Commentary

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Are you one of George W. Bush’s Canaries in the Coal Mine?

I felt the hair go up on the back of my neck reading one of my earlier April posts called Sparks Fly Between White House and EPA Over Recent Smog Standard Reduction.
The gist of the article is that, instead of reducing the EPA mandated acceptable smog levels from the what was then 80 ppm to […]

Popularity: 7% [?]

2Jul2008 | Lisa | 0 comments | Continued
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Global Warming: Fact or Fiction = Democrat or Republican

Forget that scientific research totally supports it, and the rest of the world is trying to find ways to combat it: In the United States, global warming is debatable.
We’ve thrown science out the window, and especially at government levels, it’s become purely a political issue. The “fact” vote is avidly democrat supported, while […]

Popularity: 45% [?]

27Jun2008 | Lisa | 17 comments | Continued
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Happy Hour

 
I love late Friday afternoons. It’s Weekendus Maximus Time. Raspberry Vodka Gimlet in hand, I contemplate the week.
Here’s a few short news bites on - what else? - gasoline prices and inflation, that caught my eye this week.
 
 
 
World
The US recently told China they have to start selling […]

Popularity: 57% [?]

21Jun2008 | Lisa | 0 comments | Continued
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NASA Meets Trash, and a Poetic Moment on Trash With Shel Silverstein

News Flash

In an attempt to solve the world waste problem, U.S. Congress, in a bipartisan moment, has voted to commission the U.S. Space Program to develop a method for shooting our garbage completely off the planet.
Where it goes once it’s off the planet, well, no one really cares.
 

OK, I’m joshing ya. But I wonder […]

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18Jun2008 | Lisa | 1 comment | Continued
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New Website Outs Companies With Poor Corporate Responsibility Records

I like buying from companies that stick to socially and environmentally responsible business practices.
The new catch phrase is called “greening my life.”
Whatever.
I just want big business to care. And sometimes they need a little nudging to do that.
Otherwise, I can drive my Prius until the cows come home, and I’ll still never make up […]

Popularity: 49% [?]

13Jun2008 | Lisa | 4 comments | Continued
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Tyson Chicken Caught Making False Antibiotic-Free Claims

Still another blatant example of marketing deliberately meant to mislead and take advantage of consumers.

After being brought to court by competing companies, and losing their subsequent appeal, Tyson has agreed to voluntarily stop labeling their chicken products as” free of antibiotics.”
Competitors claim the Tyson ads untrue because:

Tyson injects it eggs with antibiotics, and
uses antibiotic […]

Popularity: 57% [?]

3Jun2008 | Lisa | 2 comments | Continued
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The Public Responds

Greener Chemistry In the News
“New explosives being developed would be more environmentally friendly,” reports MSNBC
The public responds:
“Well that solves all the issues I have with warfare.” Anna Hartsell, Custodian.
That’s smart. Peace talks spawn such a huge waste of paper.” Logan Richardson, Wedding Planner.
Well, if it’s anything like the ‘green’ dishwashing liquid […]

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3Jun2008 | Lisa | 2 comments | Continued
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Does Your Lawn Really Need to Look Like Astroturf?

 
 
My grandfather was named the neighborhood “lawn manicurist.” I don’t think he particularly enjoyed the title. It was a little,um, feminine, for him.
 
 
 
And I don’t think the neighbors particularly enjoyed his lawn. It wasn’t the lawn itself - even though it rivaled Fenway Park’s turf - if […]

Popularity: 57% [?]

23May2008 | Lisa | 5 comments | Continued
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Foreclosure Frenzy

The enormity of the subprime debacle continues to unfold.
RealtyTrac - the pulse of foreclosure info - reports that in April, 243,000, or 1 of every 519 households across the country, were sent foreclosure notices. That’s 67% higher than April 2007, and a 4% increase over last month.
“It’s the highest monthly total we’ve seen since we […]

Popularity: 45% [?]

22May2008 | Lisa | 7 comments | Continued
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How Politics Can Mess Up a Perfectly Good Environment

Here’s just one example. If you breath air, you might want to take a look.
The Bush administration and EPA have developed a reputation for interfering with resultant policy based on scientific research.
The latest-
March 11th, 2008 - The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proudly announces that it has reduced ground level ozone ( smog […]

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17May2008 | Lisa | 5 comments | Continued
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Support the United States Post Office With Your Own Junk Mail

A Tip From Uncle Mike:
I am sure that you are inundated with continual mail for you to switch credit cards. This and others. Here is what you do.

And, as you know, I always want more than one advantage from what I do.

a. When you receive a junk mail solicitation do […]

Popularity: 59% [?]

13May2008 | Lisa | 2 comments | Continued
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Gas Tank Envy: The Death of the Chevy Suburban

Hot off the CNN press: “The $100 dollar fill-up has arrived.” If your vehicle has a 25 gallon plus gas tank, and you live in San Francisco, you just broke the gas ceiling. And don’t stop short, the rest of the country is right behind you.
Driving a larger SUV, Pick-up, or of course, […]

Popularity: 49% [?]

24Apr2008 | Lisa | 1 comment | Continued
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Shall I Take the Hummer or the Bicycle?

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (AS) directly challenged Rajendra K. Pachauri, the head of the Nobel prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC), and it wasn’t pretty.
“Going Green Can be Fun” said the governor, at a recently held climate change conference at Yale University. Stating that he “isn’t about to give up his jacuzzi, […]

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21Apr2008 | Lisa | 1 comment | Continued
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When People Go Bad: A History of the Subprime Mess

I’ll sum it all up in four words - deregulation, unscrupulous, predatory, greed.
There you have it. And now, here we are, in up to our necks, even atheists helplessly praying, watching as our 401ks shrink from ripe plump grapes into shriveling raisins, hoping we still have our homes and some retirement money left when the […]

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14Apr2008 | Lisa | 12 comments | Continued
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Sparks Fly Between White House and EPA Over Recent Smog Standard Reduction

I hate to wish the summer away, but the November presidential elections can’t come fast enough for me.
The recent lowering of the smog standard sounded good initially (see my recent article.) The EPA lowered ground level ozone (smog) standards from 80 ppb to 75 ppb. 4000 lives per year would be saved, […]

Popularity: 55% [?]

11Apr2008 | Lisa | 4 comments | Continued
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