Bette Midler Named "Suburban Princess of the Month"

Based on overwhelming reader response, I have decided to name Bette Midler "Suburban Princess of the Month." Readers overwhelmingly felt that Bette Midler's self-confidence, individual style, and positive public service made her a strong role model for women and men alike. Particularly impressive was Bette's work creating the New York Restoration Project, where she used her status to fulfill her dream of a more beautiful New York and to restore and revitalize parks in New York's underpriviledged areas. This is exactly what "Suburban Princesses" are all about - using their talents and resources to promote the public good. One reader also pointed out that Bette was one of the early entertainers to start speaking out about the issue of AIDS, so considering that December first was AIDS Awareness Day, I thought it was appropriate to choose Bette Midler as our very first "Suburban Princess of the Month."

Most readers also felt that Bette's song "From a Distance" was intended to be a positive message encouraging peace and inspiring us to live up to the ideals that a God who "is watching" would want from us.

Congratulations, Bette, for being our first "Suburban Princess of the Month!"

Readers, if you need a worthwhile charity to donate to this holiday season, New York Restoration Project may be one to consider!

Bette Midler - From A Distance

This is the original song, not the new revised Christmas version, but the words are basically the same.

Bette Midler's "From a Distance"-- What does it mean?

The other day I saw Bette Midler interviewed on CBS Morning News about her new Christmas album. Why would a funky, brazen, wonderful Jewish woman like Bette Midler put out a Christmas album? Well, she said, with 500 other Christmas albums out there, she thought her fans might like one, too. Now, isn’t that a display of a positive attitude if there ever was one. Watching and listening to Bette on CBS was an inspiration. Here is a woman bold enough to be herself, no apologies. She even likes dirty jokes and admitted it on national television!

The first time Bette was recognized for her singing was at a school contest singing “Silent Night.” She was a little nervous to tell her mother that she won the contest, though, because “Silent Night” was not in her family’s “repertoire of songs.” She did tell her mother, however, and what was her mom’s reaction? Pure pride! I was so impressed by the interview that I succumbed to commercialism and bought the CD within twenty- four hours. It is an enjoyable repertoire of Christmas songs with a special flair of Bette’s individualism. A spunky Jewish woman recording a Christmas CD reflects what is best about America – our freedom of religion and appreciation for one another’s cultures.

I was touched by the revised Christmas version of “From a Distance.” When I heard the words,
“From a distance you look like my friend
Even though we are at war
From a distance I can't comprehend
What all this war is for”

I interpreted it to be a message about our common humanity, a message for hope and peace. Now that I think more about it, though, I am wondering about that interpretation. Is the song also suggesting that if you get a little closer, it will be clear that you are not my friend and war makes sense? According to wikipedia, “Somewhat ironically, much of the song's popularity coincided with the first Persian Gulf War. It received a "Minute Man Award" from the United States Army for inspiring the troops and a "Seven Seals Award" from the Department of Defense.” So now, I’m wondering, is it “ironic” that it’s being released again during another war in the Persian Gulf? Is Bette being nostalgic? Capitalizing on an opportunity? Trying to support the troops? Participating in the propaganda machine? Or simply just being herself?

Rethinking Black Friday

On the biggest shopping day of the year, my husband and I bought only two bagels and two coffees. It was a trip down to the local bagel shop and back. They know us there. We’re regulars. And that was it. No traffic, no stress, just a nice chewy bagel baked perfectly and smothered with gooey cream cheese. Let me tell you. It felt great to be home, to be together, the idea of shopping, the furthest thing from our minds. We are very lucky to have everything we need. And the things we want, no one can buy us – good health, world peace, and more time with each other, our family and friends. Time – the most important gift of all -- and yet we spend so much of our time working to pay for all the stuff we accumulate: stuff we don’t need that begins to clutter up our home and add stress to our lives as we try to find better ways to organize it all.

A few years ago my sister decided to simplify her life and told us all to stop buying her stuff. She introduced a game at Christmas called “Recycled Santa.” At first, we couldn’t understand why she or anyone would want used things for Christmas, but little by little over the years, her decision has helped us think about the things we buy, who made them, and the effect each purchase has on the planet. It took some real impulse control to stop going crazy at all the holiday sales and “Recycled Santa” took a little getting used to, but now our holidays are more focused on being together and listening to each other’s hearts.

Of course, there is always something wonderful about giving that perfect gift to the person you love, and there is nothing wrong with buying someone a gift, but it is also important not to feel pressured by the media advertising to spend needlessly. It takes the average American three months to pay off their credit card debt after the holidays. We are not helping our families by taking on debt. Our spending habits can promote a better world, support injustice, or contribute to global warming, so it is important to think about where our money goes. Nothing can make a bigger statement than how we spend or don’t spend our money!

Some considerations for this holiday season….

1. Really listen to what our loved ones want and need. When someone’s heart has been heard, the price of the gift is irrelevant.
2. Buy local if possible. Buying local keeps the money in the community, helps local retailers in business, and reduces fuel use.
3. Buy products that support your values. If it’s important to you that workers get healthcare or have the right to organize, you may not want to shop at Wal-mart.
4. Consider donating to a charity as a gift.
5. Museums, PBS, and NPR have great gift shops and purchases help support those institutions.

Sometimes we want to shop our values, but it can be challenging! Below are some links that might make it easier.

Shopunionmade.org will help you find products made by union workers.
Powells.com is a great independent bookstore that employees union workers. A great alternative to amazon.com
Justice Clothing sells clothing made by union workers in U.S.A. and Canada.
The Certified Jean Company sells jeans made with organic cotton and by workers who earn a living wage.
Through Oxfam, you can buy a family in the developing world an animal that will help them be self-sufficient.
Dean's Beans sells fair trade coffee and you can design your own blend with your own label for the holidays.
Baby clothes made with organic cotton and adorned with inspirational sayings can be found at littlelefties.com.
Christmas Wreaths and Maine Crafts can be purchased at homecoop.net to help lower income people in Maine.
Hams, cheeses, organic foods, and Appalachian handicrafts can be purchased at supermarketcoop.com to support the rural community.
Coopamerica.org provides a list of green businesses.
Care2.com has a list of well known retailers that will donate to environmental causes if you purchase from them through this site.
Fair trade imported goods such as handicrafts, jewelry, linens, toys, musical instruments can be found at Tenthousandvillages.com and agreatergift.org and Greatergift.org also has wonderful gift baskets.
Divine chocolate is fair trade, delicious and makes a nice hostess gift.
Organicbouquet.com sells beautiful organic flowers and gift baskets.
Equal Exchange sells fair trade coffee, tea, and chocolate.
Shoppbs.org sells great dvds and videos and the purchases support public broadcasting.
National Public Radio’s online-shop also sells interesting music, CDs, and other gifts. These purchases also support their programming.
The on-line store for the Metropolitan Museum of Art sells jewelry, scarfs, books, and more. Expensive, but beautiful.
Buying for Equality Guide helps you support businesses that support equal rights for gay people.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season! Enjoy the preparations!

