Cyclone Pam Likely To Become "Biggest Disaster In Decades.."

Tropical cyclone Pam struck the island nation of Vanuatu dead on, only a few hours ago, and it is shaping up to be one of the biggest journalistic disasters in many years.

" 'Six known dead' - that's been the headline for over 24 hours!  Where are the bodies?  How can we keep the paying audience interested in a dead headline- where the photos of lines of body bags- turn out to be lines of sleeping bags, not corpses?!?" said "Katastrophe Kate", the globe-trotting specialist for Rooters SNews Service. (http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/13/asia/cyclone-pam-vanuatu/)

"It's really horrifying- we managed to milk a couple of "OMG it's all gone!" statements from  a few NGO nerds huddled in hotels; but all the photos and video feeds are showing exactly the opposite!  It's looking like a minor thunderstorm passed through.   We just don't know how long we can keep up the pretense that this is a big deal.

"Luckily, very few of our viewers know that original local architecture is designed - from thousands of years of experience- to blow over in heavy winds, and then be rebuilt from the same materials, in a matter of days.  And Vanuatu is one of the few places left where the local people still have the skills to do this.  Sure, there will be a few deaths; but nothing like the 6,000 dead from Typhoon Whatsit in the Philippines a while back.  And we're getting a few pics of "halfway" buildings that look messy- homes that are part native design, with "modern" bits that blew down tacked on; but the darn people keep smiling; and it's just a bit hard to sell "this poor man now has nowhere to live!" - when he's sitting on a bench under a nice roof...

"Pam is just not generating the bodies and images we need- waving palm fronds are great for a couple hours, but then we need some really good smashed up stuff; and so far, we're not getting it.  The downtown areas- were pretty clearly actually built to survive typhoon winds- a couple broken windows and one piece of roofing blowing around is just not - enough.

"Thank god we can depend on the John Frum guys for really good quotes designed to bring in "relief" flights.  But, there is a limit to how far that can stretch.  It's a word no one wants to hear- but we're becoming seriously afraid that this disaster is just going to prove- unsustainable.

"As of today, this is shaping up to be one of the biggest disaster failures in recent history.  Thank god- our audience is easily distracted from reality collapses- all we need is one good new cat video; and they'll forget the whole thing.  Kat-ass Kate, reporting too live, from Port Vila; most of which is still here, dammit."


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(Ok, not trying to make fun of Vanuatu, in any way, or be skeptical about their need for help after what was definitely a bad cyclone.  But.  My guess is, once the information comes in from the "remote" islands- yes, their houses may have blown down- as they are designed to do; but I'm betting their elders- who are still in place- probably got most of the people into a safe place, known to them for centuries at least, to wait out the wind.  We'll see.  Fingers crossed, and I'm betting on the elders.  And meanwhile; Tuvalu and Kiribati- nations with no mountains to provide rainwater streams and shelter- have also been hit by Pam.  Harm there could be much, much larger.  We hope and pray not.)

Ebola 11 — New York City, and Mali.

And what can one say?

I hope Dr. Spencer pulls through.  I really hope he was not shedding virus in the NYC subway system Wednesday evening.  Or into the NYC sewer system, with the large resident rat population.

Will rats spread Ebola!?!  Gasp!  We just, plain, totally, absolutely DO NOT KNOW.

I guarantee you will hear a pundit from NYC today scoffing at the idea of rats becoming infected, probably citing the CDC, and, dripping scorn, "Oh, this has just never been known to happen!"  And that's totally true.  "We" haven't seen it.  You need to learn to recognize that language as intentionally misleading, however.  This is what the CDC has to say, buried in the technical bits:

"...these viruses naturally reside in an animal reservoir host or arthropod vector. They are totally dependent on their hosts for replication and overall survival. For the most part, rodents and arthropods are the main reservoirs for viruses causing VHFs. The multimammate rat, cotton rat, deer mouse, house mouse, and other field rodents are examples of reservoir hosts. "

Generally, for the entire class of viral hemorrhagic fevers.  Spencer had diarrhea before he went in to the hospital.  Ebola is known to be able to survive for 1-2 days outside the body.

