We have an opportunity amidst all the turmoil of a failing economy. With solid commitment, leadership and funding, our government can turn this country toward a green economy that would provide new jobs and lower man’s carbon footprint on this planet. Going green at this time in our history seems like such a win-win for everyone, unless they base their economy and livelihood on the continued dependence on fossil fuels.
Picture this. Every home and building would have a combination of solar panels and wind turbines. When it is sunny, the solar panels would create electric power and put it back on the grid or at least lower your use from the grid. Your electric meter would slow and perhaps even reverse, selling your created electricity back to the power company. If it is windy, whether cloudy or the dark of night, the wind turbines kick in and you still produce electricity. Solar panels and collector systems can also replace or supplement hot water heaters now fueled by natural gas or electricity. This is not science fiction. The technology is here right now. In fact, the German government is subsidizing the installation of solar panels on its homes and buildings even now.
So how would the average person afford such new technology? That’s where the leadership and funding of local, state and federal governments comes in. Through the use of incentives, subsidizing equipment, tax credits and community programs that would help low income homeowners, the process of converting our homes and offices into power plants could really take off. Over time, it would require a new business model for our power companies. They would have to transition from a company that provides the power and bills us for that commodity to a company that maintains and repairs the power grid system. Perhaps they even get into the manufacturing and installation of the solar panels and wind turbines. Eventually they would move from building coal burning or nuclear power plants to building and maintaining transmission lines and power distribution centers.
This transition of business models could be the biggest stumbling block for this evolution of how and where we get our power. That is where our government and solid, committed leadership will be needed. The science is there. The oil and gas industry and the power companies will surely oppose any massive switch to green power generated by individual homeowners unless they see something in it for them. Jobs and a whole new market right here at home would seem a good place to start. Customers would still need companies to manufacture and install the equipment. Customers would still need repairs to that equipment and power lines after storms. We would still need companies to maintain and update transmission lines and power grids to ensure the flow and distribution of this locally produced power.
Power plants powered by fossil fuels might still be needed during the transition and beyond, but over time they would be needed less and less. We could eventually eliminate the pollution of coal fired power plants and the problem of nuclear plant waste storage. Wind farms, solar farms, hydroelectric and geothermal plants could be used to fill any gap in the power supply. Even harnessing the power of wave motion along our costs seems a likely option. Think about electric cars charged at home by the sun and the wind! I’m convinced it can be worked out. If we put a man on the moon, then we can surely find a way to stop using fossil fuels and make use of and distribute alternative energies.
If we realize the short term and long range benefits to going green, it will be amazing. The immediate benefit would be the creation of jobs here at home and the development of a new technology that would carry us far into the future. The long range benefits include a lower carbon footprint on our environment and that might help to slow or even stop global warning. It would free us from our dependence on foreign oil and those unstable countries that now supply us. If countries could create their own power, there might be less strife and war. The have’s could no longer hold the have not’s hostage to the supply of fossil fuels, because the sun and wind are plentiful to all. Instead of burning our dwindling oil supplies in cars and trucks and power plants, it can be used for durable goods, medicines and chemicals.
We have a window of opportunity right now. Will we take it?
FOOD for THOUGHT...
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Babs
Our foundling cat, Babs, has this thing she does every so often. We call it “making biscuits.” She takes her paws, with claws extended, and kneads your stomach, lap or leg like bread dough. While she’s performing this act, she goes into a trance-like state and purrs loudly. This is something our other two cats may have done when they were younger, but rarely, if ever, exhibit in their old age. When Babs gets going, she is “in the zone.” Her sole focus is in what she is doing.
In an effort to understand this cat behavior, I searched it online. Most cat experts feel that it goes back to when they were tiny kittens. They would paw at the mother cat’s belly to stimulate the flow of milk to the nipples. It produced a bonding between the mother cat and her kittens. Some experts feel that kittens who are weaned too early often exhibit this behavior as adults as a way to receive comfort. It sort of makes sense in Babs’ case since we found her abandoned at 7 weeks old along the side of our house. Another explanation was that it was a way to say, “I love you, mommy.”
Lisa and I consider it an honor when Babs decides to make biscuits on us. Our two older cats, Spike and Sylvie have become quite the lap cats, especially in winter, but Babs is often content to lay near us, not on us. We can only hold her for short periods of time and only when she is in the mood to be held. So you see, having Babs on our lap making biscuits is a high honor indeed. I look at it as her way of saying, “I love you and thanks for rescuing me.”
