Thoughts


Terrifying - 2.2.10  |  Hard Link

This was posted in response to my overly-strong derision on the Homeway: Mobile Housing of the Future (yeah, dystopian future) article on Treehugger (here). It has since been pulled from the site, but its simple existence concerns me. A lot.

Since I first skimmed through it without first having coffee, I thought perhaps its just a bad and extreme form of satire, but from what I can tell reading this guys blog, it isn't. And worse, he doesn't seem to be the only one sharing those thoughts.

Here it is:

"Edward (unregistered) wrote:

There is no level of technology that can be deemed too sophisticated to be unsustainable. All that matters for sustainability is that the thing in question will not degrade the environment so much as to make it uninhabitable.

The Terreform project has tons of amazing ideas regarding trees that grow into houses and cities interwoven with nature. This is not mutually exclusive with something like a House-Way.

...

Perhaps more controversially, it might actually be a good thing that the wilderness is going away. The wild is full of unfathomably horrible suffering, in unfathomably enormous quantities. Just as we have a responsibility to prevent the suffering of a puppy, we have a responsibility to prevent any suffering that we can possibly prevent. While I might wish to do this in a way that preserves the best aspects of our magnificent rainforests, landscapes, etc.... capitalism is not going to let that happen.

Yet, barren soil doesn't cry out to be planted with trees, but suffering creatures do cry out to have suffering ended, and thus suffering carries the greatest moral urgency... thus, we should be grateful that the wilderness is going away so that we may start afresh by responsibly creating cruelty-free ecosystems on our own, both on Earth and beyond."

More on this here.



WABA Alert: Important K Street Meeting Tonight! - 10.14.09  |  Hard Link

(FROM WABA DC)

Sorry for the late notice, but we just found out that a critical meeting on the proposed redesign of K Street is taking place tonight. We need cyclists to come out in force to support a new design for the proposed transitway that best accomodates cyclists. Of the three "build options" for the K Street Transitway, which would feature dedicated busways from 9th Street NW to Washington Circle, only Alternative 3 included any facilities for cyclists. The bike lanes proposed in this option would run against the curb for the length of the project. However, given the large number of deliveries made on K Street, WABA feels that a standard bike lane would turn into a parking lane for delivery vehicles. Instead, WABA is recommending a buffered bike lane or cycle track for the K Street Transitway. This option would protect the bike lane with a curb to prevent vehicles from parking in the lane and would be a more attractive facility for less experienced cyclists.

WABA is also asking for:

1) Painted bike lanes at intersection crossings and on segments of K Street where a formal cycle track is not a option.

2) Ample bike parking to replace the loss of parking meters.

3) A separate signal system for bikes in the cycle track.

For details about WABA's recommendations please visit:
WABA.org/documents/K_Street_Transitway_Comments.pdf.

What You Can Do

We strongly urge cyclists to come out to the public meeting tonight to express their support for a modified Alternative 3, which would include cycle tracks with a separate signal system for cyclists, painted bike lanes at intersections and ample bike parking throughout the corridor. The public meeting for the project will be held:

Wednesday, October 14th from 6-8:30pm
Carnegie Library
801 K Street NW

If you cannot attend the meeting in person, WABA urges you to send your comments on the project to KStreet.comments@dc.gov



Bill to BAN ORGANIC FARMING even at home. PLEASE call congress! - March 22, 2009  |  Hard Link

House and Senate will vote on bill to end organic gardening. It is Senate Bill 875 and Senate Bill 425. We need to get the provisions out that affect organic farming. Or get a protection in it. A call to your representatives both Senate and House will help. Subject: House and Senate bills to kill all organic farms (FAST track bills in 2 weeks) Food Safety Modernization Act (HR 875): Criminalization of Organic Farms

Bills are:
House H.R. 875
Senate S 425

There is an enormous rush to get this into law within the next 2 weeks before people realize what is happening.

Main backer and lobbyist is (guess who) Monsanto.

Bill will require organic farms to use specific fertilizers and poisonous insect sprays dictated by the newly formed agency to "make sure there is no danger to the public food supply."

This will include backyard gardens that grow food only for a family and not for sales.

There is a video on the subject Here

It seems to me that the danger to the food supply is our globalized, anonymous manner of growing, processing and distributing food.