Black Friday Shopping Experience

Howard Dean on the Daily Show

Howard Dean says, "Boo Yah!"

Why I'm Not Celebrating Democratic Victory

Because I remember October 11, 2002, I am not celebrating. It was early evening and I was driving home from work. My car shuffled ahead slowly in heavy traffic; I put the radio on. It seemed like each time I put my foot on the brake, another Democrat was voting to support House Joint Resolution 114, the joint resolution to use the U.S. armed forces against Iraq. It was a confusing and aggravating drive home. Senator after Senator would list reservations about the war, but then vote “Yea.” I remember it well. It was the day I lost faith in the Democratic Party. So, excuse me, if this Democratic victory doesn’t have me shouting, “Boo ya!” A Democratic victory doesn’t bring back the 2,842 dead American soldiers or the 150,000 dead Iraqi civilians. A Democratic majority in Congress doesn’t give one of the 21,000 wounded soldiers a new limb. I just hope it gives the party some spine.

Here is the list of Democratic Senators who voted to support Resolution 114. Notice the names. Many of them are still leaders in the party: Bayh, Biden, Clinton, Edwards, Feinstein, Kerry, Schumer. And, of course, don’t forget, the former Democrat Lieberman.

Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Breaux (D-LA)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carnahan (D-MO)
Carper (D-DE)
Cleland (D-GA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Daschle (D-SD)
Dodd (D-CT))
Dorgan (D-ND
Edwards (D-NC)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hollings (D-SC)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Miller (D-GA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Schumer (D-NY))
Torricelli (D-NJ)

According to NPR’s morning edition on October 11, 2002, New York Democrat Hillary Clinton said she was voting for the resolution even though it did not place enough emphasis on diplomacy and weapons inspections.

In her own words,

“A vote for it is not a vote to rush to war. It is a vote that puts awesome responsibility in the hands of our president and we say to him, `Use these powers wisely and as a last resort.”

Senator Biden argued that the President hadn’t made a strong enough case for war, yet he still voted for the resolution.

According to NPR’s broadcast, Biden said,

“He (Bush) has not yet made the case to the American people that the United States may have to solve this problem alone or with relatively few people or has he told us of the sacrifices that such a course of action will involve.”

Biden said the president assured him that if it came to using military force against Iraq, he would tell Americans what they‘d be in for (NPR).

Would voting against the resolution have been political suicide for the Dems, given the context of the recent September 11th tragedy and a presidential election looming in 2004? Without a majority in either house, would “Nay” votes have been futile? Apparently, 23 Senators and 133 members of the House didn’t think so and had the courage to vote, “Nay!” One of the most outspoken of these was West Virginia's Senator Robert Byrd who called the Senate vote one horrible mistake.

According to NPR, Byrd stated,

“This is my 50th year in Congress and I never would have thought that I'd find a Senate which would lack the backbone to stand up against the stampede, this rush to war, this rush to give to the president of the United States, to let him determine alone when he will send the sons and daughters of the American people into war.”

Byrd was rebuffed in two attempts to amend the resolution and set limits on its duration (NPR).

These courageous “Nay” sayers were joined by hundreds and thousands of citizens in the U.S. and around the world who spoke out by peacefully protesting the war in demonstrations.

CNN reported:

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Millions took to the streets of Europe to protest against a war with Iraq in huge demonstrations later repeated in the United States.

In London on Saturday, police said the turnout was 750,000, the largest demonstration ever in the British capital. The organizers put the figure at 2 million. Half a million protested in Germany, and 300,000 in 60 towns and cities across France.

CNN's Alessio Vinci said that the turnout in Rome, Italy -- where Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has publicly backed the stance of U.S. President George W. Bush -- was also said by the organizers to be 1 million. It was certainly in the high hundreds of thousands, he said, with many marchers trapped in traffic on the city outskirts.

The scenes were repeated in the United States, with crowds of anti-war demonstrators jamming into downtown New York and other cities.

While I do have hope for the first time since 2002 that perhaps our country will truly live out the values it professes in the Constitution and head in a new direction, I’m not celebrating just yet. As far as I’m concerned, this Democratic Congress has a lot to prove.


Here is a list of the members of the House and Senate who had the courage to vote against the use of the U.S. military in Iraq. I wish them a long career in U.S. government. Notice that Nancy Pelosi, the new Speaker of the House, is on the list (Perhaps, just perhaps, that is cause for celebration)!

Alabama Rep Earl Hilliard
Arizona Rep Ed Pastor
Arkansas Rep Vic Snyder

California Sen Barbara Boxer- Rep Joe Baca- Rep Xavier Becerra- Rep Lois Capps- Rep Gary Condit- Rep Susan Davis- Rep Anna Eshoo- Rep Sam Farr- Rep Bob Filner- Rep Mike Honda- Rep Barbara Lee- Rep Zoe Lofgren- the late Rep Robert Matsui- Rep Juanita Millender-McDonald- Rep George Miller- Rep Grace Napolitano- Rep Nancy Pelosi- Rep Lucille Roybal-Allard- Rep Loretta Sanchez- Rep Hilda Solis- Rep Pete Stark- Rep Mike Thompson- Rep Maxine Waters- Rep Diane Watson- Rep Lynn Woolsey

Colorado Rep Diana DeGette- Rep Mark Udall
Connecticut Rep Rosa DeLaura- Rep John Larson- Rep James Maloney
Florida Sen Bob Graham- Rep Corinne Brown- Rep Alice Hastings- Rep Carrie Meek
Georgia Rep John Lewis- Rep Cynthia McKinney
Hawaii Sen Daniel Akaka- Sen Daniel Inouye- Rep Neil Abercrombie

Illinois Sen Dick Durbin- Rep Jerry Costello- Rep Danny Davis- Rep Lane Evans- Rep Luis Gutierrez Rep Jesse Jackson, Jr- Rep Bill Lipinski- Sen Bobby Rush- Rep Jan Schakowsky

Indiana Rep Julia Carson- Rep John Hostettler- Rep Pete Viscloskey
Iowa Rep Jim Leach

Maine Rep Tom Allen- Rep John Baldacci

Maryland Sen Barbara Mikulski- Sen Paul Sarbanes- Rep Benjamin Cardin- Rep Elijah Cummings- Rep Connie Morella

