Rainbow Artists

Events

2009-10-06T20:22:00.000-06:00

We will hang a small show at Frame Your Pane in Bernalillo, 137 N. Camino del Pueblo on Monday, Sept. 14, 1pm - open to mixed media and assemblage with room for only a few large pieces. Up to three entries, $5 hanging fee for 2 - additional $5 for the third.. This is the opening show for this venue and will be up for their open house with the Chamber of Commerce Tuesday evening. They will take 15% on sales - items are not insured. Show will hang through October 15th and if we are all happy with the arrangement, will be followed with a Day of the Dead show, all media, October 16-Nov. 19 and a painting/photography show November 20-December 31.

FUN FACT! Did you know that OFFCenter can be written in as the recipient of your UNITED WAY automatic payroll deduction if your employer participates in the United Way?

SATURDAY ART MARKET

Saturday, August 22nd 8am – 11am and every Saturday through October

Individuals from OFFCenter's artist community will exhibit Saturday mornings through the end of summer in our parking lot. The market runs from 8am to 11am or later depending if shoppers are still coming by. Buy local one-of-a-kind art and support our OFFCenter artists!

CALL FOR ARTISTS~THREADS FROM THE DEAD: WHO ARE YOU FROM?

Entries Accepted October 21st through 23rd. EXHIBIT OPENING Friday, October 30th 5pm –8pm

OFFCenter’s Annual Day of the Dead show open to all artists and mediums. All work should be dropped off by Oct 23rd and there is no entry fee. Sponsored by NMATA (New Mexico Art Therapist Association). For further information call Marci at 247-1172.

TALLER DE PAPEL PICADO "TRADITIONAL CUT PAPER-ART WORKSHOP" by Michelena

Wednesday evening, October 21st 6-8pm FREE

Learn about the origins of Papel Picado and the elements that make up a Dia de los muertos altar, their symbolism and meaning. In this workshop you will: learn to make traditional Mexican Papel Picado designs; have an opportunity to create your own unique designs; and create a group banner. Take home beautiful samples and instructions for making elaborate Papel Picado designs and continue to experiment creating your own unique designs. Michelena is a bilingual teacher at San Jose Elementary school. She was born and raised in Mexico and has taught Papel Picado for many years.

REPUJADO WORKSHOP

Saturday, October 24th 10-3pm Fee: $60.00 includes all supplies. Some scholarships may be available.

Taught by expert, Jolanta Feliciano, participants will learn this traditional European technique of adding dimension and texture to metal using a variety of special tools. It adds beautiful luster/antique finishes to metal surfaces. Full payment is due upon registration.

EXHIBIT OPENING “THREADS FROM THE DEAD: WHO ARE YOU FROM?”

Friday evening, October 30th 5pm –8pm

OFFCenter’s Annual Day of the Dead show Sponsored by NMATA (New Mexico Art Therapist Association).

JEWLERY MAKING WORKSHOP WITH KRISTEN DEINER

Saturday, November 21 1-4pm Fee: $50

Students will learn various silversmithing techniques including doming, forging and dapping to enhance their jewelry making skills. Class will be held in Kirsten’s studio and full payment is due upon registration.

OFFCenter Community Arts - across from Robinson Park

808 PARK SW
Albuquerque, NM 87102
247.1172
offcenterarts.org

Connections

2009-10-06T11:54:00.000-06:00

In this in-depth interview, noted multimedia artist and professor Nancy Macko talks to Emily Waldorf about her ongoing HIVE Universe project and current group show, “Gaia and Global Warming: Women Artists Champion Nature,” at the Center for the Arts in Jackson Hole. Ms. Macko also touches on eco-feminism, how she balances teaching and creating, working on Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party, and her study of ancient matriarchal cultures. http://artbistro.monster.com/news/articles/9885-artist-interview-nancy-macko

Hello: Please visit my new online stores! Just click on the links below. I am now selling apparel and household gifts with unique graphics based on my art. Thanks! Hugs, Catherine
Catherine Y. Fridey
Enchanté Productions LLC
catherinefridey@comcast.net
http://www.printfection.com/enchantefantasy
http://www.cafepress.com/enchantefantasy

How to Promote an Event Using Social Media http://www.artmarketingsecrets.com/2009/07/how-to-promote-an-event-using-social-media.html

Design Your Own Fabrics
http://www.fabricondemand.com/index.html

UNFPA ::: Women War Health http://www.unfpa.org/emergencies/psa/film_english.html

The Flaming Lotus Girls (FLG) are a female-driven group of artists formed in 2000 to create our first sculpture, the Flaming Lotus. Our sculptures are composed of steel , stainless steel, copper, glass, wood, light, and fire. Our flames blaze in sizes ranging from 2 inches to 150+ feet. http://www.flaminglotus.com/

dominique mazeaud ~ heartist
http://www.earthheartist.com/
http://dominiquemazeaud.blogspot.com/

31 Ways to Jump Start Your Local Economy http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=3741

The Bread Art Project~$1 goes to Feeding America for every piece of bread art you create. http://www.breadartproject.com/

Myoats is a community where people create designs using an online drawing application. These designs can be rated, downloaded, and archived. http://www.myoats.com/create.aspx

All About Safe Computing
http://www.letterperfectonline.com/safecomputing1.html

Duende Poetry Series -- quarterly poetry readings --
Contacts: Jim Fish 867-3062 anasazifieldswinery@att.net
Cirrelda Snider-Bryan 897-0285 cirrelda@laalamedapress.com www.anasazifieldswinery.com

Description: Jenny Holzer and poet Henri Cole with various "Redaction Paintings". Whether questioning consumerist impulses, coldly describing torture, or lamenting death and disease, Jenny Holzers use of language provokes a critical response in the viewer.
http://www.artbistro.com/videos/videos/2733-redaction-paintings?referral=ab_nlet_R5_20090203

World March of Women:
http://www.worldmarchofwomen.org
The Solidarity Quilt:
http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=3566
Individual patchworks in the solidarity quilt:
http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=3566a

Petition for a Secretary of the Arts:
http://www.petitiononline.com/esnyc/petition.html

Albuquerque Arts Magazine:
http://www.abqarts.com/

FreeRice has two goals:
1. Provide education to everyone for free.
2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.
http://www.freerice.com/index.php

The NM CultureLetter:
Read the CultureLetter online at www.NMCultureNet.org/cultureletter

Subscribe to weekly custom event calendar emails at www.NMCultureNet.org/calendar/email

Submit arts and cultural articles for free to our online magazine at www.SantaFeArtsAndCulture.org/magazine

List in our artist directory at www.SantaFeArtsAndCulture.org/arts-directory

Recycling Tips from New Zealand:
http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=3550a

Be Happy Anyway:
http://www.yesmagazine.org/other/pop_print_article.asp?ID=3020

Deepak Chopra's Alliance For A New Humanity Peace Vow:
http://www.itakethevow.com/

Sustainable Happiness:
http://www.yesmagazine.org/other/pop_print_article.asp?ID=3046

The Story of Stuff:
http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=3211

