Ho hum thoughts and other musings

OK - so the hybrid car idea is on hold. At least for now. We're finding ourselves in the position to pay off a large portion of our debt, and don't want to take on another car payment. OK, so maybe "pay off" is the wrong term. We're consolidating really, and in the long run we're going to be able to pay off this loan much faster than our current debts. And with a little hard work, this will enable us to put a good spending plan in place to not run that debt back up. Of course this is all in theory, but I think at this point we're really committed to making it work.

Our electric bill went up last month - as expected, since our A/C has been on more and more since our summer is heating up so nicely. My hope is to get back to the point where we were turning it off at night and opening up the house since it was getting down into the 60's, and then closing the house up in the morning before the heat really kicked in. That seemed to keep the A/C from running constantly, and seemed to actually keep the house cooler at night. The problem really is the humidity, but we can deal with that as long as the air is moving.

On a completely alternate thought path - I woke up this morning with a very fresh feeling, and a very high determination to start minimizing the amount of stuff in our house (I know, I've said this before). We walked through a house in Wilmore this past week that we really liked, and it's really gotten me to think about how much we have, and how much we could stand to get rid of. Not too mention the hope that at some point (hopefully sooner than later) we'll be downsizing our living arrangement and will need to get rid of a lot of the clutter. Cross your fingers!

Retail Angst

So today starts the Bath and Body Works semi-annual sale - something I have grown to look forward to since my obsession with their products started in high school. The problem is - aside from the compact - what is the point of spending $5.00 (on sale) for one bottle of shower gel that will last little more than a month?? And WHY on earth am I excited about this sale?? When I can rationally say that $5 is too much to spend on a chemical laden, fake smelling product, why is it that there's this intense desire to run up at lunch and buy something?? Then, there are the other items, like wallflowers and lotions and body sprays. All at well over $5 a piece. And all not good for me, or my household.

So - my resolve is being tested today. I haven't exactly been 100% compact friendly these past couple months - between travelling for work and needing a suitcase, to preparing for vacation and realizing that I have VERY few summer clothes. But I re-resolve myself. I will not go to B&BW today. I will not buy shower gels, and wall flowers, and body sprays - OH MY! :) Instead, I will concentrate on weeding those things out of my house and replacing them with good for me, all natural, REAL smelling alternatives!

Deep (all natural) breaths - this too shall pass....

Electric Bill

I just got our electric bill from last month. And it's low! That’s right – it can be done!!! We have successfully lowered our energy usage in our home to its lowest point since 12/2005 (I can’t see back before then).

05/17/2007 - 343 KWH
04/17/2007 - 513 KWH
03/17/2007 - 556 KWH
02/17/2007 - 752 KWH
01/17/2007 - 645 KWH
12/17/2006 - 518 KWH
11/17/2006 - 558 KWH
10/17/2006 - 414 KWH
09/17/2006 - 440 KWH
08/17/2006 - 918 KWH
07/17/2006 - 686 KWH
06/17/2006 - 443 KWH
05/17/2006 - 517 KWH
04/17/2006 - 586 KWH
03/17/2006 - 565 KWH
02/17/2006 - 647 KWH
01/17/2006 - 751 KWH
12/17/2005 - 539 KWH


Now - I'm hoping this trend will continue. We've switched out 90% of our lights to CFLs. I'm line drying as much of our laundry as I can without the DH protesting, and the stuff I can't line dry I'm combining into one load, using dryer balls instead of dryer sheets, and have lowered the temp from high to medium. Suprisingly the drying time is about the same, even at a lower heat level.

Obviously we haven't switched the air on yet, and we've had the fans running at night, so next month may see a jump again- but I was super excited to see this decrease!

Hybrids

Ok - so I've been toying with the idea of trading in my relatively new Saturn Ion for a hybrid. While the Ion gets incredible gas mileage (around 32 highway from what I can tell), I’m interested in a hybrid because I spend so much time in stop and go traffic, that I’m hoping it will be better all around. **If anyone knows anything about hybrids and stop/go traffic, any input would be appreciated.**

The rub with all this is that I’m really torn between getting something like a Prius – well known for it’s mileage, etc. – and a Saturn hybrid. The indecision lies in the whole mess of not wanting our car payment to go up. If we go with a GM or Ford hybrid we’ll get some kind of discount because of where Tom works. Which is awesome – add that to the tax credit for buying a hybrid, and it sounds great. Here’s where it gets sticky – the Saturn hybrid I like is an SUV. Having a hybrid SUV seems like an oxymoron. Especially when the whole premise behind getting a hybrid is to get better mileage, but having the hybrid Vue keeps me at about the mileage we have now with the Ion.

