January 24, 2013

We’re throwing away approximately 50 percent more food per person today than we did in the mid ’70s.

http://www.globalpossibilities.org/farm-to-table-or-farm-to-landfill/




Alison Spiegel

Associate Blog Editor, The Huffington Post
Posted: 01/23/2013 12:10 pm

One of my New Year’s Resolutions this year is to waste less. As an American, I know that it’s too easy to be wasteful in my daily life, which seems structured to waste as much as possible. But I also know there are a ton of easy, simple changes I can make to improve my habits and waste less. So it is my goal this year to build these habits into my daily life and make them routine. My goal is to cut down the waste I produce from food and food packaging — the two items that make up the bulk of what I throw into my trash can. For this post, I’ll focus on food waste. 2013 has already seen a flurry of media attention on food waste, following a new study published a few weeks ago by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, which estimates thatas much as half of the food we produce gets thrown away.

The report, “Global Food: Waste Not Want Not,” reports that “30 to 50 percent (or 1.2 to two billion tonnes) of all food produced never reaches a human stomach.” That’s 2.6 to 4.4 trillion pounds — an incredible amount of food, and a global calamity. As Americans, we throw away up to 40 percent of the food we produce, or the equivalent of $165 billion a year. Food waste represents the largest category of waste in landfills in the United States. And of course we’re not only wasting food; we’re also losing all of the precious resources used to produce food, from petroleum to water to land. Over half of the land in the United States and roughly 80 percent of the water we use is dedicated to food production. Almost as staggering as the amount of food and resources in the process that we waste is how quickly our systemic excess has escalated. Dana Gunders, a scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, estimates that we’re throwing away approximately 50 percent more food per person today than we did in the mid ’70s. It’s time to turn this behavior around.

So what can we do?

We can approach the problem from two angles: We can produce less food waste to begin with and then we can compost the waste we will inevitably end up with. We can take this two-pronged approach on an individual level, and also by demanding change on an institutional level.

To produce less food waste this year, I’m going to be more diligent about menu planning when I go food shopping, so that I buy a set of ingredients that will go toward multiple dishes instead of isolated ingredients that will rot in the fridge if I don’t use them up. If Monday night’s dinner calls for asparagus, I’ll make sure I’m cooking a dish that can use the excess asparagus later in the week. I also plan to heed the good advice that almost anything can be frozen and saved for later.


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January 18, 2013

Friday-Fun Break-----20 Amazing Examples of Owl Camouflage

http://www.boredpanda.com/owl-camouflage/

one sample... click link to see the other 19...amazing !

January 18, 2013

States just need to stop behaving outside the constitution

Right wingers LOVE LOVE LOVE their constitution, so why not just make any state that has ANY registered guns, actually FORM those militias.

The militias (well-regulated of course) will then be in charge of keeping track of (and be responsible financially for) the activities of guns in that state.

Each state could "franchise" the well-regulated part of the measure to localities who would then be in charge of setting up facilities where those guns would be put to use for the REGULAR/SCHEDULED meetings and training sessions.

And as part of the well-regulated militias, those members (gun-owners) would also be required to make themselves available in case of any emergency, just as the National Guard does as well..

The militias (since they are so skilled with weapons) would also be first in line if extra soldiers are needed.

Automatic weapons belonging to other-than law enforcement or active military should be assigned to the member's closest drill-facility, so it would be safe and secure, but still readily available for practice.

That would also be lifting a burden from those beleaguered gun owners since their guns would be safe and secure and unavailable for nefarious purposes.

They might even offer their guns to be "rented" to fun-seekers/would-be militia joiners as long as they use them at the regulated militia shooting range facilities.

By having these guns secured, it would also draw a very bold line between legal and illegal. Any gun seen or discovered OUTSIDE the regulated militia facility would be subject to confiscation.

It's time the states-righters stepped up and started paying attention to one of their dearest amendments...and time to start honoring the full extent of the amendment..

You know that's what the founding fathers would have wanted.

January 15, 2013

John Boehner & his hinky henchmen

It's vaguely reminiscent of a TV movie:

They cook up a ransom scheme, but they accidentally kidnap the black sheep of the family and no one will pay ransom.

The leader (Boehner) probably would just like to drop the hostage off on a dark road somewhere to find his way home, but his hinky henchmen want to at least chop off a few fingers for starters, and maybe down the line one of them may want to escalate things..