Babs has other ways of communicating her wants and needs beyond the kneading of our flesh with her “needle-sharp” claws. When Babs is hungry…look out! Even if we are not looking at the clock, she is normally not more than 5 minutes off a very strict feeding schedule. Right on cue, she will appear and begin “looking for trouble.” By that I mean she will jump up on the computer desk and start playing with pens or anything that can be pushed to the edge of the desk and fall to the floor. She will run over and start sharpening her claws on the furniture instead of the scratching post I made for her. She climbs up on the kitchen countertop, table, TV stand or any other place she is not allowed. One of her favorite tricks is playing with the window blinds, anything to get our attention. The whole time she is looking for trouble, Babs is purring very loudly and waving her tail as if to say, “look at me, better feed me!” She will not be ignored.
In the morning, we do not need an alarm clock. We have Babs. When she is ready to start the day and that includes feeding, she will start rattling the sun room doors with her paws and meow loudly. You would swear she was going to rip the doors from their hinges. By the time we pull ourselves from our bed and approach the sun room, Babs has now toned down her fierce meow to that of a poor, little, pathetic kitten… more like a peep than a roar.
In the evenings, a battered, old, cardboard box in the middle of our living room sets the stage for one of Babs’ favorite past times. We call it, “Babs-in-the-box.” It goes like this: she comes running into the room and leaps into the box. She nestles down beneath the two top flaps with only her tail sticking out. When you touch the box a little gray paw shoots out and tries to snag your sock then quickly darts back inside between the two flaps. She loves this game and she cracks us up. As Lisa says, who needs TV?
Ah, the life of a cat. You eat. You sleep and you play. Does it get any better than that?
FOOD for THOUGHT...
In an effort to understand this cat behavior, I searched it online. Most cat experts feel that it goes back to when they were tiny kittens. They would paw at the mother cat’s belly to stimulate the flow of milk to the nipples. It produced a bonding between the mother cat and her kittens. Some experts feel that kittens who are weaned too early often exhibit this behavior as adults as a way to receive comfort. It sort of makes sense in Babs’ case since we found her abandoned at 7 weeks old along the side of our house. Another explanation was that it was a way to say, “I love you, mommy.”
Lisa and I consider it an honor when Babs decides to make biscuits on us. Our two older cats, Spike and Sylvie have become quite the lap cats, especially in winter, but Babs is often content to lay near us, not on us. We can only hold her for short periods of time and only when she is in the mood to be held. So you see, having Babs on our lap making biscuits is a high honor indeed. I look at it as her way of saying, “I love you and thanks for rescuing me.”
Babs has other ways of communicating her wants and needs beyond the kneading of our flesh with her “needle-sharp” claws. When Babs is hungry…look out! Even if we are not looking at the clock, she is normally not more than 5 minutes off a very strict feeding schedule. Right on cue, she will appear and begin “looking for trouble.” By that I mean she will jump up on the computer desk and start playing with pens or anything that can be pushed to the edge of the desk and fall to the floor. She will run over and start sharpening her claws on the furniture instead of the scratching post I made for her. She climbs up on the kitchen countertop, table, TV stand or any other place she is not allowed. One of her favorite tricks is playing with the window blinds, anything to get our attention. The whole time she is looking for trouble, Babs is purring very loudly and waving her tail as if to say, “look at me, better feed me!” She will not be ignored.
In the morning, we do not need an alarm clock. We have Babs. When she is ready to start the day and that includes feeding, she will start rattling the sun room doors with her paws and meow loudly. You would swear she was going to rip the doors from their hinges. By the time we pull ourselves from our bed and approach the sun room, Babs has now toned down her fierce meow to that of a poor, little, pathetic kitten… more like a peep than a roar.
In the evenings, a battered, old, cardboard box in the middle of our living room sets the stage for one of Babs’ favorite past times. We call it, “Babs-in-the-box.” It goes like this: she comes running into the room and leaps into the box. She nestles down beneath the two top flaps with only her tail sticking out. When you touch the box a little gray paw shoots out and tries to snag your sock then quickly darts back inside between the two flaps. She loves this game and she cracks us up. As Lisa says, who needs TV?
Ah, the life of a cat. You eat. You sleep and you play. Does it get any better than that?
FOOD for THOUGHT...
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
One Day at a Time
The end of the year and the beginning of the new year were filled with a mixture of joy, anger, frustration and hope. These past few months have been a mixed bag of emotions. Between a sick pet, the inauguration of a new president, computer problems and the failing economy, I’ve been on a roller coaster ride.
Upon our return from an enjoyable Christmas with Lisa’s brother and her mother, we found our 16 year old cat, Spike, on death’s doorstep. After two trips to the vet costing hundreds of dollars, we brought Spike home to die. For a solid week, Lisa and I held our ailing lion in our arms, waiting for the end. I “lost it” several times due to lack of sleep and worry. I was a bear to be around. Poor Lisa! Well, somehow, using up eight of his nine lives…Spike pulled through. We just caught him in the trash can tonight, looking for food (he’s such a dog!).
