Forests in China are suffering from huge surges in disposable wooden chopstick demand; the country produces 80 billion chopsticks per year — equivalent to the destruction of 20 million 20-year-old trees. WORLD -2   

 What work ethic I have — especially the stamina and energy to plow through until the end — I got from her. Our mother never stopped. My three blood siblings and the four stepchildren she raised can all attest to the fact that she never stopped parenting us.  

If there’s one thing that Facebook is good for, it’s learning about stuff that’s happening on the Internet. My colleague Mike Breen recently posted a humorous comment along with a story he shared titled, “Mother Tried to Sell Her Kids on Facebook for $4,000.” Mike’s take: “What an idiot! That’s what Craigslist is for!”  

Cincinnati is home to my body and my head. After almost 13 years, I’m grounded here thanks to a strong network of friends and family. But, my heart, well, let’s just say it’s holding out. Home, for my heart, is all about those extra-special intangibles, which in part come down to movie memories.   

THURSDAY MARCH 7: The American thing to do is buy an even bigger and more expensive TV than the one you already have even though it works just fine. Fountain Square, located in America, will soon follow this cultural imperative.  

 Most people who play poker know more terminology than applicable math, which you might be surprised to learn is essential to the game. But because anyone at the table can win any hand at any time, there’s a misleading allure to the contest. People who play badly sometimes beat people who play well.  

THURSDAY FEB. 28:  The Zumba Nightclub Series and rapper/DJ Lil Jon will provide the tunes for a Zumba class to be held at Bogart’s to be held April 13.  

LaSalle High School is in denial about its drug problem. Anytime students stupidly decide to trick an armed drug dealer with counterfeit money, all kinds of socioeconomic and chemical problems are in play beyond the pranksterism and tomfoolery of bored white teenage boys.  

In what feels like an effort to make life even more glum for the baby gorilla already rejected by its mother at the Texas zoo where it was born, Cincinnati Zoo has dubbed the recently adopted infant “Gladys.” Gladys. CINCINNATI -2   

The elevator wasn’t moving. I looked at the digital sign in it. It kept flashing ‘7,’ then ‘G’ over and over again. I pressed ‘7’ again. Again, the elevator didn’t move. Stuck. I finally figured out I was stuck.  

 Every single time Carol and Clyde or Rob and Cammy blankly read the teleprompter, telling us of yet another black-on-black murder, then move to the weather or traffic, I sit quietly devastated. I am not ashamed to tell you that sometimes I cry.  

When I think of prejudiced people, I envision ignorant, ultra-conservative, hateful people out of touch with modern reality. But fat-shaming comes from all types of people — including educated, progressive, alternative folks that one wouldn’t tend to pigeonhole as discriminatory.   

During my off-hours, I ventured out to museums, theaters of all types, clubs, bars and the homes of friends and co-workers who hosted parties and events. I never worried about being able to get anywhere.

  

SATURDAY FEB. 23: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created a free iPad app that lets you “solve disease puzzles” to figure out the origin of the contagion which made a group of people sick.  

Downtown Cincinnati is on track to receive its own high-end grocery store on the ground level of the proposed apartment complex at Fourth and Race streets; it’s supposed to focus heavily on fresh produce, something the area has lacked widespread access to for years. CINCINNATI +2