And what can you do about it?  Not a darned thing.  What can the Mayor of NYC, and the Governor of NY do about it?  Not a thing; we'll just have to wait and see.

Amid all the utter nonsense still being broadcast by the major media; I found the video below yesterday.  I recommend it highly; and I'll say that scientifically, I'm in 100% agreement with this man's views.  But so far, he's the only one from the inside of the Epidemiology world who is pushing these points.  Keep in mind this is a talk to an audience primarily of his peers; highly educated public health workers.  Sometimes he talks very fast, and in jargon; but most of it is quite easily understood.

I admire Dr. Osterholm greatly- he has huge courage; and stamina, to speak out in this fashion.  It will make him no friends, and change few minds, and no one will ever thank him.  And he knows it; and keeps at it.  Someone made the mistake of placing him as Director of The Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.  How a diligent, intelligent, articulate, and fully competent scientist wound up in that seat, I do not know.

I won't try to imbed the video here, that seems to go goofy; so just go right to YouTube.

http://youtu.be/UkMKUa0sxBQ

Incidentally, I am not at all a fan of the person who posted the video; I'd have chosen differently, but this was the only version I could find.

And in Mali.  That story is a complete heartbreaker.  The stories haven't settled yet, but it's clear it was a small child- whose mother/ or father/ or grandmother (I've seen all 3) died of Ebola in Guinea; and relatives took the the child into Mali to place it with a relative who could care for it.  Ebola rode along; on "public transport"; the child has Ebola.



As Osterholm states, repeatedly; we don't know anything about the virus in this outbreak.  And the very most dangerous thing you can do; regarding controlling panic in the population - is lie to them,  Us.  When all the people in NYC do not believe what the "authorities" tell them- then we'll have chaos.

So; gloomy.  One weird cheerful aspect; a pessimist blogger is already on record as betting that now, no more doctors will travel to West Africa to help; because they are not truly protected.

I know a bunch of doctors.  I'm going to bet the opposite.  I will bet you there is a substantial uptick in US doctors volunteering to go.  You have to be crazy to want to be a doctor in the first place, right?  There you go.  Doctors want to be needed; it's a basic motivator.  Nobody needs them more than West Africa.

And hopefully, next time- returning doctors will go to a lovely lodge on an island off Maine; and stay there relaxing for a month.  No, not 21 days.  We utterly do not know that's a real limit; it's just the one we've seen so far.

pocketa pocketa queep

That's a well known literary allusion, in case you didn't know.

Ah, well, it was well known in that world now fading fast behind us; the one where children learned to read early, and learned to love exploring books.

It's from James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", a celebrated very short story about the large fantasy life of a nebbish. I became acquainted with it by reading my big brother's English textbook a few years ahead of time.

"A huge, complicated machine, connected to the operating table, with many tubes and wires, began at this moment to go pocketa-pocketa-pocketa. "The new anesthetizer is giving away!" shouted an intern. "There is no one in the East who knows how to fix it!" "Quiet, man!" said Mitty, in a low, cool voice. He sprang to the machine, which was now going pocketa-pocketa-queep-pocketa-queep . He began fingering delicately a row of glistening dials. "Give me a fountain pen!" he snapped."

Thurber found the "pocketa" sound highly useful, and applied it in quite a few situations.

"It's forty kilometers through hell, sir," said the sergeant. Mitty finished one last brandy. "After all," he said softly, "what isn't?" The pounding of the cannon increased; there was the rat-tat-tatting of machine guns, and from somewhere came the menacing pocketa-pocketa-pocketa of the new flame-throwers. Walter Mitty walked to the door of the dugout humming "Aupres de Ma Blonde." He turned and waved to the sergeant. "Cheerio!" he said. . . . "

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It struck me yesterday, observing our elections here in the US, that noise seems to be the most certain aspect of our politics and discussions these days, and the most certain outcome.

And that our entire civilization has shifted, from going "pocketa-pocketa-pocketa", to going "pocketa-pocketa-queep".

My prediction, alas, is that pocketa-pocketa-queep is going to be the chief sound, and the sum total of our achievements, for some years ahead.

And, if you have a fountain pen, I don't think anyone has any idea what to do with it.

