Beethoven says, "Vote No on Prop 4"

Cute! No on 4 to Beethoven's Fifth.

Cute Bird in British Colombia

Reminding myself that I didn't really set out to blog about politics...here's something from a Beautiful Day last summer in British Columbia.

Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama

Colin Powell not only endorses Obama, he also speaks out for religious liberty. I am so grateful for that, I got tears in my eyes. Worth listening to the whole 7 minutes, because the tears came during the last two.

Got hope? Oh yes.

This is how bad it would be if Prop 4 passes

For background on Prop 4, please see my previous post here.

I found this set of diagrams here. Even without reading the text, they show the mind-boggling hurdles Prop 4 would put in place of California minor teens seeking an abortion...and their doctors.

To start with, simply compare what happens today with what would happen if Prop 4 passes, even for a teen who is able to tell her parents:

Today: If Prop 4 passes:
Even the minor teen who can involve her parents would have to be very careful to document and verify that she and her doctor are following the law, or the doctor could be sued decades later. And that's the easy case!

Here's what it looks like if a minor teen seeks a judicial by-pass:

Here's what it looks like if she chooses to notify an alternate adult relative (this one takes THREE pages):


We need to make sure people understand how this law would really work (or not work)! To find out how you can help, go to www.noonprop4.org

Mystic Forest

This mystic forest is along the hike to The Chief in Squamish, B.C. It's a strenuous hike -- I can't even imagine the climb up the face, which is what Stawamus Chief is famous for! But after either one, dinner and a beer at the Howe Sound Inn can't be beat!

Vote NO on California's Prop 4

No matter how you feel about abortion, if you care about teen safety, you should Vote NO on Prop 4.

This election marks the third time a handful of anti-choice men have paid millions of dollars to signature gatherers to put a Parental Notification Constitutional Amendment on the ballot. Like Propositions 73 (2005) and 85 (2006) before it, Proposition 4 would prohibit young women from obtaining an abortion without government-mandated parental notification -- unless they go to court or document charges of parental abuse.

California voters defeated the previous two attempts because we understand that although parental notification laws may sound good, in the real world they put teenagers in danger. While we hope our teens will tell us if they are facing an unintended pregnancy, more than anything, we want them to be safe.

Most pregnant teens do involve their parents. But sadly, of the teens who don’t, most have very good reasons not to. Some fear being kicked out of the house, beaten, or worse. Others are faced with a difficult family situation, like parental substance abuse or serious health or financial problems, and simply cannot go to their parents.

Laws cannot force family communication! But they can cause desperate teens to do desperate things. We know from experiences in other states with parental notification laws in place that rather than tell a parent, teens:

• Delay care until their 18th birthday, greatly increasing the risk of complications
• Travel to other states where parental notification is not required
• Take matters into their own hands, or seek illegal providers – putting their lives at risk.

Proposition 4 threatens the safety and well being of California’s teens, especially those who need our help the most. I have four children, ages 9 through 16. I certainly hope that my daughter will come to me if she is faced with an unintended pregnancy, but if for whatever reason she chooses not to, more than anything, I want her to be safe. And I realize that some teens cannot safely involve a parent. Those teens need to access to counseling, support, and responsible medical care. That’s why I’m voting NO on Prop 4.

The more people learn about Proposition 4 (and Propositions 73 and 85 before it), the more they oppose these dangerous laws. But in this presidential election, we need to reach millions of new voters. Find out how you can help at www.noonprop4.org.

Unbelievably Horrifyingly Funny (or scary, if they win)

Please forgive the poor presentation (I never did figure out how to insert video clips reliably). This pair of video clips is worth the awkward step of clicking on each link.

First, watch this Saturday Night Live skit of the Palin-Couric interview.

Now watch this segment of the real interview.

I had read that SNL used Palin's words verbatim...but I never imagined how many!!

"Windex" Lakes

These are the Joffrey Lakes, just north of Whistler, British Columbia, where we were recently hiking. Their color is so beautiful, but can it be natural? We kept hesitating to totally enjoy the "windex blue" color of Joffrey Lakes, just in case we came home and discovered that the blue color is caused by acid rain or something equally awful. But phew, the lovely color is caused by glacial silt, which is high in quartz.

Lower Joffrey Lake

Middle Joffrey Lake

Upper Joffrey Lake

Results 1 - 10 of about 6,240 for sarah palin tina fey

Ha ha ha ... and I thought I had an original thought!

Tulip Magnolias

I've been wanting to do this for years, and today was the day. I went for a bike ride to photograph these trees in bloom. As nice as they look here, they are even better in person.

Enjoy.

Mystery burrow

OK. Here's a challenge. Does anyone know who might have made this hole?