OFFCenter Arts:
http://offcenterarts.org/

Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice:
http://abqpeaceandjustice.org/index.html

Through the Flower:
a non-profit Feminist art organization founded by Judy Chicago in 1978.
http://www.throughtheflower.org/

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN IN THE ARTS:
http://www.nmwa.org/

NEW MEXICO COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN IN THE ARTS:
http://www.newmexicowomeninthearts.org/

The Artist's Creed:
A great UTube video by Jan Phillips. For many years Jan was my mentor and inspiration, and the this video just typifies the great teacher that she is. Shari A.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LZp9rQiibQ

Some great pics from election night:
http://flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/sets/72157608716313371/show/

Green Art:
http://www.offbeatearth.com/green-art/

Peace Train:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n16T35yx3nY

LA Times~Culture Monster: All the Arts, All the Time
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/

SF Reporter~Artistic Overdose
A safe place to experience a variety of local art, as seen through the eyes of the Santa Fe Reporter's cultural critics.
http://www.artisticoverdose.blogspot.com/

WINGS:
Women's International News Gathering Service "Raising Women's Voices Through Radio Worldwide" http://www.wings.org/

Calls for Entries

2009-05-23T15:44:00.017-06:00

SUBVERSIVE STITCHING: Feminist Artists with a Needle

Organized by Through the Flower
Juried by Artist Judy Chicago & Laura Addison, Curator of Contemporary Art, New Mexico Museum of Art.
____________________________________________________________________________

Call for art in all needlework and textile media from artists' who reside in New Mexico. Works submitted should include a focus on gender. One winner will be awarded a $500 cash prize.

Entry deadline: October 16, 2009
Notice of inclusion: November 20, 2009

Exhibition dates:
January 23, 2010 - May 31, 2010
Through the Flower in Belen, NM and online at www.throughtheflower.org.

Please submit images of three works with at least one detail of each piece and one page double spaced artist statement. Entry fee $25.00

Please contact Through the Flower for entry form at 505.864.4080 or visit the Feminist art section at www.throughtheflower.org to download application.

Juror:Judy Chicago
Judy Chicago's legacy as an artist is inseparable from her pioneering role in Feminist art and education. The Dinner Party, The Birth Project and the Holocaust Project, are monumental collaborative works which explored her deepening feminist vision. Chicago's reputation as a major influence on postmodern art stems from the maturing of a younger generation of artists and scholars who viewed and studied her milestone feminist projects.

Juror: Laura Addison
Laura Addison is the curator of contemporary art at the New Mexico Museum of Art, a position she has held since 2001. Among the exhibitions she has curated are Mind over Matter: Reworking Women's Work; Embodied: Seven Studies in Video; Constellation; The Art & Artifice of Science; and Flux: Reflections on Contemporary Glass. Her professional experience also includes work in the publishing and gallery industries. She holds a B.A. from Cornell University, and an M.A. from University of New Mexico, where one of her areas of focus was the confluence of gender, performance and revolution.

Through the Flower is a non-profit Feminist art organization founded by Judy Chicago in 1978. Our mission is to educate a broad public about the importance of art and its power in countering the erasure of women's achievements.

One Million Bones is a fundraising art installation designed to recognize the millions of victims killed or displaced by ongoing genocides occurring on our watch.http://www.onemillionbones.org/

Historians agree that the moon landing was the 20th century’s greatest event. In 1961, the odds makers placed 1000:1 odds against a successful moon landing; it was considered an ‘Impossible Dream.’

The Saturn V moon Rocket was the key to a successful mission, and is certainly the most amazing machine ever built. In order to get to the moon and back safely, an engine of 165,000,000 horsepower was needed. It needed to accelerate from zero to 25,000 miles per hour to escape earth’s gravity. If any of 3,000,000 parts failed, so would the mission. There was no room for error.

Inspired by President Kennedy’s bold vision of “a man on the moon by the end of this decade,” a team of almost half a million engineers and technicians from dozens of countries worked round-the-clock. They succeeded. Their ‘Impossible Dream’ was completed ahead of schedule, and under budget – and without a single Saturn V launch failure.

The 38-story Saturn V moon rocket is an inspiring and tangible reminder that when people from all over the world collaborate on an important mission that nothing is impossible. Any mission can be accomplished, any dream can come true, and any challenge can be met.
http://www.thedreamrocket.com/

Dear friends,
Here is a web site for an rfp for vestments for St. Michael’s Episcopal Church. Peruse it, use it, and/or pass it on to anyone who might be interested.

http://all-angels.com/pdf/Vestmentsfinal.pdf

All I know is that there is $5000 in the pot for new vestments as a whole. For information and pictures on the building and types of services, you can check www.all-angels.com The building itself is at 601 Montano NW.
Best wishes,
Grace Collins

Thank you from Nkazi

2009-05-15T13:15:00.000-06:00

Good Morning Ginger
>
> Please pass this message to Rainbow Artists precious
> ladies.
>
> On behalf of the two communities( especially the
> women) that you generously and kindly welcomed and fed, I
> wish to express our heartfelt thanks for your warmth, your
> tenderness and love that you showed.
>
> May you receive abundant blessings for all you have
> done and continue to do on behalf of the lonely people that
> find themselves having to rebuild their lives under very
> difficult circumstances.
>
> Nkazi Sinandile
>
> Director and Founder of
> Women's Global Pathways New Mexico
> Founder of Tutoring At Bambanani
> Village
> African and Bhutanese Refugee
> Community Support Coordinator
> Co-Founder and Vice President
> for the South African Orion Duet Ministries

Carly McHarney

2009-01-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

Carly McHarney demonstrating
at our meeting on 4/20/09.
She set up four stations,
a european station (left),

an arabic station,

an oriental station,

and a stamping station.

Natural Stuff

Cutting Quills

Discussing Turkeys

Twitter

2009-01-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

Why the world is suddenly all a-twitter

Record numbers sign up to site that lets us share every detail of our lives with the world

By Amol Rajan and Jack Sidders
Friday, January 23, 2009

It was established as a communication tool for geeks and now counts show business stars and the American President among its users.

The popularity of Twitter, the micro-blogging service used by President Obama to remind Americans to vote and tennis player Andy Murray to update fans on the weather, has risen so much that it has seen its visitor numbers increase by nearly 1,000 per cent.

Latest figures from Hitwise, the online intelligence service, show a 974 per cent increase in traffic, jolting Twitter from the 2,953rd most popular site to the 291st most visited by mid-January.

Widely feted as the follow up to the networking site Facebook in the evolution of web communication, the service allows users to post short updates about what they are doing. Established as the preferred communication tool for members of the tech community, the service has now entered the mainstream as a form of instant news alert and marketing technique.

The recent explosion in user numbers is largely a product of enthusiasm for a new form of citizen journalism. President Obama has a Twitter profile, although it has been quiet of late, while news of the recent plane crash in New York's Hudson River first emerged from survivors' Twitter updates.

Jonathan Ross, the disgraced BBC presenter, has been using the service to chat with fans during his enforced absence from the BBC. He has said he will Twitter live with Stephen Fry, another celebrated Twitterer, on his BBC television programme tonight.

