SpamCon Foundation: to reduce spam (junk email)
I get something like 200 spams a day. Some of it gets filtered, thank goodness, but REALLY. It makes me crazy.
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Saturday, December 04, 2004
Environmental Math
Tonight I'm doing some math.
Since our business, Turtle Press, has started to produce Tree Hugger Sketchbooks and Journals (a line of 100% Post Consumer Recycled blank books for artists) last year, we've saved the planet:
1205 gallons of water
1633 BTUs of energy
128 lbs of solid waste
8 lbs water borne waste
248 lbs of atmospheric emissions
and, drum roll please, SEVEN trees!
Talk about cool. Seven trees saved from our little sketchbooks going out into the world! Every artist does make a difference.
I got into it, so I did some more math.
We only sell recycled or tree free paper at our store, so I wanted to figure the counts for the card stock and blank card packs and envelopes we've sold since we opened the store.
A lot of our paper is 50% or 100% post consumer recycled, but I figured it out for 30% post consumer anyway, to give a safe estimate. So, the envelopes and cards and cardstock our customers have purchased from us has saved at LEAST:
1656 gallons of water
2245 BTUs of energy
167 lbs of solid waste
10 lbs of water borne waste
341 lbs of atmospheric emissions
and NINE trees
So, that gives us a total count of at least 16 trees saved. How cool is that?
I'm really proud.
Since our business, Turtle Press, has started to produce Tree Hugger Sketchbooks and Journals (a line of 100% Post Consumer Recycled blank books for artists) last year, we've saved the planet:
1205 gallons of water
1633 BTUs of energy
128 lbs of solid waste
8 lbs water borne waste
248 lbs of atmospheric emissions
and, drum roll please, SEVEN trees!
Talk about cool. Seven trees saved from our little sketchbooks going out into the world! Every artist does make a difference.
I got into it, so I did some more math.
We only sell recycled or tree free paper at our store, so I wanted to figure the counts for the card stock and blank card packs and envelopes we've sold since we opened the store.
A lot of our paper is 50% or 100% post consumer recycled, but I figured it out for 30% post consumer anyway, to give a safe estimate. So, the envelopes and cards and cardstock our customers have purchased from us has saved at LEAST:
1656 gallons of water
2245 BTUs of energy
167 lbs of solid waste
10 lbs of water borne waste
341 lbs of atmospheric emissions
and NINE trees
So, that gives us a total count of at least 16 trees saved. How cool is that?
I'm really proud.
Sunday, November 14, 2004
Bob Dylan was so psychic
In 1963 Bob Dylan created a song titled "Masters of War." A powerful song, to be sure.
41 years later, kids from Boulder, Colorado decide to perform this song in their school talent show.
This peaks the interest of parents, students, the media, and get this- the Secret Service, because they think that it might be possible that the kids are actually threatening **** (insert current US president here, yes I'm paranoid) with the final lines of the song.
With the final lines of the song that was written 41 years ago.
If Bob Dylan can write a song just for in-the-future-kids to sing to threaten a certain leader who's name we will not mention here, I think we should start paying closer attention to his other songs.
Lots of lyrics at bobdylan.com if anyone wants to Nostradamusify them.
It's just too depressing to think that it's just the same crap happening, that nothing has changed in 41 years, and that a song written 41 years ago might fit with the current circumstances. And that the people who get upset over kids having some kind of political voice are the same people who assumed this anti-Bush message into the song. Um. Hello, irony?
And the true story of his great psychic powers: ABC News: School Talent Show Draws Secret Service
41 years later, kids from Boulder, Colorado decide to perform this song in their school talent show.
This peaks the interest of parents, students, the media, and get this- the Secret Service, because they think that it might be possible that the kids are actually threatening **** (insert current US president here, yes I'm paranoid) with the final lines of the song.
With the final lines of the song that was written 41 years ago.
If Bob Dylan can write a song just for in-the-future-kids to sing to threaten a certain leader who's name we will not mention here, I think we should start paying closer attention to his other songs.
Lots of lyrics at bobdylan.com if anyone wants to Nostradamusify them.