I found a bunch of them on a recent hike in Rancho San Antonio park, in Cupertino, California in early February. They were all over the hiking path. They must have been made earlier that morning, because the dirt was still moist. The hole is about half inch in diameter. Tarantulas, maybe?

Elephant Seals at Piedras Blancas

I took this photo the same day as my previous post. Piedras Blancas is a popular breeding zone for elephant seals, as you can see. I wish I remembered half of what the docent told us about them.

One thing I remember well, is the docent's grim prediction of how these new mammas and babies would fare if the big storm came in as expected. Not well. The next day, while the storm raged even stronger than expected, I thought of the elephant seals often. Tough life!

Road Trip

Just when even I thought I might have given up the blog,... I've been working on a community project to fight climate change, and I've been so busy with it, I haven't spent enough time enjoying the very planet I'm helping to save. Except for this recent road trip down Highway 1, through Big Sur. So big; so powerful; what a planet!

Just another nice tree

Found this photo while pruning the photo file. Just a nice view of an oak tree from a recent hike.

The Story of Stuff

Watch this video! It's in seven installments, which come up automatically when chapter one finishes. All together it takes 20 minutes, but I think it's worth it. Watch the first two chapters and then decide for yourself.

Warning: you might never go to a big box discount store again after watching it. But that would be OK, I think. ...unless it's to purchase LED Christmas lights, that is.

Green Holiday tip #2

I'm trying to have a green holiday season this year, and ... I just wish I knew someone who needs a new trash can! This one is made 99% of recycled tires.

But as 8yo pointed out, "What are you going to to WASTE one of the trash cans we already have so you can buy a sustainable one???" Good point.

Anyone need a sustainable trash can?

Green Holiday tip for procrastinators who put up Christmas Lights

This post was half-baked about a week ago, so now it is for serious procrastinators!

Hopefully, you've already heard about how efficient and long lasting LED Christmas lights are. I mean, it was on CNN! The only downside is the price, according to the CNN Report. The good news is, these LED bulbs are:

• 10x more efficient than incandescent mini bulbs


• 50x more efficient than incandescent traditional bulbs


• long lasting: they don't burn out for, like, 100 years (ok, maybe a little less than that) and they don't break as easily...they're strong plastic, not thin glass.

And...aren't they lovely?

They have an earthier, richer color tone that I like.

So, right. The price. Look for them on sale early next season (or maybe you'll still find some deals this year). I found a great price at...well, I don't want to name names or anything, but...two syllables: first one sounds like "lost", second one sounds like "low"

Happy Thanksgiving weekend!

Here's one of my all-time favorite eco-tips, perfect for the day after Thanksgiving:

"...Kelsa says that instead of wasting plastic wrap or tinfoil, and in order to conserve the water and energy you would use to wash Tupperware, leftovers should just be placed on the floor for the dogs."

Woof.

Early Soccer Game on a Cloudy Day

Sometimes it's not so bad to have the first soccer game of the day...

Carbon Offsets Skeptics

I just got back from a trip to New York City from San Francisco and purchased carbon offset for my flight.

Here's how it works:

My round-trip flight contributed 3170 lbs. of CO2 to the atmosphere. The $34.55 carbon offsets I just purchased buy wind-generated electricity, which replaces electricity that would have emitted 3,170 lbs. of CO2 to produce. The wind-generated electricity company is only allowed to sell carbon offsets for that clean electricity once, and they are the only ones allowed to sell it. Otherwise it doesn't work.

Pretty confusing, huh? No wonder people tend to be skeptical about Carbon Offsets. My skeptical friends used to just frustrate and annoy me. But then I thought, maybe I can learn something from their reaction. Maybe there is a better way to describe Carbon Offsets that make them more intuitive and less "scary."

Here is my suggestion:

One day, I was thinking about the efficiency measures I’ve taken in my own home, and wondering what I could do next. I realized that I’ve addressed all the low-hanging fruit, and at this point, the investment of resources is big compared to the CO2 savings to be gained.

Then I thought of my friend, who lives in a poorly insulated, drafty house. I could save more CO2 by paying to insulate and seal her house than I could by spending the same amount of money on the next project in my house (never mind how socially awkward that would be!).

That is the concept behind carbon offsets.

After you’ve reduced your CO2 emissions as much as you can or are willing to do, you buy carbon offsets so that other people can reduce CO2 emissions. The bigger the pool of CO2-reducing projects to choose from, the more CO2 you can reduce with the same amount of money.

Of course, you have to trust the organization that distributes the funds to make good choices and not cheat (sell the same offsets more than once). Many of the large environmental groups certify offset providers, which gives you confidence that your money will be wisely spent on real offsets.

Try this on the next skeptic you run across and tell me if it works!