"Twitter was one of the fastest-growing websites last year, and shows no signs of slowing down," said Robin Goad, director of research for Hitwise. "If anything, the service is even more popular than our numbers imply, as we are only measuring traffic to the main Twitter website.

"If the people accessing their Twitter accounts via mobile phones and third party applications [such as Twitteriffic, Twitterfeed, and Tweetdeck] were included, the numbers could be even higher. Many people seem to find Twitter addictive: the average amount of time that people spend on Twitter.com has more than trebled from less than 10 minutes a year ago to half an hour now."

Twitter does not provide official figures for its usage, but industry analysts believe that more than 2.25 million "tweets" are posted every day, on top of more than 1.1 billion such messages since the service was launched in early 2007.

And the site is about to open a radical new arm of its operation by integrating search functions into the home pages of users. Until now, users who wanted to search for "tweets" had to go to a separate website, search.twitter.com.

That obstacle is thought to have put off many members of the public. But over the next 10 days, Twitter will start putting search functions into the home page of around 1 per cent of users, asking them for feedback about its efficacy. Biz Stone, one of Twitter's co-founders, deflected criticism of his creation as simply a platform for narcissists. "Search integration is a way of introducing relevancy to people", he said. "This is not just about, 'What are you doing?' but about what everyone else is doing. Twitter is about finding out what is going on out there right now in real time."

The fastest growing group of users is in the 35 to 44 year-old bracket and accounts for 17.3 per cent of visitors. Growth is likely to be accelerated by the reintroduction of free two-way text messaging of "tweets" to countries outside the US.

The service was withdrawn in Europe last year because it was too expensive for the company. For all Twitter's success, it remains a small player in online networking. Facebook is the most-visited networking site in the UK, with almost 38 per cent share of the market, followed by YouTube, Bebo, and MySpace, with 17 per cent, 9.1 per cent, and 5 per cent respectively.

http://www.independent.ie/business/technology/why-the-world-is-suddenly-all-atwitter-1612785.html?service=Print

Winter Blues & Foods/Recipes

2009-01-15T13:33:00.001-07:00

Cold and dark winters, in combination with stress-inducing holidays, have long been blamed for depressed moods from November to March. But the winter and holiday blues can slip into something more serious, like depression or seasonal affective disorder. In order to successfully deal with either, it's important to understand the difference between fleeting melancholy and more severe unhappiness -- and to know which coping mechanisms are most effective.

A Balanced Diet
There's no scientific evidence linking a balanced diet with improved mental health, but Dr. Gabrielle Melin, a psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic, says that nutrition is important to maintaining overall health. During the winter it can be hard to avoid sugar, refined carbohydrates and caffeine, but a diet high in these substances can interfere with normal sleeping patterns and your body's metabolism. In turn, this can exacerbate feelings of irritability and anxiety.

Positive Attitude
Maintaining an optimistic outlook during trying times is no easy feat. But Melin says a positive attitude can be instrumental in warding off feelings of helplessness and frustration. This can be particularly hard for those who have been affected by layoffs--all that extra spare time can be a person's worst enemy. But Melin recommends taking a proactive approach to financial problems and surrounding one's self with supportive friends and family.

Exercise
Melin says that exercise releases the body's natural anti-depression drug: endorphins. These molecules attach to special receptors in the brain and spinal cord to stop pain messages, and act as natural mood enhancers. Still, endorphins aren't triggered until you reach a threshold of intense physical activity, and a doctor can help you determine when this happens on a case-by-case basis. Aside from the natural rush, exercise can reinforce feelings of self-efficacy and self-esteem.

Regular Sleeping Patterns
Wintertime can wreak havoc on your sleeping cycle. Dwindling hours of light, which reach a peak at the winter solstice on Dec. 21, can alter the body's circadian rhythm. Disrupted sleep patterns can lead to irritability and anxiety, which is why it's important to maintain a regular sleep schedule if possible. You might sleep more during the winter, but it's best to do so on a predictable cycle.

Light Therapy
Light therapy, which has been shown to alleviate the symptoms of depression, is an alternative for those struggling with seasonal affective disorder. Dr. Michael Terman, a professor at Columbia University and an expert on light therapy, says that mild symptoms can be self-treated--but patients with severe symptoms should consult a physician. The Center for Environmental Therapeutics, where Terman is president, also offers guidelines on the use of light therapy boxes, which are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Socialize
Scientific research has shown that socializing can improve mental cognition. But a recent 20-year study went further and demonstrated that social networks can have a profound impact on your happiness. In that study, more than 4,700 people were tracked over two decades, and researchers found that social interactions with both cheerful friends and strangers influenced the subject's chances of happiness considerably.

Antidepressants
There are antidepressant medications that have been shown to alleviate symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. Still, Terman says these should not be the first resort for most patients. Consult a physician about which approaches might work best for you, and whether antidepressants might be effective in concert with other treatments.

Therapy
If the winter or holiday blues have escalated to the point where you feel overwhelmed or stuck, Melin suggests therapy. "People can learn coping skills, which are not intuitive or obvious," she says. A therapist can help you deal with feelings that arise as the seasons change. This can be particularly helpful for those dealing with financial stresses or emotions brought on by the pressures of making the holiday season perfect for loved ones.

Winter Wonder Foods
by Vicki Salemi
Although winter months are often synonymous with dreaded cold or flu-like symptoms, when it comes to warding off infectious germs nothing reaps more positive health benefits than fueling your diet with nutrients. Rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber, in order to help maintain and strengthen your immune system, certain foods bring truth tothe saying, "You are what you eat."

Blueberries
Blueberries contain anthocyanins and other antioxidant pigments and phytochemicals, which may have a role in reducing the risks of some diseases including cancer. According to Laura Lewis, certified clinical nutritionist and author of 52 Ways to a Healthy You, "One cup per day would be optimal. You cannot over eat these little powerful guys." As for an extra benefit in the winter? Stick them in the freezer and eat them frozen. She adds, "Just go the unsweetened variety if you go frozen." To get some blueberries in your winter diet try a blackberry and blueberry pie.
Blackberry and Blueberry Pie
Ingredients
* 2/3 cup shortening
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 5 tablespoons cold water
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 4 cups fresh blueberries
* 1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons butter
Cooking Instructions
Cut shortening into 2 cups flour and salt until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle in water 1 tablespoon at a time until flour is moistened. Gather into a ball, and roll out onto a lightly floured board. Make two rounds. Place one crust in a 9 inch pie dish.
Mix sugar, 1/3 cup flour, and cinnamon. Stir in berries to coat. Turn filling into pastry lined pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice, dot with butter. Cover with top crust; cut slits in the top. Seal and flute.
Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 35 to 45 minutes. Cover edges with foil to prevent burning, and remove foil for last 12 minutes of baking.
Nutritional Information per Serving
Calories 437cal Total fat 21g Cholesterol 8mg Sodium 326mg
Carbohydrates 61g Fiber 5g

Plain Yogurt
When this dairy product produced by the bacterial fermentation of milk is eaten, Laura Lewis says the nutritional benefits are all good. "Loaded with probiotics essential to keep you healthy all year long, good bacteria line the intestines warding off 'invaders' and also assists in optimal absorption of nutrients." She recommends one cup daily of the non-fat or low fat varieties. Plus, if it's too plain, feel free to add a scoop of frozen mixed berries.

