Poetry In Plain Sight - Steven R. Kutcher

250 trees were bulldozed in Arcadia on January 13, 2011 in order to provide a place for dirt. That is the short version. We humans deal only in the short version of the total story.

Some folks say the state of California made the county destroy the trees. Others say it was the determined intent of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. Still others really don't care because if it is a choice between their home and a tree they vote to cut down the trees.



This poem by Stephen R. Kutcher speak for the trees that provided oxygen, shade and beauty that was deemed not important enough to preserve.

There are other voices such as the Los Angeles County Regional Settlement Management Plan.

News stories about the destruction of 250 trees in Arcadia:

Arcadia Weekly - 11 Acres of Trees Bulldozed by County

L.A. Weekly - By The Numbers

San Gabriel Valley Tribune - Video of bulldozing of the trees

Poetry isn't just about feelings. A poem can be a witness of things that should not have happened. A poem can represent a learning opportunity that should not be ignored. You can listen to this poem and then pass it along down the line so that other people will know and be ready for the next time.

We need more trees, not less. Why do human beings have such a problem understanding this one essential fact?

For the record and in the interest of full disclosure; I am a tree hugger and lover.

Read More

Meeting Karen and a Reminder About eWaste Recycling

I'm starting up on my long Saturday walks again. For me a long walk is about two hours or so, more if I can combine it with other tasks. I was walking along and I saw the truck about eWaste recycling.



This is my brief conversation with Karen who hangs out at the Pasadena Presbyterian Church. The plan is to recycle the televisions and electronics and the cash received goes to help pay for the renovation of the Young Adults room at the church. For more info you can check out their Sacred Space blog.

Now if someone would work out a traveling eWaste pick up that would work for a lot of us that don't have transportation. That may be possible, depending on where you live.

If you are in the California area you can visit the E-Waste Recycling page at the CalRecycle page of the state of California.

It might be you finally clear out the garage and make a bit of cash. All things are possible.

Read More

National HIV Testing Day or Do You Have A Spare Condom?

I need to talk to the mature women, aunties and the grammies about protecting themselves when they have sex. June 27, 2010 is or was HIV Awareness and Testing Day.

I know it was because I was walking around outside of Vroman's Bookstore. There were condoms everywhere. It was a beautiful sight. Yet something was missing. Not enough info for the Boomers. Cuz, you know we ain't gonna stop with a little snow on the rafters.

With the right amount of imagination that rocking chair can be a sensual enhancement tool.


True, peri-menopause and menopause might have you up against the ropes. It is all you can do not to kill something. I say make love, not war. The libido is not dead, just getting reconfigured. One of these days a good looking chunk of opportunity is gonna walk up and say "Hi."

It will be all you can do to say "Yes." "No." or "You are serious, right?"

A Pause for the Cause

Step 1 - Have 21st Century Condoms

If all systems are go and before you get to shucking your clothes you need to ask yourself is there is a condom in the house, car or purse. I like to reduce complexity. I have condoms. Specially after today cuz I picked up a few condoms. And some lube. Water based, of course.

There are things that do not age well. Condoms is one of them. They expire. Make sure you have current stock within reach.

Step 2 - Dude Has To Wear It

You can help him put it on, make it worth his while but that condom has to be in place before you crank up Boogie Nights. This is not negotiable. This is about your life and how long you get to live it.

Step 2a - There are Female Condoms

Really, if the guy refuses to wear a condom and he won't get tested why are you with him?

Yeah, I know. Ok. If this is just a hit it and quit and you really want to do this with this reckless inconsiderate man then you need to use a female condom.

This is a non-sexual demonstration of how to insert the female condom:



It is a one use device. No recycling here. You can use it for the front door or the back porch however you have to use a new condom for each orifice. Female condoms are much more expensive but you are so worth it if you cannot get cooperation from your stud muffin.

Step 3 - You Might Have to Lube the Groove

We change. Body chemistry is no longer in sync with immediate desire. We may need help to ease the points of entry. There are all kind of lube products. Some contain icky petroleum chemicals. Bad for condoms, worse for your body.

When possible, go natural but not Crisco. Seriously, I know it was the thing back in the day but No, leave that in the bad old days. This is future tense.

You need to read the label to make sure the lube is compatible with the condom and with your body. There is a video about Green/Organic lube at Treehugger.com. Another source is the product line of Good Clean Love.

For more info:

• Carnal Nation post on How to Put On A Condom
  
• Center for AIDS Prevention and Studies Fact Sheet for Adults Over Fifty
• Mayo Clinic on Sexual Health and Aging
• National HIV Awareness Days from U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
• Planned Parenthood information about female condoms
• Third Age Guide to middle age and senior sexuality
• Violet Blue has a Safe Sex Page with a free download of her Modern Safe Sex Guide. Violet's web site is not safe for work but there are things a person could learn from Violet.

There are not enough easy to find middle-age and senior specific sex health pages so I will keep an eye out for them and post what I find.

In the meantime, in the spirit of the boogie put a lid on it.

Read More

The Santa Ana Winds

The Santa Ana wind is kicking up something fierce. All afternoon I've heard leaves, soft whistles and metal expanding and contracting. The birds gave up and called it a day. The crickets are telling folks to lay low.

These winds are nothing new but when they blow this hard they force you to pay attention to nature, the will of the seasons and just how much you nose can twitch to keep from sneezing.

I happen to like the wind when it is warm but we had enough of that fire thing so we are experiencing cool Santa Ana winds. Unusual but, you know change is good.

So they say.

So sleep will be a challenge tonight because I'll hear everything I don't want or need to hear.

The sound of the wind, I don't mind.