Massachusetts Sen Ted Kennedy- Rep Michael Capuano- Rep Bill Delahunt- Rep Barney Frank- Rep Jim McGovern- Rep Richard Neal- Rep John Olver- Rep John Tierney

Michigan Sen Carl Levin- Sen Debbie Stabenow- Rep David Bonior- Rep John Conyers, Jr- Rep John Dingell- Rep Dale Kildee- Rep Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick- Rep Sandy Levin- Rep Lynn Rivers- Rep Burt Stupak

Minnesota Sen Mark Dayton- the late Sen Paul Wellstone- Rep Betty McCollum- Rep Jim Oberstar- Rep Martin Olav Sabo

Mississippi Rep Bennie Thompson
Missouri Rep William Clay, Jr- Rep Karen McCarthy

New Jersey Sen Jon Corzine- Rep Rush Holt- Rep Robert Menendez- Rep Frank Pallone, Jr- Rep Donald Payne

New Mexico Sen Jeff Bingaman- Rep Tom Udall

New York Rep Maurice Hinchey- Rep Amo Houghton- Rep John LaFalce- Rep Gregory Meeks- Rep Jerrold Nadler- Rep Major Owens- Rep Charles Rangel- Rep Jose Serrano- Rep Louise Slaughter- Rep Edolphus Towns- Rep Nydia Velaquez

North Carolina Rep Eva Clayton- Rep David Price- Rep Melvin Watt
North Dakota Sen Kent Conrad

Ohio Rep Sharrod Brown- Rep Stephanie Tubbs Jones- Rep Marcy Kaptur- Rep Dennis Kucinich- Rep Thomas Sawyer- Rep Ted Strickland

Oregon Sen Ron Wyden- Rep Earl Blumenauer- Rep Peter DeFazio- Rep Darlene Hooley- Rep David Wu

Pennsylvania Rep Robert Brady- Rep William Coyne- Rep Mike Doyle- Rep Chaka Fattah
Rhode Island Sen Lincoln Chaffee- Sen Jack Reed- Rep James Langevin
South Carolina Rep Gresham Barrett- Rep James Clyburn
Tennessee Rep John Duncan, Jr

Texas Rep Lloyd Doggett- Rep Charles Gonzalez- Rep Ruben Hinojosa- Rep Sheila Jackson-Lee- Rep Eddie Bernice Johnson- Rep Ron Paul- Rep Silvestre Reyes- Rep Ciro Rodriguez

Vermont Sen Jim Jeffords- Sen Patrick Leahy- Rep Bernie Sanders
Virginia Rep Jim Moran- Rep Bobby Scott
Washington Sen Patty Murray- Rep Jay Inslee- Rep Rick Larsen- Rep Jim McDermott
Washington DC Rep Brian Baird
West Virginia Sen Robert Byrd- Rep Alan Mollohan- Rep Nick Rahall
Wisconsin Sen Russ Feingold- Rep Tammy Baldwin- Rep Jerry Kleczka- Rep David Obey

Ding Dong!

Yes, the Democrats are celebrating victory (watch and enjoy), but with this victory comes responsibility and they better live up to it.

Katrina ad

Another powerful video that hit home for me in light of my summer experience in New Orleans.

Be Heard: Vote Now - Nov. 7, 2006

This was a pretty powerful video I saw on You tube that reminded me of why it's so important to vote on Tuesday.

Celebrate Election Day: VOTE!

It’s been a while since I’ve written. Overwhelmed with the demands of a new job, I haven’t had time to be too politically active, to blog, or even to cook for that matter. For the last two months, I’ve been surviving on coffee and take out. (The guy who made “Supersize Me” is onto something. My health is slipping, but I’ve managed to fight off two colds.) Nevertheless, I’m taking a brief respite from my basement of books to celebrate what I hope will one day be a national holiday – ELECTION DAY!!!!!!

Tuesday is the big day!!!!! Sometimes voter participation slips in a non-presidential election, but I hope the fight over control in Congress will get people to the polls. So this is just a friendly reminder (not that you need it – it just gives me something to say), that Tuesday is election day, so get out there and vote your conscience, and if you can bring your children and make it a big deal for them, you are doing your part to create an active citizen and to preserve our democracy. Studies show that young people who vote at 18 are more likely to continue to vote throughout their lives. People who do not vote at the age of 18 are less like to ever vote. Taking young children to the polls can help make voting fun and show them the importance of voting when they are 18.

I heard that HBO is showing this month an insightful documentary on electronic voting machines called “Hacking Democracy.” Try to catch it if you can. Click here to read more about it.
If, like me, you have been too busy to read up on the candidates, (especially the more local ones), don’t despair, there are some on-line sources that try to make it easier to find out more about the candidates. Here are some that I have found.

Vote411
Vote-smart.org
League of Women Voters

The Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee is trying to encourage women to participate more in the political process through voting and running for office.

If you feel strongly about a particular candidate, but don’t really have time to get involved, just tell everyone you know to go out and vote and tell them why you are choosing to vote for that particular candidate. Studies show that personal contact is the number one influencing factor, when people consider for whom to cast their ballot.

Of course, if you do have time, it is not too late to help. The last few days before an election are a critical time to convince the undecided voter and to get people to the polls. Leaflet dropping or phone banking can be very effective. Some organizations like MoveOn.Org have on-line systems that even allow you to phone bank from your own home. Click here if you are interested in participating.


If you have no idea who to vote for (which I know is unlikely since you are an intelligent person and up on current events) or don’t really care all that much, you can do me a favor and vote for a Democratic Congressional candidate, so that we can restore the vital checks and balances to our national government.

I value education, the environment, healthcare and fair working conditions for all, so I tend to vote for candidates endorsed by teachers’ unions, other unions, and environmental organizations like the Sierra Club. I have listed the endorsements below. Good luck making your very important voting decision and remember to encourage everyone you know to get out there and vote!