Broccoli
Filled with health promoting vitamins, minerals and fiber, broccoli is still one of the most nutritional foods packing a punch, especially during winter months when immune systems are low. Low in calories and containing over 150 health promoting phytochemicals such as sulfurophane, known for its cancer protective powers, broccoli certainly is at the top of the healthy foods list. Experts recommend consuming at least one cruciferous vegetable, 1/2 cup such as broccoli on a daily basis. If broccoli by itself doesn't make you hungry, try getting your daily dose with some spicy orange beef and broccoli stir-fry or shrimp with broccoli.
Spicy Orange Beef & Broccoli Stir-fry
Ingredients
* 3 oranges
* 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1/2 teaspoon sugar
* 3 teaspoons peanut oil or canola oil, divided
* 1 pound beef sirloin, trimmed and sliced against the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices
* 2 tablespoons minced garlic
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
* 6-8 small dried red chiles
* 2 pounds broccoli, cut into small florets (6 cups)
* 1/3 cup water
* 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
* 1/2 cup sliced scallion greens
Cooking Instructions
1. With a small sharp knife or vegetable peeler, carefully pare wide strips of zest from one of the oranges. Cut zest into 1-inch strips and set aside. Squeeze juice from all the oranges into a small bowl (for about 3/4 cup). Add soy sauce, rice wine (or sherry), cornstarch and sugar and stir to combine; set aside.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat until almost smoking. Add beef and stir-fry just until no longer pink on the outside, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.
3. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan and heat until very hot. Add garlic, ginger, chiles and the reserved orange zest; stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broccoli and water. Cover and steam, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated and the broccoli sizzles, about 3 minutes. Add bell pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute more.
4. Stir the reserved orange sauce and pour it into the wok. Bring to a boil, stirring; cook until the sauce has thickened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add scallion greens and the reserved beef and toss to coat with sauce; heat through.
Freezing the beef sirloin for 30 minutes makes it easier to cut into very thin slices.
Nutritional Information per Serving
Calories 232 Carbohydrates 22 Fat 8 Saturated fat 2
Mono unsaturated fat 3 Protein 23 Cholesterol 36 Fiber 7 Potassium 941
Shrimp with Broccoli
Ingredients
* 2/3 cup bottled clam juice or reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 1 teaspoon cornstarch
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic, divided
* 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 1/4-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 1 pound raw shrimp (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined (see Ingredient note)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
* 4 cups broccoli florets
* 2/3 cup water
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or parsley
* 1 teaspoon lemon juice
* Freshly ground pepper to taste
* Lemon wedges
Cooking Instructions
1. Combine clam juice (or broth), cornstarch and half the garlic in a small bowl; whisk until smooth. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining garlic and crushed red pepper to taste; cook, stirring, until fragrant but not browned, about 30 seconds. Add shrimp and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Saute until the shrimp are pink, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Add broccoli and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add water, cover and cook until the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the shrimp.
4. Add the reserved clam juice mixture to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in basil (or parsley) and season with lemon juice and pepper. Add the shrimp and broccoli; heat through. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges.
Ingredient Note: Shrimp are sold by the number needed to make one pound--for example, 21-25 count or 31-40 count--and by more generic size names, such as large or extra large. Size names don't always correspond to the actual count size.To be sure you're getting the size you want, order by the count (or number) per pound.
Nutritional Information per Serving
Calories 178 Carbohydrates 6 Fat 6 Saturated fat 1
Mono unsaturated fat 3 Protein 25 Cholesterol 172 Fiber 2 Potassium 459

Citrus Fruits
Grapefruits and oranges and tangerines, oh my! Molly Morgan, registered dietician and certified dietitian-nutritionist and owner of Creative Nutrition Services, says citrus fruits are some of the healthiest winter foods which help keep you strong. "They provide vitamin C, which your body especially needs a boost of during the winter to keep your immune system up. For example, one grapefruit will provide about 130 percent of your daily vitamin C needs!"

Winter Squash
The nutritional composition of winter squash, such as butternut squash, packs the perfect blend of nutrients to help keep winter colds at bay. Molly Morgan explains, "For example, one cup of butternut squash provides about 450 percent of your daily Vitamin A needs. This vitamin is a key player in maintaining a healthy immune system." Plus, she mentions winter squash has vitamin C, iron and calcium as well. A simple way to enjoy winter squash is to scoop out the seeds, bake it at 350 degrees for about forty-five minutes, and sprinkle with a little brown sugar. Get your winter squash fix with some butternut squash risotto .
Butternut Squash Risotto
Ingredients
* 1 Butternut Squash
* 1 Cup Aborio Rice
* 5 Cups Chicken Stock
* 1 Cup Water
* 2 Tablespoons Butter
* 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
* 1 Onion (chopped)
* 2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
* To Ta Salt & Pepper
* 1 teaspoon Ground Sage
* 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
Cooking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. While the oven is preheating, peel and chop squash into 1 inch pieces. Place pieces in a bowl toss with 1 T of Olive Oil and salt & pepper. Put squash on cookie sheet and place in oven when it's at 450 degrees. Roast for 45 minutes.
After the squash has roasted, take out of oven and let cool. In a medium sauce pan add the chicken stock and water; bring to a simmer.
Add butter and remaining oil to a large sauce pan over medium heat high heat. As butter melts add the chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook onion and garlic for 3 minutes and then add rice to the pot, stirring to coat rice. Cook for additional two minutes.
Add two ladles of hot stock mixture to the pan with the rice. Stir the rice with a wooden spoon. As the liquid evaporates you will know when to add more liquid when you can pull your spoon through the mixture and see the bottom of the pan of at least one second before the rice moves back.
Continue adding the stock and stirring until all the stock has been used. The rice mixture should be creamy and the rice al dente to taste.
Remove mixture from the heat, add the cheese, stir to melt and then fold in the squash and sage. Serve, warm in bowls.

