Thurgood, so good!

I went to a play tonight. As always the theater staff announces “please take this time to turn off all phones and electronics. And all recording is prohibited”. It is amazing to think how much I am part of the documentation movement that has to twit details of my life and photo graph what I eat. I sometimes feel like it would not be real if I did not share it digitally. I definitely was not always this way. Quite the opposite. I hated taking photos unless it was for artistic purposes and I definitely preferred privacy over any publication of my experiences. Stepping out from behind the camera, not recording the moment but truly experiencing the live performance is a refreshing change. And it was easy to do with this play.

I saw Thurgood tonight; a one-man play about the life of Thurgood Marshall. Lawrence Fishburne’s performance as Thurgood was fabulous. I was completely captivated and he nearly brought me to tears as he lead me (and the rest of the audience) through the life of a man who became a civil right pioneer. When this play travels, don’t wait to see it. The story of the Thurgood Marshall is one that should not go unheard. Please take the time to go see this eloquent performance and learn more about Thurgood’s positive contribution to our country.

dennismueller.org/blog/2008...d-so-good/

Find More, UseLess

The GOP’s new slogan, “Find More, Use Less” is useless.

Ok. Let’s talk a little about the realities about the oil market.

It is a global market with China and India desirous of more and more oil. Regardless of our minimal conservation efforts, prices still rise, because global demand has not decreased.
Speculators negatively effect the oil market for consumers. Once the US government opened up the futures market to non-consumers, pure paper speculators, the market has become more volatile.
The oil market is still just a market, thus the rules of supply and demand drive prices and behavior.
Let’s break this down a little further.


Find More.
The US oil companies are making win fall profits on the constricted supplies. Though this might not be driving their behavior, they already have leases to drill in the Gulf of Mexico that have not been explored or exploited for more than a decade. This is because the oil companies, like all business, don’t actually have the unlimited resources to explore and develop.

Even if they start to drill in those areas or got access to the wildlife reserves, what do you think the benefit would be to the consumer?

Nothing (see point 1 above.)
The additional oil supply, which would likely only be an increase of 1-3% at maximum, would just go into the global market and fulfill the global demands. The people who would benefit most are the oil companies and the politicians they support.

Use Less
I am a strong believe in conservation, but this wont solve our problem either. Frankly, the free market has been working to benefit the US. Because of the high prices, gas efficiency standards have improved. In December 2007, CAFE standards received their first overhaul in more than 30 years! Most all of the major car manufactures are reducing their truck fleets and making battery powered cars!

So what can the government do? Well, regulating the speculators would be a great first step. And here is a thought, why not use the Market to effect positive change. Since the high gas prices has made car companies change their fuel efficiencies without government regulations, and it has consumers moving close to their work or taking public transportation, why not use the tool of tax to drive better behavior? What if our government actually raised taxes on gas and diesel? Used the taxes to further curb demand and use the funds to give incentives for truckers and farmers to transition to more fuel efficient or non-fossil fuel based equipment.

Frankly, since we live in a free market. I bet you prices would even drop when it became apparent that the US was serious about reducing the Oil consumption. Funny that, but we don’t have the political will for such actions since the oil companies help elect our representatives, like Senator John McCain. He has taken on the traditional GOP party line because he is funded though the traditional GOP channel, big business. Thank you for personally approving this message: www.youtube.com/watch

Original can be found at dennismueller.org/blog/

WordPressing my buttons…

I have started a new BLOG. Tribe has official been down too many times. If you want updates from me try me at
dennismueller.org/blog/
feed:dennismueller.org/blog/

I might still try to put some links here to my blog but otherwise I think I am done with tribe for now.

Mothra Attacks!

So in my eco-friendly desire to be a good citizen, I have purchased on too many organic bulk food items without understanding the real risk and consequences of my actions. You might think, well he is doing a good thing but you would be wrong! Because of my foolish green eating hippy ways, I have gave birth to Mothra and she has spawned hundreds of followers who have now taken over my house. AHHHHHH!!!!

The Indian Brown Moth is a nightmare. It is nigh impossible to destroy and infests almost any food, packaged or not. Only way to really get rid of them is to remove anything that might be food or breed upon, and yes, they eat about anything. This is really difficult since they don’t need to lay eggs only in food.

So here is the tid bit to help you prevent an infestation (note the prevent part):

Put all grains, rice and pasta in the freezer for 4 days after purchasing. This will kill any potential infestation.



If you are an unlucky soul like me, here are a few good sites on what to do to combat the problem. I will let you know how it turns out in the next few months.

www.kendall-bioresearch.co.uk/dom...ctrl
www.ext.colostate.edu/Pubs/in...598.html


Once you take the steps above, you can also use the Tanglefoot Pantry Trap System that uses pheromone that attracts the male moths. There is no poison involved…

www.merrifieldgardencenter.com/pr...php
www.biconet.com/traps/pts.html

Politics as usual?

A friend sent me this picture and thought it was great. Go Barack!

As you might have gathered, I am a bit of a news freak. I listen and read the news at least three hours a day. It is a nasty habit but it is a good pastime. I came across an article about Carol McCain, John's invisible first wife.

