Lacing your shoes

Need help lacing your shoes? At least you don't have to wonder how many ways there are to lace them anymore. (There's 43,200 choices)

Blogging Frustrations

I think I need to totally rework this blog. Its gotten me so depressed that I don't even bother stopping by. Isn't that sad?
If I could just get those archives working, I'd be a happier momma.
I believe that I now spend, on average, four hours more a week just in shuttling kids to and from school than I did last year. aaaarrrrrggggghhhhh! and I thought i'd have more time this year! tsk tsk.

(why i am) Pro-Choice

[this is another transfer from my old website. as i reread the post i could already hear Darryl's opinions in my ear. i considered pre-empting expected arguments and decided to leave it as is, instead.

this was originally posted fall/winter 2002.]

			(why i am) Pro-Choice I've been led to believe that those who support "family values," by definition, support families and the values that help those families to remain close knit and self supporting. That's why I'm so often surprised to find that those "family values" supporters shop at Walmart. Why do sooooooooo many christians in this nation, who claim to support family values, support giant government bureaucracies or giant unregulated corporations, and the government corporate welfare system (so much for "free-markets"), which undermine the true empowerment of families? The God of Unlimited Profit is very seductive and I believe has infested the gospel of many churches. Christians on the left usually err on the side of Big Government as saviour, and Christians on the right usually err on the side of Big Corporations as saviour. And the gospel is usually lost. -- Brett Lutz Now, I have to admit that I've shopped at Walmart before, and Home Depot and Target just to name a few. But that doesn't mean that I should have. Let me explain: By supporting Walmart (and many other chains), you are essentially encouraging homogeneity. As chains force out the local mom and pop stores and restaurants (and each other... note that Kmart isn't doing too well), we begin to lose the ability to choose where we'd like to shop. Once upon a time we could choose between several mom and pops as well as the chains. The chains, however, will soon reduce our choices only down to other chains (and in some places this has already happened) and eventually the chains will duke it out among themselves until there's only a few remaining to choose from. And what will your choices be then? If you don't like what they stock, then you're just out of luck because there will be no where else to go. (And I haven't found a mega-chain yet that special-orders items for customers.) Darwin believed that the fittest would survive. However, its easy to be "more fit" when you're unfair. Chains aren't only unfair to the mom and pop shops, but they're increasingly unfair to their consumers, their employees and the communities they're located in. And though Walmart makes an ideal icon to slam, even such well loved favorites as McDonalds are at fault. I doubt that, Sam Walton (Walmart), Ray Kroc (McDonalds), and Sebastian Kresge (Kmart) set out to wipe out choice. In fact, I suspect that they thought they were helping to bring about more choice. And initially, they were. But as these corporations saturate communities, they will eventually (and have already begun to) reduce our choices (for where to shop, what we can buy when we shop, and even for where we work). Unfair to Consumers Consumers are loosing their ability to choose. Not only does the increasing presence of chain stores reduce the number of shopping options for the average consumer as all of the mom and pop options are wiped out, but the stores themselves only carry a set offering of products and are generally not able to special order items. (Thank God for the internet!) "I have personally seen Wal-Mart and other discount stores completely shut down a small town in southern Indiana. Businesses which had been in operation for years were closed and the only opportunities for employment were minimum wage jobs. In addition, clothing and other items are of a low quality, not really quality for price." --anonymous in the San Diego area (from Lawmall) The sheer buying power of some of these behemoths can even affect availability of items. If a manufacturer is looking to put a new product on the market, they often need to have that product get picked up by one of the larger chains or they won't be able to sell enough to make a profit. So if Home Depot decides it doesn't like your new gizmo, then its likely that your new gizmo might not hit the market at all (and anyone who would have jumped at the chance to own that new gizmo is just out of luck). Likewise, if a chain store does decide to sell your little gizmo, they may make you sign a contract that forbids you from selling your gizmo to any other company or even directly to consumers. (So now anyone who isn't near a Walmart or Home Depot is the one out of luck.) Chains also reduce choice by making their product selection, their store layout, etc. all part of their branding. For the most part, when you walk into a new Meijers, or a Super K, or a Walmart, you can size up the layout (groceries on the right or groceries on the left?) and find the department that you want right away because you're already familiar with how that store lays out its products. (Actually, I've noticed that once you've got Meijers down pat, you can figure out Walmart pretty quickly, etc.) This is part of what makes these stores appealing. I know that when I'm traveling, its comforting to walk into a store and be able to find what I want pretty quickly without having to ask. But at the same time, this sameness lacks originality and creativity. I find it ironic that most Americans don't like "religion" because certain things are expected of them, and they'll have to learn the in's and out's of the "religion." Yet the big wigs at these chains have us fully trained to memorize the layout of their stores, to know their product selection, to accept their product selection, to purchase from their product selection, to believe their product selection is what they say it is (see PBS's article on Walmart stocking-or not stocking-American made products), and to sign up for the card that will give us "discounts" on all of these products (while giving away our personal information to those same corporate big wigs). "My experience with superstores - Home Depot, etc. - is that they have a broad range of products but lack depth. I find myself patronizing the niche retailers - the specialty bookstore, or 'Real Goods' catalog for products I want. My concern with superstores is that they ... define what's marketed without concern for origin of product (e.g. Chinese prison labor) or ecological consequences." --anonymous in the San Diego area (from Lawmall) In a similar vein, chains like McDonalds train us to expect hamburgers to taste a certain way (too much sodium, grain fed cows, white bun, grease). No matter what McDonalds you go to all across America, those hamburgers