It's just too depressing to think that it's just the same crap happening, that nothing has changed in 41 years, and that a song written 41 years ago might fit with the current circumstances. And that the people who get upset over kids having some kind of political voice are the same people who assumed this anti-Bush message into the song. Um. Hello, irony?
And the true story of his great psychic powers: ABC News: School Talent Show Draws Secret Service
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
November 2 never happened
Yeah. I know at least a few people besides me who are thinking about running away today.
EscapeArtist Home Page: Living Overseas - International Real Estate, Overseas Jobs - Expatriate Resources - Overseas Retirement
EscapeArtist Home Page: Living Overseas - International Real Estate, Overseas Jobs - Expatriate Resources - Overseas Retirement
Monday, November 01, 2004
once upon a time
Once upon a time, a country that was fairly young in the scheme of things held an election. Many people ran for many different offices, and many people whe weren't running also got involved by volunteering and giving money and providing materials arguing their positions, whether those materials were based in fact or in fantasy. The important thing was to be involved, and everyone seemed to want to be involved.
Corruption was alleged and sometimes proven, but usually just alleged. The newspapers ran stories that made good headlines and sold lots of newspapers and got lots of viewers on TV. But because so many were owned by just a few big companies, sometimes people ended up not knowing who to believe.
But at least they knew they could trust their neighbors. So when a neighbor from across the street told them who to vote for, they at least thought about it. People visited booths at little street fairs, and talked to people who wantered the sidewalks with clipboards. People did their patriotic duty and registered to vote.
However, some of those people didn't register to vote correctly. They filled out forms printed on the wrong weight of paper. They filled out forms given to them by workers who sometimes threw away their voter registerations instead of sending them in.
Then, even those that did register to vote, were sometimes told that they weren't. Or that it was
too dangerous to try to vote, because they might be arrested. These tricks were sometimes recorded and warned about in the media, but they didn't really have enough time to go too into it, because other things were happening, too. Like big movie stars and musicians were visiting promoting candidates. Or important singers were caught lip synching on live television. Or Bob won the biggest pumpkin contest. These were important things to let people know about, too, and the traditional media just didn't have time for all the other stuff. More and more people had to go to a new place for news: blogs. Blogs of course are run by humams for the most part, not big corporations. As a result, sometimes the blogs had information that was true, and sometimes not. And, many times, whethere on not the blogs told it true, there was no way to know, because they didn't back up their assertions with any facts or proof.
So, a country got ready to vote. And, for the first time in this little country's history, more people were worried that their votes might not count than people who weren't worried at all.
Anyway, Scott was reading stories out loud to me last night, about various goofing-with-voters stuff going on, on the part of both the Republicans and Democrats (and probably Independents and Libertarians and Greens, too, but those poor guys never make the news as much as the biggies). It's been a horrifying last couple of weeks (months, years?) and I wonder how we're supposed to maintain our status of so-called model of democracy around the world when we seem to instead be a model of indemocracy.
How can we look each other in the eye, when so many people in this country just want to work as hard as they can to KEEP their neighbors from being part of this election?
So.
Vote if you can. And if you're worried that "They" might not let you at the polls, give it a try anyway. What the heck.
Corruption was alleged and sometimes proven, but usually just alleged. The newspapers ran stories that made good headlines and sold lots of newspapers and got lots of viewers on TV. But because so many were owned by just a few big companies, sometimes people ended up not knowing who to believe.
But at least they knew they could trust their neighbors. So when a neighbor from across the street told them who to vote for, they at least thought about it. People visited booths at little street fairs, and talked to people who wantered the sidewalks with clipboards. People did their patriotic duty and registered to vote.
However, some of those people didn't register to vote correctly. They filled out forms printed on the wrong weight of paper. They filled out forms given to them by workers who sometimes threw away their voter registerations instead of sending them in.
