Earth To John McCain: "What Have You Done For Me Lately?"

Senator John McCain been hailed as a "green" Republican, based largely on his sponsorhsip of the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act in 2003. Had this groundbreaking legislation passed and withstood a George Bush veto, it would have been the first federal law to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

But what environmental initiatives could we expect from a President McCain? Given the stiff opposition to climate change legislation within his own party, it's only fair to ask: How strong is McCain's commitment to fighting global warming, really?

Since 2003 climate scientists have spoken out with increasing alarm, but McCain has not signed on to stronger bills which would raise fuel economy standards, bolster carbon capping for industry, and auction pollution permits—all of which are supported by leading Democrats. And while McCain doesn't oppose funding for solar and wind programs, he hasn't done anything to promote alternative energy, either.

In 2007 McCain got a score of zero from the League of Conservation Voters for his voting record on environmental issues in Congress, not because he voted against environmental protections, but because he simply didn't show up to vote. McCain missed all 15 of the Senate votes that LCV counted in compiling its annual congressional scorecard, the only member of Congress with such a dismal attendance record. In fact, McCain earned an even lower score than some members of Congress who had terminal illnesses or died during the session.

As environmental commentator Dave Roberts puts it, "It's time to stop grading McCain on a curve."

SOURCE: Grist Environmental Magazine, www.grist.org, 2/22/2008, 2/15/2008.

	While Prius owners congratulate themselves for saving a few miles per gallon, real alternatives continue to be ignored and Earth just grows hotter. Now, imagine never having to visit a gas station again! This solar-electric neighborhood vehicle gets up to 20 miles per day on free sunshine, can also be recharged in home outlets for about a penny a mile, and would cost only about $12,000 in mass production. If you drive less than 20 miles a day you can even power your house with the leftover energy! But you can't buy this car because auto makers think that the public isn't ready. What's missing here? More trunk space? Quad speakers? Chrome bumpers? Email your comments to openexchange@earthlink.net.

Corporate Climate Change?

Unlike most Republicans, mainstream Democrats recognize the problem of global warming. However, their corporate sponsored "solutions" don't necessarily solve the problem.

Case in point: Barack Obama's home state of Illinois lobbied hard for a $1.8 billion "clean coal" demonstration project from the U.S. Department of Energy. The FutureGen project, which also aims to eventually produce hydrogen from coal, is generally regarded by enviros as an expensive dead-end, a diversion from truly innovative solar, wind, and conservation efforts.

Meanwhile, the U.S. mining industry continues to lobby hard to maintain the status-quo. Utah State Senator Mike Dmitrich, the Senate's leading Democrat, proclaims, "Oil and gas and mining resources are the roots of our economy in Utah. We cannot afford to let environmental elitists and New York politicians lock away these public lands." Adds Greg Schnacke, President and CEO of Americans for American Energy, "Democrats and Republicans are linking arms to push back against those extremists who want to shut down American energy production and force us into an even greater addiction to foreign energy." Translation: "More oil, and hurry!"

That leaves "elitist extremists" like Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich, a progressive Democrat, to push for greater emphasis on sustainable energy such as solar and wind.

SOURCES:
Americans For American Energy, News Release, 3/29/2008
Grist Environmental Magazine, www.grist.org, 2/ 18/2008.

High Noon For Solar Energy

Ever notice, people who promote Big Oil and nuclear power always proclaim that alternative energy is at least "ten years away," or "insignificant," or just plain "impractical"? Looks like they're going to need a new excuse. It's high noon for solar, and several pilot projects have already demonstrated solar's ability to provide year-round power to homes and industry.

The January 2008 Scientific American features "A Solar Grand Plan," an ambitious scheme to end U.S. dependence on foreign oil and slash greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

According to the authors, a massive switch from coal, oil, and nuclear power plants to solar power could supply 69 percent of the U.S.'s electricity and 35 percent of its total energy by 2050.

The plan calls for erecting a vast area of photovoltaic cells in the Southwest. Solar "farms" would cover over 30,000 square miles of otherwise barren land. The direct current from each array of cells would flow to a transformer that sends it along high voltage lines to the power grid, and from there across the country.

In vehicles and small appliances solar power is stored in chemical batteries, but this would not be cost-effective for a massive electrical grid which powers urban centers 24/7. The authors' ingenious solution includes storing excess daytime energy as compressed air in underground caverns. Turbines would then be driven by compressed air, powering the grid overnight and on cloudy days.