will taste identical. (That is, they will unless one of the employees has "doctored it up" somehow with something disgusting. See Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser.) We can't walk into a McDonalds in Colorado and see what a Colorado cow tastes like as opposed to a California cow. (And I'll bet some of you didn't even realize that cows fed on different foods tasted different! Well... they do.) Ditto the food-tasting-the-same argument with Starbucks, Burger King, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, etc. They're selling a brand. Their goal is not to sell the best food in the region that the food is being sold in. Their goal is to make all their food taste the same so that you'll get used to it and want only that and then you're hooked on that branded taste (and the branded means of purchase and the branded special deals, etc.) and you'll buy more and more and make the corporate execs. wealthier and wealthier. Unfair to Employees "The lawsuit charges that Wal-Mart, the self-proclaimed fastest growing and largest private employer in the United States, has systematically avoided paying employees their full, earned wages. Wal-Mart provides perverse incentives for managers to lower overhead costs, the largest component of which is employee payroll, by offering financial compensation and bonuses." -- from the website of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP To be perfectly honest, I've never known any Walmart employees personally. So I don't know from personal experience how they're treated. All I know is what I've heard from friends and what I've read in the paper about the law suits that have been brought against them. (Even the Germans are upset with Walmart's labor practices.) Apparently Walmart's push is so great to lower prices that it is fairly common for employees to be expected to work off the clock and to work overtime at no pay (at least, that's what these lawsuits allege). Executives seem to do quite well at Walmart with the company having been ranked as one of the top 100 companies to work for. However, for the non-executive types, take home pay is often under $250/week. And while Walmart employees may start out at about the same pay rate as most other retail stores, the pay doesn't increase at the same rate. According to PBS, a majority of Walmart's employees with children live below the poverty line. Unfair to Communities No one likes a huge vacant lot with a huge vacant warehouse type building on it. But Walmart's corporate strategy has been to completely saturate an area until they become their own competition. (Have you ever wondered why a Walmart will move in when there's already one or two in town as well as several Target's, Kmarts, etc?) They then become their own competition, effectively pushing out all other competition (bye, bye Kmart!). Then, once the competition has been wiped out, they shut down on of their own stores, leaving a vacant building. (Don't believe me? Check out Walmart's expansion pattern across the US. -- scroll down to the center of the page) Cities want a "solid tax base" and business properties tend to provide more tax income for the city than residential "Local officials often fall for the seductions and political appeal of luring new national chains... but fail to consider the greater losses that occur when the local business base is undermined." -- from the website Reclaim Democracy.org properties. So rather than having everyone in your little burb travel to the neighboring blurb to shop, you want the mall/Walmart/Home Depot in your own town. (At least, this is the prevailing philosophy.) However, even though you've got that mall, the neighboring community will probably decide to get some tax money for itself and will allow a similar mall to move in. Both can't survive so eventually one goes belly up and now the loser city no longer has that tax income, it also has an eyesore to deal with as well. The big box stores could care less about what's best for the city or what's best for the citizens. Their goal is profit and they will do whatever it takes to get it. (think Enron, WorldCom, etc.) Small businesses, on the other hand, live and die with the city. If Ann Arbor, MI dies, the small businesses will die with it. Meijers, on the other hand, will just abandon shop there and move on to greener pastures. Big box business may act like it cares for the community, but the health of the community will, in the long run, barely affect it. Therefore, what do they really care? What Can I Do? Shop locally. That doesn't mean shop at the Walmart near you. It means shop, as much as you can, at the little, locally owned businesses in your neighborhood. If you don't know which businesses are independently owned, check out your local independent newspaper (the one that you can pick up free at the cafe). Though these newspapers may have some chain sponsorship, they often have even more sponsorship by the local, independent businesses. You can also look in the phone book or online for a local Independent Business Alliance. There are some times when shopping locally means spending more, but that isn't always the case. Some small stores have better prices for their regular customers. (A corner store in San Francisco charged us $3.50/pint for Ben & Jerry's ice cream. But once the guy got to know us he'd say, "For you -- three dollars." Chain stores just don't work off of relationships that way. Likewise, at another SF video store, I've brought videos back a day late before and because the woman has gotten to know me, she has waved the late fee.) Farmers markets are an example of local business. And most farmers markets have bargain prices (and incredibly fresh food). Local bakeries may cost more per loaf, but they may also have special deals such as a free loaf after so many purchased, or they'll give you a free slice every time you come in. (OK, OK, so there's a franchise that does this too. But I've got to admit, they're a pretty darn smart little franchise that runs a lot like a little independent store.) Shop for taste, originality, sustainability as well as for bargain prices. Sure, Walmart may sell something cheaper, but the local independent store may sell something that's fresher, more personalized, or that will last longer. The extra cost may be well worth it. I bought a pint of strawberries at Walmart once (shame on me!) and ended up throwing most of them into the compost pile. They were either unripe or molding (in the same container!). I went back to paying more at the organic store for strawberries that taste like strawberries. The "cheaper" strawberries at Walmart actually cost more because only a few were edible. Resources (in addition to the ones listed above) Boulder Independent Business Alliance Boulder's independent businesses have joined forces both to support each other and to keep chain businesses at bay. PBS - Store Wars: The Story PBSexplores the effect of Walmart upon just one small town. There are also related issues covered here such as sprawl and big business (and lots of links to more resources). Reclaim Democracy