Then, even those that did register to vote, were sometimes told that they weren't. Or that it was
too dangerous to try to vote, because they might be arrested. These tricks were sometimes recorded and warned about in the media, but they didn't really have enough time to go too into it, because other things were happening, too. Like big movie stars and musicians were visiting promoting candidates. Or important singers were caught lip synching on live television. Or Bob won the biggest pumpkin contest. These were important things to let people know about, too, and the traditional media just didn't have time for all the other stuff. More and more people had to go to a new place for news: blogs. Blogs of course are run by humams for the most part, not big corporations. As a result, sometimes the blogs had information that was true, and sometimes not. And, many times, whethere on not the blogs told it true, there was no way to know, because they didn't back up their assertions with any facts or proof.
So, a country got ready to vote. And, for the first time in this little country's history, more people were worried that their votes might not count than people who weren't worried at all.
Anyway, Scott was reading stories out loud to me last night, about various goofing-with-voters stuff going on, on the part of both the Republicans and Democrats (and probably Independents and Libertarians and Greens, too, but those poor guys never make the news as much as the biggies). It's been a horrifying last couple of weeks (months, years?) and I wonder how we're supposed to maintain our status of so-called model of democracy around the world when we seem to instead be a model of indemocracy.
How can we look each other in the eye, when so many people in this country just want to work as hard as they can to KEEP their neighbors from being part of this election?
So.
Vote if you can. And if you're worried that "They" might not let you at the polls, give it a try anyway. What the heck.
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Sunday, October 17, 2004
Playing with Half.com
I wonder, does anyone buy from Half.com or is it just another weird extension of the mega ebay-business? I'm going to try out selling some stuff, but I can't see selling books for 24¢ like some of the people there seem to be doing. How does that cover the cost of the electricity you use while you're listing something, for goodness sakes?
Well, anyway, it's worth a try. I'll only list things I loved, no crap, so it can't hurt to try it out for some extra cash.
(I WANT that digital camera, see...)
Well, anyway, it's worth a try. I'll only list things I loved, no crap, so it can't hurt to try it out for some extra cash.
(I WANT that digital camera, see...)
Saturday, October 09, 2004
eBay
I thought I'd try some eBay selling again. Now it's worn me out with its slow-loading selling pages, so I'm going to bed.
Kerrie's eBay Stuff
Kerrie's eBay Stuff
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Get Off The Internet And Vote
This is pretty cool; I like it. Get Off The Internet And Vote gives you prizes for doing just that - voting. If using your power to vote isn't enough of a prize for you...
I'm also beside myself today because I've found out that the new season of The West Wing doesn't start until October 20. Argh! How will I stand two more weeks of suspense worrying about Donna?
I guess I'll live. I have lots of work to do to keep me busy.
I'm also beside myself today because I've found out that the new season of The West Wing doesn't start until October 20. Argh! How will I stand two more weeks of suspense worrying about Donna?
I guess I'll live. I have lots of work to do to keep me busy.
Sunday, September 26, 2004
I'd been looking for this information...
but it was pretty hard to find. I wanted names, dates, faces of individuals who have died in this illegal war in Iraq, not just toy soldier faceless numbers that a lot of the media wants us to see, so we somehow feel better about this oil war. I was extremely surprised to find this at CNN.com Specials.
Guitars
I've been thinking that I want a guitar. I took lessons for a while when I was a teenager, but then teenager things interfered. But, I'm bitten by this bug to take it up again. First, I need to find a guitar, and I know very little about choosing one. It sounds like a Jasmine S-35 Acoustic Guitar would be a good one. It's certainly not as expensive as I feared a guitar would be.
Friday, September 24, 2004
Something for the To Do List
Write a letter to Dr. Iyad ‘Allawi, the Prime Minister of Interim Government of Iraq, to tell him to change the fact that that thousands of people in his country are being held in prison without even being told why.
Monday, September 20, 2004
Monday, September 13, 2004
peopleandplanet.net - population and environment issues
I have been researching how we, as citizens of this planet, can use our dollars to "vote" for a world that we want to live in. It's why my business only sells treefree or recycled papers, and why we sell only non-environmentally hazardous art supplies. One person doing what they can hopefully can make a little bit of a dent in the abuse we're giving our planet. I don't own a car, and am happy about that. I use Flexcar when I need wheels. I walk to work and take the bus to most places I want to go. I know that because I live in a city with good public transportation, I'm very lucky, and that someone living somewhere else might not have the same luxuries. Sheesh, when I lived in New Jersey, if you were caught walking along the so-called sidewalk (if there WAS a sidewalk!) people thought you must be some kind of a freak!
