Read My Taxes, No New Blogs

Owens Corning should be the next corporation to run for President

2008-01-22T20:05:00.000-08:00

Janet and I are in the process of remodeling our garage and making it a semi-usable "other" space. A place either of us can go work in semi-private with semi-good lighting and remodeled in a semi-green fashion. The question of insulation came up and since we have long been aware of the negative effects and classification of formaldehyde as a VOC and the potential for off-gassing, we knew to be aware of the insulation we chose. Researching green websites like Treehugger and others were useful, but certainly not an all inclusive resource for all of the products that are available out there, so I searched for "formaldehyde free insulation" on Google. The first site that came up was for a product with pretty much exactly what we were looking for, complete with MSDS sheets. Awesome!

The second site was Owens Corning. You may know them by one of the most clever marketing gimmicks of all time... pink insulation! The second MCMGoaT, in my opinion, was the white Ipod ear buds. Pretty crazy that color can mean that much to a consumerist society. Wait... no, I guess that makes perfect sense... but that's not what I'm here to rant... I mean "talk" about. They stole the Pink Panther! Crap... no, that's not it either. It's about the rhetoric.

Owens Corning has a .pdf that claims that formaldehyde free insulation is not any better than regular insulation. They're obviously Republicans because their logic is fucked up! (How's that for logic?!) Their argument is essentially, "It's not bad for you, we have been using it for 50 years and everyone thinks it's great!" Well, mercury was used for amalgam fillings and to make felt, so we should continue using mercury in these products because they have been used for a long time and everyone swears by them? Idiots. Mmmm, mercury bubble tea...

Owens Corning references the EPA and CPSC to cross-confuse people (is that a real thing?).

OC: "Just the Facts - Formaldehyde and Insulation": "The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) do not even list fiber glass insulation as a major source of formaldehyde in the home."

Well then, let's just see if there is anything on the Environmental Protection Agency's website and The Consumer Product Safety Commission's website.

CPSC: "An Update on Formaldehyde" - 1st paragraph, 5th bullet... "Formaldehyde is an important industrial chemical used to make other chemicals, building materials, and household products. It is one of the large family of chemical compounds called volatile organic compounds or ‘VOCs’. The term volatile means that the compounds vaporize, that is, become a gas, at normal room temperatures. Formaldehyde serves many purposes in products. It is used as a part of:"

wait for it... wait for it...

"* certain insulation materials (urea-formaldehyde foam and fiberglass insulation)."

It would seem Owens Corning made a boo boo... or did they? Is OC correct? Fuck me!! The EPA and CPSC don't list "fiber glass insulation as a major source of formaldehyde in the home" after all. Rather, it's listed as the fifth bullet in a list of products for which this particular VOC serves many purposes. I'm so stupid! I hate me, I hate me, I hate me. Sorry OC... I'll vote for you (how do you make an "I love you" emoticon?).

Oh, and not for nuttin', but here's the EPA's formaldehyde page. It basically says the same stuff and refers to CPSC.

Now that we (I) have discussed how they mislead (told the obvious truth to) everyone with the references to the EPA and CSPC, let us (me) discuss the references they left out.

How about the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) website on formaldehyde?

CDC (NIOSH) : "FORMALDEHYDE: Evidence of Carcinogenicity" Do we even have to go any further than the title?

No?

Let's anyway!

Second line (which isn't even the body of the document yet)... "April 15, 1981". I guess the problem has been around for a long time.

Oh wait... I'm still an idiot after all... the body of the document actually has information too. "Epidemiologic studies conducted to date do not permit a definitive evaluation of the carcinogenic risk of formaldehyde to humans." However, "The first signs or symptoms noticed on exposure to formaldehyde at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 5 ppm are burning of the eyes, tearing (laceration), and general irritation to the upper respiratory passages." Aaahhhh... I sho' do love me some formaldehyde induced lacerations in me mince pies.

Oops, continued idiocy on my part... sorry everyone. Apparently that study was done on formaldehyde in funeral homes and on a chemical known as bis ether (formed by the combination of formaldehyde and HCl)... not on garage remodel fiberglass insulation installations.

Hopefully I'm done making all of these embarrassing mistakes. In an attempt to try to redeem myself, here is yet another particularly useless/useful piece of info from the Documentation for Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH) on formaldehyde. "NIOSH REL: 0.016 ppm TWA, 0.1 ppm 15minute CEILING; NIOSH considers formaldehyde to be a potential occupational carcinogen as defined by the OSHA carcinogen policy [29 CFR 1990]. " What the hell does that mean? Let's look up the OSHA carcinogen policy too, shall we?

OSHA's website on formaldehyde has the most legal-ese, so in order to skip right to the good stuff, go to Standard Number: 1910.1048. There's a lot of stuff here that basically says that even in small amounts, formaldehyde is something to be cautious of, must be reported on MSDS reports at certain levels, have signs posted at certain levels, require breathing apparatus and filter change frequency standards at certain levels, etc.

Let's compare MSDS sheets to see if there is even a ppm value listed for these materials...

Owens Corning PROPINK® Loosefill Fiber Glass Insulation; PROPINK® Complete: There was no MSDS available for the PINK Fiber Glass Insulation so I figured this was close. The following is listed in the Composition/Ingredients Section...

Fiber Glass Wool (Fibrous Glass): CAS No. 65997-17-3
Petroleum distillates, solvent-refined heavy paraffinic: CAS No. 64741-88-4
Non-Hazardous Statement: The remaining components of this product are non-hazardous or are in a small enough quantity as to not meet regulatory thresholds for disclosure. These components contain no substances or impurities which would influence the classification of this product

Johns Manville MSDS for Fiber Glass Building Insulation, Formaldehyde-free: It seems to me that all materials are listed in Composition/Ingredients Section...