Kale
"This superstar dark leafy green is without a doubt one of the healthiest foods you can eat providing more nutrition per unit calorie than almost any other food," says Dr. Ann Kulze, CEO and Founder, Dr. Ann & Just Wellness, and author of Dr. Ann's 10-Step Diet, a simple plan for permanent weight loss and lifelong vitality. Convinced yet? Kale provides seventeen essential nutrients including 100 percent of the RDA for vitamin A and vitamin C in a single serving. She adds, "Kale tops the list of the most potent antioxidant vegetables." The recommendation is at least one cup daily. Stay healthy by adding some sauteed kale or herb stuffed and pan roasted chicken with cider to your dinner.
Basic Sauteed Kale
Ingredients
* 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 1-1 1 pounds kale, ribs removed, coarsely chopped (see Tip)
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 2-3 teaspoons sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking Instructions
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add kale and cook, tossing with two large spoons, until bright green, about 1 minute. Add water, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Push kale to one side, add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the empty side and cook garlic and crushed red pepper in it until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in vinegar to taste and salt.
Tip: A 1- to 1 1/2-pound bunch of kale yields 16 to 24 cups of chopped leaves. When preparing kale for these recipes, remove the tough ribs, chop or tear the kale as directed, then wash it—allowing some water to cling to the leaves. The moisture helps steam the kale during the first stages of cooking.
Nutritional Information per Serving
Calories 80 Carbohydrates 7 Fat 5 Saturated fat 1
Mono unsaturated fat 4 Protein 2 Cholesterol 0 Fiber 1 Potassium 0
Herb Stuffed and Pan Roasted Chicken with Cider
Ingredients
* 1/2 cup parsley leaves
* 1/4 cup marjoram or oregano leaves
* 3 clove garlic, finely minced
* Zest of 1 lemon
* 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
* 4 (7-ounce) chicken breasts, skin-on*
* Kosher salt and pepper
* 4 tablespoon canola oil
* 4 tablespoon butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* 2 sprig thyme
* 6 ounce smoked bacon, 1/4-inch dice, rendered with fat reserved
* 1 large shallot, julienned
* 6 cup curly leaf kale, torn into 2-inch pieces
* 2/3 cup apple cider
Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a food processor, combine the parsley, marjoram, garlic, lemon zest and olive oil, pulse until coarsely blended. Insert a finger under the skin of the chicken and loosen a small space for the stuffing. Spoon a Tablespoon of the stuffing under the skin of each breast and smooth it to evenly cover. You should be able to see herbs under most of the skin. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the chicken, skin side down. Saute for 8 minutes, checking frequently for good color on the skin. Let chicken cook for 2 to 3 minutes more on the skin side to gain good color, then add the butter and thyme to the pan. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish, baste with the butter. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs
Return the skillet to the heat, add the bacon, shallots and bacon fat. Cook the shallots until translucent. Add the kale and sauté for 3 minutes to wilt. Deglaze with the cider, increase the heat and cover for 5 minutes. Remove the cover and reduce liquid by half. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the chicken.
Round Out the Meal with a bowl of steamed brown rice.
Substitute spinach for the kale.
*Chef Comfort prefers the airline cut, which is a skin-on chicken breast, removed from the breast bone, with the first bone of the wing left attached. Ask your butcher to prepare this cut for you or you can fabricate it yourself by allowing your boning knife to follow the keelbone and the breast bone, cut through the wishbone and work the wing joint loose, leaving the wing attached. Remove the lower wing joint and tip. Remove the tenderloin from the back of the breast and any sinew or excess skin as well.

Pumpkin
Pumpkin is often overlooked for its nutritional component but it packs a punch when it comes to a convenient, inexpensive food bolstered by nutrients. Dr. Kulze explains, "Low in calories, high in fiber and providing the most concentrated package of disease-busting carotenoids known, canned pumpkin is an underutilized superstar food." Carotenoids play a central role in the health of your heart, eyes, skin and the immune system, which makes this food particularly effective in the winter. Learn to love pumpkin with some black cat pumpkin spice bread.
Black Cat Pumpkin Spice Bread
Ingredients
* 3 cups flour
* 3/4 tsp salt
* 2 tsp baking soda
* 2 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
* 1/4 tsp cloves
* 1/4 tsp allspice
* 1 small can solid-pack pumpkin (15 oz)
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 2 1/2 cups sugar
* 4 eggs
* 2 pats butter (for greasing pan)
Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 350, and place rack in center of oven.
Sift together the flour & spices in a medium bowl.
In a second, larger mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, oil, sugar & eggs.
Add the flour mixture, to the egg mixture, stirring until well combined.
Divide the batter in half between the 2 greased loaf pans.
Bake about 50-60 minutes until a wooden pick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.
Cool in the pans, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely.
From the Black Cat Cafe & Bakery, Sharon Springs, NY
http://blackcat-ny.com/

Apples
An apple a day keeps the doctor away -- especially during the long winter months. According to David Grotto, RD, LDN, and author of 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life, when eating an apple it's important to eat every part of it except the core. "Almost half of the vitamin C content is just underneath the skin. Apples are rich in fiber, a source of both soluble and insoluble fiber." One medium apple or half a cup a day is the recommended serving.

Heart Healthy Soup
Nothing says lovin' on a cold winter day more than a warm bowl of soup so when it comes to eating the "right" types of soup experts suggest going for a heart healthy bowl that's low in sodium and high in fiber. As for a perk to eating a bowl of healthy soup? Variety is key. Mixing it up with a variety of vegetables such as beans, spinach and carrots as well as protein, such as low-fat turkey, keeps the calories low and fiber content high.
Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
Ingredients
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
* 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
* 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
* 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
* 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
* 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
* 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
* 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
* shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
* sour cream (optional)
* crushed tortilla chips (optional)
Cooking Instructions
Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

Food for Thought

2009-01-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside all people. He said, 'My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.'

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: 'Which wolf wins?'

The old Cherokee simply replied, 'The one you feed.'

Passing the Purple Hat

2008-12-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

Passing the Purple Hat to You........
In honor of women's history month and in memory of Erma Bombeck who lost her
fight with cancer.

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - by Erma Bombeck

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, 'Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.' There would have been more 'I love you's' More 'I'm sorry's.

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute, look at it and really see it...... live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what. Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us!

New Visions/New Mexico Awardee

2008-11-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

Governor Richardson announces “New Visions/New Mexico” Contract Awardees

Congratulations to one of our own!!

ANIMATION
Catherine Fridey of Albuquerque, $18,000 toward THE SANDS OF TIME, an animated time travel series which includes archaeological, cultural, and historical facts and research.

SANTA FE – Governor Bill Richardson today announced the recipients of
the 2008 New Visions/New Mexico Contract Awards. Now in its third
year, the program is providing fourteen contracts totaling $160,000
for New Mexico-based producers and directors to create narrative
films, documentaries, animated and experimental works.

“I’m pleased to continue supporting our home-based talent,” said
Governor Richardson. “Promoting the work of New Mexico’s own
filmmakers is key to our continued success in the industry.”

Awardees will provide a service to the state as part of their
contract, such as training other New Mexicans who are new to the
industry, providing free in-state screenings, workshops and seminars,
and conducting outreach to students interested in pursuing film/media
careers. To date, New Visions awardees have trained dozens of
interns and apprentices, provided classroom instruction statewide,
submitted their work to festivals across the country, and provided
free screenings for hundreds of New Mexicans across the state.

“The New Visions program remains an important part of our long-term
strategy to build a strong media community in the state,” said Eric
Witt, Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor Richardson.

Film Office Director Lisa Strout acknowledged the nearly 150 entrants
who submitted proposals, noting the high quality projects taking
place throughout the state. “We encourage everyone to pursue their
visions and take advantage of the state’s tax incentives and training
programs,” she said. “We will continue the New Visions program in
2009, and provide more opportunities for New Mexicans to bring their
stories to life.”

