiques.com/ en 2014. Plus le temps passe et plus ce qui se passe sur notre planète m’interpelle, j’ai donc voulu apporter ma contribution pour essayer de faire changer les choses. Depuis que je travaille pour Esprit Science Métaphysiques , j’ai eu de grands changements dans ma vie et j’espère pouvoir faire évoluer la conscience des autres.