Fiber glass wool: CAS No. 65997-17-3
Acrylic thermoset resin
Foil/kraft, kraft, FSK, polyethylene, PSK, and various metal building facings
Oh, woe is me... I seem to have gone off on a tangent and I am pontificating points not pertinent to Pink! The question of carcinogenicity was never raised by Owens Corning. They were simply saying some really stupid crap that doesn't make me trust them. Basically, my main gripe here is not that insulation may or may not have trace amounts of formaldehyde. It seems to me that it's a personal preference whether I buy something that claims to have zero or some formaldehyde. I don't want the formaldehyde-free guys to lie to me if there is formaldehyde in their product, but neither do I want someone to tell me they use formaldehyde and use some really stupid arguments as to why it's ok to use it. I don't want someone blowing sunshine up my ass, but I also don't want someone shitting in my mouth and telling me its Skittles. "Uuuhhhh... taste the rainbow, bitch!"

Here is an example of how to address the issue correctly.

CertainTeed has a "Questions and Answers About Formaldehyde and Fiber Glass Insulation" that seems to take a honest and direct approach to this subject. Less smoke, less skittles. Bravo!

And, oh by the way, So Fucking What (shameless shitty movie plug) if there is so little formaldehyde left in the end product as to invalidate everyone's justifiable concerns about VOC off-gassing in their homes... the formaldehyde doesn't get inserted magically into the insulation with the wand waving antics of the low-VOC fairy. CertainTeed's FAQ addresses this to some extent with the following...

"Some fiber glass insulations use phenol formaldehyde in the binder, which holds the glass fibers together. During the manufacturing process, the binder is cured at very high temperatures, virtually eliminating the formaldehyde content. There is a small amount of free formaldehyde present in today’s fiber glass insulation products. "

Oh, I see, so you use the phenol formaldehyde in the binder, cook the binder, "virtually eliminate" the formaldehyde... so if it is virtually eliminated, what level was it to begin with before the whole virtual elimination thing. What poor sucker has to work with that crap. I'm sure the binder manufacturers are out there somewhere, but it's late and I'm cold.

Oh goodie, something interesting... from FreePatentsOnline for formaldehyde binders: "A typical phenolic resin to be used as a binder for glass fiber insulation is made at a formaldehyde/phenol mole ratio as high as six to virtually eliminate free phenol in the resin. The high formaldehyde/phenol ratio required to achieve the very low free phenol concentration results in high free formaldehyde concentrations. The high percentage of free formaldehyde in the resin must be scavenged by the addition of a large amount of urea or other formaldehyde scavenger. Urea is added after neutralizing the resin and most often just prior to use of the resin. When the urea is added, the level of free formaldehyde is typically reduced to about 0.5 to about 1.5% after the premix is allowed to react at room temperature for a few hours. "

So it looks like the recipe actually calls for a high percentage of free formaldehyde in the resin (aka binder), then cook, eliminate, rinse, repeat. Who makes the resin dammit!?

Back to the Cas Cave!

Phenol, polymer with formaldehyde and urea: CAS No. 25104-55-6

Oh shit, why the fuck am I doing this? There was only 9,055 workers who even used that crap according to a National Occupational Exposure Survey (1981 - 1983). Fuck 'em!

Seriously though, it's not just about me and my home, although that is obviously my biggest concern, it's about doing what's right, or what makes sense, or what's less harmful/dangerous/toxic/deadly to others/the environment, etc. Back to mercury for a second... maybe it's my inability to utilize Google to the fullest extent possible, but I can't seem to find anything discussing the perils of wearing a mercury cured felt hat. The danger was in making it (or so says Wikipedia). Perhaps the mercury was "virtually eliminated" as well.

And you know what... maybe MY logic isn't quite right in this blog post, but you know what?... I'm not selling a product with potential health risks and covering it up by saying that it's perfectly ok because it's not that bad. After spending all of one late night researching this online and knowing nothing about anything, it would seem to me that if you eliminate the formaldehyde from the product, it isn't necessarily eliminated from the process, but if you eliminate it from the process, you eliminate it from the product. But hey, if you can claim "green" status by checking all the boxes on the form, more power to ya. Oh wait, I get it... YOU CAN be green, but the binder manufacturers CAN'T be. As long as the process virtually eliminates the... yadda yadda, ok, making sense now. You go boy!

So remember kids, "Owens Corning continues to produce the best quality insulation in the world. Just ask any builder. Or look at the rankings. The April 2002 Builder magazine Brand Use Study ranked Owens Corning first in Brand Familiarity, Brand Used Most, and Highest Quality Rating." So, don't ask your doctor, the EPA, CSPC, CDC, or any other confusing acronymized government entity... ask your builder. Everyone knows that your builder won't steer you wrong. Right, Bob? ~Bob smiles, tooth sparkles~.

Atlantica

2007-06-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

I didn't know this existed, or that people were so against it...

Official Website:
http://www.atlantica2007.com/defining_atlantica.php

Anti-Website:
http://www.stopatlantica.org/declaration

Stolen Basil

2007-06-05T21:43:00.000-07:00

I should have posted this last summer, but I guess I was pretty pissed. Someone stole my gi-normous basil plant from the front of my place. I posted a rant on Craig's List and never looked back. I just needed to get some aggression off my back. I just took a look at my CL account and noticed a new color... PINK = Flagged/Deleted. Woo hoo!

Anyway, here it is...

F-you, you f'ing f'er! What the F?! I had a huge basil plant, just waiting to be harvested for the pesto dinner of a lifetime and you f'ing stole that sh1t right out of my yard. Dick! F-you!! What kind of derelict steals basil? Are you a bum and need to chiffonade yourself up some tasty basil to add to your trash can dinner? You know what... not all herbs can be smoked you crackhead junky FUKC! (spelled incorrectly on purpose to avoid the CL police, so don't give me any sh1t for my rant... thank you) Or are you some pretentious ass f'ed up Californian who moved here to use and abuse the system? "I know dear, let's move to Portland where we can flip a house and use all that fast cash for some blow. And while we're there we can nosh on some street eats with the Californians-turned-bums who wasted their small fortunes on blow fifteen years ago. It will be like looking into a mirror of the future." GO BACK TO CALIFORNIA YOU F'ING PRICK!! YOU OWE ME PESTO!!! Everywhere I go around town, people have signs up to the thief that stole their poppies, roses, apples, flowers, etc. Yes, Portlanders like leaving stuff out for other people to take. It's like Craig's List and Freecycle before either existed. We like participating in that community spirit. It makes us who we are. Then you come along and f'ing abuse it. Stop! If it's growing, it's not free for the taking. People take care and pride in making their plants grow. You know why my basil was so f'ing huge? Because I was out there nearly every day picking off the flowers and cutting back tops, making a salad here and there, facilitating growth. And you came by and hacked it off at its base with one fell swoop. How did you even cut it? The stalk was about as big as my pinky finger. Have you been casing my place waiting for the right time in the middle of a sunny afternoon to make your move? It wasn't wild basil... it was MY basil! Give it BACK!!!