They all know that they will be blamed for their daring act, but no one is thinking things through anymore..

None of them trusts any of the others, and the hinky henchmen might just turn on the leader (Boehner)..The hostage knows who they are, and will probably tell on them, but so far they are not ready to get rid of their hostage.

January 10, 2013

Curing "Pork"

Not talking here about delicious BBQ..

Each senator/congressperson is naturally going to want to bolster their approval "back home", so why not just allocate some discretionary funds available to them for the "folks back home"...

Base the amount on the number of constituents represented by that legislator.

Make it PUBLIC information, available online, and just leave it up the THEM how it gets spent....but they have to account for every penny.

AND..

at the same time, make it LAW, that spending bills will be "pork-free" and as much as possible, be single-issue legislation that has to be of benefit to ALL citizens, and to the detriment of NONE.

If it's a transportation bill, there is no "girly-bits" legislation tacked onto it..

January 10, 2013

"A 16-year-old student armed with a shotgun..."

CBS/AP/ January 10, 2013, 5:49 PM
Student shot at Calif. high school by classmate; suspect talked into surrendering by staff


(video)
http://tinyurl.com/ap4fr7r

A 16-year-old student armed with a shotgun walked into class in a rural California high school on Thursday and shot one student, fired at another but missed, and then was talked into surrendering by a teacher and another staff member, officials said.

The teen victim was in critical but stable condition, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood told a press conference. The sheriff said the teacher suffered a minor pellet wound to the head but declined treatment.

The gunman had as many as 20 rounds of ammunition in his pocket, the sheriff said.

When the shots were fired, the teacher tried to get the more than two dozen students out a back door and also engaged the shooter in conversation to distract him, Youngblood said. A campus supervisor responding to a call of shots fired also began talking to the gunman.

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January 10, 2013

Up close & way too personal at a fire this week

Our son works at this apartment complex, the fire alarm in the office lit up & sounded off, (many false alarms, but he always has to go check personally before the FD shows up) he was confronted with an inferno in progress.. He and 2 others proceeded to kick in doors to check for pets & warn anyone who might not be able to get to the door. The 12 unit building had 11 tenants.

The wind was howling that day too. ..

Everyone (including pets) got out, but the building was a total loss.. Our son is still a bit sore from the adrenalin-powered door-busting, but is happy that everyone is safe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=GZ3nutLg5Jc

January 6, 2013

Missoni Executive’s Plane Search Intensifies in Venezuela

Missoni Executive’s Plane Search Intensifies in Venezuela
By Sonia Sirletti, Jose Orozco & Celeste Perri - Jan 6, 2013 3:00 PM PT
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-06/missoni-executive-s-plane-search-intensifies-in-venezuela.html
Venezuelan authorities intensified a search for the plane carrying fashion executive Vittorio Missoni that vanished off the country’s coast three days ago.

More than 385 people are involved in the search for the plane, which hasn’t been heard from since it went missing Jan. 4, according to a government statement. The plane was carrying Missoni, 58, the executive responsible for marketing at the eponymous Italian fashion house known for its zig-zag knitwear, as well as his partner and four others. Authorities aren’t dismissing any hypothesis, the Venezuelan government said.

Founded in the 1950s by Vittorio’s parents Ottavio and Rosita, Missoni SpA is run by Vittorio, his brother Luca and their sister Angela. With designs worn by celebrities including Madonna and Jennifer Lopez, the fashion house has expanded its store networks and diversified out of clothing by designing hotels and tableware. A lower-priced line, M Missoni, was introduced in 1998 to broaden the brand’s customer base.

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January 6, 2013

The future Social Security problem we SHOULD be worrying about

SS is based on your earnings over time..

As more and more people are working for less and less, their future benefits will also be a lot less than will be necessary for them to stay above the poverty line.

And since FICA is calculated as a percentage of income, as salaries have eroded and will continue to erode, Medicare solvency is never going to "get better".

People who have never had a job that pays more than $10-15 an hour will have to face old age with next to nothing.

The benefits currently being paid out were earned from wages paid during a time when many people worked union jobs and paid to people who may have also still had the benefit of a pension.

This is the real time bomb, and may be behind the rush to cut & slash now..