I was visiting my family in Wyoming recently.  Apparently my folks had a mouse in their basement.  Mom went to town to get some traps and poison.

Meanwhile, my aunt chased the little fucker down and ended its scurrylous ways with a claw hammer.

Posted by: roggowj at 02:58 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I do believe in responsible environmental stewardship, but global warming is another example of our American excesses.  Too many people believe that if an ounce of something is good then five pounds of the same must be eleventy times better.  If something is bad, we must eliminate every possible trace.

Everything we eat is fortified with Vitamin C.  All of our cleaning products are anti-bacterial.  Former industrial real estate must be cleaner than cosmic background radiation would allow. 

Global climate change is another battle of excess.  If pollution is bad, every bit of it must be erased from production and eventually the planet.

That has as much to do with the NIMBY crowd as anything.  Radiation is bad so any amount of radiation is dangerous.  It doesn't matter if it's hidden or contained or buried under a mountain in a desert nobody visits.  It's bad and must be shunned.

But, some things aren't that bad.  Carbon in the atmosphere is a good thing.  It means plants have a great source of nutrition.  It means greater crop yields.  It means healthier, more robust plants.  It means more plants.

Don't buy the hype.  Use your air conditioner, drive your car, barbecue some ribs.  Do what you can to contribute to atmospheric carbon.  The crops will thank you, and they will reward your pocketbook.

The climate won't care so much.  It has bigger things to worry about.

Posted by: roggowj at 02:59 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Sorry folks. Fuel isn't cheapening. I love to drive, but my Dodge turbo diesel costs a lot to drive these days. Instead of spending $300 a month on fuel, I bought a bicycle and a $30 bus pass. The bus service isn't great here in Boise, but I just have to plan a bit. Sixty percent of the world will not be content living in darkness and squalor while the U.S. and the rest of the developed world have cars and nuclear powered light bulbs. Nothing the United States does will change the fact that most of the pollution in the world is actually coming from developing countries. It's expensive to clean up pollution and most of the world can't afford to do it. Regardless of what impact mankind has on the environment, the experiment will be done. The curious thing is that I feel good about not driving. I'm generally skeptical of the whole global climate change panic. However, I'm guilty of being lazy and pursuing convenience. I complained about gas prices when they were $3.00 per gallon. I stopped driving when I had to pay $4.00. I hear everybody else continuing to complain. Bitching isn't going to solve anything. Only action will ease the hurt in our pocketbooks. And that means driving as little as possible. With a pass I can ride the bus as much as I want for $30 per month. I can bike to the bookstore, the bank, the liquor store, my friends' houses, and the coffee shop. I get a great endorphin rush, an exercise fueled libido, and a great ass to show off to my dates. Or, the dates I might have with, you know, people. Someday.

Posted by: roggowj at 03:18 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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