The blind leading the stupid

2007-02-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

If you need to, read my post Depleted Uranium... One step forward, Two steps back so that when you read this article, you can have yourself a good laugh... then cry.

Just to catch you up real quick, Sequoyah Fuels in Oklahoma was to remove 1.5 million pounds (750 tons) of DU to be stored at a former atomic-bomb test site in Nevada, when all of a sudden a leak was discovered.

"... the breach occurred because the drums have been exposed to the elements for the past 13 or 14 years."

After extensive online research, I have discovered Sequoyah Fuels "Safety" Checklist to include, AND limited, to the following...

Store DU in 55 gallon drums... CHECK
Seal drums... CHECK
Stack drums... CHECK
Store stacked drums in steel container... CHECK
Seal steel container... CHECK

Lessons Learned: In future maneuvers, insert new step 1...

Ensure 55 gallon drums that have been exposed to the elements for the past 13-14 years DON'T FUCKING LEAK!

"Officials say it will take another two weeks before removal of the 95,000 tons of radioactive waste remaining at the site can resume."

Not to belabor the issue of stupidity and the amateur hour that is the Associated Press, but there are 2000 pounds in one ton, but of course that was like, third grade science, so it's hard to remember. But then there is the trouble with math, and all of those zeroes can get really, REALLY confusing. And who wants to do Long Division?! Thank the LORD for Google Calculator!

Considering the fact that there are five containers remaining, that would mean that each container weighs 19,000 tons = 38 Million pounds! A Class IV Gross trailer weight rating is rated to 10,000 lbs (5 tons).

Basically it's a typo, but still something we can poke fun at and do absurd math tricks with until our calculator button pushing fingers turn blue, but all we really need to do is to change 'tons' to 'pounds' and we still have a little problem. 95,000 pounds to go, until everyone in OK is a-ok... (far from it). Ok, a little more math here (and one more okay... Okliedokliedoo),

That means they transported 1.405 millions pounds out of 1.5 million pounds to Nevada before they figured out that they were leaking? So, if you're travelling down Highway 40 jamming to a little Corey Hart, and you find the road well lit by a creepy green light, don't start turning you're lights on and off proclaiming, "Look ma, no hands!" Not only is it dangerous, but it makes the DU mad.

I'm not proud about the accuracy by which I can point out the failures of depleted uranium maneuvers, but ever since my Atari joystick broke I have had no other means by which to gauge the successes in my life.

Now back to that whole War-with-Iran thing leading up to World War III for which I will score mega points! Hooray for me :(

Ode to Veggie v. Meat

2007-02-13T11:57:00.000-08:00

Oh ain't meat sweet,
I see it walking on its feet.
Well I ask you very tongue-in-cheekily:
ain't meat neat?

Oh that ain't nice,
we'll eat FT OG rice.
Yes I ask you very herbivore-ally:
who wants rice?

Just cast a ribeye
in my direction.
Oh me oh my,
ain't that perfection?

Oh I repeat
that's my favorite cut of meat.
Yes I ask you very omnivore-ally:
ain't meat sweet?

Oh who needs meat?!,
I guess I won't eat things with feet.
I'll ask you about sustainability:
why's the world replete with meat?
Well I will tell you very convincingly:
Don't eat meat!

Which end is up?

2007-02-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

Carageenan... good or bad? Maybe it is derived in a manner not befitting environmental health, or maybe that was what a "scientific" study proved. Maybe it's harmless. Maybe it will kill us.

What about Activist Groups? I was trying to find the site for Skin Deep (it gives the skinny (yes, pun intended) on the ingredients of soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, etc) and came across another site talking about it, so I thought I would check it out. It's a site devoted to "uncovering" where all of the activist organizations go wrong, who supports them, and basically why they are no good, corrupt entities. At first glance of the list, I thought, "Oh, I found Activist central... I subscribe to them, and them, and them... ooh, haven't heard of them, but they sound good." And they're saying they are all bad!

When I saw MADD, I thought, surely they are grasping at straws, but after reading about a few organizations I subscribe to I was in desparate need of even just the faintest glimmer of hope to pull myself out of the downward spiral of deepening depression, and I discovered that MADD can kiss my ass.

Anyway, the site is http://www.activistcash.com/index.cfm

Depleted Uranium... One step forward, Two steps back

2007-02-08T14:31:00.000-08:00

It seems the Army is concerned about depleted uranium affecting their own soldiers who handle the munitions, so they are developing a less lethal way to kill people. Hooray for nano-ammo?

"Department of Energy officials say the use of depleted uranium in projectiles has caused concern among soldiers storing and using the material." Not to mention the fact that it is killing innocent Iraqi civilians and children, laying waste to their immune systems, ecosystems, and perpetuating birth defects for generations to come. But hey, our soldiers are concerned, so maybe we should think of alternatives.

"So scientists at the government`s Ames Laboratory at Ames, Iowa, created a nanocomposite of tungsten and metallic glass -- both of which are environmentally safe materials that work even better than depleted uranium." Yeah!!! They kill people even better! ...and environmentally friendly to boot. I can see it now - a new slogan, "Organic bombs, not hugs!" for a newer, greener generation of war criminals, I mean Republicans - no Democrats... oh fuck it... Americans. It's a good feeling being on the side of the guys with the guns. Makes me feel all safe and warm inside.