Which brings me right back to being interested in the Prius because it has SUCH high gas mileage… oh the indecision.

I’m trying to set an appointment for Friday to talk with someone at Saturn. We’ll see how that goes.

Hmmm...

I've been on a little bit of a retail therapy bender this past week. While I'd like to attribute it to the stress of losing a friend, I'm mostly just sick of not having the ability to buy the things we've been thinking about buying for a long time and haven't. So this week I used the money my dad sent me for Christmas to buy a refurbished Dyson (refurbished is compact friendly right??) , a used Vera Bradley bag (used = compact friendly too!), a book off amazon (used) and 2 things of Bare Escentuals eye shadow/liner (new, but still compact friendly in that I'm going to be getting rid of all the PILES of make up that I never use). So it's not horrible, but it's not great.

Compact Update

Two posts in one day...hmm...

Ok - so I haven't been exactly perfect Compact wise. Here's the run down of purchases this year:

- 2 new litter boxes (chronicled before)
- 2 new cat food containers (see above)
- Refurbished Cuisinart rice cooker
- Used Braun Electric Water Kettle (which I'm in love with by the way!)
- 1 New pair Lane Bryant jeans (I went down a size!!)
- Pre-Ordered new Lindsey Davis book to be released in May 2007
- Pre-Ordered new Harry Potter book to be released this summer
- Arm band for my iPod shuffle - it was on clearance since they're not making
the style I have anymore
- New Maxtor 160gb external hard drive to back up our computer (We've
been considering this purchase for a long time)

So all in all - I think we're doing ok....not great....but ok. I am more committed to buckling down and not buying anything else, especially seeing as it's almost March and I'm proving more and more to myself that there are very few things I need. Now if we can only stop eating out so much!!!

More on the bag front

First I'd just like to say GO IKEA!!! Starting March 15th, Ikea stores will begin charging a five cent fee to customers for disposable plastic bags. Additionally, they're dropping the cost of their reusable bags from 99 cents to 59 cents. They're also donating the 5 cents they collect from each bag sale to American Forests - a conservation group.

I'm not sure how long this link will work, but here's the link to the article:

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN2131088920070221?src=022107_1433_ARTICLE_PROMO_also_on_reuters

Additionally - I just read that Ireland is increasing it's tax on plastic bags from 15 euro cents to 22 euro cents. The tax is being raised in an effort to stem the rising apathy and continue it's success as a litter deterrent. The article is here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL2122163820070221

Now - if only the mass American population would grab on to these ideas and run with them!!!

Disposable Clothes

Here is a link to an interesting article regarding clothing and how quickly styles change:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/24/business/clothing.php

It's unfortunate that our culture has gotten to the point where dispensable clothing is something that we are proud of, excited about, and willing to buy into. Personally, I know for a fact that I have clothes that are as old as or older than my little sister (she's 14). I'm not particularly rough on clothing (minus my never ending battle to get food into my mouth and not on my shirt), but I would like to think that purchases I make are going to be sound decisions, eco-friendly, and long lasting. That is, when/if I start purchasing new again....

Oh yea - Compact update - still haven't bought anything. But going to the grocery store has turned into quite the exciting event!

Letter to my Representatives

I sent the following letter this morning via e-mail to my State Representatives. I would encourage you to read up on this issue and approach your State and Federal Legislature if you feel called to do so.

Each year the world consumes approximately 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags, over 380 billion of which are consumed annually here in the US (http://www.reusuablebags.com/facts.php ). While the convenience level is high, the detrimental rate at which these bags are consumed poses a big problem environmentally.

California state assemblyman Lloyd Levine has recently introduced a bill that was signed in to law requiring supermarkets and large stores to implement not only a recycling/take-back program, but to launch an educational campaign about the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling. Additionally, stores are to offer sturdy reusable bags (for sale) to help curb this ever growing trend. The text of the bill can be found at: http://www.legislature.ca.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate?WAISdocID=70127420860+1+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve.