New York State United Teachers/United Federation of Teachers Endorsements

GOVERNOR
Eliot Spitzer
LT. GOVERNOR
David Paterson
U.S. SENATE
Hillary Rodham Clinton
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Andrew Cuomo
U.S. CONGRESS
CD 03: Dave Mejias
CD 05: Gary L. Ackerman
CD 06: Gregory Meeks
CD 07: Joseph Crowley
CD 08: Jerrold Nadler
CD 09: Anthony Weiner
CD 10: Edolphus Towns
CD 11: Carl Andrews
CD 12: Nydia Velazquez
CD 13: Steve Harrison
CD 14: Carolyn Maloney
CD 15: Charles Rangel
CD 16: Jose E. Serrano
CD 17: Eliot L. Engel
CD 18: Nita M. Lowey

STATE SENATE
SD 10: Ada L. Smith
SD 11: Frank Padavan
SD 12: George Onorato
SD 13: John Sabini
SD 14: Malcolm A. Smith
SD 15: No Endorsement
SD 16: Toby Ann Stavisky
SD 17: Martin Malave Dilan
SD 18: Velmanette Montgomery
SD 19: John L. Sampson
SD 20: Eric Adams
SD 21: Kevin S. Parker
SD 22: No Endorsement
SD 23: Diane J. Savino
SD 24: No Endorsement
SD 25: Martin Connor
SD 26: Elizabeth Krueger
SD 27: Carl Kruger
SD 28: Jose Serrano
SD 29: Tom K. Duane
SD 30: Bill Perkins
SD 31: Eric T. Schneiderman
SD 32: Ruben Diaz
SD 33: Efrain Gonzalez, Jr.
SD 34: Jeffrey D. Klein
SD 35: Nicholas A. Spano
SD 36: Ruth Hassell-Thompson

STATE ASSEMBLY
AD 22: Ellen Young
AD 23: Audrey Pheffer
AD 24: Mark Weprin
AD 25: Rory Lancman
AD 26: Ann Margaret Carrozza
AD 27: Nettie Mayersohn
AD 28: Andrew Hevesi
AD 29: William Scarborough
AD 30: Margaret Markey
AD 31: Michele Titus
AD 32: Vivian Cook
AD 33: Barbara Clark
AD 34: Ivan Lafayette
AD 35: Jeffrion Aubry
AD 36: Michael Gianaris
AD 37: Catherine Nolan
AD 38: Anthony Seminerio
AD 39: Jose Peralta
AD 40: Diane Gordon
AD 41: Helene Weinstein
AD 42: Rhoda Jacobs
AD 43: Karim Camara
AD 44: James Brennan
AD 45: Steven Cymbrowitz
AD 46: Alec Brook-Krasny
AD 47: William ColtonAD
48: Dov Hikind
AD 49: Peter Abbate, Jr.
AD 50: Joseph Lentol
AD 51: Felix Ortiz
AD 52: Joan Millman
AD 53: No Endorsement
AD 54: Darryl Towns
AD 55: William Boyland, Jr.
AD 56: Annette Robinson
AD 57: Hakeem Jeffries
* AD 58: N. Nick Perry
AD 59: Alan Maisel
AD 60: Janele Hyer-Spencer
AD 61: John Lavelle
AD 62: Vincent Ignizio
AD 63: Michael Cusick
AD 64: Sheldon Silver
AD 65: Alexander B. “Pete” Grannis
AD 66: Deborah Glick
AD 67: Linda Rosenthal
AD 68: Adam Clayton Powell
AD 69: Daniel O’Donnell
AD 70: Keith Wright
AD 71: Herman D. Farrell, Jr.
AD 72: Adriano Espaillat
AD 73: Jonathan Bing
AD 74: Sylvia Friedman
AD 75: Richard Gottfried
AD 76: Peter Rivera
AD 77: Aurelia Greene
AD 78: Jose Rivera
AD 79: Michael Benjamin
AD 80: Naomi Rivera
AD 81: Jeffrey Dinowitz
AD 82: Michael Benedetto
AD 83: Carl E. Heastie
AD 84: Carmen Arroyo
AD 85: Rubin Diaz, Jr.
AD 86: Luis M. Diaz
*NYSUT ENDORSEMENT

Communications Workers Endorsements
Key District 1 Races
Senate Races
New Jersey
Bob Menendez
Rhode Island
Sheldon Whitehouse

Congressional Races
New York

Candidates

David Mejias 3rd District (Long Island)
John Hall 18th (mid-Hudson)
Kirsten Gillibrand 20th (Capitol Region)
Mike Arcuri 24th (Utica Area)
Dan Maffei 25th (Syracuse)
Jack Davis 26th (Western NY)
Eric Massa 29th (Southern Tier)

Connecticut

Joe Courtney 2nd (eastern CT)
Diane Farrell 4th(southwestern CT)
Chris Murphy 5th(central/western CT)

New Hampshire

Paul Hodes 2nd (western NH)

New Jersey

Linda Stender 7th (north-central NJ)


Sierra Club Endorsements

Congressional Voting Records

Hurricane Katrina: The Drive: New Orleans Lower 9th Ward

Ironically, today is New Orleans's birthday. If you have fifteen minutes to pay tribute to the residents of the Lower Ninth Ward, watch this moving video. Let's help New Orleans Rebuild!

Stories from New Orleans and Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts"

I think when we look back on this many years from now, I'm confident that people are gonna see what happened in New Orleans as a defining moment in American history. Whether that's pro or con is yet to be determined. And that's one of the reasons why I wanted to do this film.

-Spike Lee

When my husband and I were ambling through the Satchmo Jazz Festival, we met a a very nice man from East New Orleans. We got talking and we asked him about his experience during Hurricane Katrina. He told us his story. He got his family out, but couldn't afford to get out himself. He was home and the storm was over. The sun was shining and suddenly he heard water outside. He looked out the front window and saw water coming, ran to the back to shut the door, and when he returned to the front of the house, he was standing chest high in water. When he tried to open the front door to get out, he couldn't because of the water pressure. This all happened in less than five minutes. Worried for his dog, he somehow managed to get his dog and a backpack to transport his dog as his house filled with water. Twenty five feet of water inundated his house.

He told us how the water knocked his friend's home off its foundation; the house turned sideways and the water rose thirty feet. This friend had to swim out of his house to a highway overhang where he used the guard rail to pull himself out of the water. He told us that some people couldn't swim. Others got so tired treading water that they gave up. He told us of a family he knew, and a wife who couldn't tread water anymore and told her husband, "Don't try to save me, just keep our child alive."

He told us how rescuers didn't take the information of children they saved to record where they brought them and how they transported family members to different locations, separating them. He said there are still 2,000 missing children. Later, on the news in our hotel room, my husband and I saw a child reunited with his family after almost a year.

The personal ads in the Times-Picayune search for missing persons. He told us how DNA tests don't work after a body has been decayed by water and how hundreds of bodies still lied unidentified in the morgue.

Finally, he said, "Somebody should really come and do a documentary of survivor stories. No one would ever believe what people went through. It's worse than anything you saw on tv." And so, I am thankful to Spike Lee for getting the story out there, for giving the people in New Orleans a chance to tell their story in their own words, so perhaps they can finally get the empathy, compassion, respect, admiration, and support they so deserve.

If you didn't catch Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Parts" Monday night, you can still catch the final two parts Tuesday on HBO at 9p.m. EST. The documentary will be reaired in its entirety on August 29th at 9p.m. I highly recommend it. It will change you and the way you view our country.

