Robin's piece on Denver travel – and the city's multiple Beer Festivals in Sept. - in the Aug 1 editions of the Examiner newspapers. One edition is here.
Jul 31, 2010
Denver Beer Festivals - yes, that's plural
Robin's piece on Denver travel – and the city's multiple Beer Festivals in Sept. - in the Aug 1 editions of the Examiner newspapers. One edition is here.
Gasland commentary from a small house/living small maven
Recently I watched, for the second time, "There Will Be Blood." Great film providing a chilling look at greed. Next on my list is Gasland. Small living maven Michael Janzen gave me permission to repost some of his recent cogent comments in reference to the film:
"...the family farm' in northern California, where I'm building my Tiny Free House, is surrounded by new
gas wells now. They just begun fracking up there so the water wells seem fine still. But they 're-frack' gas wells multiple times so the toxins they'll be pouring into the ground could eventually become a major problem.
My larger fear is that this Haliburton process, fracking, may eventually contaminate the Sacramento river which runs right past the farms in the area. If that were to happen thousands of acres of farm land will be toast. .... My mother inlaw says they dump the toxic stuff in waste wells nearby... wells that produced no gas....
If you read my blogs you know I'm an incredibly level-headed person...[but] Major environmental damage is being made to our ground water to squeeze huge profits in natural gas out of the ground. It must be stopped.
As far as our dependence on fossil fuels... yeah we are in some serious trouble. Foreign or domestic we must kick the habit or it's going to kick us to the curb.
Watch the movie, make up your own mind. I have and I will never buy land or move to an area with fossil fuel reserves. I don't want my family anywhere near these greedy bastards.
...Switching from one fossil fuel to another just prolongs the inevitable (the need to switch to renewables) and pollutes the world we live in while we're avoiding dealing with our addiction. I'm voting for getting off gradually now instead of going cold turkey sooner than later.
"...the family farm' in northern California, where I'm building my Tiny Free House, is surrounded by new
gas wells now. They just begun fracking up there so the water wells seem fine still. But they 're-frack' gas wells multiple times so the toxins they'll be pouring into the ground could eventually become a major problem.
My larger fear is that this Haliburton process, fracking, may eventually contaminate the Sacramento river which runs right past the farms in the area. If that were to happen thousands of acres of farm land will be toast. .... My mother inlaw says they dump the toxic stuff in waste wells nearby... wells that produced no gas....
If you read my blogs you know I'm an incredibly level-headed person...[but] Major environmental damage is being made to our ground water to squeeze huge profits in natural gas out of the ground. It must be stopped.
As far as our dependence on fossil fuels... yeah we are in some serious trouble. Foreign or domestic we must kick the habit or it's going to kick us to the curb.
Watch the movie, make up your own mind. I have and I will never buy land or move to an area with fossil fuel reserves. I don't want my family anywhere near these greedy bastards.
...Switching from one fossil fuel to another just prolongs the inevitable (the need to switch to renewables) and pollutes the world we live in while we're avoiding dealing with our addiction. I'm voting for getting off gradually now instead of going cold turkey sooner than later.
Jul 30, 2010
Mindful pleasure in Bloomington
Great article on Bloomington IN: enlightening mind and palate. In the Sunday Aug 1 Washington Post here.
Jul 27, 2010
Polar bears suffer heat and mental anguish in zoos
Free our polar bears - Winnipeg Free Press As for educational value, the only substantive thing a polar bear in captivity teaches kids is that it's okay to ruin an animal's life for our viewing pleasure.
Jul 24, 2010
Jul 21, 2010
Jul 18, 2010
Jul 14, 2010
Great thinkers of conscience: George Bernard Shaw
“The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them but to be indifferent to them. That’s the essence of inhumanity.”
“Animals are my friends...and I don't eat my friends.” Those words were written by super playwright and essayist George Bernard Shaw, whose birthday was July 7, 1856. Yes, 1856.
As noted in a post from the nonprofit, In Defense of Animals, Shaw opposed animal experimentation (done back then, and even more unhumanely) and was a strict vegetarian. The Ireland native considered the bodies of meat-eaters "the living graves of murdered beasts." He became a vegetarian after hearing a lecture at the age of 25 and considered his meat-eating diet before that as one of a “cannibal.” From then on he frequently and passionately advocated for vegetarianism in his lectures and interviews, irritating journalists who wanted to hear more about his plays. Shaw attributed great health benefits to vegetarianism, as well as a more spiritual and moral mindset consistent with his activism in support of social issues. Shaw wrote 49 plays, including Mrs. Warren's Profession, Arms and the Man, Caesar and Cleopatra, Man and Superman, Major Barbara, Androcles and the Lion, Pygmalion (later set to music as My Fair Lady), Heartbreak House and Saint Joan.
“Animals are my friends...and I don't eat my friends.” Those words were written by super playwright and essayist George Bernard Shaw, whose birthday was July 7, 1856. Yes, 1856.
As noted in a post from the nonprofit, In Defense of Animals, Shaw opposed animal experimentation (done back then, and even more unhumanely) and was a strict vegetarian. The Ireland native considered the bodies of meat-eaters "the living graves of murdered beasts." He became a vegetarian after hearing a lecture at the age of 25 and considered his meat-eating diet before that as one of a “cannibal.” From then on he frequently and passionately advocated for vegetarianism in his lectures and interviews, irritating journalists who wanted to hear more about his plays. Shaw attributed great health benefits to vegetarianism, as well as a more spiritual and moral mindset consistent with his activism in support of social issues. Shaw wrote 49 plays, including Mrs. Warren's Profession, Arms and the Man, Caesar and Cleopatra, Man and Superman, Major Barbara, Androcles and the Lion, Pygmalion (later set to music as My Fair Lady), Heartbreak House and Saint Joan.
Jul 11, 2010
Jul 9, 2010
Oil industry ad blitz to preserve billions in tax subsidies
Not a free market...and not a level playing field. Check recent reports such as this one.
"Oil production tax breaks, many resulting from archaic acts to promote oil exploration, save the industry about $4 billion per year, according to government reports. Capital investments such as oil-field leases and drilling equipment see a levy of 9 percent, while other industries see an overall tax of 25 percent."
"Oil production tax breaks, many resulting from archaic acts to promote oil exploration, save the industry about $4 billion per year, according to government reports. Capital investments such as oil-field leases and drilling equipment see a levy of 9 percent, while other industries see an overall tax of 25 percent."
Jul 8, 2010
Walk for better conditions for farm animals
Locations of the upcoming walks all across North Anerica. Check here for details: http://www.walkforfarmanimals.org
Better-looking politicians get more media coverage
The better a politician's looks, the higher the frequency of television news coverage, shows a new study carried out at the University of Haifa's Department of Communication, published in the International Journal of Press/Politics. "Earlier studies have shown that people generally tend to prefer the company of people who are physically attractive and even value them as more worthy people. Our study reveals that journalists probably behave just like the rest," the researchers noted.
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