Liberal Lifestyles And Inconvenient Truths

Al Gore's bestselling book and movie, An Inconvenient Truth, continue to stir debate about how to respond to global warming. Predictably, some conservatives have responded by attacking the messenger. Peter Schweizer, writing for USA Today, accuses Gore of "liberal hypocrisy" for failing to live the "carbon-neutral lifestyle" he urges the rest of us to adopt:

"Graciously, Gore tells consumers how to change their lives to curb their carbon-gobbling ways: Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs, use a clothesline, drive a hybrid, use renewable energy, dramatically cut back on consumption. He says he recycles and drives a hybrid. And he claims he uses renewable energy credits to offset the pollution he produces when using a private jet to promote his film.

"Public records reveal that as Gore lectures Americans on excessive consumption, he and his wife Tipper live in two properties: a 10,000-square-foot, 20-room, eight-bathroom home in Nashville, and a 4,000-square-foot home in Arlington, Va. (He also has a third home in Carthage, Tenn.) For someone rallying the planet to pursue a path of extreme personal sacrifice, Gore requires little from himself...."

"The issue here is not simply Gore's hypocrisy; it's a question of credibility. If he genuinely believes the apocalyptic vision he has put forth and calls for radical changes in the way other people live, why hasn't he made any radical change in his life?"

Schweizer is missing the point here. Environmentalism is not exclusively (or even primarily) about the Gores' lifestyle. The fact that Gore may not be the best messenger doesn't negate the message. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences, which in 2005 the White House called "the gold standard of objective scientific assessment," issued a joint statement with 10 other National Academies of Science saying "the scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt action."

But precisely what action? Perhaps unintentionally, Schweizer alludes to an issue that is continually debated among environmentalists: How much "sacrifice" will be required to create a sustainable future? As radical environmentalists are fond of pointing out, it's not the earth that is imperiled by global warming. Earth abides. It's our complex, technological civilization that is in danger of collapse.

We applaud conservatives such as Schweizer for challenging limousine liberals to "walk the walk," not just "talk the talk." In fact, the consumption habits of Democrats and Republicans are virtually identical when adjusted for income. The more money we earn, the more we tend to consume. At least now we're beginning to examine the consequences of such "mindless" consumption.

Clearly, the global warming "debate" is over. The issue is not "Is it real?" but "How do we adapt?" Industry and government must address the challenge. "The U.S. should lead by example," impute the editors of Scientific American, a magazine not generally given to political polemic.

Creating a sustainable future ought to transcend political ideology — unless you happen to be an oil company executive protecting your bottom line. But even oil company execs acknowledge that clean energy is our future. In the inevitable transition to a solar economy, hybrid cars and fluorescent lighting may just be baby steps, but we all have to start somewhere. And the sooner we start, the easier the transition will be.

Sources: www.fightglobalwarming.com
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2006-08-09-gore-green_x.htm
Scientific American, "Perspectives," September 2006.

Pale Versus Deep Greens

How serious is global warming? Can we save the planet (read: save ourselves) simply by driving Priuses and switching to fluorescent bulbs? Or will our lifestyles have to change more drastically?

While mainstream environmentalists such as Al Gore are sparring with entrenched interests over the extent of the problem—or whether a problem even exists—many "deep greens" have assumed the worst. Britain's James Lovelock, father of the "Gaia Hypothesis" which describes Planet Earth as a living organism, now believes that our Mother should be on life support. His newest book, The Revenge of Gaia, expands on this sober assessment. Commenting for , Lovelock states that Earth is "seriously ill, and soon to pass into a morbid fever that may last as long as 100,000 years. I have to tell you, as members of the Earth's family and an intimate part of it, that you and especially civilisation are in grave danger...."

	IS IT EASY BEING GREEN? Kermit the Frog, matinee idol and more recently Ford spokes-amphibian, touts the benefits of a hybrid SUV that gets 35 mpg. Are such painless modifications enough to curb global warming, or should we just curb big SUVs?

Lovelock says that countries should do what they must to salvage whatever vestiges of civilization they can, including the use of nuclear fission as a substitute for coal and oil, which are implicated in global warming. Lovelock's nuclear prescription has stunned many in the environmental community, almost as if a naturopath were suddenly prescribing chemotherapy.