Whole Planet Picnic! Again!

  Time zooms past.  Monday is the Summer Solstice- the absolute middle of the year.  Half the year is gone.

  I'm still fighting the tummy thing; so am seriously short on time; most I can do today is link here to past posts.   There are actually a number of them; if you have the interest, you can do a search the blog thingy for those.

  We're doing it!

  Wolfmamma had asked for some specific games we do; mostly after dusk the kids are either catching fireflies, then letting them go; or playing some jungle version of hide and seek.  Before that, there's a fox and goose course mowed in tall grass, and a steep very grassy hill for grass sledding.  One of the best bets; if you've got some elders in the group- ask them to teach the kids something.  That's usually pretty cool.

The Entire Planet Picnic-Week Plan.

Judging from the underwhelming response here, there are quite a few folks with doubts about the name, at least, for an "Earth-Lent". Here is the original conversation Crunchikini and I had-

Crunchy- "Eco or Earth Lent - Personally, I would really want to leave out any religious reference. First, Lent is heavily tied to the Christian religion(s)  and to those who know even the slightest about it (and let me tell you I've have had multiple conversations recently with people asking, "what is Lent about again" and we all went to Catholic school for 10 years) it generally means some sort of deprivation and/or penance. Which doesn't scream fun to me."

Greenpa- "I thought about that. I'm a non-catholic school person- and actually, the primary meaning of Lent to me is Mardi Gras, and sales on seafood. Really. Us outsiders never notice any deprivation going on- just the occasional whine, which really seems recreational mostly "oh, god, I've given up chocolate for Lent" - quite amusing, from the outside.

You do have a point, however. I wonder if the Pope might sue- "hey we own Lent, you can't have it." which would be great publicity. I'm SURE some people would be quite put off/out- but I'll guarantee you that will be the case regardless.

One of my thoughts was - religions are historically one of the great agents of change- it might be smart to adopt some of their features."

Something to remember- no matter what we choose, some cranks will be offended. So that should not be a huge factor, though we don't want to SET OUT to turn people off.

We might worry about names later; I'm not going to insist on Lent, that's for sure. Kinda like Planet Picnic, at the moment; not much baggage there, and has the connotation of an open event.

Here, as lucidly as I can, is how this could work. A lot of the "why" is in the previous two posts.

We need many many more people to be making individual choices that help the planet. It's difficult for them to get started, as we know. A one week community type event would really help- no long term commitment implied; and lots of company suffering at the same time.

I like the idea of folks setting up/hosting a community "Planet Picnic" - on the Summer Solstice. It's a day when Earth is really DOING something; and nobody else owns it at the moment. (Yes, I know the Druids still observe it, but they're not opposed to others noticing, too.)

1) Pick a park that folks can get to without driving too far- would be lovely if folks could bike or walk; BUT-

To the extent there are any "rules" here, I really think #1 should be - "No Preaching"; and #2 should be "No Excluding Anybody". If somebody really wants to come; and they have to drive 10 miles to get to one, they sure as heck shouldn't have to worry about some fanatic chewing them out for using a car.

2) YOU could host one- all by yourself. But this is intended to help the community along too- you might want to share the hosting. Is there a local group you could convince? Audubon? Sierra Club? Or, just call a friend. "Hey, let's do this! It's a picnic!"

3) Once you know where it's going to be- get the word out. A little, anyway. You might call the papers- or not, depending on where you want to aim. You can make this very laid back- just you and a couple of friends- or you could shoot for a couple hundred folks- your call. My own solstice event grew over the years; now folks look forward to it (though they always have to be reminded...) and come back year after year. As Alison clearly understands, this can be a good long term approach.

4) When you have a core group- PLEASE stretch out. Ask a neighbor- specifically one who does not normally take part in this kind of thing. It's a picnic for neighbors- they'll feel a little bad if they turn you down (and that's good). Just don't make a big deal about the greeny stuff. "Hey, we're having a picnic! Yeah, it's part of that Planet Picnic thing- but that's not a big deal- I'd just like you to come; we don't see you enough." Nothing works as well as a personal touch- catch them somewhere; or a phone call - answering machines are not as good.