If this passes then NO more heirloom clean seeds, but only Monsanto genetically altered seeds that are now showing up with unexpected diseases in humans and other animals.

The name on this outrageous food plan is Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009

Let me be crystal clear here ...... This has NOTHING realistic or proven to do with food safety

Get on that phone Monday and burn up the wires. Get anyone else you can to do the same thing.



Album Generator - March 1, 2009  |  Hard Link

Ok, this one is kind of fun, and interesting. Worth its 5 minutes, and my name associated.

It's easy to make your own album. . .cover.

1 - Go to Wikipedia, hit "random article"
The FIRST random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to Quotations, hit "random quote"
The last four or five words of the very LAST quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to Flickr, hit "the last seven days,"
THIRD picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

This combination of mine makes me think that these so called "random" buttons are only as random as the past search cookies of mine they can read.



Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining - September 22, 2007  |  Hard Link



A 60 day comment period has been opened on the issue of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining, specifically on the question of repeealing a rule requiring mining waste to be dumped no nearer than 100 feet from a stream, which has been ignored for years but at least is something that could be referenced in arguements. Bush has now pretty much opened up this practice entirely. While a statment has been made that its likely that comments won't have an effect, you should comment anyways.

To get caught up:
First read: Audubon Magazine's Article on Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining, replete with some stunning (horrifying?) aerial shots taken by this guy I know, and visit Stop Mountaintop Removal dot Org, and for a kicker, check out Grist's piece on the current and past matter.

But while doing so, please understand the difference between the campaign to stop this practice and thoughts to stop all coal mining, which can be done in a much better manner and is pretty much the only economy of Appalachia, as well as the current campaign to CLEAN up COAL burning through zero emission plants and carbon sequestration. Yes, I understand that "clean coal" is an oxymoron, but what it actually means is that since we currently have little to no chance of stopping it, we can at least reduce its negative impacts while working towards a better solution. Work against and for as needed.

Then, visit the Sierra Club Form Letter which is pre written, with the option to customize your message, and after you fill in your info, will auto-address it to the correct person.

OR, go to regulations.gov, click on "Environment" on the left, then on "Mineral Resources," and click on the rule dated "August 24." (this is down, it seems, until 6 p.m. today.)

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and to comment, whatever your feeling on the matter may be!



Smoke Free Baltimore! - February 23, 2007  |  Hard Link

This is directed at all my Friends in Charm City:

This Monday, February 26, your city council representatives are considering Smoke-Free Indoor Ordinance 05-0073 that will require all Baltimore City workplaces, including restaurants and bars to be smoke-free.

Call or e-mail your representative now! just one sentence, letting them know you are taking notice of this and you want it to happen!

Go Here to find their contact info and Here if you need to find out who it is.

Come on, flex that democratic muscle!



Contrast - February 22, 2007  |  Hard Link

Yet another possible fuel source in the fragile Alaskan Wilderess.

Seems it's no longer good enough to indirectly melt their home, now we have to steal it directly and LIGHT IT ON FIRE.

As a nice counterpoint, a NY Times story about the snowmaking craze of those with disposable income and a desire for more fluffy white stuff. I particularly enjoyed how the NY Times actually used the term Global Warming in the story, but only in reference to it being the reason people felt they need to make their own snow, as opposed to people feeling they are entitled to waste massive amounts of energy to do things like this, you know, perhaps being the CAUSE of said Global Warming?

Catch 22 of the day anyone? It's a nice endangered species, seared up in a wonderful irony vodka sauce, garnished with dissapearing plant species. Delicious.



Appropriate - January 2, 2007  |  Hard Link

Review of Arctic satellite footage from August 2005 has revealed the collapse of a 66 square kilometer ice shelf, the largest ice shelf collapse in 25 years.

"The chunk of ice bigger than Manhattan could wreak havoc if it moves into oil drilling regions and shipping lanes next summer ..."

Funny, how that works out.

Quick notes:
The Ayles shelf is estimated to be 3000 years old.
Since 1906, Canada's ice shelves have shrunk by roughly 90%.
The temperature in the vicinity of the shelf was 5.4 F above recent averages last summer.
A recent NPR program revealed that only 1 in 5 spoken to believes in global warming.