Almost everyone recycles these days, thank goodness. And most people won't purposefully pour gasoline down the drain or toxic chemicals in the stream near their home. But I'm on a quest to find out more ways to do good for the earth. I found this web site, and it looks like a good start for some basic research: peopleandplanet.net
Almost everyone recycles these days, thank goodness. And most people won't purposefully pour gasoline down the drain or toxic chemicals in the stream near their home. But I'm on a quest to find out more ways to do good for the earth. I found this web site, and it looks like a good start for some basic research: peopleandplanet.net
Sunday, September 12, 2004
Friday, September 10, 2004
9-11
This is from my altered book, The Wall Book. Of course I'm posting this because it is about 9-11. I was trying to sort out my feelings about the politics and patriotism that have been tangled up into the emotions of 9-11. I don't have my feelings about this figured out yet, and I probably never will.
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
Born Before 1986
Yes, that's me. A list of things you don't know if you were born after 1986.
One thing that I do think about quite a bit, is how scared we were when we were sure that Russia and the USA were going to blow each other up with nuclear bombs. Remember War Games, Red Dawn and The Morning After? I wasn't allowed to watch The Morning After when it was on TV, because my mom was sure it would give me nightmares.
But she shouldn't have worried about that specifically, I was having mushroom-cloud nightmares anyway. When I told my grandfather, he was no help. "Honey," he said, "if there are nuclear wars, we don't have to worry about it, because we'll be vaporized immediately. Don't you think they'll bomb Boeing first?" That cheered my little baby-teen self up quite a bit. I went home and packed a backpack, ready to go, so if the alerts were sounded (I was sure there'd have to be alerts, that's the way it happened in the movies, after all!) I'd be ready to grab my backpack and head for the hills! Two steps ahead of nuclear holocaust, that's where I'd be!
I was born 11 years before my little sister, and she doesn't know what it's like to live worried about the communists blowing us all into vapor. For her, the big worries are whether she's being overly commercialistic in her purchases and as a result is supporting child labor in Indonesia.
Which I worry about too. Maybe I just worry too much.
One thing that I do think about quite a bit, is how scared we were when we were sure that Russia and the USA were going to blow each other up with nuclear bombs. Remember War Games, Red Dawn and The Morning After? I wasn't allowed to watch The Morning After when it was on TV, because my mom was sure it would give me nightmares.
But she shouldn't have worried about that specifically, I was having mushroom-cloud nightmares anyway. When I told my grandfather, he was no help. "Honey," he said, "if there are nuclear wars, we don't have to worry about it, because we'll be vaporized immediately. Don't you think they'll bomb Boeing first?" That cheered my little baby-teen self up quite a bit. I went home and packed a backpack, ready to go, so if the alerts were sounded (I was sure there'd have to be alerts, that's the way it happened in the movies, after all!) I'd be ready to grab my backpack and head for the hills! Two steps ahead of nuclear holocaust, that's where I'd be!
I was born 11 years before my little sister, and she doesn't know what it's like to live worried about the communists blowing us all into vapor. For her, the big worries are whether she's being overly commercialistic in her purchases and as a result is supporting child labor in Indonesia.
Which I worry about too. Maybe I just worry too much.
Monday, September 06, 2004
Weekends
For something like five years, I've worked for six days a week, 8-10 hours a day in the store, and then a couple of hours at night on paperwork, bookkeeping, the magazine, etc. In August, we decided to close the store on Mondays, and gave ourselves the much coveted:
TWO DAY WEEKEND
I'm actually starting to feel a little like a real person again. I can do things on our second day off, I don't have to do ALL of my chores on Sunday, and every once in a while I actually have been thinking about making art, reading, writing, knitting... all of that stuff that somehow I never have time for anymore. Mind, it's not exactly happening yet, but I'm starting to THINK about it, so my brain might be feeling a little tiny bit rested from our two day weekends.
However, there is the money issue. It's tough for a tiny business like ours to be closed for business for two days a week. So the jury is out as to what we'll do.