But wait, that's not all... In other make-depleted-uranium-go-away news, it seems that Sequoyah Fuels in Oklahoma is prepping for the removal of a 1.5 million pounds (750 tons) of DU to be stored deep within, uhm, sealed 55 gallon drums. But not to worry, because those 55 gallon drums will be stacked on top of each other for maximum safety. Not only will they be stacked, but those very same 55-gallon drums will be stored deep within, uhm, a much larger steel container! No worries - it will be welded AND sealed... Hooray!! Our depleted uranium woes are no longer!!! Yes indeed, no sense worrying about DU anymore. Why, I'll just go ahead and unsubscribe from my "Depleted Uranium" Google Alerts and then on to bigger and better news stories... like butterflies... and other, uhm, things.

What's that you say? Where will they store those welded AND sealed steel containers full of stacked 55-gallon drums of bright green depleted uranium? Hmmm, where has all of this been leading? Perhaps they will be stored deep within the EARTH? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH... HAHAHA... uhm, no. Nevada... stoopid!

Although the article actually says it will be buried in Nevada, I believe that "buried" is simply a euphemism for "put San Francisco at risk of breathing in DU aerosols from DU weapons testing causing severe health problems, from cancers to diabetes, asthma, birth defects, organ damage, heart failure and auto-immune system diseases." But that's kind of reading a lot into one little word... or is it?

It seems that a lab outside of SF is going to be stepping up their DU weapons testing.

"Livermore National Laboratory has been testing radioactive devices – exploding depleted uranium and tritium into the open air – just 50 miles east of San Francisco since 1961. And now the lab has a permit to raise the amount of radioactive material they detonate yearly from 1,000 to 8,000 pounds."

So maybe it's all speculation, since 8000 lbs is a far cry from 1M, but still, we are about to launch a nuclear war against Iran (hence "testing"), don't want this nasty stuff on our own soil (hence packaging for transportation), can surely turn a profit selling it to Israel (aka "in bed with")...

Janet Jackson and Oprah

2007-02-05T20:44:00.000-08:00

There are two things that have caused me to get queasy watching television (this coming from the guy that watched Faces of Death in high school and thought, mmm... monkey brains sho' do look tasty!). Anyway, one was Janet Jackson's nipslip during the Superbowl half time show. (What's wrong with me? am I getting old? That used to be my fantasy! The Patrick Demarchelier cover of Rolling Stone magazine was like free porn.) The other was Oprah bringing Shawn Hornbeck on her show after having been home for one week after being rescued from his kidnapper Michael Devlin. Not only did Oprah disgust me, but the entire world of TV media disgusted me. For the next few weeks, every time you turned on the TV, someone was pontificating the true nature of the relationship Shawn and Devlin, or why didn't Shawn try to escape, or what really happened behind closed doors, etc. I'm not saying that Oprah was the first or only person to exhibit poor judgement... the parents certainly were a factor, as were the media moguls. Hopefully all of the money Shawn's parents made from their various television appearances will cover half of the therapy Shawn will need, not only for the trauma suffered at the hands of Michael Devlin, but for the trauma suffered from the abuse of the televisionistas. What if it turns out that Shawn was abused beyond anything anyone can tolerate imagining, something to make us once hardcore Faces of Death fans turn green? What if it turns out that Shawn loved Devlin? Holy crap! Either of those scenarios would be far too much for the public to handle. Why, there would be a media frenzy! Shawn seems to be pretty well put together despite the improper actions on the part of Devlin, his parents, the media, and yes, even Oprah. I posted my comments of disapproval on Oprah's website, and I certainly wasn't the only one.

PS
I still fantasize about Janet, and I still TiVo Oprah.

http://boards.oprah.com/WebX?tree@77.e3kkcg8b7pb.106462@.f13a447/1367!view=C

Two wrongs make it worse
Posted on: 01/19/2007 at 5:28pm

First of all, I want to tell Shawn that I am very glad he is home. I hope you’re doing well, and I wish that you are given the amount of time that you require for your own healing. I find it very likely that you may not only read these posts, but that you may even contribute yourself, perhaps under an alias, perhaps as yourself. I’m sure you know the Internet is full of self-righteous surfers with a million opinions (admittedly, I am one of them). I hope you are able to bypass all of those opinions that are discouraging to you and give yourself time to heal. Stay strong!

The second part of this post is to Oprah. I believe in you Oprah. When you told everyone about getting flipped off by the guy who had a car just like yours, I nearly cried I was laughing so hard. When you give away stuff on the show, I get as excited as if I were there. But... when I saw Shawn on tv, I felt a sinking feeling like I was watching the most disgusting, nauseating event in history. I believe in you Oprah! I really do. I believe in the things you do and what you stand for. I wanted to believe that this was going to turn out ok. That you would use this tragedy as a vehicle for awareness, referring back to the media reports as support for your cause, sending well wishes and invitations to appear on Oprah when Shawn had healed and felt comfortable in his own skin again. I believe you suffered a serious error in judgment by not only interviewing him and airing it, but also in having Shawn in your studio audience. Please forgive me for "going there" but how would you have felt if your parents brought you on The Tonight Show or some other national television talk show after you were molested. Maybe you would have had the forethought to get the message out, the strength to fight for those that couldn’t fight. And you did... you brought the fight to the public and people are far more aware now than ever before... but that was on your own terms, after you had a chance to cope, reason things out, ask why, why me, and what next. It took you 32 years to talk about your rape on tv, and it was on a Chicago television program named The Oprah Winfrey Show prior to becoming nationally broadcast. I do not recall a 43 year old Shawn, host of the Shawn Hornbeck Show, discussing with the audience of HIS national television show, the details, or even simply the admission of the trauma that he endured. It was one week! Shame on you, Oprah.

Dichotomy

2006-10-30T07:36:00.000-08:00

These were the two headlines in my inbox this morning...