5) Make sure folks are clear on where; and when. When can be pretty open, but telling folks "oh, anytime" is likely to make them forget. "Folks start to show up around 6- most a bit later; lots of folks stay past midnight..."

6) Make some specific arrangements for food. No picnic works without food. This could easily grow into a huge "pot-luck" affair- but particularly the first few times, the organizers need to be SURE there are good marshmallows- and sticks - and a fire. Eventually folks could bring a sample of their favorite "green" food- of whatever kind. But no exclusions.

7) Don't forget the world is not a safe place. And you want this picnic to BE safe. Be sure you've got enough folks to handle any obnoxious types that show up- if the local cops can come; fantastic. Be careful about drinking- etc. Just try to get folks to understand, at every stage- "This is a G-Rated Event- we've got little kids, babies, pregnant women - so just be cool, man." I've never actually had a problem of any kind; but somebody will. Let the cops know it's going on regardless; ask them to check in. You may need legal permits, in some places, remember.

8) People need things to sit on- blankets for the young, chairs for the geezers.
9) People need toilets- they ain't staying long if their innards are in pain.

10) Arrange some kind of activities. I listed a bunch in the previous posts. Here's the original conversation with Deenykini-


Crunchy - "The one last question I have, is what did you envision would occur for this no hair-shirt party? I think you'd want some sort of activities or recommended activities for people to get involved in."

Greenpa- " Dancing in the moonlight- homemade music- toasted marshmallows, hide and seek; "Statues" there's a whole children's culture of after dark games that have almost disappeared. Storytelling; ghost stories.

- summer solstice is the longest day of the year; the shortest night- should have the parties in places where there are NO artificial lights, maybe just candles and a small wood fire for the weenies (hey, nobody's taking my weenies.). Some youngsters make it a point to stay up all night; watch the sunrise on the other side of the year.

I've done basically this for 15 years; and people love it. Of course- not to hide anything- the big feature for that event for me is a HUGE bonfire. I've got a vast amount of "waste wood" that comes out of my operation, and I NEED to get rid of it (or it will rot and go to methane; can't have that) - so we revived the old solstice bonfire. That might be tricky to recommend; though it can be appropriate in some places. It's a very ancient and primal celebration. People come 150 miles for ours.

We could build a NEW holiday - specifically NON- denominational, but which in fact borrows from EVERY religion we can think of. The solstice of course is universal religion- far predating the Book. The Big Party, likewise. We could borrow from the Hindu festival of lights(?) I'm not at all sure I've got that right- but they have this festival where they throw dye all over each other- blue- GREEN - yellow, etc. Could be a harmless hoot, I think- kids would totally love it. And anything else anyone can think of . A Universal Earth holiday."

Squirt-gun tag? Kites, definitely. Do you know someone in the community who's fond of some lawn game? Invite them; get them to teach. Volleyball.

Home-made music is fantastic. Sing really dumb old campfire songs (I wish I was a fishy in a bowl...) Let the kids run. And shout.

You won't have to force it. You know what good folks do when they're sitting around and nobody's shoving them to do stuff? They talk. Assuming they can hear each other. No loud music, I think; either canned or over loudspeakers. I leave those places, myself.

11) A bunch of folks will want to help clean up- let them. Have somebody in charge, though, and make sure it's cleaned up.

12) Holler "See you next year!" to everyone as they leave.

13) Follow through with the next week- give something up, Lent fashion. It's just a one week commitment- everybody CAN do it. The folks who come to the party will either DO it, or THINK about it, all week. Invite them one and all to call you and check on how you're doing- with no car, or no refrigerator, or whatever.

14) DO write it up for the local papers afterwards. And publish the plans for next year; right away.

Ok. There's my thinking. Also in the previous two posts. There's supposed to be a poll at the end of this week, hosted on Crunchy Chiquita - not that we have to choose "either- or", really- but to get an idea of which kind of event folks think will get the best participation- and have the best effects.

Earth-Lent; and the Planet Picnic

Yes, I know, "Lent" is an emotionally loaded word for lots of folks. Maybe we'll go with something else- but I kind of like the universal recognition it has; and it may help if you realize the word just means "Spring"-

Trying to explain what I hope this Party will be- has kind of got me stymied. It CAN be made very complex; with tons of explanations, justifications, etc.