Personals
""Anyone knowing the whereabouts of ANITA ANN FLEURY or MICHELLE NICOLE FLEURY, please contact Melissa A. Miley, Attorney at Law, 3211 Monterrey Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70814, (225) 926-9415''. Published in Times-Picayune on 08/18

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of DEMETRIA POINTS GADDIES or ADRIAN GADDIES, please contact: Atty. Lisa Matthews, at Stephenson, Matthews, Chavarri and Lambert, LLC., 2305 World Trade Center, #2 Canal St., NOLA 70130. 504-523-6496. Published in Times-Picayune on 08/20

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Heidi Lee Molero Flores, please contact Attorney, Elaine Appleberry, (504) 362-7800 or 2245 Manhattan Blvd., Ste. 108, Harvey, Louisiana 70058. Published in Times-Picayune on 08/21

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of John S. Scott, please contact Andrew H. Wiebelt, II, Attorney 504-821-2669 Published in Times-Picayune on 08/18

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Lisa Lentz. Please contact J. Wagner at 225-667-9268. Published in Times-Picayune on 08/20

Anyone knowing the where abouts of Marilyn Elizabeth Jones or Leonard Parker contact Warren Montgomery, Attorney at Law, 321 N. Vermont, Suite 210, Covington, LA 70433; 985-893-6585 Published in Times-Picayune on 08/20

ANYONE Knowing the whereabouts of Martha Elaine Werner, wife of/and Francis C. Immich, and/or Joanne Genzale, and/or their heirs, if they or any of them are dead, their surviving spouses, if any, and their heirs, if they are also dead, please notify Jeff Bratton, Attorney at Law, P.O. Box 323, Covington, Louisiana 70434. Published in Times-Picayune on 08/17

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Mary Davis widow of Joseph Daigs, please contact Derrick Shepherd, Atty, 504-349-3535 Published in Times-Picayune on 08/18

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of MELISSA JAMES please contact: Cleveland R. Coon Attorney (225) 615-8001 Published in Times-Picayune on 08/21

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Melvin Wilson, please contact Atty. Aaron F. Broussard, 3329 Florida Ave. Kenner, LA 70065. 504-469-6699 Published in Times-Picayune on 08/21

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Mickey Malone, please contact Vivian V. Neumann, 730 Jefferson Street, Lafayette, Louisiana 70501 at (337) 237-1113. Published in Times-Picayune on 08/16

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Mr. Ripoll Robert and Mrs. Mary Cost Robert and any heirs, please contact Kim Glass, Atty. (504) 883-8334 Published in Times-Picayune on 08/18

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Peggy Thomas or anyone associated with PT-MS, Inc. please contact Candice L. Jenkins, Attorney at Law, 422 East Lockwood, Suite 102, Covington, Louisiana 70433 (985) 246-3998. Published in Times-Picayune on 08/20

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of RICHARD WARREN COOPER, please contact: William J. Scheffler, III, Atty-At-Law. 620 Adee Lane, Gretna, LA 70056. 504-433-8770. Published in Times-Picayune on 08/17

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of ROOSEVELT HARRIS, III, please contact: Atty. Bryan K. Jefferson, 228 St. Charles Ave., Suite 1110, NOLA 70130. 504-586-9395. Published in Times-Picayune on 08/21

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of the Heirs of JOSEPH LEE MILLER, please contact: William J. Scheffler, III, Atty-At-Law. 620 Adee Lane, Gretna, LA 70056. 504-433-8770. Published in Times-Picayune on 08/17

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Thomas C. Dufrene, Jr. and Judy Robichaux Dufrene should contact Joel Levy, 7577 Westbank Expressway, Marrero, LA. 70072; (504) 340-2993. Published in Times-Picayune on 08/19

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Tywana J. Wilson and/or Roger Burkette, please contact Andrew H. Wiebelt, II, Attorney 504-821-2669 Published in Times-Picayune on 08/18

Reflecting on New Orleans

I arrived in New Orleans on July 31st. The airport glistened, people smiled. Things seemed more in order than I had imagined. As I drove away from the airport, I saw a picture postcard. Bright sun and palmetto trees guided my path. “Beautiful,” I thought. Cruising route I-10 to Slidell, I slowly noticed the abandoned buildings, on and on, mile after mile: apartment complexes without people, windows without glass, strip malls without working businesses, parking lots without cars. Driving fast, you could mistake this for normalcy, but on closer inspection it was clear, Hurricane Katrina transformed these places into shells. It went on like this sporadically for over thirty miles. The Habitat volunteers on my site agreed, we had no idea how widespread the devastation was. It’s a year after Hurricane Katrina and so little had been done.

Slidell, to the contrary, was in better condition than I expected. Slidell is a suburb about thirty miles outside of New Orleans. Apparently only the southern part of Slidell by Lake Pontchartrain was hit hard. Where we stayed reminded me of Sunrise Highway on Long Island – a busy road lined with strip malls, gas stations, and chain restaurants. There was a Shonee’s, a Cracker Barrel, The Outback, and, of course the fast food hamburger joints. Not too many local restaurants, though. We were looking for some of that Cajun, Creole cooking and finally found Copeland’s of Louisiana, which was a Louisiana chain like TGI Fridays. It had good catfish and was the closest we could get to authentic Louisiana cuisine. They had just opened a month ago after being closed most of the year to renovate after Hurricane Katrina.

The convenient stores at the gas stations in Slidell sold a proportionally high amount of liquor and cigarettes. I couldn’t find yogurt or cheese or some of the usual things I buy in my 7-11 in New York. I searched three convenient stores before I finally found anything remotely nutritious for breakfast the next day. The gas station convenient stores showcased beer, wine, and all sorts of hard liquor. My friend said, “Wow, they’re really trying to push the liquor on these people. Sometimes I think they do that to keep people down.” We see a sign: “Drive thru – daiquiris.”

Slidell’s population has increased from about 35,000 last year to over 100,000 today at least according to our Habitat for Humanity hosts. I can’t imagine how the schools are coping with such a sudden increase in population. The East Tammany Habitat for Humanity’s goal is to build 100 houses by June 2007. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, they averaged two to three houses a year.