GlobalResearch.ca
Bush Moves Toward Martial Law

Team TreeHugger
Green Music, Heritage Apples and Eco Weddings

How is it possible that these two things can actually exist side by side? Are we trying to kill the bad guys (Bush Inc.) with kindness. Maybe we can start a new kind of campaign against our enemies since that whole "Make Love Not War" thing ended up spreading Aids throughout the world... how about "Hugs not Bombs". Actually, let me Google that real quick...

I am the most unoriginal fucker on the face of the planet. First GILF, and now this. There were 86 results for "Hugs not Bombs". Ok, how about "Missiles with depleted uranium don't kill people, people who order the missiles with depleted uranium to be launched kill people"?

0 Results... Boo Yah!! I found my next protest shirt slogan!

Oh shit, I forgot about the apples.

Response to posts on WorldChanging.com

2006-06-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

Personal Factor Four: Organizing Real Environmental Action With The Internet Vinay Gupta

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/004599.html

I think that the balance between weak individual action and Internet collective consciousness can be met through participation in online activism. One of the problems I face as a green consumer is that I'm going broke doing it. I can barely afford to feed my family organic foods, I have been priced out of the housing market so there is no way I can move into the green housing arena, and in order to afford eating healthy, ethically and wise, I sold my cars, so no green car. We recently found a green apartment so there's a step in the right direction, but at a higher cost than what we had previously been renting... and for less space! So I am behind the "green house, green car, organic food" effort, but it’s hard… real hard.

But I didn’t write here today to simply say I want to pursue this grand endeavor, rather to provide a cautionary tale of online activism and get an idea from the WorldChanging viewers as to the best approach given so many other like-minded efforts.

For example, labeling laws that take away what some states have worked so hard to implement are now at risk of being stripped away from them... thank you HR 4167! To date, this Bill has only passed in the House. Check here for status updates (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-4167)

There are several online activist groups (listed below) who are trying to get the same thing accomplished. Is it better to have individuals contact their representatives, or for multiple organizations/groups to submit signed petitions, or to have one unified voice? The average individual is less likely to act if much effort is required on their part. Ideally, every person would have their representatives phone number on a refrigerator magnet next to the Dominoes magnet and the astrological sign magnet they picked up on a whim at the grocery store checkout line. However, I think online forms are about as much as we can expect that anyone can handle at this point.

Here’s the list and how each of the sites has handled the petitions.
Generation Green: Suggested Letter for you to send to Rep (http://www.generationgreen.org/)
The Organic Comsumer's Association: Online Form (http://www.organicconsumers.org/)
Natural Resources Defense Council: Online Form(http://www.nrdc.org/)

I'm sure there are some others, but these are the sites that I actively pursue and receive email alerts from. I could go on and list about 100 other sites that simply list how this will negatively effect us, but that's why God invented Google and your ISP. How many other struggles are ongoing that have multiple like minded people who are acting independently of one another?

Here's another good example. The anti-war protest in DC in September, 2005 had more signs, banners, shirts and buttons than anything I had ever seen. It was literally a circus of freaks. Just because we all hate Bush doesn't mean that we can't all unify and get our collective voice across. If it's anti-war, make anti-war signs and leave the impeachment signs for the protests that take place on the capitol steps, or for when we all have had enough and storm out of our homes, out of our cars, out of our offices, and march on Washington! Hell, at least the stay-the-course pro-war march was sponsored by Pepsi.

… and speaking of EnergyStar, proposed sunset legislation could potentially remove programs like EnergyStar and Federal Support for Mass Public Transit without giving these programs the time and attention they deserve. When will other organizations jump on this and device their own plan of attack? I know you can follow links, but follow these three…

http://www.nrdcaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=53601/
http://www.nrdcaction.org/action/wacmoreinfo.asp?item=53601
http://docs.nrdc.org/legislation/leg_06061401a.pdf

My point... online activism GOOD, duplication of effort BAD! Solidarity is key.

Given that there are so many people out there all fighting the good fight, from bloggers to non-profits, there needs to be one place that everyone can direct their online activists to. Democracy In Action (http://www.democracyinaction.org/www/) seems to be the one place that I have found in common amongst many of my email alerts that is a resource for this very type of activity. I would think that if the label law activism sites listed above could incorporate the use of a site like Democracy In Action, it would not only help defray the cost of the service, but would also send a powerful One-Voice message to the recipient of the petitions. Not only that, but Joe Blogger and WorldChanging would catch wind of the effort and post the link as well.

So, do it but do it well. Organize the effort in a manner that all of the tag-alongs can tag along. Find out who has similar efforts underway and ask them if they are amenable to consolidating efforts. We are voices to be united!

Action Taken at Organic Consumers Association

2006-03-17T18:58:00.000-08:00

http://www.organicconsumers.org/chat/viewtopic.php?p=1833&highlight=#1833

My wife recently discovered she was allergic to dioxin, quit using tampons, switched to The Keeper and LunaPads, and got healthy! She called her mom to talk about her new discovery of renewed health, and her mom says, "You were allergic to diapers!" Connection... Dioxin. We now have a baby and we use Seventh Generation diapers, and she hasn't had any problems. I subscribed to their newsletter and this month was pretty fascinating with respect to tampons, dioxin and a bill sitting on the floor of the House of Representatives that is getting no action or attention. Despite the surge of green events, news and concerns, women's health is still a farce. Nobody cares! There have been articles posted about alternatives to tampons, chemical use, etc, but there is an actual bill on the floor of the House of Representatives that has seen little or no action since its inception! Perhaps through OCA's network of activists, The Robin Danielson Act (H.R. 3411) can get the necessary attention it deserves. Please visit http://www.house.gov/maloney/issues/tamponsum.html for more details. Also, check out http://www.seventhgeneration.com/making_difference/newsletter.php ~~Thanks, Chris... a concerned guy with a wife and a daughter.

My Craig's List ad for my car...

2006-02-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

I have a total piece of crap car that is one of the most reliable junkers on the road. It's not worth the paper the title is printed on and I'm quite sure it was the inspiration behind Adam Sandler's song on his second CD, 1996's What the Hell Happened to Me?. Let me tell you what's wrong with it...