Less sentimental than Lovelock—and even more extreme—is Derrick Jensen, a neo-tribalist who in Endgame asserts that civilization is fundamentally unsustainable and simply ought to be dismantled. Jensen points out that there are too many humans and we consume far too much. The Middle East would still be forested, buffalo would still roam the American plains, and scattered human tribes would be living happily in villages, if only technological civilization had been snuffed out before it began. Modern civilization inevitably depletes its base of natural resources and requires colonial expansion, an unsustainable proposition. To save the remaining flora and fauna from complete extinction he advocates a return to a pre-industrial way of living. Radical but articulate, Jensen knows what he's saying and even scares himself. After all, it's unlikely that Americans and Europeans would willingly adopt a third-world lifestyle without a fight.

Basking in the warm glow of an iMac and hot tea (which is supposed to protect against free radicals), we're pondering counter-arguments to Lovelock and Jensen. It seems to us that civilization ought to be sustainable, at least in theory. Old Sol offers 4.5 billion years worth of free energy—we simply have to learn to live within our solar budget. Those new LED flashlights provide light with just a hand crank. We also need wind-up computers and solar cars and backyard wind generators. Mayor Gavin Newsom recently proposed harnessing tide power under the Golden Gate Bridge. We need more such innovative planning at every level of government and industry.

Now, let's hear from YOU. Is all this "sky is falling" talk simply more fear-mongering "environmental porn"? Are you junking your car, moving to the country, growing your own vegetables, buying a gun??? What are your creative solutions? Address any and all comments about the state of the planet to openexchange@earthlink.net, and we'll publish them here.

Sources: The Independent, January 16, 2006.
The Revenge of Gaia, James Lovelock.
Engame, Derrick Jensen.

Eskimos Buy Air Conditioners

Okay, we admit this is not a big story, but we just couldn't resist the headline and the tie-in with global warming. The Inuit Eskimos are famed for building igloos on the polar ice during hunts. Reuters reports that Canadian Inuits recently installed 10 air conditioners for about 25 office workers. Temperatures this past July in the Inuit town of Kuujjuaq in Quebec, Canada recently hit a record 88 degrees Fahrenheit, and buildings made airtight for the cold prove stifling during heatwaves. What's next, Mr. Gore, parasols for penguins?

Source: Reuters, August 10, 2006.

We Aren't Family? Town Orders Couple To Marry Or Leave

If you live together with two friends, don't plan to move to Black Jack City, Missouri just yet. The town has made it illegal for three unrelated people to live in the same house.

Olivia Shelltrack and Fondray Loving and their three children have been denied an occupancy permit because they do not meet the definition of "family" as set forth by Black Jack City, which prides itself for its "character and stability." The city threatens to fine the couple hundreds of dollars per day due to the fact that they are out of sanctioned wedlock. Wait a minute—"occupancy permit"???

Shelltrack and Loving, who have lived together for 13 years and have one child from their union and one each from previous relationships, are fighting back. The American Civil Liberties Union has taken their case, suing the city on constitutional grounds. "The city of Black Jack's behavior is both pompous and unconstitutional," Brenda Jones, executive director of the ACLU of Eastern Missouri, declared to the press.
In July a North Carolina judge struck down a 201-year-old law barring unmarried couples from living together. Hey, maybe Missouri can be dragged out of the 19th century, too.

Source: Reuters, August 14, 2006.

Andrew Weil's Sugar Substitutes

Andrew Weil, MD, is nationally recognized for sound advice on holistic medicine. According to Dr. Weil, it's better to consume moderate amounts of sugar than any artificial sweeteners. "Sugar is okay in moderation, and it's relatively low in calories (about 15 per teaspoon.) For diabetics and others who can't tolerate sugar, I recommend natural sweeteners like stevia and tagalose."

Dr. Weil recommends steering clear of most artificial sugar substitutes because of lingering health concerns, as well as inferior taste.

Regarding Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal), he notes that rats given modest amounts throughout their lives had elevated rates of lymphomas, leukemias, and other cancers (Environmental Health Perspectives, March 2006.) Many people also report dizziness and headaches, suggesting an effect on the central nervous system.

Of saccharin (Sweet'N Low), a study by the National Cancer Institute found some evidence of increased risk of bladder cancer in heavy consumers.

Sucralose (Splenda) is now the bestselling artificial sweetener probably because it tastes most like sugar. However, according to the nonprofit organization Citizens for Health, numerous consumers have reported adverse effects ranging from stomach pains and headaches to skin rashes. Dr. Weil would avoid it pending more extensive research to validate its safety.

