The Meaning of Life

"The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity."
- Leo Tolstoy

Fantastic Plastic Millenium

Among mounds of inaugural coverage the past few days comes a memorable comment that the New Millenium, scheduled to begin with the year 2000, will actually begin now, with Obama as our leader and the second Teflon president home, home, home on the ranch. To honor that thought, lets segue to the life of a regular plastic bag - the kind you see flying in the air at the bus stop and in football stadiums - made of polyethylene. Every year, more than 500 billion plastic bags are distributed. Less than 3% are recycled. They can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade, emitting harmful greenhouse gases in the process. One bag. One thousand years. There must be a cloth bag cool enough to carry in the grocery store. Or you could just think of George Bush every time you see a bag of air floating overhead, and vow not to let it happen again.

A New Epoch Upon Us?

Remember the Pleistocene epoch - the "glacial age" when Earth was repeatedly frozen, scraped, cooled and re-frozen? Epochs, eras, periods - these are terms remembered fondly, but barely, from high school or college. Well, the news is out. We have begun a new epoch. It seems humans have made such an impact on our planet that we have now departed the Holocene epoch and begun the Anthropocene. This was determined by a team from the Geological Society of London after examining transformed patterns of sediment, distruptions to the carbon cycle and wholesale changes to plants and animals. We humans have so changed the landscape that we now need a new name for it. And some say they do not play a part in creating history. We all do. And we all did. Let's make it a good one.

An Historic Day

Yesterday, we made history. I said this to my friends today, my voice betraying me by cracking as I looked them too deep in the eyes. I wanted to share the joy. But last night as I heard the news, I didn't yell with joy - I bit my lip. I thought "I will have to hope again." I felt confused, disbelieving. It was like Peace had won. Peace never wins. I could feel the breathless hope and promise of the moment. Although we can and do move forward as a people and evolve, I feel a separate hope has been set aside, protected, just in case. This is the hope that equals the full potential of mankind. We are capable of so much more. Go out and be leaders my friends. Hope with all your heart for change.

Get Paid... by your neighbors!

Here in California, we recycle a lot, but we pay our garbage company to take away the bottles and cans we paid extra for at the grocery store. Why not let your neighbors pay you... by starting a neighborhood recycling program. Go to www.bottlesandcans.com and sign up for the program. They'll send you a bunch of lightweight, easy-to-assemble recycling bins. Give them to your neighbors, collect the contents weekly, then recycle at your nearest pay for metal facility, also listed at www.bottlesandcans.com.

P.S. Evolve Network made an appearance today at the El Sobrante Stroll, offering free neighborhood recycling. Start your own neighborhood recycling program now! Evolve.

All Sheep Line Up Here

Government is an ongoing experiment in the sociology of controlling and predicting the masses. Evolving personalities will not simply read headlines and faithfully follow. Look deeper. There is more to be known.

A good example is the Georgia-Russia conflict. The U.S. mainstream media has been consistently biased in favor of Georgia - the portion of the country that actually desires independence from Russia. South Ossetia, which has remained largely loyal to Russia since being absorbed into Georgia with the split of the Soviet Union, should be allowed self-determination. If California were to break from the U.S. and SoCal wanted back in, you can bet George W. Hipocryte would be battling to get them back too!

Cheapest, Fastest, Easiest

What is the cheapest, fastest, easiest and most reliable way to reduce energy use and costs at home? Insulate your home and seal those drafty air leaks. Insulation and sealing products are cheap and efficient. Start with the attic where heat rises and insulation is easy to install. Determine how much you need based on your location by visiting www1.eere.energy.gov/consumertips/insulation.html. Save your receipts and itemize to get your money back at tax time.