Dumb eco-questions you were afraid to ask

2008-11-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

[Especially note the very last question/answer. Seattle has recently outlawed the use of plastic bags (if I understand it correctly). Turns out to be a complicated isssue than we thought.] Joan R. Saks Berman, Ph.D.

New Scientist offers the definitive guide to everything you wanted to know about being green but were too embarrassed to ask!

If I switch the light on and off every time I enter and leave a room, does this use more energy than leaving it on all evening?

Switching the light on and off does saves energy, but there is a catch. Every time you flip the switch, the bulb takes a jolt of electricity, which shortens its life. Studies by the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto, California, found that turning low-energy compact fluorescent bulbs on and off at frequent intervals can shorten their lifespan by as much as 75 per cent. The institute's director of energy utilisation, Tom Reddoch, suggests leaving energy-saving bulbs on if you will be out of the room for less than 15 minutes.

How clean does the pizza box have to be for it to be recyclable? Likewise cans and bottles

According to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), based in Banbury, UK, pizza boxes are often not recyclable. That's because grease from the toppings contaminates the cardboard, making it useless to paper mills - though it can still be composted. Such impregnation is not a problem when it comes to cans and bottles. Nevertheless, they should be rinsed to remove food remnants so as not to attract vermin.. Plastic should also be clean, and lids removed from bottles so they can be squashed flat. WRAP recommends rinsing waste items in old washing-up water to save energy.

Are laminated juice cartons recyclable?

Yes - but only if you separate them out. Placing cartons lined with polyethylene or aluminium foil into your ordinary paper recycling devalues the load and, depending on the mill it reaches, may mean it ends up in landfill. However, the drinks carton industry has taken steps to recover their product for recycling. In the UK, manufacturers have funded a local collection scheme. The empty drinks cartons are shipped in bulk to a processing mill in Sweden, which turns the fibre into plasterboard lining while burning the plastic and aluminium to fuel the plant.

What's the most fuel-efficient way to drive?

Smoothly. Avoid dramatic braking and acceleration and use cruise control if you've got it. Move through the gears as quickly as possible, changing up before you hit 2500 revs per minute (2000 rpm for a diesel). Where possible, drive at a steady 55 miles per hour (90 kilometres per hour). It is up to 20 per cent more fuel-efficient than driving at 75 mph. Check your tyre pressure once a month because underinflated tyres can raise fuel consumption by 6 per cent. Don't carry excess baggage. Each extra 25 kilograms decreases fuel efficiency by 1 per cent. And avoid short trips - a cold engine uses twice as much fuel as a warm one.

Is it worth recycling when stuff gets shipped to China and back in the process? Given the carbon footprint of all that, maybe we should just let the stuff rot

With recycling rates going through the roof, some countries don't have the capacity to process all their waste. In the past 10 years, for example, waste paper exports from the UK have risen from 470,000 tonnes to 4.7 million tonnes per year and exports of used plastic bottles have gone from under 40,000 to 500,000 tonnes. China has a big demand for both materials, and its trade imbalance with Europe and the US means container ships would be heading home empty if they didn't carry waste. According to a recent study by WRAP, shipping waste to China in this way uses 10 per cent of the carbon saved by recycling.

Can I save the planet by staying slim?

It's unlikely. In May, Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine did link obesity and global warming (The Lancet, vol 371, p 1661). They argued that obese people consume around 18 per cent more calories than the average and their greater mass means their vehicles require more fuel, so policies to encourage walking and cycling would not only improve people's health but also be good for the planet. Perhaps such policies would provide short-term benefits, but in the long run they would be more than offset by the fact that people who stay in shape are likely to live longer, emitting tonnes of CO2 for every extra year of their lives. So being slim may be good for you, but is unlikely to benefit the planet.

What's worse, the CO2 put out by a gas-fuelled car or the environmental effects of hybrid-car batteries?

According to the UK-based Environmental Transport Association (ETA), the most efficient conventionally powered cars are slightly less detrimental to the environment than hybrid models. However, it points out that the current crop of hybrids won't evolve without customers willing to invest in what is still frontier technology.

What is recycled organic waste used for?

There are three main uses. Treated aerobically, organic waste is composted to produce soil conditioner or landscaping mulch, returning carbon to the soil. Under anaerobic conditions, it can be digested by bacteria to produce methane, used to generate electricity. Through a combination of biological and mechanical processes, it is also turned into fuel that can substitute for coal or coke in power stations or cement kilns.

If I offset my flights, can I fly as much as I want?

Yes. And no. Offsetting can work but it is based on a series of untestable assumptions. One of these is that offsetting activities, such as planting trees or installing energy-efficient light bulbs, wouldn't have happened otherwise. "We can't prove that," says Paul Hooper of the Centre for Air Transport and the Environment at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. Another problem is the huge variability in the schemes. Different carbon calculators cough out wildly different emissions figures for the same flight, and the cost of offsetting a tonne of CO2 ranges from about £2 to about £18 depending on how it is done. "It's a minefield," says Hooper. His advice is to use the carbon calculator provided by the International Civil Aviation Organization and then offset your flight with a UN-certified scheme. Better yet, he says, don't fly in the first place.

If I'm stuck in a stop-start traffic jam, do I use more petrol turning my car on and off repeatedly or leaving it running?

Unless you are certain you won't have to pull away at short notice, the inconvenience and tiny amounts of fuel involved make stopping and restarting the engine hardly worthwhile. The UK Automobile Association (AA) recommends switching off if you are likely to be stopped more than 3 minutes. Technology is already providing a better solution, though. Recognising that many hours of urban driving are spent at a standstill, several car manufacturers have started to introduce so-called "stop-start" technology. In fact, Volkswagen recently mothballed plans for a hybrid car, preferring to invest in stop-start technology on its standard models to achieve fuel efficiency savings of between 10 and 15 per cent in urban traffic.

Can I put window envelopes in the paper recycling?

Envelopes are tricky devils to recycle because of their transparent plastic address windows and sticky seals. Latex gum from self-sealing envelopes clogs machines, and plastic degrades recycled paper quality. Both have to be extracted. However, different paper mills have different tolerances to contaminants, depending on their cleaning equipment, the product being made, and the grade of recovered paper being recycled. That's why recycling agencies have differing standards. In the UK, you can check whether your local authority will accept any type of envelope by using the postcode checker at recyclenow.com. Otherwise, you'll have to remove the window and the gum before recycling - or simply reuse your envelopes.

How long does it take for a micro-windmill to pay for itself?

That depends on where you live and what you mean by paying for itself. Last year the UK Building Research Establishment compared the payback times of different turbines in different locations. In inshore urban settings, it found wind turbines produce such puny amounts of juice that they struggle to recoup their cost and, after allowing for manufacturing and distribution, end up costing more carbon than they save. On the coast it's different. The study showed a turbine at Wick in the Scottish Highlands generated 3000 kilowatt-hours a year, about 40 per cent of an average household's needs. Payback time for the investment could be as little as a year.