The air conditioner squeals (the belt that is) but I think it's the compressor or whatever the hell AC belts are attached to. I just know that if it breaks your power steering is kaput. It's worse in the summer, but that's why God invented windows. In the winter there's not so much squealing because of the cold weather. You thought I was going to say because you don't use the AC in the winter, right? Well actually, even though you may not be using the AC in the winter, although we may have to with all of this GLOBAL freakin WARMING, the defrost is actually tied to the AC. Again, not much to worry about in the winter due to the GLOBAL WARMING!

Uhm, all four tires are just about bare and the brakes squeal even when they're brand freakin' new. Some design flaw in the Neon brake pads or something.

Oh, one day my inner door panel had become disconnected from the metal door frame and basically locked me in the car. I went out the passenger side, and tried to open the door, but couldn't get in. It was like 20 below out at the time, because as we all know GLOBAL WARMING produces turbulent weather not Floridian weather, so I got back in the car (yes, on the passenger side) and reeled up on my back, knees tucked to my chin, and let 'er rip. I got the door open, but completely shattered the near-frozen inner door panel (on account of the GLOBAL WARMING and all). So I cut of the bad bits and reattached the top portion of the panel, so it looks a little MAD MAX, but the door lock, door handle, and the window crank all work.

There's a constant oil leak, so I pretty much wait until the "feed me Seymour" light comes on as an indication that I need to prick my finger and let it suckle my lacerated teat. I put in a quart of oil every week or so.

I don't know if it's related, but the "Check Engine Light" is always on. I think it came on around 100,000. I took it in the other day and the guy told me that he's not supposed to tell customers this, but if I wanted to spend the money to have the car fixed, that my money would be better spent as a down payment on a new car. Huh, I'm never patronizing them again - how rude!

The body paint has all joined the Hale Bop cometeers and is committing mass suicide by the sheet full. Actually, it's not as bad as some 96 Neons you see on the road... oh wait, you don't see any 96 Neons on the road anymore because they've all frickin died by now. That’s why this car is a classic! Or will be in 5 to 15 years. For a quick review of the definition of Classic vs. Antique cars, please refer to our friends at Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_car.

Ok, back to the list. It stinks, and it smells like Carbon Monoxide is coming straight through the ventilation system. I have asthma really bad and get pneumonia every year, but that's because of, uhm... that other thing... that causes… that... to happen.

I have the original key that glows in the dark. It has original shocks, exhaust, windshield, and probably most other things that people would have had replaced after ten years. Oh, it has 145,000 miles on it. I bought it while I was in VA Beach, and did it to spite my ex wife who was trying to get my truck in the divorce, so one day when she asked for a ride somewhere (probably to an abortion clinic), on the way I saw a dealership and traded in the truck for the Neon (and she aborted my unborn child), with her right there and she couldn't do or say anything. HAH! Take that bitch! I got an overpriced $25,000 Neon that was only worth $12,000 brand new because of a ridiculous loss on a trade-in, and you don't even get child support! Stoopid. Since then, because I was a free man, the car took me on booty calls to NH, AL, and all points in between. Actually I lied, there was only one booty call. All of the others were for the sole purpose of drinking and driving. Did you know that if you're in a bind and meant to buy a twist off bottle and accidentally bought a pop top bottle that you can use your seat belt buckle to pry it off? How can you use your seat belt while you are safely fastened, you ask? We're talking about drinkin' and drivin' people – we’re pretty much pissin' in the safety wind at this point! Stick with me! So that's probably what the stink is... puke and beer... and beer puke... and maybe just a wee bit o' urine, but not much, because that's just nasty.

Once again, I digress. There's a ton of dust, like an inch thick, and I surely ain't cleaning Shiite. You'ld be lucky if I take the bodies out of the trunk for you. We may just have to consider them a signing bonus.

The dash panel circuit board was replaced after all of the dials started going all X-Files on me, and I got that funny sunburn on one side of my face. The engine (maybe transmission) mounts were replaced after the transmission would slam into gear. I mention these to let you know that, as problems arise, I take proper care of my car, and that I am focused on delivering to you a quality piece of machinery.

Ahem!...

I hit a big yellow bus - it was in my blind spot. There were kids on the bus. Don't even say anything. Yes, beer was involved. I thought that going for a drive after downing a pitcher of Icehouse at the local Suds and Duds would pass the time while I waited for my clothes to dry, when off to my left was a mattress store. "Oooh!" I thought. I should look at mattresses, so I shoot over to the next lane, when all of a sudden, "Eee-rr--scrape-scrape, crunch." I hit the bus. Fortunately it was minor stuff right after I bought it so it got taken care of right away. Again, me looking out for you, the consumer.

There's a CD/MP3 player in the car that I'm totally taking out and leaving a big fat gaping hole for you to store your sunglasses and driving gloves. I'll leave the speakers for you though. I bought them and installed them, and probably didn't hook the little door panel hooky thingies up right… hence the Mad Max door panel incident.

Despite all of the paint suicide, there's only one tiny bit of rust on the whole car. Just a nickel sized spot on the hood. You might want to get that fixed. I rusty car is an unhappy car.

Oh, one last thing, there isn't a single piece of duct tape anywhere and the seats are all intact! Therefore no springs poking you in the ass a-la "Ode to my Car." Actually, aside from the Mad Max door, and a dirt/puke/beer/urine stained floor, the interior is pretty clean. YES, and FREAKIN DUST! Must you remind me about everything?!

Seriously, (as if any of these Million Tiny Pieces were serious… or true – HAH! there’s a pop culture reference that’s going to last for about a split sec… - oops, there it goes).

Again, seriously, I have a car to sell for around $500. If you bring a check, then we have to go through some sort of weird dance with trying to get it deposited, and certainly, if you're the type who needs a $500 car, or finds crap like this humorous, you probably don't have a checking account anyway, so you're totally trying to scam me, so just bring cash. In fact, if you can bring cash, I'll give it to you for $400. Otherwise, $500 and a dance.