We, the Habitat volunteers, were housed in a Church facility together with Americorps volunteers. Americorps managed the Habitat projects together with a few permanent Habitat employees. It struck me as strange that government employees were being housed by a church. To me it raised some church-state issues even though I do support Habitat for Humanity’s valiant effort to build new homes for people in New Orleans and surrounding areas. “Americorps” is like a peace corps for the United States. Young 18-24 year olds get assigned community service projects throughout the country where there is high need. This group thought that they would be traveling the mid-west, but after Katrina hit they were all sent to the Gulf Coast. The group of Americorps kids was impressive -- mature, responsible. They knew their jobs and did them well. Two young women in their twenties were in charge of teaching 25 or so volunteers with little experience how to build frames for concrete foundations. They taught us a whole new vocabulary, as well as, new skills. Our frames needed to be “flush” and “plumb.” They taught us how to use a level, how to sledge a stake, how to hammer in “kickers.” They demonstrated great management techniques, motivating everybody, making sure everyone was included, correcting mistakes in a kindly manner, and encouraging good work. They were detail oriented and expected the job done right. If it wasn’t, it had to be done over. Another “Americorp” kid sawed all the wood for us. (I was grateful because the suburban princess does not use power tools ...yet!). These young people work five to six days a week, eight hours a day in the hot Louisiana sun. In addition to their work week, they are expected to do a certain number of volunteer hours. When we, Habitat volunteers, were celebrating the completion of our work week, we learned that our Americorp manager would have to spend her Saturday picking up garbage. For all this, each member of the Americorp brigade gets paid $150 a week. They get housed in the church dorm and get lunch daily. For breakfast and dinner, they are on their own. One kid wanted to leave the Gulf, “I can’t do anything fun here,” he said, “I go into New Orleans once and that’s half my paycheck.” I told them they need a union bad. Everyone laughed, but I was serious. One day I asked my Americorp manager, “Are you guys pretty much in charge of rebuilding New Orleans or are other government agencies doing stuff, too?” “I don’t know,” she said,”I only know what Americorp is doing. I think FEMA might be doing some building, but I’m not sure.”

Working together to align frame.

Starting on our third house.

We also hammered together the boards for the frame.

This corner took all morning to do.

This is what the frame looks like when complete.

Happy future home owners worked hard with us.

The trouble with working with an all volunteer staff is that they are often inexperienced and as soon as they learn the job they have to leave. Also, sometimes there are mistakes as one group takes over where the previous group left off. We had to redo two of our wall frames because of these types of errors. The Habitat people told us that it generally takes about fifteen weeks to build a house from beginning to end if you have enough volunteers. Not bad, at all, I thought, knowing that it took almost that for my husband and I to get our house painted. One fellow who lived in Atlanta and volunteered with the Atlanta Habitat for Humanity said that the Atlanta group has more money than volunteers so they sub-contract out a lot of the work. The East Tammany Habitat has volunteers, but no money. Fifteen weeks with volunteers and you have a house. Imagine how much faster it would be with professionals – with the Army Corps of Engineers or with work programs like the ones FDR created to get us out of The Depression. It’s been a year since Hurricane Katrina. Why has so little been done?

The French Quarter, because it is above sea level, is fine. It is beautiful and I was surprised, jaded traveler that I am, how much I feel in love with it. Spanish and French architecture, iron trim balconies, and gas lanterns decorate narrow streets. I became smothered by the sounds of zydeco, jazz, blues, rock and raptured by the Cajun and Creole spices. It is an aura unmatched anywhere in the United States.

My husband and I were lucky to catch the annual Satchmo Jazz Festival with live bands scattered throughout the French market area. The crowds were small, but intimate, bonded by their love of the New Orleans culture. Even in the rain, people stayed to dance and sing.






The festival resisted what many perceive to be an attack on or threat to the New Orleans culture. The anger at our government is evident. Signs hang from balconies, “Thanks to global volunteers. No thanks to federal government.” T-shirts in souvenir stands express anger at FEMA’s response: “FEMA: Fix Everything My Ass” is just one example. Signs for condos hang on almost every street throughout the French Quarter and some worry that high priced condos could lock locals out of their own housing market.








Yet, there is also of hope and determination that the culture of New Orleans will survive. “New Orleans Renaissance” banners flutter from lampposts throughout the Quarter. Other t-shirts emblazon inspirational sayings, “Rebuild New Orleans” and “Hope.” Restaurants and businesses with “Open” signs in their windows take on new meaning in New Orleans. Other signs announce, “We’re coming back!” The people in New Orleans are survivors and each in his or her own individual way is fighting for the survival of the home and culture that each knows and loves. A female singer at the jazz festival sings Aretha Franklin, “Think! Think about what you’re trying to do to me.” The drummer sings Marvin Gaye, “What’s going on? What’s been going on?” A jazz parade honoring Louie Armstrong plays, “Stand by Me.” One of the musicians in the parade, a member of the Dumaine “Street Gang,” tells me, “This is natural New Orleans. Katrina can’t stop nothin.’ ” These heroes need our support. They need more than smattering of good hearted volunteers.

Please watch the videos. They are amateurish, but will touch your heart.


What's going on?

Think about what you're trying to do to me.

Community sings "Stand by Me."

Stand by Me with awesome dancing.

Katrina can't stop nothin'

We are working in Lacombe,

We are working in Lacombe, La. Habitat's goal is to make 100 houses by June. They can always use more volunteers.

House building in Louisiana

It's hard to believe that it has been almost a year since the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Even though the story is not covered as much by the news anymore, there is still so much to do to restore the city, the culture, and most importantly people's lives.

I am off tomorrow to New Orleans to help build a home for someone in Slidell, Louisiana with Habitat for Humanity. Here are some pictures of Slidell right after Hurricane Katrina. Hopefully, it has improved somewhat since then. I will let you know more when I return and I will try to blog during the week if I can to let you know how I am doing.

Here is an interesting slide show presentation by the Washington Post about the disparities in rebuilding neighborhoods. See slideshow.

I am going to try to absorb what I can of Louisiana culture, especially New Orleans jazz. I plan to visit the famous Preservation Hall, but believe it or not the Preservation Hall Band will be playing in New York while I am down South. You would be doing me a great favor if you could hear them. It is a great opportunity to catch traditional New Orleans jazz while its still here. Click here for concert information.Click here to take a virtual tour of Preservation Hall and support New Orleans musicians.

For more information on issues affecting Hurricane Katrina victims and e-mail action you can do to help, visit Katrina Action Network.

Colbert on unions

This video is hillarious and really points out how workers are suffering under the Bush Administration.

Jefferson and Global Warming

Even Jefferson may have noticed the relationship between high temperatures and hurricanes. In his horticulture diary on July 1, 1792, Jefferson wrote, "This was probably the hottest day ever known in Virginia. on the same day was a violent hurricane from about the capes of Virginia Northwardly. it overset vessels & blew down chimneys & the tops of houses in Philada & N. York, & destroyed a great deal of timber in the country." He seemed interested in temperatures and compared the temperatures at his friends' homes in different areas of Virginia.