A big point to it, though, is that we need an event for everyone. Not just the heavy thinkers. One of the big hazards we face is over-intellectualizing bloody everything. It turns folks off, and actually I'm kind of on their side.

A brand new parable I acquired yesterday. Talking on the phone with a distant close friend, we were hitting some of the Big Topics, as we tend to. Some years ago he had the great good fortune to be free to kick around in New Guinea for a while. He's one of those people who has his eyes open, all the time.

Like everyone else on the planet, there are still plenty of aspects of Life that baffle both of us. And he said this; laughing: "You know, if you ask the people living in the bush in New Guinea- trying to understand them- 'so, what is the meaning of Life?' - they'll just look at you like you're crazy. And kind of point around. And say something like.. 'Look! It's a beautiful day.'"

That's quite possibly the best and most profound answer for that question I've ever heard, I said. Laughing, and completely serious.

That's what we want people to leave this party with. Life is good. Laughing.

Not - life is in desperate trouble. We get plenty of that elsewhere. It's true, and we all know it. But "Life is good" is true, too. And we need to remember that, and teach it to our children.

Maybe it will work if I just try to paint a picture of what I see. Picnic, is more where I'm going than Mardi Gras, for sure.

It's late afternoon on a clear early summer day- a little hot, but you can tell you'll need a sweater after dark. In trickles, folks start to show up for it.

It's a park- maybe with a lake nearby. Picnic benches; plenty of grass to run on, some trees for shade. Every little town used to have a town park; lots still do. (ok, I admit I fantasize about Central Park turning into one huge Planet Picnic...)

Inevitably, the picnic organizers show up first- set out some food, some drink; sit down and wait. There are kids- toddlers to teenagers. All kinds, of course, including the irritating ones. Hopefully they'll take long walks in the shrubbery before long. Somebody brought a frisbee. Somebody brought their dog.

As the sun goes down, a couple fires spring up, and folks start to cook fun stuff to keep the kids from starving. Weenies (don't start! nobody's taking my bratwurst!) - marshmallows- s'mores if you're brave enough to cope with the mess.

Crucially- there are some old folks, too. Brought, if they can't make it on their own. They're the ones who remember how to do this. We need our elders back- and everybody who comes to this picnic will leave knowing it. Bring a bus from the Rest Home, if you can.

A couple of people brought guitars- or flutes- or harps or harmonicas. Real homemade music- PLEASE no loud rock. We need to talk to each other. It's easy for the folks who want to dance in the evening to be down at one end of the park, and if the music isn't blaring from loudspeakers, the others can be just a little ways away, talking.

It would be great to have some specific after-dark event, to hold folks. How about a ghost story-telling contest? Dance? Plain story-telling? If the group gets too big to be comfortable- split it off; start another story teller, a little ways off. The old-timers can be fantastic here- antique jokes? Volleyball? Summer Solstice celebrations are very ancient- it would be rather easy to dig up some old customs, and take a run at reviving them.

Fireflies come out- the kids REALLY NEED to be allowed to chase them, and catch a few, and keep them in a jar- just for a while. Frogs, too, if they're in the pond. In the old days, an older kids would show them how- now you may need an elder to get the kids going; show them how to catch things without hurting them; when to let them go; how to hold them. Imagine being a kid who is never allowed to chase a firefly. Awful. "Look what I got, Ma! Lookit, Dad!" Those experiences are critical to feeling like you belong in this world; and increasingly, kids have no opportunities.

Yes, one or two fireflies will get squished. Sad. Won't hurt the child to cry a little. But if you weren't there, those fireflies probably would have been eaten by the frogs, anyway, you know. If they're slow enough for the kids to catch... And the memories in the children will save millions of fireflies, in the years ahead.

Relax. Watch the evening progress; listen to it all. Talk to your neighbors- talk to someone you've never met before. Just once, during the evening, ask someone- "So what are you doing for Earth-Lent?" And tell them what you might do. And once during the evening; ask someone to call you, during the week; to check up on how you're doing. You can check on them, too.