A new solar infrastructure would displace 300 large coal-fired power plants and 300 more large natural gas plants and all the fuels they consume. This could effectively eliminate the need for imported oil and slash trade deficits. The federal government would have to invest over $400 billion over the next 40 years, but the ultimate payoff would be substantial. Solar plants consume little or no fuel, saving billions of dollars year after year.

The way we see it, this solar plan, combined with conservation and a similar commitment to other renewables such as wind and geothermal, puts us within reach of the eighty percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions needed to avert global warming disaster, according to the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Wind power alone could provide up to 20 percent of U.S. energy needs by 2020, according to The American Wind Energy Association.

The European Union, while also pursuing nuclear power, is actively considering a similar solar project in the North African desert, backed by a Jordanian prince. It's high time for America to see the light!

So, don't let naysayers tell you that renewable energy is not ready for prime time. Refer them to this article, and show them what's possible. The future can be sunny... and bright!

SOURCES:
Scientific American, January 2008, "A Solar Grand Plan," by Ken Zweibel, James Mason and Vasilis Fthenakis.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/dec/02/renewableenergy.solarpower

Nuclear Power Surges In Europe & The U.S.

Responding to the climate change threat, the nuclear industry is marketing itself successfully as the "green" alternative to coal and oil.

Nuclear energy now generates nearly 20 percent of total U.S. electricity supply. Nuclear power plants operating in 31 states provide more than 70 percent of all U.S. electricity that comes from sources that do not emit greenhouse gases. In Congress nuclear power has many powerful allies, including Senators Obama, Clinton, and McCain.

Overseas, Great Britain has recently announced that it will push forward with a new generation of nuclear power plants to supplement other "low-emission" energy sources as a means of fighting climate change. Britain currently gets about 18 percent of its electricity from nuclear power; radioactive waste is stored at an "interim" above-ground facility, and the government has vague plans to build underground caverns as a permanent storage site.

The issue of nuclear power has divided Europe: France and Finland are also going ahead with new nuclear plants; Italy and Ireland are debating overturning their bans on the energy source; and Germany is sticking with its plan to phase out nuclear power by emphasizing renewables.

Nuclear fission is, at best, only a temporary stopgap, a transitional source of energy until we arrive at a truly sustainable, solar-powered future.

SOURCES:
Grist Environmental Magazine, www.grist.org, 1/11/2008.
Nuclear Energy Institute, News Release, 2/21/2008.

A Really Inconvenient Truth: Divorce Is Not Green

The data are in. Divorce is bad for the environment. A novel study that links divorce with the environment shows a global trend of soaring divorce rates has created more households with fewer people, has taken up more space and has gobbled up more energy and water. A statistical remedy: Fall back in love. Cohabitation means less urban sprawl and you can save water showering, too!

SOURCES: ScienceDaily, December 5, 2007
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203190625.htm

Acupuncture Boosts Pregnancy?

A scientific review suggests that acupuncture might improve the odds of conceiving.

The surprising finding is far from proven, and there are only theories for how and why acupuncture might work. However, some fertility specialists are hopeful that this relatively inexpensive and simple treatment might ultimately prove to be a useful add-on to traditional methods.

The analysis was led by Eric Manheimer, a researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and paid for by a federal agency, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Results were published Friday in the British medical journal, BMJ.

Acupuncture involves placing very thin needles at specific points on the body to try to control pain and reduce stress. In fertility treatment, it is thought to increase blood flow to the uterus, relax the cervix and inhibit "fight or flight" stress hormones that can make it tougher for an embryo to implant, Manheimer said.

Acupuncturist Kirsten Karchmer said she places about a dozen needles in the ears, hands, feet, lower legs, abdomen and sometimes the lower back. It costs $500 a month for treatments twice a week, and patients typically go for three months. Baby, maybe?

SOURCE: Associated Press, Marilynn Marchione, February 07, 2008.

Who Owns Free Speech?

Adbusters is a radical media organization with a strong pro-environment, anti-corporate attitude. Adbusters magazine is a psychological escape for frustrated designers, a slick, subversive mix of hostile humor and intellectual bravado.

On February 18, 2008 Adbusters lost its court battle against two of Canada's television networks that refused to sell airtime for its commercials. The Canadian courts decided that private corporations such as Adbusters have no free speech rights. Which begs the question, who controls the public airwaves?

"It's outrageous that the fast food, oil and automobile industries can buy as much TV time as they want in order to promote their agendas, but citizens are not allowed to talk back," said Adbusters Editor-in-Chief Kalle Lasn in response to the ruling. "Canadian democracy will not work properly until we the people have the same right to buy airtime as corporations do." Ditto for American democracy.