In light of the new political atmosphere that has enveloped Ohio, I wanted to encourage you, my representatives, to research this law that has been passed in California. Please look at the problematic usage of plastic bags, the over abundance of garbage streaming into our already over-taxed landfills, and the severe lack of community recycling programs in Ohio. Curbside recycling programs are one of the most effective tools to help consumers curb the amount of waste their families are producing.

Additionally - another sensible approach to this problem is to model a tax (I know, a dirty word), after Ireland's extremely successful PlasTax. In cooperation with retailers, the Irish government introduced PlasTax last year that has slashed consumption over 90% and raised $9.6 million for environmental and waste management projects. Another benefit is that stores save money on bag purchases and improve their public image. For example, Superquinn, one of the largest Irish grocery chains, says the number of bags it distributes for free has dropped by 97.5%

Thank you for your time and your consideration of this issue. I realize it may seem trivial in the grand scheme of Government today, but if we have no planet to live on, there's nothing to govern.

Ecological Footprint

I went to http://myfootprint.org/ today. We scored 24 acres - which is pretty much on par with the rest of America. We would need 5.4 planets the size of Earth for everyone to live in the lifestyle that we're living in. The biggest things we can do to minimize our impact have to do with our Shelter and our Goods/Services.

There's not much I can do about our house right now - other than continue to make energy efficient changes. BTW - if every household replaced one regular light bulb with a CFL bulb, it would eliminate 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, the same as taking 7.5 million cars off the road! (Information from- http://simplereduce.blogspot.com/2007/01/light-bulbs-and-more.html) So I'm going to take steps to replace our regular bulbs with CFL bulbs, and am considering adding insulation to our attic.

We can, however, do a lot about the Goods/Services, and particularly food. I want to try and reduce the amount of meat we eat to one meal a week, and limit the amount of eggs/dairy we consume as well. I never realized how much energy, etc. go in to raising animals in a commercial manner. I'm sure the reading I've done is just the tip of the ice berg as far as this is concerned, but it's enough to make me want to make some changes in our food choices. I also want to pay closer attention to how much we're paying for produce - how much can a farmer really be making off those oranges that are 8 for $1.00?? Especially considering they've been trucked in from Florida - or worse - California! But that's more research for another day.

**Compact update - I passed up purchasing a pair of my favorite jeans that were on sale for cheaper than I can get them on my discount from my part-time job. You know I'm serious about something when I can pass up that kind of bargain! On a spending note - I did purchase 2 containers for our cats food, and 2 new litter boxes. The old ones will be cleaned and either recycled, or donated to a shelter.

Rules of Engagement

Ok - I'm borrowing from my friends post about her Compact. We're hoping to support each other, so I'm going to use her format to help me outline my rules.

My goals in doing my Compact will be to:

• Eliminate unnecessary purchases with the goals of saving money, reducing clutter, and being satisfied with what I already have. (Thanks RW for the perfect wording)
• Reduce (or eliminate) the amount of new goods I consume, thus reducing the amount of negative impact on the world in terms of the environment as well as not contributing to companies that use sweatshop labor to make millions (or billions). (Thanks again RW!)
• Learn patience by waiting to see if I truly need an item by taking the time to look for a used item first.
• To enrich my life with something other than buying things. I tend to shop out of emotional strife, boredom or frustration, so I hope to learn to deal with these things in a healthier fashion.
• Begin to utilize "homemade" cleaning products, and substitute all cleaning/household products with earth-friendly products.

My guidelines for my Compact will be:

• Don't buy stuff - Borrow, barter, trade, beg, etc. for things :o)
• If there is something that needs to be purchased, I will first buy a used, local, sustainable, "green," or fair-trade item.
• Eating out will be limited, and not a regular occurrence (which ought to help with the weight loss goals too!).

Exceptions:

• Food and health-related items.
• Books and other necessary items for the DH's school
• Items for a friends wedding that I'm going to be in (will minimize the damage as much as possible!)
• Pictures - I'm going to *finally* put together our wedding album, and our Tahoe scrapbook and will need to order prints for those.
• Items that are necessary for the house. **Now, I realize that this could be a VERY slippery slope to be on, but the point of this exception is that in the midst of this Compact we may find ourselves in a position to try and sell our house (again), which means repairs, etc. will need to be made. I will attempt to do this within the "confines" of the Compact, but there will most likely be purchases that need to be made. Additionally, organization, etc. has been a great point of stress for myself and my DH, so if something needs to be purchased to allow us to get more organized, the guidelines above will be followed, but if something has to be purchased it will be.