Lisa and I were overjoyed in January as we waited for the inauguration of Barack Obama and the change we had hoped for. We watched the new first family riding and walking to their new home in the White House. We saw former President Bush and his wife lift off to their new private lives in Dallas, Texas. We saw the millions of people who braved the frigid temperatures to see this changing of the guard. To the amazement of everyone, there were no incidents. It went off without a hitch. It was magical. Our new President hit the ground running, wasting no time making changes. My emotions couldn’t have been higher. Then he hit a brick wall and the “honeymoon” was over.
In the midst of all this celebration, my computer decided to crash. It started with a “blue screen of death” once in a while. Then it was every time I signed on. Then it was while I was signed on. One day, it finally said my computer was unable to start and would I like to restore the system. Yes I would, thank you. It worked again…for a while. But soon, I was getting more of those dreaded blue screens and my level of frustration was growing by leaps and bounds. When my video camera on Lisa’s computer stopped working, I was convinced that every electronic device I touched had it in for me. Again, poor Lisa! The woman is a saint. After all my ranting and raving, I contacted a computer repair man who replaced my hard drive and saved my data. The video camera began working again…finally.
Everyday the news of the sinking economy gets worse. Unemployment is at a 26 year high and a million lay offs a month are forecasting worse things to come if something is not done soon. So let the feuding begin! The Congress fiddles while the country burns. Each side is vowing to scuttle the other. Each side is sure that they have the correct fix to the mess we are in now. Tax cuts! Massive spending! Bail outs! Do nothing! Blame! Fault… Gridlock. Is there any wonder that our Congress had a lower rating than our last President? Have they learned nothing?
But in the end, life goes on and the sun will come up tomorrow. Economies crash and they rise again from the ashes. Companies come and companies go. Jobs are lost and jobs are found. We survive these ups and downs by taking it one day at a time. Each day is a new chance to get it right. We can choose the gloom and doom of the latest news, or we can stop, take a deep breath and learn to live in the moment, a moment without fear, a moment without anger and frustration. I’m still learning to breathe. God help me, I am still learning to breathe…
Did I mention that our phoenix, Spike, was caught in the trash looking for food today?
FOOD for THOUGHT...
Upon our return from an enjoyable Christmas with Lisa’s brother and her mother, we found our 16 year old cat, Spike, on death’s doorstep. After two trips to the vet costing hundreds of dollars, we brought Spike home to die. For a solid week, Lisa and I held our ailing lion in our arms, waiting for the end. I “lost it” several times due to lack of sleep and worry. I was a bear to be around. Poor Lisa! Well, somehow, using up eight of his nine lives…Spike pulled through. We just caught him in the trash can tonight, looking for food (he’s such a dog!).
Lisa and I were overjoyed in January as we waited for the inauguration of Barack Obama and the change we had hoped for. We watched the new first family riding and walking to their new home in the White House. We saw former President Bush and his wife lift off to their new private lives in Dallas, Texas. We saw the millions of people who braved the frigid temperatures to see this changing of the guard. To the amazement of everyone, there were no incidents. It went off without a hitch. It was magical. Our new President hit the ground running, wasting no time making changes. My emotions couldn’t have been higher. Then he hit a brick wall and the “honeymoon” was over.
In the midst of all this celebration, my computer decided to crash. It started with a “blue screen of death” once in a while. Then it was every time I signed on. Then it was while I was signed on. One day, it finally said my computer was unable to start and would I like to restore the system. Yes I would, thank you. It worked again…for a while. But soon, I was getting more of those dreaded blue screens and my level of frustration was growing by leaps and bounds. When my video camera on Lisa’s computer stopped working, I was convinced that every electronic device I touched had it in for me. Again, poor Lisa! The woman is a saint. After all my ranting and raving, I contacted a computer repair man who replaced my hard drive and saved my data. The video camera began working again…finally.
Everyday the news of the sinking economy gets worse. Unemployment is at a 26 year high and a million lay offs a month are forecasting worse things to come if something is not done soon. So let the feuding begin! The Congress fiddles while the country burns. Each side is vowing to scuttle the other. Each side is sure that they have the correct fix to the mess we are in now. Tax cuts! Massive spending! Bail outs! Do nothing! Blame! Fault… Gridlock. Is there any wonder that our Congress had a lower rating than our last President? Have they learned nothing?
But in the end, life goes on and the sun will come up tomorrow. Economies crash and they rise again from the ashes. Companies come and companies go. Jobs are lost and jobs are found. We survive these ups and downs by taking it one day at a time. Each day is a new chance to get it right. We can choose the gloom and doom of the latest news, or we can stop, take a deep breath and learn to live in the moment, a moment without fear, a moment without anger and frustration. I’m still learning to breathe. God help me, I am still learning to breathe…
Did I mention that our phoenix, Spike, was caught in the trash looking for food today?
FOOD for THOUGHT...
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