Enjoy

Oh, I forgot the PS.

PS – Compare Prices! Check out these other people on Craig’s List selling Neons, and remember, I’m telling the truth, the car works, and everyone else except for me is crazy!

Response to posts on WorldChanging.com

2006-02-28T18:21:00.000-08:00

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/004154.html

Oh, what a wonderful world we will have when GREEN takes over the landscape. (Funny, that's the way it's supposed to be, isn't it?) What about when it takes over the corporate and political landscape? Perhaps we will finally have a redefinition of political ideologies. We could follow the Germans in their near abuse of the term "Democratic" for all of their political parties and divvy up the Green Party into the Green Conservatives, the Green Labor Party, the Green People's Front of Judea, and... the Democrats (they just don't know when to give up). Mudslinging will involve organic mud and "My policy is greener than your policy" and "I'm greener than your thumb" types of rhetoric will replace debates over who started the Internet. Even "Big Business" can be renamed the "Green Machine" as we all think fondly of our childhood and that crazy big wheel that you could spin out on always in one direction causing your front tire to wear so that you rode leaning over all of the time... and all of the activists will have nothing to do, except grow tomatoes.

Now that we have the humor portion out of the way, which is often times sorely missed here on WorldChanging because, rightly so, everyone feels very passionate about the subjects that are debated on this site, but no corporation is going to get it right the first time. Environmentalism was the embryonic stage of Sustainability's baby steps, perhaps even Sustainability's first "Agoo." The Activists will have to postpone their tomato garden as they will have plenty of work for some time to come as each corporation's true nature and continued damage are revealed from beneath their eco song and dance. Rather than post incendiary responses to some of the most important thoughts coming from the Blogosphere that will no doubt help to reshape the world we live in (perhaps even be "world changing"?), be more of a forward thinking world citizen and recognize where we came from, where we are now, and where we will be when our "agoo" changes to crawling, walking, running, etc (you know the whole human birth to death lifecycle metaphor). What will Episode III of the Environmentalism and Sustainability saga be? Stay tuned to WorldChanging, because I guaran-freakin-tee you you will be hearing about it right here.

Thanks for bearing with me as I muddled through my humor-rant, because I truly believe this is a step in the right direction. Only a moment more, then you may be dismissed. Just wait until the mass media actually starts reporting on this stuff. Liberal media bias my ass! All of us here know that's a crock, so let's not mock or judge the subject or it's hosts, and know that the times, they are-a-changin'. C'mon, GM has an E85 fuel ad on primetime for cryin' out loud! It's not the freakin' Susan B. Anthony or the Sacagawea - this is going to work, and it's here to stay. Get on board you nay-sayers and start being proactive. The time for bitching about how nothing will ever work is over. Now's the time to act, SO ACT!

Mid-60s, Mid January - What Climate Change?

2006-01-12T11:16:00.000-08:00

Abrupt Climate Change -- How Bad Could It Be? Jamais Cascio

That's it. Read it and check out my comments on their site.

Judge Roberts Petition

2005-09-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

Go to http://www.nocrony.com/ right now!

This will effect the United States for years to come if something isn't done right now to prevent Roberts from becoming the next Chief Justice.

I try to do my best to keep from being a BlaBlahBlah-ist, and it's hard... real hard (mostly because it's fun to rant), but we have to use that ranting as a mechanism for action. Sign the petition to be sent to your Senators and Representatives, or if you're a DC resident like me, send a letter to the editor. Here's what I wrote...

The American people have been speaking out against President Bush since before day one of his first term. Granted, it was only half of the voting population, but that number has been growing, particularly after two significant events; Bush has admitted that there were no WMDs in Iraq, and he has admitted "... to the extent the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility." It's not simply liberal bias, Bush has admitted these things, and Republicans are taking notice. People have lost jobs for less and have not caused as many deaths! How can we trust his judgment with anything let alone a Supreme Court nomination? Will Bush admit fault when Judge Roberts makes a decision that negatively affects the American people? He's already done it twice. Is it 'third time's a charm' or 'three strikes, you're out'? Let's not make it to three to find out.

Celebrity Death Match (Hurricane Katrina vs Lake Ponchatrain Levee)

2005-09-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

Who is responsible for more deaths? The first law suit is underway that will probably be the driving force behind that answer. Every article on the planet that describes what little we know about the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the people at St. Rita's nursing home was that they drowned. They weren't trapped in a pile of rubble, squished by a tree, or carried away to Oz (I know, I know, that's a tornado - stick with me folks, it's fucking wind)... they fucking DROWNED! Yet Foti will tell you that the owners were responsible for their deaths. That's a load of horse shit. They made it through the fucking hurricane alive and well, so much so that when the water from the levee started flooding in, half of them up and walked the fuck out, because THEY MADE IT THROUGH THE FUCKING HURRICANE!! Levee 34, Hurricane 0?

Bush on Race and Katrina

2005-09-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

Here's an article from the Washington Post...

Speaking to reporters after touring New Orleans yesterday, Bush sought to dispel the view that race played a role in the government's response to the disaster. "When those Coast Guard choppers, many of who were first on the scene, were pulling people off roofs, they didn't check the color of a person's skin," Bush said. "They wanted to save lives."

My response...
The problem IS that the people on the roofs were black, not that the Coasty Guard helicopters were doing their job... fan-fucking-tastic! Now we know that the Coast Guard isn't racist . They wouldn't have been on the roofs at all if all levels of Government had prepared and reacted accordingly. They would have been transported out of New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina made landfall, or they would have been in the Superdome for a day, then evacuated in an orderly fashion before the levees broke because the National Guard arrived on the scene and drove everyone out of there in what became the tragically submerged school busses. And the point was that the reason that those things didn't happen was because of race, you chucklehead!... which as usual, you missed the FUCKING POINT!! Black people were stranded on roofs, stranded in the "safety" of the Superdome, and people are fucking dead! White people didn't need to be rescued from the rooftops because they were white, because they had dinero, and because they had motherfuckin' wheels.