The guidelines and goals section of this are flexible - if there are more constraints or more reasons to do this, I will add them as appropriate. I do not want to add to any of the exceptions though. There is not a thing in this world that I am truly in want or in need of, and there is no reason to keep spending, spending, spending just for the fun of it.

I have been contemplating this for quite some time and feel fully capable of doing this. My every hope is that within this year, I will learn more about myself, more about this world, and more about the impact I have on it. I truly want to do this, not as a statement, but as a study. I want to use the "extra time" to do the things I've been saying I'm going to do and don't, to be with the people I need to spend time with, and to alter my ecological foot print.

I'm 6 days in, and so far so good.

The Compact

I'll be posting more about my Compact "rules" later - but this was on yahoo today!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070103/ap_on_re_us/shopping_sabbatical

January 2nd

Well it's January 2nd. And while my goal had been to get my "resolutions" in writing this weekend, trying to fix my parents computer got in the way. So the 2nd of January will have to do. Of course the generic ideals of my resolutions have been in place for a while. Things like loose weight, save money, etc. etc. But I want to put the nitty gritty down so I can involve myself in them more fully.

1 - Eat More Vegetables - This is more than just the commitment to eating my 5-9 recommended servings a day. This is about substituting vegetables for meat in my meals. I'm not going to commit to becoming a vegetarian. I am, however, going to modify my eating and cooking habits to allow for a greater variety of vegetation in our diets, and to (hopefully) limit the amount of meats we eat to 1-2 meals per week. Along with this goes my intense passion for purchasing organic, locally grown, in season produce, and watching (carefully) all other products we purchse.

2 - Compact- I've been thinking about it and talking about it, and I'm going to have a stab at it. I am committing to not purchasing anything new, within reason, for a year. Things like socks and underwear don't count - but the binge bra-buying sprees are over! :o) I am going to do everything within my power to borrow, barter or buy used whenever we need something. So those of you who are close enough to me to get birthday presents, etc. – get ready for gift cards, or homemade things! There truly is not one single thing I can think of that I need. So for a year, I’m going to live with what I have, be thankful for it’s abundance, oh, and get rid of everything that is just laying around collecting dust!

3 – Loose Weight (finally!) - The plan is in place, the motivation is lined up, and now all that’s left to do is apply all the things that I’ve known for so long and actually get this body in shape! I realized the other day that I’m past the weight I swore I’d never get to, a good friend is getting married in Oct. and wants us to wear strapless dresses (maybe), and I want to have a healthy and happy pregnancy some day - all of these motivators are the driving force. Drinking more water, exercising and eating appropriately are wrapped up in this one. So long apathy!

4 – Off With Debts Head - We have one credit card left right now with a balance. I commit to having that card paid off by July of this year. It’s going to be a stretch to get that done, and it’s a lot of money a month to do it, but between not eating out as much and not buying anything unnecessary (see #2), it should be doable. Or at least we’ll be able to get very close to paying it off. The next step will be doubling up payments for one of the cars and starting to pay back the DH’s parents.

5 - 26 out of 24 hours – I have stepped down the amount of time that I’m going to be working my part time job. With my “extra” time – I want to reconnect with my DH, work on reading my Bible daily (as well as reading the whole thing this year), finish reading the Lindsey Davis Falco series (I’ve only been working on this since high school), and clean something in our house daily (a room, a load of laundry, you get the idea…).

Ok – so this isn’t quite as in depth as I’d hoped, but it’s the best I can do on my lunch hour at work! :o)

On Canvas Bags, Reusable Mugs, and The Compact

I had my first victory this past weekend with remembering to take my canvas bag to the grocery store! Granted, I was just running in for a few baking items to go to Cincinnati to bake with a friend, but I remembered to grab the bag on the way out the door, and wasn't ashamed one bit to put my few purchases in it at the self-check out. Of course, it probably would've taken more nerve to actually go through a line and have someone else ring up my purchase, but I was in a hurry, and the line was short. My DH is going shopping today, though, so I'm sure there will be more plastic bags in the house. We will still have to get some every now and then though, because I use them when I clean out the cat litter boxes.

I've also started carrying a stainless steel mug for tea with me. It's one that the DHs job gave him. I had to go through our cabinet carefully to find one that wasn't lined with plastic. The lid on this one is plastic, but the entire interior is stainless steel. So far I've done pretty good with taking it with me from home and using it at work. I've even started using a real spoon at work instead of the plastic-ware that our office supplies. It's all about small steps.