Is it better to buy an eco-friendly car, with all the energy that is needed to produce it, or just run my old one into the ground?

According to the ETA, when the average new car leaves the showroom, its manufacture, design and marketing have accounted for up to 6 tonnes of CO2 emissions. "Nevertheless, swapping a thirsty and polluting older car for a lighter, more fuel-efficient model makes environmental sense," says Yannick Read of the ETA. But, he adds, gains made from exchanging a five-year-old family car with a similar-sized, brand-new model are likely to be negligible.

Will washing my clothes at 30 °C really get them clean?

If the reaction of consumers is anything to go by, washing powders formulated for use at lower temperatures do work. In a 2006 study by the UK's Energy Saving Trust, 89 per cent of families who had been asked to test Ariel at 30 °C said they would continue using it. Likewise, while only 2 per cent of UK households were washing at 30 °C in 2002, five years later that figure was up to 17 per cent. Meanwhile in Germany, where people have traditionally used lower washing settings than in the UK, they are turning down to 20 °C, and in North America growing numbers are doing their laundry in cold water. Unfortunately, there are some nasties that low temperatures may not remove. Researchers from the University of Seoul, South Korea, found that washing with biological detergent at 30 °C only killed 6 per cent of dust mites, compared with 100 per cent at 60 °C, and leaves traces of other allergens, including pollen grains and dog skin cells. The global detergent manufacturer Unilever, which has been keen to promote the eco-message, still advises customers to run one wash per week at 40 °C to ensure bacteria don't have a chance to grow in the machine and cause unpleasant smells.

Why can't the machines in my gym be used to generate electricity?

They can. The Green Microgym in Portland, Oregon, which opened in August, is the first in the US to convert the efforts of gym bunnies into electricity. Its three specially adapted bikes and the four-person "Team Dynamo", which combines cycles with hand cranks, can generate up to 1000 watts. What's more, you can emulate them in your own home by investing in a Pedal-A-Watt. When hooked up to a normal bicycle on a stand, this device allows a cyclist to generate up to 200 watts of electricity. That's enough to power a large TV while you go. Or you can store the energy you produce in a battery and use it later. An hour's worth of cycling could power a low-energy light bulb for 8 hours.

Does switching from bus to bike really have any effect? After all, cycling isn't completely carbon neutral because I've got to eat to fuel my legs

You are much better off cycling. A 12-kilometre round commute on a bus or subway train is reckoned to generate 164 kilograms of carbon per commuter per year. Somebody cycling that distance would burn about 50,000 calories a year - roughly the amount of energy in 22 kilograms of brown bread. A kilo of brown bread has a carbon footprint of about 1.1 kilograms, so switching from public transport to a bike saves about 140 kilograms of carbon emissions per year. Although this only really works if enough people cycle to allow public transport providers to reduce the number of buses and trains they run.

Is a full commercial plane more fuel-efficient over long distances than a car?

Not if the car is also full. Consider this. EasyJet, which claims to be 30 per cent more fuel efficient than other carriers, largely because it packs in more people, calculates that on an average flight each passenger accounts for 957 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre, compared with 164 grams for someone travelling by car. That flight will be around 80 per cent full, so the figure would fall to 76 grams per person if every seat were taken. What's more, most EasyJet flights are either short or medium haul, making them one-third less efficient than long-haul flights (over 4000 kilometres) Long-haul flights could bring the figure down to around 50 grams per passenger. However, using EasyJet's own figures, a full car would produce just 41 grams of CO2 per kilometre for each of its four passengers. So cars win no matter what the distance - although clearly planes have the edge when travelling over water.

If I turn my appliances off but don't unplug them will they still use up some electricity?

No. And that applies even if the plug is switched on or if the socket has no on/off switch. The exceptions are appliances with a standby mode, which include most battery chargers. As a rule of thumb, if there is a light on, a clock ticking or the transformer feels warm, it is using electricity. And that can be a substantial proportion of the amount the appliances consumes when in use. A television set-top box, for example, uses around 18 watts while it is on and almost 17 watts on standby.

Does it really take more energy to recycle an aluminium can than to make a new one?

No, absolutely not. According to Alcoa, the world's third-largest aluminium producer, manufacturing a can from recycled aluminium uses only 5 per cent of the energy of making one from scratch - an energy saving that could power a 100-watt bulb for 4 hours.

What is the single most effective thing I can do for the environment?

Over a 75-year lifespan, the average European will be responsible for about 900 tonnes of CO2 emissions. For Americans and Australians, the figure is more like 1500 tonnes. Add to that all of humanity's other environmentally damaging activities and, draconian as it may sound, the answer must surely be to avoid reproducing.

How environmentally damaging is barbecuing?

Tristram West from Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee has calculated that on 4 July - when over half of all American households fire up their barbies - the grills release 225,000 tonnes of CO2. The emissions from these estimated 60 million barbecues would still be less than 1.5 per cent of the nation's daily output. Not too high a price to pay for a whole lot of fun, you might think. However, West also points out that this is equivalent to burning 2300 acres of forest. He says that if you do choose to barbecue, the most eco-friendly method is to use charcoal as opposed to the propane burners favoured by most Americans. Food grilled over charcoal made from locally grown coppiced wood may actually have a smaller carbon footprint than if it were cooked conventionally, since sustainably grown wood is carbon neutral and transport is minimised.

When and how is the most energy-efficient way to defrost my fridge-freezer, and is a self-defrosting fridge more eco-friendly?

The frost in your freezer forms when warm air condenses and freezes on the cooling coils. Self-defrosting fridges generally use more energy than manual models because their coils are automatically heated every few hours to melt any frost that forms on them. But a manual-defrost fridge is only better if you defrost it before the frost starts to take over, because the coils have to work harder to cool the air if they are covered in ice. How often you need to defrost depends on how often you open the door and the humidity of the air. As a general rule though, you should defrost when the ice gets to 5 millimetres thick. The best way to do this is to turn off the freezer, put pans of hot water inside to speed up melting, and then remove the big bits of ice with a plastic scraper.

What does the circling-arrows logo on European packaging mean?

Hands up everyone who thinks the small, round symbol of two arrows circling each other means that packaging can be recycled. Wrong! In fact, this so-called "green dot", or "grüner punkt" - which is often printed in black - originated in Germany and indicates that the manufacturer has paid into a scheme to meet the general costs of recycling under the terms of European Union legislation. So particular packaging bearing the logo may or may not be recyclable. In countries such as the UK that have not adopted the system, the logo is especially perplexing, as its use appears quite arbitrary. "We typically deal with multinational suppliers that often sell the same product in multiple countries and therefore include things on packaging that may be irrelevant in one of those markets," explains Katherine Symonds of the supermarket chain Tesco. Recognising that this can lead to confusion, she says Tesco has now established a working group with other retailers to make labelling "clearer and more intuitive".

What's greener, paper/cardboard or plastic packaging?