In order to separate me from all of the other BlahBlahBlah-ists out there...

Here's what you can do...
Go sign a petition at MoveOn.org for an independent Katrina Commission.

Mike Brown's 52 Card Pick-up

2005-09-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

Mike Brown is gone. Hoo-fucking-rah! Mike should have been a member of the deck of cards that the Trade Regulation Organization issued in April 2003, which of course was in response to the childish ass shit some silly little Bushling developed to make the war in Iraq more reminiscent of Bush's Euchre days as College Frat Boy. Had those cards made their appearance during Hurricane Katrina, Brown certainly would have been a prime candidate. Perhaps you could consider him an honorary member.

Well Mikey, I guess while you, Ray, Blanco, Dubya and Chertoff were all gathered 'round the table playing a rousing game of Not-It, you fucking fell asleep. Wouldn't be the first time, now would it? As for the rest of the people listed, for whom you so graciously became their Patsy effectively wiping their slates clean, you can all get the fuck out too! And I'm not saying that a bunch of dumbass Democrats will do any better. I just want people who give a shit and will lead us by doing what's right for the Nation's people and the people of PLANET FUCKING EARTH! ...not people who promote and support self-gratification, corporate whoring, or perpetual politicking in the midst of a crisis.

Citizen Journalism Movement

2005-09-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

Holy fucking shit there are a lot of Blogs out there! I wanted a quote I saw on tv the other day and I think I found it on nearly every type of Blog you can imagine, all with a different finger pointing at a different group, giving me a rather unfortunate view of how shit can get all fucking twisted when you apply your own agenda to it. (Actually, I didn't find it in all of these places, but enough came up that made me refocus my thoughts for the night.) Liberal, Republican, Progressive, Conservative, Democratic, Green, Christian Right, Atheist! It's all there... is there a KKK or Black Panther's Blog? Hang on one sec...

(time passes...)

I couldn't find 'em, but I'm sure somebody has those too.

In all of this, it seems that something is bubbling up from the guttural rantings of the ether - America is finding its voice. Everyone out there has their ears and eyes turned towards the media, picking apart everything everyone has to say, and posting the actual video, audio, or even entire transcripts on the Internet for the world to see and hear (sorry Helen Keller). Despite the fact that you have a lot of assholes out there (myself included) who can't seem to shut the fuck up long enough to actually be proactive, it's a positive step in the right direction. Soon, all of our petty little Blogathons will yield to a more aware media and we can get back to blogging about fun stuff like kittens doing cute things and videos of people tripping inside elephant's assholes. The media needs to be held accountable for honest reporting as much as our State, Local, and Federal Governments need to be held accountable for not fucking shit up.

I did find one site who has echoed some of these very sentiments (with less use of the word, "Fuck" - I just try to fuckin use that word whenever I can (fuckfuckfuck)). The Media Bloggers Association says this on their About page...

Media bloggers play a valuable role by holding media organizations accountable for their reporting, commenting on the current and future state of the media, supplementing local media coverage, and reporting on the media industry.

They go on to say that requirements for becoming a member are posting their logo and "playing well with others." Fuck yeah, man! That's like Google's motto, "Don't be evil." It's about time people start slicing through all this treacherous Blogger bullshit and start doing the right thing.

And just for fun, and to give everyone an idea of where I'm coming from, I also found (yet another) survey, but this one dealt with politics a little, so I thought it was appropriate to take it and display for you the results from my personal evaluation...

You are moderately politically focused. You are persistent and have a balanced right/left hemispheric orientation towards visual and aural perception. Your inability to recall dreams may indicate a B6 vitamin deficiency. You have a balanced left/right hemispheric orientation towards affective language analysis. You are firm in your beliefs and your belief system is not likely to change much. You might have a Vitamin D deficiency (pain when pressing your sternum). Your decision making style is more oriented towards your left prefrontal cortex. Relationships are very high on your priority list. You have a tendency to dislike authority figures. You have a stronger left hemispheric tendency for emotional processing than most people. You have a strong tendency for niche filling, or taking responsibility in your social groups. You have a higher preference for a low population density lifestyle. Your perceptual and linguistic systems are more bilaterally distributed across both hemispheres of your brain than most people. Overall, you exhibit a cognitive style more oriented towards your left hemisphere.

(I think maybe some of that means something.)

Independent Katrina Commission

2005-09-10T22:07:00.000-07:00

First, a note from MoveOn, and then my letter to the Washington Post. If it never makes it to the paper, here it is for the world.

MoveOn.Org Letter to the Editor: Independent Katrina Commission
http://political.moveon.org/lte/index.html

The federal response to Hurricane Katrina is a national scandal that requires an independent investigation like the 9/11 Commission, but Republican leaders are trying to set up an investigation they control. Make sure the media hears the public outcry for an independent investigation by writing a letter to the editor calling for a Katrina Commission modeled after the 9/11 Commission. We've set up an online tool that makes submitting a letter easy. You write your letter, choose where you want it to go, and click to send. An effective letter to the editor is short, just a couple of paragraphs. The goal is to show your local media, your neighbors, and even our elected leaders that people want an independent investigation of what happened, and apparently what continues to happen, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Please write a letter today.

My Washington Post Letter to the Editor
We need an independent commission to respond to the inadequate response to Hurricane Katrina, the prolonged negligence of the levee system and the systematic destruction of the wetlands, the latter two having exacerbated the death toll increasing the number of deaths far beyond that of the hurricane itself. Dead bodies floating down Main St, dead bodies trapped in attics, dead bodies at the Superdome and the Convention Center, dead bodies on the tarmac of the airport triage center, and dead bodies at the Astrodome need to be addressed by someone other than those who could potentially be at fault. Willful neglect, ignorance and failure to react IS fault. Failure to cut your vacation short and delay your shoe shopping IS fault. 9/11 widows banned together to force legislation to form an independent commission, and now the entire nation needs to ban together to ensure that Katrina is properly investigated. America needs to revisit the direction of the flow of accountability. America needs to insist upon an independent Katrina Commission!