Speaking of small steps - I'm thinking of taking a great big one. My baking buddy mentioned that she and her husband were thinking of starting The Compact on Jan. 1st. I'm thinking I might just join her. I'm going to spend some time next week (when I'm off from work) evaluating my options, and looking at what we need to lay as ground work and rules for this adventure. The DH is skeptical, but I'm on board. We'll see if I can convince him or not.

Deep Breaths - it's not too late....

OK - I've started finding myself in the panic over what I'm going to get for everyone for Christmas. Even though I've already managed to get gifts for most everyone on my list. It's really a bizarre feeling - like what I've got planned isn't going to be enough, so I need to buy more, more, more... I definitely do not like this feeling.

I feel like my hope of "making a statement" with my Christmas gifts is slowly fading in the bright and shiny light of consumerism run amok. My plans of making everyone a soy candle have now blossomed into a soy candle paired with this, or that, or that other thing. Most of what I'm thinking of pairing the soy candle with is pretty cool - OK even better - it's really neat. I got coffee from Grounds for Change and some of their canvas bags, so a couple people will be getting some GREAT coffee with their candle, packaged in a reusable bag. Now if I can only get them to actually use the bag... And as for the rest of them, they'll be getting their gifts wrapped in Wrap Sacks. But somehow, I'm feeling a little guilty for buying all of this - even in it's reusable, good for the earth, sustainable shininess.

Hmm.... This is definitely a dilemma to ponder.

Recycled Clothing Triumph

I did it! I successfully managed to find a Christmas party outfit that is 100% pre-worn. The cute pinkish colored sweater set is awesome, and has a few sequins to make it a little more dressy. I'm still waiting on the velvet skirt, but that should be here shortly. And I already have black dress shoes.

Not only that, I found an almost new Wool pea coat on ebay that fits perfectly, is absolutely adorable on, and is "used." I spent a little more for this than I originally wanted to, but it's worth it. I haven't had a "new" winter coat in years, and the one I've been wearing for the past few years is huge on me. So this is quite the happy thing.

Now - onto coming up with appropriate and useful Christmas gifts... Not exactly sure I'll manage to get everyone something that isn't "new", but I'm going to try. I've bought a soy candle making kit, and am going to use containers from the thrift store to make them in. Hopefully people will like them.

The Compact, consumerism, and curbing my buying desires...

I've been reading a couple different blogs recently - which isn't a new development in and of itself. The interesting component is that a group of them have recently centered around The Compact. I'm still researching and reading just about anything I can find about it. But from what I've read, it sounds like an admirable project that can range anywhere from the strictest rules against purchasing anything, to a slightly looser version that encourages you to moderate your purchases.

I get this kind of rush when I think about downsizing our current living situation. And the more I dwell on it, the more I feel downright disgusted with the fact that there are only two of us living in a four bedroom house (which still hasn't sold), and that we've managed in our almost 5 years of marriage to completely fill EVERY room in that house (and the basement) with stuff! Some of it most definitely has sentimental value, and would most likely be kept in the event that we downsize. Most of it, however, is the kind of crap that accumulates due to the fact that I'm a pack-rat, that I can't convince myself to pass up a "good deal," and are items that have stuck around long past their "expiration" date. Can someone please tell me why I'm still holding on to 2 corsages from high school prom?!??

My hope is to come up with some sort of moderated "rules" from The Compact to begin a cleansing of sorts. Obviously my first goal in this will be to not add stress to our already insane lives - which means that any implementation will have to wait until after Nov. 1, and can not be disruptive to Tom and his school schedule/needs. Stay tuned for more as I contemplate this lifestyle alteration.

Turn the Light On!

A friend of mine sent me the following e-mail as a sort of grassroots effort to motivate people to purchase Compact Flourescent bulbs for their homes, etc. **Disclaimer - I did not verify his numbers, facts, etc., however I have heard this sort of information from multiple sources and do believe in the abilities of CF bulbs to lessen our use of electricity.

How Many Light Bulbs Does it Take To Change The World? ONE.