Ok. I want to let that vision soak in just a little; tomorrow I'll post "how". This is very idyllic; bucolic- could we actually do it?

Confession. I've been having solstice parties for 15 years- pretty much like that.

And of course it doesn't have to be JUST like that. There's lots and lots of ways. And of course this is a picture of a picnic in the US Midwest- but it could just as well be in New Zealand, or Africa- just plug into where you are.

More Clotheslines; Poverty, and Compact Fluorescents

Another look today at the same NYT article by Kathleen Hughes generated the same reactions- "oh, I gotta talk about this..." I hope Ms. Hughes understands that I consider that a sign of good writing, and interesting topics, not that she didn't do her job!

Chapter 5 - "Meanwhile, my daughter lost interest after the first load, dashing my hope of recreating the happy times I spent hanging clothes with my own mother." I confess, I think a 13 year old girl is a little old to hope for quick conversion on a point like this. If you can't start subverting them at a younger age, you need to go into the project with the understanding that the interest is going to wane- and you will have to have something in mind as a way to re-ignite it. It CAN be done. In my case, I used a long discussion, and a commitment to the family's well-being. Then I was able to keep the learning going past the point where it was all "too hard", to the point where there was well-earned pride in new skills, and pride in a real contribution. It also didn't hurt that the parents were publicly pretty dang proud of the kids. (No, we weren't doing laundry.)

I think that all kids start out wanting one thing more than any other: to please their parents. If parents teach their children that there's no way to please them- the children will quit trying.

Chapter 6 - "For those in colder climates, going without a dryer can be a challenge. " This is mostly another example of lost knowledge. Clothes dry just fine at 10 below zero- but it does take them a little bit longer. You just factor that in, once you know. Actually, drying in good cold weather has a built in advantage- when the clothes are dry- you can SEE it. All of a sudden they'll start to move like cloth, instead of frozen boards. No need to keep going out to check on whether they're ready to come in or not! Modern convenience!

Chapter 7 - "In Hollywood movies, however, clotheslines often appear in scenes depicting dire poverty. ... That image could limit the comeback of the clothesline."

Not only the clothesline- MANY of the practices associated with green/sustainable lives seem to be heading "backwards", to the mainstream. That generally does mean towards lifestyles associated with the poor- those people who just can't afford the new technologies; a refrigerator; airconditioner, washer/dryer... And if you have an outhouse, and a big garden; well, there you are.

This is not trivial. It makes acceptance more difficult, and it can be hard on the kids, who have to keep explaining why they're not really poor.

Particularly when we ARE "poor", by standard cultural standards. Not a lot of money floating around when you don't work for a salary somewhere, and spend a lot of time on long term projects that might pay off- someday.

Shifting to green does mean taking more time to do simple chores. I frequently have difficulty getting some of my customers to understand - no, I really don't have time to wait on them right now- I've got to get firewood in. NOW. Before this rain system moves in. For most of the 1st world, heat comes out of a pipe- which you pay for by "work", for someone else. (Someone else, who is, of course, making an excellent profit from your labor for them... boy, are there ever chapters and chapters there!) Customers used to the "normal" arrangement can't comprehend what's going on when I turn them away- some get wildly offended. I've had more than one business "expert" assure me that "you can't do business that way!" I'm still here though. Not monetarily rich - but I've had many people, very successful in the normal world - look at my life and blurt out their envy for it. They wish they had the time to do things this way. There's a logical contradiction floating around in all this somewhere. :-)

Just be aware that there are concerns here; go into it with your eyes open. And be aware that the kids' understanding and awareness is subject to change with maturity. I know both my boys had times growing up when they felt "poor", and it wasn't particularly fun for them.

Now that they're grown, though, and out on their own; they tell me they DO understand that in fact they grew up really really rich. They had food, shelter, challenges, meaning, fun, family, and time. And they left the Little House feeling like citizens of the World, not our county, or state; because we did spend some time and money on travel; which I personally think is crucial. They were probably more widely traveled than any of their high school classmates.