TWO DAY WEEKEND
I'm actually starting to feel a little like a real person again. I can do things on our second day off, I don't have to do ALL of my chores on Sunday, and every once in a while I actually have been thinking about making art, reading, writing, knitting... all of that stuff that somehow I never have time for anymore. Mind, it's not exactly happening yet, but I'm starting to THINK about it, so my brain might be feeling a little tiny bit rested from our two day weekends.
However, there is the money issue. It's tough for a tiny business like ours to be closed for business for two days a week. So the jury is out as to what we'll do.
Thursday, September 02, 2004
Sunday, August 29, 2004
Latest News - Press Releases from the White House
Latest News
If you want to know what they want us to think is going on, check this web site.
In a way, I'm amazed at how much they are apparently getting done, all while keeping on being such attack kitties. I wonder what would happen if all the network news went on vacation, and people started to go right to the source to find and read their own news, and digest it and figure it out for themselves. I need to spend a little time looking at some of these press releases for myself, without the shiney happy filters that the media generally offers.
If you want to know what they want us to think is going on, check this web site.
In a way, I'm amazed at how much they are apparently getting done, all while keeping on being such attack kitties. I wonder what would happen if all the network news went on vacation, and people started to go right to the source to find and read their own news, and digest it and figure it out for themselves. I need to spend a little time looking at some of these press releases for myself, without the shiney happy filters that the media generally offers.
Monday, August 23, 2004
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Ohmigawd!
Welcome to the Project for the New American Century
All along, I've been sure that there was a "Them" who was out to get us. Well.
All along, I've been sure that there was a "Them" who was out to get us. Well.
Monday, August 16, 2004
IFGA International Fainting Goat Association
IFGA International Fainting Goat Association
Thank you Scott for reminding me about the Fainting Goats.
Thank you Scott for reminding me about the Fainting Goats.
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Spinsanity - Countering rhetoric with reason
Spinsanity - Countering rhetoric with reason
One of the guys who does this site was just on John Stewart, and he was SHARP. This web site requires a bit of study and a closer look sometime when I'm not trying to wait for meteor showers.
Man, there is so much to know, and I realize that I know so very little.
One of the guys who does this site was just on John Stewart, and he was SHARP. This web site requires a bit of study and a closer look sometime when I'm not trying to wait for meteor showers.
Man, there is so much to know, and I realize that I know so very little.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Today's Specials
This may be the best thing I've ever ever found on the web.
Apparently, scientists have set up a webcam in New Zealand so they can study the crater of this volcano. Someone sneaked a purple dinosaur into view, though, and left it there. So, is it a volcanocam now, or a dinocam? The best part is that the scientists are just leaving it there. I like looking at it every once in a while.
Friday, July 30, 2004
reasons why I hate the rain
1. people who smoke clustering together in doorways, creating a wet smokey atmosphere
2. people with umbrellas not paying attention to other pedestrians, flicking water and poking people standing next to them waiting for the walk light with their umbrella prongs
3. people dribbling their umbrellas all over dry floors
4. people saying, "is it wet enough for ya?"
5. people playing let's-drive-through-splashy-puddles-and-try-to-soak-the-person-waiting-to-cross-the-street
I guess maybe it's not the rain that I hate so much. It's how people act in the rain.
2. people with umbrellas not paying attention to other pedestrians, flicking water and poking people standing next to them waiting for the walk light with their umbrella prongs
3. people dribbling their umbrellas all over dry floors
4. people saying, "is it wet enough for ya?"
5. people playing let's-drive-through-splashy-puddles-and-try-to-soak-the-person-waiting-to-cross-the-street
I guess maybe it's not the rain that I hate so much. It's how people act in the rain.
Sunday, July 04, 2004
I'm not feeling like very much is right in the world right now. Not so much with me, although that is an issue too, but mostly with everyone and everything else in the world. So many people are sick or away from home in lands far away where they don't belong or lost or sad or poisoned with toxic fumes or just plain sad. All I can do about it is make sure the wild birds that come to my balcony are fed the millet seed they like. That's about all I can handle right now.
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