Many people choose paper over plastic, figuring that being renewable, degradable and recyclable, it is probably the greener option. In reality it's not quite that simple. Paper is heavier and bulkier to ship than plastic, takes more energy to produce and uses damaging chemicals in its manufacture. Overall, the best packaging choice is the one that has the least total impact over its life - from raw materials and shipping emissions to toxicity and waste - and that depends on where it comes from and what you plan to do with it. Consumers often don't have the required information to work out this trade-off but there are some things to keep in mind. Check whether the paper or plastic has already been recycled, and whether you can reuse or recycle it. Also, if you tend to avoid packaging altogether, consider this: if it reduces the chances of a product perishing or breaking before it can be used then it is almost always better to have packaging than not. Just choose products with the smallest amount possible.

a.. From issue 2682 of New Scientist magazine, page 36-42.

The Church of Stop Shopping

2008-11-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

Apocalypse is from the Greek, and it has a surprising root definition. It comes from "to reveal, to unveil." When the system breaks down, we see the truth of the system's center, of its root. --Reverend Billy

Fact of the Day:
The Church of Stop Shopping is a project that has expanded from a one-man performance artist preaching against consumerism on the sidewalks of Times Square to a 35-person choir and 7-person band with dozens of original songs, a critically acclaimed stage show, a major motion picture and multiple media platforms. The Church is committed to educating the public about the consequences of unsustainable consumption. The message -- consuming less-- is the single most effective and immediate response an individual can take to immediately halting the climate crisis. This same message has reached millions of people and has contributed to the public's increasing awareness of the relationship between shopping and climate change. http://www.revbilly.com/about-us

Security

2008-11-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. --Helen Keller

Fact of the Day:
"I see this word, hear this word, feel this word everywhere. Real security. Security check. Security watch. Security clearance. Why has all this focus on security made me feel so much more insecure? What does anyone mean when they speak of security? In fact, security is essentially elusive, impossible. We all die. We all get sick. We all get old. People leave us. People surprise us. People change us. Nothing is secure. And this is the good news. But only if you are not seeking security as the point of your life. Here's what happens when security becomes the centre of your life. You can't travel very far or venture too far outside a certain circle." So begins this intriguing reflection by Eve Ensler. (read more here: http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/print/27/the_real_meaning_of_security

Be The Change:
What is the real meaning of security to you?

Mural

2008-11-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

For all you that missed the fun:)

Arts Policies

2008-10-22T03:34:00.000-06:00

Image from http://emvergeoning.com/?cat=37

Did you know he even had one?

Our nation’s creativity has filled the world’s libraries, museums, recital halls, movie houses, and marketplaces with works of genius. The arts embody the American spirit of self-definition. As the author of two best-selling books – Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope – Barack Obama uniquely appreciates the role and value of creative expression.

Reinvest in Arts Education:
To remain competitive in the global economy, America needs to reinvigorate the kind of creativity and innovation that has made this country great. To do so, we must nourish our children’s creative skills. In addition to giving our children the science and math skills they need to compete in the new global context, we should also encourage the ability to think creatively that comes from a meaningful arts education. Unfortunately, many school districts are cutting instructional time for art and music education.
Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that the arts should be a central part of effective teaching and learning. The Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts recently said “The purpose of arts education is not to produce more artists, though that is a byproduct. The real purpose of arts education is to create complete human beings capable of leading successful and productive lives in a free society.”

To support greater arts education Obama will:
Expand Public/Private Partnerships Between Schools and Arts Organizations: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will increase resources for the U.S. Department of Education’s Arts Education Model Development and Dissemination Grants, which develop public/private partnerships between schools and arts organizations. They will also engage the foundation and corporate community to increase support for public/private partnerships.

Create an Artist Corps:
Barack Obama and Joe Biden support the creation of an “Artists Corps” of young artists trained to work in low-income schools and their communities. Studies in Chicago have demonstrated that test scores improved faster for students enrolled in low-income schools that link arts across the curriculum than scores for students in schools lacking such programs.

Publicly Champion the Importance of Arts Education:
As president, Barack Obama will use the bully pulpit and the example he will set in the White House to promote the importance of arts and arts education in America. Not only is arts education indispensable for success in a rapidly changing, high skill, information economy, but studies show that arts education raises test scores in other subject areas as well.

Support Increased Funding for the NEA:
Over the last 15 years, government funding for the National Endowment for the Arts has been slashed from $175 million annually in 1992 to $125 million today. Barack Obama and Joe Biden support increased funding for the NEA, the support of which enriches schools and neighborhoods all across the nation and helps to promote the economic development of countless communities.

Promote Cultural Diplomacy:
American artists, performers and thinkers – representing our values and ideals – can inspire people both at home and all over the world. Through efforts like that of the United States Information Agency, America’s cultural leaders were deployed around the world during the Cold War as artistic ambassadors and helped win the war of ideas by demonstrating to the world the promise of America. Artists can be utilized again to help us win the war of ideas against Islamic extremism. Unfortunately, our resources for cultural diplomacy are at their lowest level in a decade. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will work to reverse this trend and improve and expand public-private partnerships to expand cultural and arts exchanges throughout the world.

Attract Foreign Talent:
The flipside to promoting American arts and culture abroad is welcoming members of the foreign arts community to America. Opening America’s doors to students and professional artists provides the kind of two-way cultural understanding that can break down the barriers that feed hatred and fear. As America tightened visa restrictions after 9/11, the world’s most talented students and artists, who used to come here, went elsewhere. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will streamline the visa process to return America to its rightful place as the world’s top destination for artists and art students.

Provide Health Care to Artists:
Finding affordable health coverage has often been one of the most vexing obstacles for artists and those in the creative community. Since many artists work independently or have nontraditional employment relationships, employer-based coverage is unavailable and individual policies are financially out of reach. The Obama-Biden plan will provide all Americans with quality, affordable health care. Their plan includes the creation of a new public program that will allow individuals and small businesses to buy affordable health care similar to that available to federal employees. Their plan also creates a National Health Insurance Exchange to reform the private insurance market and allow Americans to enroll in participating private plans, which would have to provide comprehensive benefits, issue every applicant a policy, and charge fair and stable premiums. For those who still cannot afford coverage, the government will provide a subsidy. His health plan will lower costs for the typical American family by up to $2,500 per year.

Ensure Tax Fairness for Artists:
Barack Obama supports the Artist-Museum Partnership Act, introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT). The Act amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow artists to deduct the fair market value of their work, rather than just the costs of the materials, when they make charitable contributions.
Paid for by Obama for America

Image from http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/page/171/?mccain

In all fairness, here's what I found on McCain's policy at http://www.artsjournal.com/culturegrrl/2008/10/finally_finding_john_mccains_a.html

John McCain believes that arts education can play a vital role fostering creativity and expression. He is a strong believer in empowering local school districts to establish priorities based on the needs of local schools and school districts. Schools receiving federal funds for education must be held accountable for providing a quality education in basic subjects critical to ensuring students are prepared to compete and succeed in the global economy. Where these local priorities allow, he believes investing in arts education can play a role in nurturing the creativity of expression so vital to the health of our cultural life and providing a means of creative expression for young people.