1792 July 1. Sunday. The thermometer at Dr. Walker's was this day at 96°. which he says is 3° higher than he ever knew it since he lived at the mountains. there was no thermometer at Monticello; but I have observed when I had one here, that it was generally about 2°. below Dr. Walker's. & mr Maury's. so we may suppose it would have been 94°. It was at 97°. at mr Madison's, in Orange on the same day, and at 99°. in Richmond. this was probably the hottest day ever known in Virginia. on the same day was a violent hurricane from about the capes of Virginia Northwardly. it overset vessels & blew down chimneys & the tops of houses in Philada & N. York, & destroyed a great deal of timber in the country. Read from Jefferson's Garden Book

Scientists concur that rising ocean temperatures lead to stronger hurricanes, but there has been some debate in the scientific community whether global warming is responsible. In June, scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado announced their belief that global warming is the main cause for the rise in ocean temperatures.

Scientists: Warming fuels big hurricanes

Cox News Service
June 23. 2006 6:01AM

WASHINGTON - Global warming, not natural ocean temperature fluctuations, was the main cause of the ocean heat that energized last year's killer hurricanes, scientists at a federally funded climate laboratory said Thursday.

As a result, continued increases in the Earth's temperature likely will lead to more "enhanced hurricane activity" in the years ahead, said climate analysts Kevin Trenberth and Dennis Shea of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo.

Hurricanes draw their energy from the ocean, and scientists on both sides of the debate agree that rising Atlantic Ocean temperatures have driven the past decade's increasingly violent hurricanes. Read more...
Read more...

Thomas Jefferson observed and chronicled nature fervently. A Renaissance man of his day, he advocated for the advancement of science. On August 23, 1785, Jefferson wrote to John Jay, "Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independant, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to it's liberty and interests by the most lasting bands."

Somehow I do not think Thomas Jefferson would approve of George W. Bush's environmental policies.

Coffee Drinkers Fight Global Warming!

Activists are increasingly becoming aware of their economic power. By buying products that support their values and supporting companies that are attempting to do business in a more ethical manner, activists are having an impact.

Coffee drinkers like me have become aware in recent years of the hardships faced by coffee bean farmers around the world who were living in poverty despite hard labor. Now we are also becoming aware of how the agricultural sector contributes to global warming. Fair Trade Coffee is a way to support the coffee farmers and help them receive fair prices for their crops. Some Fair Trade coffee producers like Dean's Beans are also improving coffee production to reduce CO2 emissions.

Read more about how Fair Trade is helping alleviate poverty.

http://www.transfairusa.org/

Colorado State Fair Trade Research Group

View the trailer of the film, "Buyer Be Fair." http://www.buyerbefair.org/

What better way to start the day with a good cup of coffee that you know helped reduce poverty and CO2 emissions. I'll pay a little more for that!

Green Mountain Coffee is a company that does a lot to help its farmers. http://fairtrade.greenmountaincoffee.com/index.html So does Equal Exhange which also sells fair trade teas and chocolates. http://www.equalexchange.com/

My favorite, however, (and I do not receive any commissions on this) is Dean's Beans. http://www.deansbeans.com Please read how Dean is working to change coffee production to reduce CO2 emissions.

We are working on a program to become a fully carbon neutral company by the end of the year. More about that later. Right now, we are launching a new coffee and concept, NoCO2, to fight Global Warming one cup at a time, and to show our customers that we both contribute to the problem by simple acts every day and that we can also address the issue with simple acts.

We calculated the total carbon load generated by a pound of coffee, from growing, harvesting and processing, to shipping roasting, shipping to you and brewing your coffee at home. This took a long time and required help from Trees for the Future, UPS, World Resources Institute and Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (thanks to all!). Seventeen pounds of coffee generates about fifty pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere. We also found that one hardwood in the Tropics of Coffee sequesters about fifty pounds of CO2 annually. So we have devised a program to plant one tree in Pangoa Cooperative for every 17 pounds of NoCO2 Peruvian coffee consumed by you, our loyal customers. This is not a joke or a clever, meaningless marketing ploy. It is a real attempt to take our responsibility seriously, and help consumers take theirs seriously as well.

We have begun the project with the Ashaninkas indigenous farmers of Pangoa, whose land was denuded by illegal logging in the 1980's. They have chosen the species, tornillo, which grows about fifty feet tall over time and provides shade, critical migratory bird habitat, and when properly managed provides "social security for our grandchildren" in the form of a harvestable forest product, according to Esperanza Castillo, the manager of Pangoa.

NoCO2 will be available on the web in the medium roast section. Give it a try and see if this hot coffee can help cool the planet.

Dean's Beans is also supporting New York State Labor-Religion Coaltion's Fair Trade Project. http://www.labor-religion.org/fair_trade_project_top.htm

If you buy Dean's Beans coffee, you can hit two birds with one stone and also support the Labor-Religion Coalition by typing "LCR" into the promotion code before you check out.

http://www.deansbeans.com/coffee/results.html?category=Medium%20Roast&page_title=Medium%20Roast

Dean will reimburse the Labor-Religion Coalition a portion of each sale.

Walker Exhibit Provokes Discussion about Race

Kara Walker takes on an ambitious combination of themes -- race, history, art, water -- in her exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (on display until August 6th). She was inspired to create it after the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Interestingly, Walker uses 18th century paper silhouettes with black cut -outs on white backgrounds as her main medium to explore issues of race. She often juxtapositions these black cutouts onto historical works creating thought provoking arrangements. There is so much to this exhibit that it is hard to “get,” but it is disturbing. It haunts you, and it makes you want to talk about it. Perhaps that’s the point. Walker weaves traditional art forms into her exhibit to display examples of how black figures are portrayed in art throughout American history. She includes The Gulf Stream (1899) by Winslow Homer (American, 1836–1910) which portrays a black man in a boat surrounded by sharks. By including this work, what statement is she trying to make about our society? Is the small ship in the background of the painting a symbol of hope or neglect? In another painting, a heterogeneous group in a boat is trying to save a drowning child. A black man is at the forefront of this boat trying to help. He has a commanding presence and a deep look of concern for the child. According to the card describing the painting, this positive portrayal of a black man was very controversial in its day. Most moving for me were two of Walker’s own, smaller works. The first followed the paper silhouette style: two cut-outs of colonial men talking; one appearing to shrug his shoulders. In the background, a cut-out of a black boy lies lifelessly over a box. The title of the work is “Beats Me.” The other work combined paint and paper cut-outs. In it, a God-like figure reached down from heaven to grab the hand of a young black person who was reaching out for help. Their hands did not meet. “Negro Muse Misses His Mark Again” is the title of the work. Some of Walker’s titles are as thought-provoking as the works themselves. Ironically, in 2001, Walker created a piece entitled, “They say water represents the subconscious in dreams.” I could not help, but think, “If water represents our subconscious, what does Hurricane Katrina imply about our national consciousness?”

