Getting Back into the Swing

Well, this has been a significant blog hiatus with my last entry in mid-April. C'mon, what happened?

Well, I interviewed for the position of Chair of my Department for one. That slowed me down some, and now that I've taken on the role, I'm finding it hard to get much time for anything. A double whammy. But what really made me stop writing and posting in April were the shootings at Virginia Tech. You see, I used to work there in the English Department--the same English Department where the shooter took classes. I know people who were affected by the shootings--colleagues, former students. It was eerie to watch the broadcasts and see familiar buildings and hear familiar names. Then I went down to Virginia Tech for a Research Symposium ten days after the shootings. It was a good trip, but being there brought the devastation home. So I didn't feel much like posting for awhile.

But I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things and post more.

One thing I've been thinking about a lot is food safety and the stories coming out about China's food industry. I've posted a bit before about food safety in the U.S.--ecoli in bagged spinach, for instance. But the situation in China really takes the cake. First it is tainted pet food, then toothpaste, then a variety of foodstuffs. Don't get me wrong--we have our own struggles with food safety in the U.S. Eric Schlosser tells us in _Fast Food Nation_ that it's easier to recall a child's toy than it is to recall tainted meat that can kill people. So we have our own problems. But the lack of regulation in China is serious business, and it is garnering serious media attention. I wonder what the global impact will be? How quickly will China address the regulation issue? What economic losses will be incurred for these exposes? How will the public discourse on the issue impact production, distribution, and buying?

Anyway, it's late. I'm exhausted. More another time!