We need to see how big, and beautiful, the world is; in order to grasp how important it is to keep it from wasting away

Chapter 8 - which actually came earlier in the article - "In the meantime, our electric bill has dropped to $576 in March from its high last summer, reflecting a series of efforts to cut energy. (That’s still too high, so we’re about to try fluorescent bulbs.)"

Ok - brace yourselves. I'm about to say something seriously NEGATIVE about Compact Fluorescent light bulbs. Sacrilege, in the current climate, I know- but I've got some serious POSSIBLE side effects to report. The good news is- it's not ALL CF bulbs; they don't have to be a disaster.

Have you ever heard the theory that one of the reasons for the collapse of the Roman Empire was - lead poisoning? From all the lovely "plumbing" (latin for lead is "plumbum"), and cooking pots made of lead? Quite a few scholars take it very seriously, and personally I'm inclined to think there may well be a lot to it. It was the wealthy who could afford it- all the elite, decision makers. And they sure made a lot of bad decisions. You can find a good summary here:
Roman oops

Here's the thing- a friend pointed out this conversation to me recently; suggesting that SOME fluorescent lights, compact and regular, have a very strong peak in the blue light wavelengths. In particular; specifically those blue wavelengths that are KNOWN (hard science) to STOP internal melatonin production. Melatonin is the brain hormone that lets you sleep. If you're using a lot of the wrong kind of fluorescent lights- you may have no melatonin left, right when you want it.

Modern oops?

Read all the way down the comments.

Are you aware we (the USA) have an epidemic of insomnia on our hands? How many ads have you seen, TODAY, for drugs to help you sleep?

I was formally diagnosed as having a "sleep disorder". For years. And years. But you know what? I got rid of the fluorescents, after dark- and - I'm sleeping again. After checking this out.

My impression is that Hank Roberts is the guy who's actually put two and two together here- but his links are to academic researchers with full credentials, and as far as I can tell, the facts are straight. The academics are mostly talking about this realization as a possible way to reset internal clocks in "jet lag" situations- but the ramifications may be much broader.

What if all the greenies in the world are slowly going nuts from a lack of sleep? Wouldn't that be hilarious? :-)

He's got lots of details there. It's not that hard to find lights that don't have the blue spike problem; including Compact Fluorescents with a "warmer" spectrum profile.

If you're interested in trying this out, it's not hard - just turn your fluorescents off for a week, and use candles instead. It'll be fun. And document your sleep patterns.

You have to pay attention, though. For the first two days, Spice and I were looking at each other, saying - "so- did you sleep better, or not?" And the answer was... "well, I'm not sure. I was, um, asleep."

Bloggling

Yesterday saw a pile of current conversations that wound up freezing me in their headlines. Too many things to comment on!

No Impact Man was focusing on "work", or perhaps "chores"; and simultaneously this article on sun-dried laundry appeared in the NYT.

Hanging Out


Lots of overlap in the two, if you read carefully. I made a comment on NIM, so you can take a look there if you want. The NYT article really set me off; every other paragraph stimulating book-chapter long "amen, and furthermore" responses, in my head. I'll restrain myself, a little anyway.

Ms. Hughes launches her article with "AS a child, I helped my mother hang laundry in our backyard..."

Stopped me right there.

It makes a HUGE difference how you experience the world as a child. Truly vast. I really don't want to be a constant sourpuss - the Governator's "temperance preacher at a fraternity party" - but making the changes in lifestyle that the planet clearly needs may be next to impossible for many of today's children.

Raised in a world where they not only don't have to lift a finger, but where the whole world seems (to them) to be desperately concerned that they should be "getting" everything they "need"- it may be literally inconceivable to them that they should, must, change their self-absorbed lives. It's a great deal like asking someone raised as a good southern Baptist to suddenly convert to Hinduism. You're going to have trouble there.

The advantages of being raised in a sustainably oriented household are many; and not least of them is that true "need" is much easier to see, and understand. SOMEBODY does have to "take the compost out" - or it will stink, and breed flies, and everyone's life will be miserable. Somebody has to go get firewood from the pile, or the house will get cold. In a very short time, the child can see much further- if someone doesn't MAKE a firewood pile, the family will freeze- and die. Really.