Sugar alcohols (sorbitol, xylitol, erythritol, and others) may be beneficial to diabetics because they do not raise blood sugar levels in modest amounts. However, they can aggravate irritable bowel syndrome and even cause diarrhea. So, Dr. Weil says use with caution.

We'd like to add that it's wise to stay away from foods and drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, now implicated in elevated blood sugar and obesity. Try cutting back on your sweetener and enjoy the flavor of the food itself. Over time you'll find your sugar cravings subside.

Source: Dr. Andrew Weil's Self Healing Newsletter, June 2006.

Sweet!
Lose Weight Faster With Fruit

Want to lose weight? In place of sugar, try substituting fresh fruits and berries at breakfasts and in baking. A University of Navarra study in Pamplona, Spain found that obese women who added fruit to a reduced-calorie diet lost weight faster. The fiber in fruits lowers cholesterol and the antioxidants help combat cell damage. Sweet!

Source: Prevention, October 2006.

Vegan Las Vegas

Reporting for the environmental magazine Grist, Cathy Huyghe finds sustainable and vegetarian cuisine on show even in Sin City. "The notorious oasis is offering residents and tourists a new option in the all-you-can-eat buffet of life... vegan doughnuts for breakfast, vegetarian Chinese for lunch, and 13-bean soup for an afternoon snack."

Last New Year's Eve, Wolfgang Puck's Spago restaurant in Caesar's Palace, in the heart of "the Strip," unveiled an all-organic holiday menu. Its 10 appetizers and 10 entrees featured offerings like grilled salmon with lobster risotto and sautéed spinach, crisp free-range chicken with creamy garlic potatoes and baby squash, and roasted quail with green lentils and braised rainbow chard. But as reporter Huyghe notes, "At what point does organic produce or sustainable seafood become unsustainable? In other words, how green can you be in the middle of the desert?"

	Pate Platter with Veggie Chips & Flax Crackers at Go Raw Café in Las Vegas.

Rick Moonen of rm seafood at Mandalay Bay — who became active years ago in efforts to support environmentally safe seafood for his restaurant in New York City — knows the conundrum well. "We believe in the importance of buying and serving seafood which comes from abundant wild populations and are under sound management," his menu boasts. "All fish on our menu are caught or farmed in a way that is not harmful to the ocean environment or to other ocean creatures. We are strong supporters of local fishing communities, and take responsibility for our role in preserving a lasting and diverse supply of seafood." Unfortunately, many of the hatcheries ship from as far away as Australia. Let's face it, the desert wasn't meant to sustain a huge urban population of seafood eaters!

First choice for many health-conscious consumers is the ubiquitous Whole Foods, whose two Vegas locations rival San Francisco itself. But they were not the first. For over 30 years Rainbow's End Natural Foods & Café has been the place to go for whole foods, vitamins, and supplements, including a homeopathic allergy mix made for the Las Vegas climate.

Rainbow's End shares a history — and some of its business — with Gilcrease Orchard, which began as a ranch 86 years ago in the northwestern part of the city. It's the only orchard within 200 miles and still opens its fields for pick-your-own apples, peaches, melons, tomatoes, zucchini, and other produce throughout the seasons. In recent years the Orchard has been shrinking, selling land to cover operating costs (again, that intractable sustainability problem), so don't put off your visit too long!

Most of the city's green-dining establishments are "off-Strip," springing up in neighborhoods that, given Vegas' unprecedented growth in the past few years, are increasingly diverse and ethnically vibrant. Last year, for example, Iris Lee opened Veggie Delight in Vegas' Chinatown, with a menu that features both vegan and vegetarian options from Vietnam and Taiwan. Lee says she wanted to offer something "convenient for vegetarians, because most of the time they couldn't find a place to sit down and eat."

Finally there's Go Raw Café, whose two locations in the Vegas valley opened three years ago. The owners don't expect to get rich but hope to attract a loyal following among the health-conscious. Looks like even Sin City may be getting holistic "religion."

Source: www.grist.org, 7/14/06

Fostering Group Creativity

The most successful group collaborations come about when both visionaries and critical thinkers are allowed free expression. Reporting in Scientific American Mind, Joerg Mehlhorn, professor of business management, explains where collaborations fail: "No group will generate brilliant insights if participants are hostile to crazy ideas," he notes. At the other extreme, "banning criticism will encourage even the most reticent group members to suggest half-baked ramblings."

