Overheard

“But even if responsible, ethical mining is possible, verifying it will be difficult even with the best of intentions, industry experts say. Diamonds, furs and timber all look simple by comparison, because they all come in a discrete form that can be tracked by a paper trail. A specific tree produces a specific two-by-four; a diamond comes from one mine that can be found on a map. Gold is not like that. It must be purified and smelted, amalgamated and combined into forms that jewelry makers can then use. That means many more steps on the journey from mine to display case, and no easy trail to follow.” New York Times, “With This Ethical Ring I Thee Wed”

“Houston megachurch pastor and inspirational TV host Osteen offers an overblown and redundant self-help debut. Many Christian readers will undoubtedly be put off by the book’s shallow name-it-and-claim-it theology; although the first chapter claims that ‘we serve the God that created the universe,’ the book as a rule suggests the reverse: it’s a treatise on how to get God to serve the demands of self-centered individuals… Theologically, its materialism and superficial portrayal of God as the granter of earthly wishes will alienate many Christian readers who can imagine a much bigger God.” Publishers Weekly, on Joel Osteen’s book, “Your Best Life Now : 7 Steps to Living At Your Full Potential”

“I’ve got my kids brainwashed: You don’t use Google, and you don’t use an iPod.” Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft

“Now most of us are aware of the plight of the sturgeon. But how many people realize the way ovarian sacks containing unfertilized eggs must be harvested from the wombs of a living sturgeon?” Jennifer Bain, Toronto Star

“Given all the contributions Canada has made to the world, who would guess one of the biggest would be to help build a better banana… the fourth most important food staple in the world—after rice, wheat and corn.” Leslie Scrivener, Toronto Star

“Even in areas where tap water is safe to drink, demand for bottled water is increasing, producing unnecessary garbage and consuming vast quantities of energy… Making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 US cars for a year. Worldwide, some 2.7 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water each year.” Emily Arnold, author of the study published by the Earth Policy Institute

“There will be cynical people.” Gillette’s Wade Bayne, on public reaction to their new 5-blade “Fusion” razor

“If two blades is good, and three blades is better, obviously five blades would make us the best fucking razor that ever existed. Comprende?” Razor industry parody, The Onion (2004)

“The one thing we learned from the hippies, and the one thing that the punks should have learned and they didn’t, is that anarchy is obsolete, especially in a robust capitalist society. By learning that, we realized that change in this culture is going to come through subversion, not rebellion. We’re not going to overthrow an evil empire, we’re going to change it from within. So what better place to be at than Disney?” Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh

“Indonesia, the Philippines and India dominate the world’s coconut industry. As much as 2 million metric tonnes of the oil, used in cosmetics, confectionary and health foods, are exported each year.” Gavin Evans, Bloomberg News