Sunday, March 08, 2009
Hello! I hope this entry finds you happy and healthy this weekend, and that you are taking good care of yourself. Here's what been on my mind these last couple weeks!
Sometimes we do patently foolish things even though we know they are patently foolish. Case in point: I threw away the combination to my new lock thinking I had it memorized. After not using it for two weeks, it turns out I don't. Doh!
We had pizza in the office a few days back, and there was an advertisement for this product called the Ab Rocket printed on the top and sides of the pizza box. I can see what they're trying to do: reach people who feel guilty about eating pizza and get them to buy something that will help them lose the gut they may be getting from eating that pizza. I'm not sure it's a great approach.
I really enjoy NPR podcasts. At 20-30 minutes each, they are perfect for listening to at work and provide me with continuous updates on what's going on in areas I'm interested in such as the environment, economy and music. The All Songs Considered podcast introduces artists you've likely never heard of. Some of them I fast forward through; several others I listen to with a neutral ear; and a handful I really enjoy. Check out www.jbm-music.com to hear one artist I particularly liked, and visit www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php to see if there are any NPR podcasts that you might like!
There was an article in the Times recently about an expected falloff in funding/enrolling in humanities programs in colleges as a result of our economy's difficulties. I think that's pretty sad, because it's the humanities people who remind us that we're all in this together somehow and perpetuate the moral and ethical fibers that hold society together.
Apparently a few buildings in NYC have been equipped with these cogenerators that produce electricity and reuse the steam that gets created in the process to heat the building. Why aren't all medium- to large-buildings being equipped with this? And there's also an electric truck at the port of Los Angeles that can handle several tons... meaning every 'This vehicle makes frequent stops' kind of vehicle (i.e. garbage trucks, school buses) should be electric a.s.a.p. These are great opportunities to improve.
I did some reading about how President Obama is trying to establish a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions by corporations. It got me thinking about how long people go along with harmful behaviors simply because they don't feel the harm until it has accumulated over time and everything derails. We even do it as individuals with diet and lifestyle choices. Anyhow, the power companies will complain that reducing their pollution levels or paying for carbon emissions credits will drive up the price of energy for consumers.... but that's kind of the point of the free-market. This is way overdue. What happened when gas was $4 a gallon? Everyone was talking about hybrid and electric vehicles and eliminating our dependence on gasoline. If home and office energy costs increase as a result of companies finally having to clean up after themselves, it will spur innovation toward a better type of energy. People will also finally start making a better effort to turn off the lights.
I'm glad to see that Tiger Woods made his return to professional golf. However, I was annoyed by all of the hype surrounding it.... people were calling it the 'most anticipated return in the history of the PGA Tour.' Tiger got a surgery on his knee and worked very hard to build his strength back up.... but that's cake compared to being in a head-on collision with a Greyhound bus on a foggy highway, resulting in a double-fracture of the pelvis, a fractured collar bone, a left ankle fracture, a chipped rib and near-fatal blood clots; receiving a prognosis that you might never walk again; and coming back to win the U.S. Open when it had a 36-hole Sunday. You want an amazing comeback? Learn about Ben Hogan.
I was lucky enough to be invited to a course on integrative nutrition by my friend Sandra. I learned about an eastern practice called ayurveda, a.k.a. the science of life. The speaker talked about how the earth starts fresh with each spring and how we can use the foods that grow in the various seasons to start fresh ourselves. It's all about using diet in the spring to promote the processing of fat cells that contain harmful toxins and improve the health of the lymphatic system (i.e. immunity). I think I'm going to give it a try - beginning with a 4-day detox diet and following up by trying to shop seasonally. It's interesting stuff, and you can learn more at lifespa.com.
Until next time... be well!
6 comments:
Hello from a voice from the past. I cannot figure out what is more disappointing: the fact that Brodie's Facebook lists "an occasional round of golf" as an interest or the fact that Bill's Facebook would be lying if it listed golf as an interest during the ridiculously expensive winter and spring seasons in Phoenix.
Oh yeah, and about the blog...aren't you way too intelligent to be a blogger? That was coherent, well written...usually people that can write that well get paid to do it. Best wishes.
The latest figures on Obama's cap and trade idea are that it will increase the average homeowners utility bill by about $3000 a year. How are we going to afford it after the tax hikes?
First, I'd love more information on the source of the figures you are referring to. Which study was that from?
$3000 a year means an average of $250 a month - a scary number for the average American (and their representatives in government who want to keep their jobs.) However, I'd wager that the range of the increases per household is pretty wide, and that McMansions likely account for a disproportionate share of those homeowner spikes. I'd like to see an average for only small- or medium-sized homes. (I rent an apartment and pay $35-$70 a month depending on the time of the year.)
There are going to be estimates all over the place about cap-and-trade's impact on energy costs, and they are all going to agree on one thing - an expected increase.
However, even just that term ("increase") is incredibly complex.
The idea is that cap-and-trade gives companies who have the ability to update their facilities more cheaply an incentive to do, while companies who cannot do so easily can purchase more of the credits to pollute. This means that there's the potential for the increases to disproportionately impact the dirtiest plants who need the credits most, such as coal-fired power plants. That means Americans can expect to see a debate in Congress between the coastal states and the mid-western states before anything is anywhere near put into law.
Secondly, I believe that regardless of what cap-and-trade costs energy companies face, consumers always have a hand in their own energy costs. Reduce consumption and reduce the energy bill at the end of the month. So individuals will be more accountable for their behaviors: Whether that means re-insulating, replacing old or inefficient appliances or just turning off the lights when leaving a room.
And lastly (and naively idealistic), the ultimate idea is that after a short-term increase in prices, the market will demand new, cheaper forms of electricity that ultimately make coal-fired power plants and cap-and-trade systems a thing of the past.
Is there any part of the economy that would not see an increase in cost to the consumer if the "cap and trade" tax would be inforced. I think not. So I don't think that an estimate of $3000 a year per family is out or reason. What part of your life would not be affected by this tax? Can you thunk of one, because I can't.
It is true that any home or business that requires the use of electricity has the potential to be impacted by a cap-and-trade. As it stands, those who rely most on the dirtiest types of energy (business and homes that rely on coal- or gas-powered plants) stand to be impacted the most. I certainly hope that legislators in Congress work to ensure that if there is any system signed into law, there are safeguards that will balance the long-term promotion of green energies with short-term protection for the consumer. This can include starting with a very high number of pollution credits that gradually shrinks with time. With spending already as low as every, I highly doubt that anything without safeguards for consumers could make it through Congress. Remember: No matter how badly a US President wants something, our government is designed for a balance of power.
If the study you referred to (and I would still like to see a reference so that I can check it out myself) highlighted, "an average of an extra $3000 between home utility bills AND increasing prices for household goods and groceries," that could conceivably make sense. However, from what you've said the study isn't pinning $3000 to all parts of the economy. It's pinning an extra $3000 ONLY on homeowners' utility bills. In my opinion, that number is likely being skewed by including disproportionately high energy-consuming homes side by side with small and medium sized ones.
Post a Comment