The rejected Adbusters ads pointed out that over 50 percent of the calories in a Big Mac come from fat, called for an end to the age of the automobile, and promoted Buy Nothing Day.

"This case goes to the very heart of what our democracy is all about," says Lasn. "A healthy society allows its citizens to walk into their local TV stations and buy airtime under the same rules and conditions that corporations do. This legal battle for media democracy will go on." Here! Here!

SOURCES:
www.mediacarta.org
www.adbusters.org

Too Much TV; Not Enough Nature

Kids — and adults — these days are "videophiliacs" who prefer their nature through the TV screen rather than personally experienced, says a new study. It estimates that Americans' participation in outdoor recreation has dropped as much as 25 percent over the past 20 years.

Researchers looked at four metrics: visitation to public lands, number of fishing and hunting licenses issued, time spent camping, and time spent backpacking and hiking. Only day hiking has increased since the mid-1980s, and just slightly. "We were surprised by the results, and in some sense, quite frightened," says Patricia Zaradic, coauthor of the research, which was funded by The Nature Conservancy and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The trend bodes ill for human health, and ain't good news for the planet either.

That does it. We're putting our monitor to sleep and going out for a brisk walk!

SOURCE: www.grist.org, February 6, 2008.

Healthy Living Bookshelf

SKINNY BITCH: A no-nonsense, tough-love guide for sassy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous!
Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
Running Press, 2005, $13.95

We love the Skinny Bitch book! Are you shocked? Well, it caught our eye, first, as "How could they publish such a book?" Then, "We've got to see it!" After a quick perusal it seemed interesting, even intriguing. So we bought it under the wary scrutiny of a skeptical clerk. This New York Times #1 Bestseller says it will help you stop being a moron and start getting skinny. The authors, Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, are smart-mouthed and don't mince words about eating to be healthy. They tell you what foods are crap and what they are doing to your health. Check out the chapter titled "The Dead, Rotting, Decomposing Flesh Diet." Try enjoying a Big Mac after you read it. Or, how about the chapter titled "Sugar Is The Devil"? Also, there's a chapter about "Carbs" and even one titled "Pooping."

This is a tough love guide that advocates veganism, eating organic foods, and they even give you a list of healthy "junk" foods. They have a diet plan and lists of websites for buying healthy food and getting more information about healthy products. Maybe all their advice and information is not something you'll follow to the letter, but they do make some very good points. They say things in a graphic, blunt way that you may recoil from initially, but then you'll think about it and probably conclude they're right. For example, they say "Eating onions and garlic makes your breath smell like someone took a shit down your throat. But they fight cancer and detoxify your liver. So, eat 'em!" Or, how about when the authors recommend that whenever you see "fat free" or "low fat" you think of the words "Chemical Shit Storm!" They also let you in on a little secret: They don't care if you're skinny or get skinny; they just hope the book will help you be healthy, strong and confident.

Skinny Bitch is a fun read, and you don't have to be a committed organic-vegan-locavore to benefit from it. The Bitches pitch, "Just because we wrote this book doesn't mean we're perfect. If you see us eating junk food or doing beer bongs don't hold it against us. We believe in enjoying life and maintaining a healthy balance."

SKINNY BITCH IN THE KITCH
Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
Running Press, 2007, $14.95

Now, once you've read Skinny Bitch, you're asking, "What can I cook that's good for me but doesn't taste like crap?" Lucky for you, the Bitches have come out with a sequel, Skinny Bitch in the Kitch. Kick-ass recipes for every craving there is, including Bitchin' Breakfasts, PMS (Pissy Mood Snacks), Sassy Soups and Stews, and Happy Endings (Desserts.)

Wake Up And Smell The Planet: The Non-Pompous, Non-Preachy Grist Guide to Greening Your Day
Brangien Davis with Katharine Wroth
Slipstone, 2007, $14.95.

You haul yourself out of bed and stagger into the kitchen for coffee. But what kind of coffee? And what should you drink it in? Are those free-range eggs? What soap will clean the pan without polluting the water? The alarm went off and Earth is calling!

Our environmental soul-mates at Grist magazine (www.grist.org) have come out with a new book which distills mountains of data into a handy green guide for consumers. From cleaning supplies to travel tips, diaper options to eco-fashion, Wake Up And Smell The Planet offers lots of little choices you can make during the day that add up to a big contribution toward greening Mama Earth.