For years, compact fluorescent bulbs have promised dramatic energysavings - yet they remain a mere curiosity. Compact fluorescents emit the same light as classic incandescents but use 75% or 80% less electricity. What that means is that if every one of 110 million American households bought just one ice-cream-cone bulb, took it home, and screwed it in the place of an ordinary 60-watt bulb, the energy saved would be enough to power a city of 1.5 million people or is equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars of the roads. That's the law of large numbers - a small action multiplied by 110 million.

The single greatest source of greenhouse gases in the United States is power plants. One bulb swapped out: enough electricity saved to turn off two entire power plants - or skip building the next two. The typical U.S. house has between 50 and 100 sockets. Last year, U.S. consumers spent about $1 billion to buy 2 billion light bulbs - 5.5 million every day. Just 5%, 100 million, were compact fluorescents. The compact fluorescents that GE, Philips, and Sylvania are putting on shelves are rated for 8,000, 10,000 or 12,000 hours. Every CFL has the life span of 6, or 8, or 10 equivalent incandescent bulbs. If 100 million CFL light bulbs are sold next year, it does away with the need for 100 million old-fashioned bulbs to be manufactured, packaged, shipped, bought and discarded next year - and every year until 2012 or beyond. It also promises that a 60-watt CFL saves $38.00 in energy. Spend $2.60 (or less), earn $38.00. These days, that's a great return.

To read more, this article can be found in Fast Company, September 2006.

Additionally, Grist published readers questions about CFL lights at: http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2003/01/16/umbra-mercury/index.html and http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2006/06/21/replacing/index.html

Oil

Ok - Rachel was encouraging me to write something impassioned – and here it is.

http://www.zki.dlr.de/applications/2006/lebanon/lebanon_2006_en.html

The first map (with the yellow colors) shows the extent of the oil spill off Lebanon’s coast. And, yes, I agree that the main concern right now should be a lasting cease fire to stop the loss of life. However, the fact that this spill has gained little to no American media attention is VERY disturbing. And what little attention it has gained is dismissive, at best.

For a country that is so entrenched in our oil-guzzling ways, I would think that a spill of this magnitude (30,000 TONS of heavy fuel oil) would spark some kind of response – if nothing more than to say “hey – that’s oil we could’ve used!” It seems, however, that the greater disaster of essentially poisoning that portion of the Mediterranean Sea, the destruction of a fragile ecosystem and the largely dismissed “where to place blame” game, has failed to capture most of the American populations attention.

Greenpeace has posted on their website the following:

(http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/we-have-a-message-for-peace/oil-slick)

Oil slick and environmental consequences of conflict in the Middle East

While our immediate concern and sympathy lies with the injured, the displaced and the families of the victims of this conflict, long term environmental damage is an inevitable consequence of war.Greenpeace is calling for an immediate cease fire and an end to the violence and environmental destruction.

We also call for efforts to establish long lasting regional stability and peace. This would also allow urgent and needed humanitarian aid to reach all parts of Lebanon, and for the UN Environment Programme, the World Health Organization and others to begin assessing the environmental damage caused by the bombing.

In the case of the heavy oil flowing into the sea from the bombed storage tanks at the Jiyyeh power station, 30 km south of Beirut, the most important priority is to prevent any further leakage and destruction and which could potentially spread to the entire east Mediterranean coastline.View maps of the current oil pollution.

In the short term the Lebanese authorities are in urgent need of assistance to stem and control the flow of the oil onto its beaches and into its fishing grounds. In the longer term it could take between 6 and 12 months to clean up the oil from some 100 km of Lebanon's coastline. The spill is especially threatening since fish spawn and sea turtles nest on Lebanon's coast, including the green turtle which is endangered in the Mediterranean.

Greenpeace urges the international community to work to bring an immediate end to the human suffering and the environmental destruction.

I whole-heartedly agree that the International Community should work to help Lebanon in this time of crisis. I realize that our allegiances (as America) fall with Israel – but pollution is not a nation by nation issue. This is a global environmental crisis that needs to be handled as such. 30,000 TONS of oil into a body of water should not qualify as an after thought. The shooting has stopped. The attacks between Lebanon and Israel have stopped (hopefully for good) – now it’s time to get someone in there to stop the attack on the environment!

ho-hum

There have been quite a few things recently that I've thought I should write about...but that's not seemed to have happened. There are so many things that I've found myself passionately enraged over, but none of have managed to formulate themselves into coherent thought. I'm still not sure how coherent this will be. I really need to just get in the habit of writing it all out when it occurs to me - because for the life of me I can't remember what on earth I was wanting to write about!