Read More

Clean Coal Research Using Information Literacy Skills

One of my first memories of being in downtown Los Angeles was the sensation of feeling acid rain in my eyes. It stung. I did not know what it was or the cause but I knew that something was dreadfully wrong. That was a long time ago.  The air quality in Los Angeles has improved. It was an involuntary lesson that continues to help me to remember that environmental concerns isn't a buzz word or a hoax perpetuated on the gullible. You see, it really doesn't matter to me if you believe in global warming or not.

I say that because I know that humans and human activities have an effect on the environment. Environmental concerns matter if you breath, use water or sleep on the planet. It is a multi-level problem. It is so much more than changing the type of light bulbs in your home.

Congress will make a decision on an energy bill. There are many vested interests. I want to be a participant; but before I can put my two cents in I need to know and understand a lot of different issues. One in particular is the concept of Clean Coal. Coal is not clean. The process of extraction is certainly not clean or environmentally friendly. Remember that Coal Ash spill in Tennessee a while back?

I need to know more. This is gonna be a two-fer. I want to find accessible information about Clean Coal. I also want to share with you the consumer friendly version of quick research and information evaluation process.

What Do I Want?
I want to know what is "Clean Coal", what is the process of making coal clean and what is the environmental impact both short and long term. I would like to get the information from authoritative sources like scientists or science educators but I need the information presented in plain English. If I can't find science accessible resources than environmental reporting would be acceptable if I can identify the source and verify information.

Definition:
I need to know what the term means. Since I am not going to write a master's thesis I can go to Wikipedia for an introductory background. I will not accept anything presented as fact because there are vested interest who can, have and will manipulate information. It is a just a starting point. Another definition I found is Ask an Engineer at the MIT School of Engineering.

Cornel University Legal Information Institute does have a definition that is being used by the U.S.Government under Title 42 > Chapter 85 > Subchapter IV-A > § 7651n where you can find out that there isn’t necessarily one simple definition.

Next, I’d use a couple of search engines to find definitions but 'I’d go into the advanced function and confine the search to the .edu domain. I’m looking for unbiased academic information. That said, I do know that certain colleges and universities get funding from coal production companies to aid in supporting research, products and services. Look for disclosure statements, outside associations sources of funding or where the school is located. If it is smack dab next to a mining community there may be issues both pro or con.

For example, from the University of Kentucky there is Understanding Clean Coal Technologies with links to videos and podcasts. Digging deeper into the website they have extensive information about mining coal, gas and oil. If you look at the list of collaborators there seem to represent companies with a vested interest in mining. It doesn’t make the info good or bad, it just means you have to consider the source of the information. Compare the University of Kentucky’s site with the one at Purdue University. What do they have in common, what are the difference and what are the vested interests, both inside and outside, of the university?

Finding Resources

Certainly I would also look at science specific magazines like Popular Science, websites like How Stuff Works, blogs, non-profit organizations, television and government agencies. Remember this is still in the discovery phase. I'm just sucking it in at this point.

You can Twitter your way to being informed. You can using the basic search feature to enter the term or use hash tags to find folks that mention the term. But did you know about the advanced Twitter search? It gives you more options like finding a specific person, date ranges or if there are links in the tweet.

Do you use a URL shortner? Some of those have search features as well. Bit.ly has a search function. For those URLs that were shortened by Bit.ly I can do a search for Clean Coal. I came up with 340 links that way - everything from parody, rants, educators, manufacturers and publications. Similar sites have search features as well.

Here is one more way to find folks that are talking about this topic. Blog Pulse tracks blogs and the topics like Clean Coal that bloggers are talking about. This is everybody into the pool; you will see links to politicians, newspapers, blogs, partisan opinions and if you dig long and hard a scientist or two.

Credibility

So you spent some time getting the lingo down, understanding concepts and weeding out the pretenders and political bloviates. How do you know if you are getting the straight scoop or not?  It does come down to transparency and credibility.

• What is the background of the writer?
• Who owns the website or blog?
• How is it resource supported, by ads, what kind?
• Is there an "About Us" page that fully discloses the author and the source of information?
• Is it academic writing or is it some guy on a coach?
• Is it a public relations tool or it is an advocacy site?
• Does it give you the information in the way that you expect?
• When was it updated?

Purpose

The last thing I’d want you to think about is the purpose of the site. I’m sure that if I go to a few environmental  or green websites they are not going to be too crazy about the concept of Clean Coal. I want to know why. I’d want them to be specific and give examples. I would not expect the coal manufactures to give me a complete picture either. This however would be their opportunity to present their point of view. I would equally expect them to be specific and give examples.

This is a very important issue. I’m not going to give you answers, heck I’m still putting together my own. I do want you to have skills in finding those answers for yourself. I am not unbiased. I think the coal industry is doing the equivalent of what automakers have done, known to my ancestors as the old shuck and jive. But I might be wrong. Or not.

I need to be able to ask questions of the energy plan. I hope you will do the same.

I know I missed the one resource that folks would want others to know about. Don’t hate, participate and plunk them in the comments.

Other Links About Clean Coal

• Janice Weis, Associate Director of the Environmental Law program at Lewis and Clark Law School moderated a discussion with a representative from the Sierra Club and the American Coal Council in April 2009 at  You can listen to the podcast or view an on-line presentation.
• CE Virginia DeBolt also had questions about Clean Coal in her April 2009 post.
• At the Environmentalist Dr. James Hansen wants the President to know about the destruction of Coal River Mountain
• At This is Reality you can view the anti-clean coal commercial, obtain facts about coal and environmental effects of coal and check out the blog.

This post originally appeared on BlogHer, where I am a Contributing Editor. 

Read More