Think you've heard it all before? This book might just surprise you! Vegan condoms. Pig poop to fuel your car. How not to shave your legs (with the shower running, where you'll waste 2-5 gallons of water each minute.) And how about this—enviro-engineers are developing a shoe device to capture walking energy and use it to power portable electronic devices. From Pods to Peds, it's all here and more.

Check it out! You have nothing to lose but your liberal eco-guilt!

Homosexual Activity A Cause of Earthquakes?

Do you remember several years ago when conservative Christian Pat Robertson caused a stir by implying that alternative lifestyles caused hurricanes? A member of the Israeli parliament has now declared that gays may also be the source of earthquakes.

A recent earthquake that was felt across Israel was the result of the "homosexual activity practiced in the country," Knesset Member Shlomo Benizri declared.

Another Israeli member of the Knesset, Nissim Ze'ev, stirred controversy when he referred to the local gay movement as a "plague that could destroy Jewish Israel," adding that it should be treated "just as the Health Ministry dealt with the bird flu epidemic."

Mike Hammel, chairman of the Israeli Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Association, commented on Benizri's remarks saying, "it is sad that a religious MK in Israel doesn't think earthquakes are God-made.

"On the other hand, I suppose we should be flattered he attributes us with such magical powers," he added.

"One must wonder why Shas MKs are so obsessed with the gay community... we can all recall the case of the American senator who fiercely spoke out against gays until it was found he himself was gay."

Did the earth move for Benizri, too?

SOURCE: Israel News, February 20, 2008

Psychoanalysts Support Same-Sex Marriage

The American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA) has issued a position statement supporting the legal recognition of same-sex civil marriage while opposing discrimination against same-sex couples.

In recognition that gay and lesbian couples are raising children and possess the same potential and desire for life-long relationships as their heterosexual counterparts, the APsaA seeks to assist in ending the government-sanctioned discrimination against homosexual couples that denies them over 1,000 federal rights and benefits.

APsaA's Committee on Gay and Lesbian Issues reviewed extensive research on homosexual relationships and gay and lesbian parents and their children prior to issuing a formal public statement in January 2008.

The American Psychoanalytic Association is a professional organization of psychoanalysts throughout the United States and is comprised of approximately 3,500 members.

After analyzing the research and crunching the numbers, the shrinks found that family life is good for kids, whether or not their parents happen to be gay.

SOURCES:
www.apsa.org
www.prnewswire.com
For full text of the APsaA Marriage Resolution, please visit:www.apsa.org/ABOUTAPSAA/POSITIONSTATEMENTS/MARRIAGERESOLUTION/tabid/470/Default.aspx

Alcatraz Conversion Project Lives!

When Da Vid, MD, Director of the Global Peace Foundation and Light Party presidential candidate, first proposed building a Peace Center on Alcatraz Island over 20 years ago, he stood virtually alone. Last February over 55,000 San Francisco residents (28%) voted to support the Alcatraz Conversion Project, not enough to pass but at least 54,999 more than Da Vid started with. Is he disappointed? Far from it. Expect the proposal to return on the fall ballot.

Da Vid urges us to "remind readers that Alcatraz Conversion is really about recapturing our future... proposing a positive vision for the island that can be embraced by the people around the globe, celebrating peace and the creative arts, respectful of native traditions, not mired in Alcatraz's relatively brief history of incarceration." This is not a referendum about the Light Party, not merely one man's vision, but an opportunity to express our highest values.

In Pain? Music Heals!

Simply listening to music for one hour daily can ease your pain by 20%, according to Cleveland Clinic researchers. It can even reduce the need for pain medication before and after surgery. They found music releases painkilling endorphins. No comment on whether new age music is better than heavy metal, however. "You call that stuff music?"

SOURCE: Prevention, January, 2008.

These Healthy Habits Can Extend Your Life 14 Years or More...

To get an extra 14 years of life, don't smoke, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly, and drink alcohol in moderation. These simple steps can help you avoid cancer, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory diseases.

That is according to a study published last January in the Public Library of Science Medicine journal.

After tracking more than 20,000 people aged 45 to 79 years in the United Kingdom from about 1993 to 2006, Kay-Tee Khaw of the University of Cambridge and colleagues found that people who adopted these four healthy habits lived an average of 14 years longer than those who didn't.

Public health experts said they hoped the study would inspire governments to introduce policies helping people to adopt these changes.

We'd like to add four more ways to extend your life: meditation, massages, taking classes you find published in OPEN EXCHANGE—and daily belly laughs!

SOURCE: Associated Press, Maria Cheng, January 08, 2008.