Here is a compelling article about Carol McCain:
archive.salon.com/mwt/featu...print.html

I know McCain prides himself as a man of character but sometimes the way you handle your personal life does reflect truer than that of a career. And frankly, his service to his country, moderate approach to politics and his stance that seemed independent from the party line has earned him some respect in my book. Though, more and more I have found that his rise to nominee for president is most disturbing when I found out about how he left his first wife, Carol (a swimsuit model), after she was crippled by an accident while he was in Vietnam. She comes off as a woman of character and strength, probably more deserving than her ex-husband.

I guess my biggest concern is that his personal history and career speaks to one major theme, personal ambition. He had even changed his stance on the Bush tax cuts that he vocally opposed for the .01% of Americans because it makes the wealthy supporters of the GOP happy. As Ross Perot, who helped support the medical bills of Carol McCain while John McCain was in captivity, stated earlier this year that McCain "is the classic opportunist--he's always reaching for attention and glory. Other POWs won't even sit at the same table with him."
[from Newsweek www.newsweek.com/id/94827 ]

I truly hope that this is a distortion of the truth and that if McCain took office he would live to up to the ideals he preached for so long in the Senate. But since I have a say on who gets elected, look to see what the other side is doing:
www.barackobama.com/index.php

My friends can get married!

Today the ban on same sex marriage is deemed "unconstitutional" in California.

All I have to say is that marriage is an institution that should be afforded to all couples to build a more stable family structure and society; it is even better when they are in love. I am so very happy that my closest friends can now experience the rights I have taken for granted. Micah & Jerry, I am looking forward to city hall in San Francisco and being your best man, again.

www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi

Carbon Footprints in the Sand

I am an NPR freak. I have a long commute and listen regularly to the new. I heard on the radio today that Thursday should have record breaking weather in SF, above 90 Degrees in the city and on our beaches! Just after that they reported on how the ice packs are at 50% capacity thus mandatory rationing will likely be needed in the East bay shortly followed by a summary of a speech John McCain gave in Portland on "human-caused climate change" his plan for a mandatory cap and trade system of carbon emissions. When the Republican presidential nominee seriously talks about carbon emissions, one has to admit it really is time to do something.

Now I don’t really believe that weather or a hot day is a clear signs of climate change but it still has a visceral impact. The idea that beaches in SF could be as hot as 90 degrees in May is kind of shocking. So I felt motivated to check out my household's carbon footprint. I did it on several different sites (PG&E had the highest estimate) and they were all about 16 Tons/year for Karen and me (glad I traded in the sports car for a hybrid 2 years ago). Short of moving closer to work and changing my landlord's appliances in my apartment, I can easily offset my household's carbon emission for about $200/year. It sort of feels weird to just throw money at the issue but hey, if it means more trees are planted or old growth forests are funded and preserved, then who am I to argue with the free market economy.

Here are some links:
www.carboncounter.org/
www.carbonfund.org/CarbonCalculator
www.pge.com/myhome/envir...t/calculator/

I now use the green bin!

Did you know that San Francisco composts?

www.sfrecycling.com/resident...sting.php


My objection to composting has been simple and I think many other people have this same issue. The compost bin is outside so either I take the compost out every time or it smells up the house. And then what ever I use to transport compost is now dirty, smelly and requires washing.

So with the help of some friends, I found an elegant solution.
Get a compost bin for the house that does not spell and that I don’t need to clean. And if I do need to clean it, it is dishwasher safe.

Compost Pail and Charcoal Filters from www.cleanairgardening.com (you can get the same thing at Williams Sonoma for $10 more)
* Stainless Steel Compost Pail $39.99 [www.cleanairgardening.com/pail.html ]
* Pack of Two Extra Filters (lasts 6-12 months) $7.99 [www.cleanairgardening.com/paoft...i.html ]

Compostable Liners/Bags from Costco South San Francisco (10th St. SF was out when I checked)
* Biosak 125 Compostable Bags (3 Gal.) $13.99

All said and done it will cost me less than $0.50/week to recycle my food scraps and not smell up my kitchen.

Here is what you CAN compost: [www.sfrecycling.com/pdf/compostggss.pdf ]

* All Food: fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, shellfish, bones, rice, beans, pasta, bread, cheese, and eggshells

* Food-soiled Paper: waxed cardboard, napkins, paper towels, paper plates, paper milk cartons, tea bags, coffee grounds/filters, wooden crates, and sawdust

* Plants: floral trimmings, tree trimmings, leaves, grass, brush, and weeds


The following items are NOT accepted in the green cart:

* Styrofoam
* plastic bags
* plastic flower pots or trays
* diapers
* kitty litter or animal feces
* rocks, stones, or dirt

Mushrooms can save the world...

It is no surprise that fuel prices and food prices are raising. Our government is subsidizing US farmers to produce maize for ethanol production which drives both the consumption of fossil fuels and reduces the supply of food. According to Cornell University researchers, 40% of the energy contained in one gallon of corn (maize) ethanol is expended to produce it. I have read reports that the fossil fuel consumption is as high as 60% – 75% of the product depending on how it is grown, harvested and converted to ethanol. That really does not sound like much of a solution.

I recently watched Paul Stamets give talk on TED.org that gave me hope. "6 ways mushrooms can save the world." He presented an intriguing question, "how can we address the energy crisis in this country?" How about "Econal", which is ethanol made from... wait for it, fungus. But he also presented a more potent discussion about using natural tools, like fungus, to benefit the world.

It is worth 17 minutes of your life to see this presentation.

www.ted.com/talks/view/id/258

Maybe the Smurfs had it right after all?