There are two advantages to this. The child understands real need. Necessity - REAL necessity - is a concept most children from the 1st world have no real grasp of. We are now facing a world where necessity must be attended to, by all.

AND- the child learns, immediately, that he/she can HELP the family. They learn that what they do matters, and that they are truly a help, to their parents, and the family.

Feeling useful is unbelievably important. Personally, I'm convinced that its opposite; knowing you are useless, is the chief cause of alcoholism, drug addiction, crime, and suicide.

I'll state this here, for what may be the first time anywhere; as a behavioral scientist, I think it's possible the human primate has a "self destruct" function hardwired in. If you are truly useless to the tribe- then you are a threat to the survival of your relatives; and the best thing you can do for them might be - to self destruct. One way or another.

Ok, see what I mean about boggling? This is what the first line triggered. Dismal thoughts!

The upside is: living sustainably does provide multiple antidotes. This is not just my opinion; you can read about it in "Time, Soil, and Children—Conversations with the Second Generation of Sustainable Farm Families in Minnesota", a beautifully hopeful book by Beth Waterhouse.

Children raised with their eyes open - see. Hang on to that.

Chapter 2 came here; "That simple decision to hang a clothesline, however, catapults me into the laundry underground. Clotheslines are banned or restricted by many of the roughly 300,000 homeowners’ associations..."

Sigh. There are legal barriers to a lot of sustainable stuff- some of them based on health concerns, some of them based on nothing at all but a warped sense of propriety. Like green mowed lawns. Ok, maybe a couple chapters... I won't go there right now.

Chapter 3 - "Not only that. Heading outside to the clothesline and hanging each load takes about 7 minutes — 6 minutes and 30 seconds longer than it takes to stuff everything into the dryer."

Oh, no!! Not 6 minutes and 30 seconds!!! I've talked several times about "saving" time- and wasting it; sure I'll talk a lot more eventually.

Chapter 4 - "But the rope lines started to sag, allowing the sheets and heavy wet towels to drag in the dirt. The wooden clothespins soon became weathered and fell apart."

There's the other one I want to get into today. We've FORGOTTEN the technology and skills we need for many sustainable activities - like living without a household refrigerator, like using the sun to dry laundry, like living without endless just-turn-the-tap hot water.

If the writer had had her mother available- or the universally longed for Grandma - those mistakes would not have been made in the first place. The fact that the "store" labels this rope as "clothesline" means nothing at all. Several different kinds of rope will work, depending on different situations- but it's not a trivial choice. The job the rope has to do is quite a demanding one, and success requires considerable knowledge about the behaviors of different kinds of rope. (I'll toss out three factoids here; never try to use nylon; it stretches; polypropylene, it develops slivers; and, what I prefer for clothesline is plastic covered steel wire.)

Likewise with the clothespins. Some on the market are junk; but all of them should come in out of the rain when not in use. The sun eats everything. Grandma had a pin bag, that traveled along the line; pins went in, and out, at need, and the bag sheltered them from the weather when they weren't in use. My Grandma took the pin bag inside, between wash days.

This kind of lost information is extremely common; and it's going to be a problem as people try to recover what they see as "simple" practices from the past. They remember Grandma and Grandpa doing these things, and with the simpler eyes and expectations of childhood, they think all those chores were SIMPLE - because Gram and Gramps did them so easily.

They WEREN'T simple. They required quite a lot of training, knowledge, and learned skills. But getting folks to understand that can be quite difficult. And it's very discouraging for many people to attempt what Grandpa did so easily- and fail completely.

As we get further into the sustainable green world we must have, we need to regenerate also our genuine respect for the "elders" - and the priceless knowledge they have.

We need them. And we need to relearn what they know, before we lose them. SOMEBODY (not me!) needs to launch an "Urban Foxfire Book". Seriously. There are still Grams and Gramps about who remember living in an apartment with no refrigerator; even with an outhouse. No airconditioner. Limited electricity. No hot water. Etc. This would be an absolutely fabulous project for kids to undertake; just as the original Foxfire books were.

So? I'm looking at YOU.

:-)

There were more "chapters" this article kicked off for me, but I think we're approaching overload here, so we'll leave them for now.