Mehlhorn's solution is for group leaders to focus on the collaborative process. "The key is to separate the needed types of input. First, it is necessary to be visionary. Then the visions can be confronted in the light of reality. Then, and only then, should the ideas be opened to criticism. If they are truly creative, they will stand up to rigorous review."

Walt Disney, one of the most creative minds of the 20th Century, was an unique combination of dreamer, realist, and critic. Reportedly he worked out of three separate rooms —one for each of these distinct roles.

Source: Scientific American Mind, "Fostering Group Creativity," August/September 2006.

Holistic Brainpower From Cambridge University

Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs. I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas it on !!

Are Human Brains Wired To Receive God's Love?

As reported in LiveScience, a new study finds that the human brain does not contain a single "God spot" responsible for mystical and religious experiences. Instead, the sense of union with God involves the activation of a variety brain regions normally implicated in different functions such as self-consciousness, emotion, and body representation. This finding contradicts previous suggestions by other researchers that the there might be a specific region in the brain designed for communication with God.

"The main goal of the study was to identify the neural correlates of a mystical experience," said study leader Mario Beauregard of the University of Montreal in Canada. "This does not diminish the meaning and value of such an experience, and neither does it confirm or disconfirm the existence of God."

In the study, 15 cloistered Carmelite nuns, ranging in age from 23 to 64, had their brains scanned while asked to relive the most intense mystical experience they had ever had as members of the religious order. The nuns were not asked to try to actually achieve a state of spiritual union with God during the experiment because, as the nuns put it, "God cannot be summoned at will." Researchers point out that remembering or acting out a particular experience activates the same brain regions as experiencing those emotions.

As a control, the nuns were instructed to relive the most intense state of union with another human they ever experienced while in the Carmelite order.

The study found that mystical experiences activate more than a dozen different areas of the brain at once. One of the regions, called the caudate nucleus, has been implicated in positive emotions such as happiness, romantic love, and maternal love.

The researchers speculate that activation of this brain region during mystical experiences is related to the feelings of joy and unconditional love the nuns described.

Does this mean that the human brain may be wired to receive God's love? Does God communicate displeasure or anger through different neural pathways?

Source: LiveScience, "No 'God Spot' in the Human Brain," Ker Than, 29 August 2006
http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060829_god_spot.html

Happiness & Money

We're never quite satisfied with how much money we have, according to the emerging "science of happiness," as reported in Money magazine. And they should know, since all their readers want more of it. It turns out that once you've covered the basics of food and shelter, having more money can actually become a source of added stress. Sure, it feels great driving that new Jag off the car lot, but then you're worrying about that first dent, insurance payments, and your neighbor with the even fancier Jag.

	THE SECRET TO HAPPINESS According to Money magazine, it's people! Make new friends, take up art or music, travel, and keep a journal of all your wonderful experiences. Hey, have the folks at Money been reading OPEN EXCHANGE? PICTURED: Robin Flower, longtime OPEN EXCHANGE lister, conducts a Once-a-Month Stringband sessions in Oakland.

Ironically, the happiest nations are not the high-consuming ones, according to a new survey reported in the environmental magazine Grist. The New Economics Foundation, a British think tank, looked at 178 countries' consumption levels, life expectancy, and happiness, and concluded that people can live long, happy lives without sucking up large quantities of the planet's resources. Turns out that the happiest people live on the South Pacific island of Vanuatu. Vanuatu, population 209,000, runs its economy mainly on small-scale agriculture and tourism; its GDP has been ranked 207th out of 233. Latin American countries dominate the top 10 happiest nations, with Colombia in second place. Many African and Eastern European nations are near the bottom, with Zimbabwe the official unhappiest nation. The U.S., with the world's second-largest ecological footprint (after oil-rich United Arab Emirates), ranked an unhappy 150th.

So, what's the secret to happiness? According to the folks at Money, it's not more money—it's people! Forget about that new Jaguar with the sumptuous leather seats and surround sound. Surround yourself with friends and family instead. Take up a hobby. Learn to paint or play a musical instrument. Get a pet. Keep a journal and write about what makes you grateful and optimistic. Travel and collect souvenirs. Build memories to last a lifetime!

And this from our staff: Check out our Calendar and take some classes!!! (You'll also be making us happy!)

Sources: Money, August 2006
Grist, www.grist.org, 7/13/06
BBC News, July 12, 2006