For more information about the exhibit and to see Walker's images, visit http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={E4F51062-8A08-4593-8273-8807B8201F95}}

Victory Garden in Danger!

Only a week after we planted our organic "victory garden," I am dismayed to report that it is not doing well. I fear it may not make it. We used our compost and other organic fertilizers and have watered it regularly. I think we have adequate sun in the spot. I sprayed the plants with a spray that I made from my composter. According to the directions that came with my composter (yes, the suburban princess bought her composter in a catalog and yes, it did come with instructions...get over it!) the spray, which was made from the leakage of the food waste in the composter, was supposed to be a fertilizer. My husband thinks the spray killed all our plants. I am not sure what is killing our plants, but they are definitely at risk. I have to say thank God for supermarkets or we would surely starve. I report with a sullen heart that we are not quite ready for sustainable living.

Here are some websites on gardening and composting that I hope will help us and anyone else making an attempt at growing their own organic vegetables.

http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/organic_gardening

http://http://www.humeseeds.com/organic1.htm

http://http://journeytoforever.org/compost.html

http://compost.css.cornell.edu/Composting_homepage.html

http://www.compostguide.com/

Plant a Victory Garden in Honor of Independence

For 4th of July, my husband and I decided to plant a vegetable garden. "WHAT? A vegetable garden? How patriotic is that?” you think. Well, during World War I and World War II, Americans were urged by the government and industry to plant their own gardens to support the war effort and to increase the country's food supply, thereby offsetting food shortages and rationing. Because of their importance, these gardens were called "victory gardens." It’s ironic to me that these victory gardens have not been encouraged during the current “War on Terror,” particularly since they could play a role in achieving our independence from fossil fuels.

For further history on Victory Gardens, visit http://www.victoryseeds.com/TheVictoryGarden/page2.html

For wonderful examples of these World War I and World War II Victory Garden Posters, check out Ohio Historical Society

Growing our own vegetables is a small action that we can take to reduce global warming and fossil fuel use. Believe it or not, the modern industrial agricultural sector contributes a significant portion of the world's greenhouse gases. According to Edward Goldsmith's 2003 report "How to feed people under a regime of Climate Change," modern industrial agriculture is responsible for 25% of the world's carbon dioxide emisions, 60% of methane gas emissions, and 80% of nitrous oxide."

Furthemore, according to his report,

• The most energy-intensive components of modern industrial agriculture are
  the production of nitrogen fertiliser, farm machinery, and pumped
  irrigation.

• To produce a ton of cereals or vegetables by means of modern agriculture
  requires 6 to 10 times more energy than it does by using sustainable
  agricultural methods.

• Oil is required not only to build and operate tractors, to produce and use
  fertilizers, but also to package and transport food to markets.

• Transport in general accounts for on eighth of world oil consumption, and
  the transport of food is a considerable slice of that.

• 127 calories of energy (aviation fuel) are needed to transport 1 calorie of
  lettuce across the Atlantic.

Goldsmith's article is well worth reading and can be found at http://www.culturechange.org/how_to_Goldsmith.html

By organically growing our own vegetables, we can help reduce the fuel used in transporting the vegetables and eliminate the nitrous oxide emissions that would result from chemically fertilizing them.

Growing our own vegetables, especially organically, also has wonderful health benefits. According to theveggielady.com,

research shows that organic gardening increases the
antioxidant levels in food and that these antioxidants

• Can lessen joint and muscle pain
• Can reduce inflammation
• Help slow the aging process
• Can prevent or slow the growth of some cancerous tumors
• Delay the onset, or slow the progression, of Type 2 diabetes

For more information about organic gardening and sustainable agriculture, visit

http://www.theveggielady.com/index.htm

The Guardian - Ethical Living

http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_259.cfm

http://www.verdant.net/food.htm

http://www.simpleliving.net/ecoliving/default.asp

The next best option for those who do not have the time or energy to plant themselves is to buy locally produced foods. For those living in New York, the site below may help you find local farmers' markets.

http://www.farmtotable.org/

If you have more information about how to obtain, locally produced food in other areas, I'd really appreciate it, and love to add it to my blog.

Thanks,

A Suburban Princess

Today is our Independence Day. Tomorrow can be theirs...

From BONO'S organization, The One Campaign:

Dear ONE Member:

One year ago, I stood on the stage of Live 8 in
Philadelphia, the biggest concert event in history, talking about something that
was only an idea at the time. It was the idea that, with the stroke of a pen,
eight of the world's leaders could change the future of millions of the poorest
people. Five days later, they did. That moment resulted in unprecedented
commitments to the world's poorest people for debt relief, fair trade, and
better development assistance. July 4th is our Independence Day. It
represents the day our nation started down a path of our own making. Many people
don't realize that development assistance is not about handouts, it's about
providing the means for a country to provide for itself. It's about giving that
country the opportunity to celebrate its own Independence Day. Every three
seconds someone dies of poverty-related disease, but sometimes it's hard to
remember that we are talking about people, not numbers. An actual person —
somebody's daughter, sister, or mother — dies every three seconds just because
she was born on the other side of an invisible line. Together, we can make
statistics like that history.

Thank you,
Will Smith, ONE Campaign

To take action or join the ONE Campaign visit http://action.one.org/ActionSignup.html

--

An Inconvenient Truth

Three years ago my husband and I took a vacation to Glacier Park in Montana. There were no glaciers. My husband was really bummed out, having flown across the country to see them. I teased him endlessly, thinking he had taken the name of the park too literally. After seeing Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, I now realize why there were no glaciers in Glacier Park. To understand why check out http://www.climatecrisis.net/thescience/

I owe my husband an apology. I also owe it to future generations to do my part to preserve what is left of the earth's treasures, so they do not disappear the way the glaciers in Glacier park did. I also urge you to help by viewing http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/

With the odd weather we had this week, I couldn't help but remember Al Gore's warnings. Just this week alone massive rains flooded upstate New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, while Texas suffered severe drought. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/state/ny-stbing304800987jun30,0,7639032.story


In Suffolk County Long Island, residents couldn't swim at many beaches because the overflow from the rains caused a rise in the bacteria in the ocean water.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-liclos27vr4797456jun27,0,1980032.story

In a separate incident in Nassau county, NY, West Hempstead and Garden City South residents were warned not to use their water supply to drink, cook, bathe, swim, or even brush their teeth because of a chemical that got mixed into the ground water from an oil or gas leak.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-limtbe284798604jun28,0,2529552.story

The environmental crisis is hitting home. Every American citizen should see An Inconvenient Truth to start a national dialog about the dangers of neglecting our environment and what we can do about it.