Ahoy, sustainable comrades! Fear no evil – renewables are coming, and they will be big mofos.

From our sustainable pals at the New York Times – “Wind, solar and other renewable-energy technologies that were once considered more appropriate for single homes or small communities are reaching levels of scale and centralizing that were formerly the province of coal- and gas-fired plants and nuclear reactors. In other words, green is going giant.”

Reminds me of Hayduke Lives!

posted by Mudd

“It could be, in fact, that a conscientious meat eater may have a more environmentally friendly diet than your average vegetarian.” Nicolette Hahn Niman, New York Times.

pass the ham.

posted by Mudd

Breaking (sod) news from the Heartland, or so sayeth the folks at Newsweek – “The future of rural America looks increasingly bleak: fueled by the rise of agribusiness and the corresponding decline of family farms, the loss of manufacturing jobs, and the flight of young people to urban centers, rural communities have been losing their populations for decades, and now they’re close to the breaking point.”

For details, see within “Hollowing Out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What It Means for America” by Patrick Carr and Maria Kefalas.

pass the corn.

posted by Mudd

Tired of paying those pesky cell phone charges every month? Of course you are. So check out Safelink Wireless – “a government supported program that provides a FREE Cell phone and airtime each month for income elgible customers.”

Yes we can….

posted by Mudd

Just in case you and yours are Jonesing for a “green” Halloween – look no further. Thanks to the Christian Science Monitor’s Bight Green Blog, you, too, can trick or treat without feeling guilty about offending the Green gods.

For instance – “Change the emphasis from getting to giving…. Have your kids feel good about themselves and help others by trick-or-treating for UNICEF.”

And don’t forget the real goblins out yonder: “You probably don’t have any king vultures in your backyard, but the birds that do come will enjoy eating your leftover Halloween pumpkin – and that will keep it out of a landfill.”

Halloween beats the other Holidaze for sheer craziness. And no wrapping paper!

posted by Mudd

Tuna lovers beware! “Banning trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna is justified by the extent of their decline, an analysis by scientists advising fisheries regulators suggests.” [BBC News]

posted by Mudd

Thanks to High Country News, we now know that dog lovers should be ashamed of their pet’s carbon footprint! E-gad, what’s a Fido Freak to do?

According to a couple of techno-geeks that reported their findings in New Scientist, “Cats have an eco-pawprint equal to a Volkswagen Golf. If you have two hamsters, it’s equivalent to owning a plasma TV. Goldfish have an eco-finprint equal to two cellphones.” We all know that cats are weird creatures, who would eat their owners if they could. But eco-hogs equivalent to a VW? Add that factoid to the ever expanding list of freaky green goof bombs.

I don’t about you, but I’m flushing my goldfish down the toilet as soon as I post this risible nonsense.

pass the plunger.

posted by Mudd

Attention Curry Eaters Anonymous– An extract found in the bright yellow curry spice turmeric can kill off cancer cells, scientists have shown. The chemical – curcumin – has long been thought to have healing powers and is already being tested as a treatment for arthritis and even dementia. Now tests by a team at the Cork Cancer Research Centre show it can destroy gullet cancer cells in the lab. [BBC News]

And you thought Indian food just tasted good!

posted by Mudd

According to an op-ed in the Christian Science Monitor, “The federal courts were recently asked by plaintiffs from five states (Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota, Delaware, and Utah) to rule that the size of the House be increased from its current 435 seats to reflect our nation’s population growth.”

Imagine the craziest Monkey Island in the zoo of your choice. Now toss in handfuls of new monkeys, a 500 pound bag of peanuts, and a few ounces of cocaine. There you have it – a larger House of Representatives!

The urbanization of the nation is rolling along unfettered, even as the ugly consequences becomes glaringly apparent. What’s “sustainable” about a few million monkeys crowded in a sea of concrete? Perhaps if we adopted the emergent behavior of our friends the termites the game could continue without the biological/sociological implosion looming just down the turnpike. And, judging from the looks of things, the termite model might be exactly where we’re heading, like it or not. After we get our uniforms, can we all have a Prius?

Of course, the obvious answer is to have the House “elected” by lottery, exactly like we handle jury duty in most places. Your name pops up in the computer, and – voila – Welcome to Congress! One year term. No campaigns; no cashola; no bullshit. The less done, the better. Wasn’t it Jefferson who said “the government that governs least, governs best”? Or was that Daniel Boone?

And while we’re at it, it might be a barrel of sustainable fun to review the nefarious “population growth” eluded to by the plaintiffs from Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota, Delaware, and Utah.

To be a termite, or not to be a termite – that is the question.

posted by Mudd

Hats off to Prez Obama for his futuristic thinking re: the Smart Grid. How else is America going to get all that “renewable” energy from the hinterland desert Southwest to Los Angeles? Laptops need power and the Neo-Greens are there to provide it, sustainably of course.

Here’s what Obama’s wonk had to say about the new plan to grid the land with smart wires – “Places with either solar or wind aren’t always the most populous areas of the country, and you’ve got to find a vehicle that’s technologically capable of moving clean power to places where the demand is greatest,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters traveling with the president yesterday.

Build it and they will come. The transformation of empty places continues. Same as it ever was.

pass the rechargeable flashlight.

posted by Mudd