Creation (ism)

We've started discussing the creation/evolution/where-things-came- from-and-how-they-got-here debate in sunday school. We're watching a tape series put out by Kent Hovind. I'm not too keen on the guy. It'll be interesting to see how the discussion plays out in the group. I think everyone's a bit nervous about it right now because we don't want to argue. ... sigh ... if you have any good sites to share, shoot me an email (twinbearer@attbi.com). i'm hoping to post the stuff i've come up with so far at some point on my web site.

edit added on 8/14/12: both the email and website addy are no longer in use. but you can add something to the comments if you'd like. it turns out the discussion was nill. the moment i would start a discussion that in any way suggested that not everyone believes what the creationists believe, the class would suddenly and abruptly come to an end. :-P

Ad Critic

Oh drat. I just checked it out and adcritic is back. But it costs $70 to join. (sigh. gone are the glory days)

Commercial Expresson

Is it me, or does "commercial expression" seem a little overrated? -- "Commercial expression not only serves the economic interest of the speaker, but also assists consumers and furthers the societal interest in the fullest possible dissemination of information." -- the opinion of the court in the Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. v. Public Service Commission of New York case
I don't know. I just have never thought about the Blockbuster ad with the hamster and the rabbit as "furthering societal interest." Though I must admit, every time I think of one of those ads I get a little sad that adbuster is kaput. That would be a fun one to replay for the kids (over and over and over again.... They used to really dig the PETA commercial with the singing cows).

Bellybutton Lint and Other Important Studies

Finally, a study on bellybutton lint (BBL)! I've always wondered why I have none and Rob seems to have lint even after he's (claimed to have) removed it all. Its worth taking a brief jaunt over to check out the Ig Nobel winners and runner ups.

I like it like Laika!

We got a new dog last week. She's half border collie (yeah, right.) and half australian cattle dog. She's incredibly wonderfully patient with the kids and has chased squirrels into trees and over 6 foot tall fences. We named her Laika after the famous dogmonaut in 1957 who flew in Sputnik 2. (In researching her name we also came across this interesting site for Radio Laika. Mouse over the picture of the dog?/horse? The kids got a kick out of this and the dog reacted to the barking. Oh, did I mention that Laika means "barker" in Russian?)

Lawn Culture

[This is another transfer from my soon to be expiring website. This was originally posted in the summer of 2002, the first summer we were in FC and realized that we were expected to put water on the non-crop in our front yard.]

We love our lawns.

As the Englishman, Frank Scott, wrote in 1870, we see our lawn as our "home's velvet robe." (1) In fact, in his book, The Art of Beautifying Suburban Home Grounds, he stated that "a smooth, closely shaven surface of grass is by far the most essential element of beauty on the grounds of a suburban house." (2)

But these same lawns are:

* depleting reservoirs of water -- water that could be used for drinking or to grow food. [In some areas, lawns use more water than a family of four.]

* contributing approximately 410,000 tons of ozone causing pollutants and 1.6 trillion tons of carbon monoxide emissions per year in the United States as gas powered mowers and handheld equipment is used to keep these lawns manicured. [Lawnmowers and other gas-powered lawn equipment produces
5% of the nation's air pollution and uses 800 million gallons of gasoline a year.]

* reducing the amount of available habitat for natural wildlife. [Suburban sprawl is a major threat to native animals, plants and insects.]

* causing about 70,000 injuries a year as people lose fingers, toes, or more while using their mower or other lawn equipment improperly. [Hospitals and emergency rooms treated 70,640 injuries related to power lawnmowers, hand mowers and riding power mowers in 1999.]

* using up our free time as we becomes slaves to watering, mowing, fertilizing, and weeding our lawns.

* undermining our national security as we contribute to our national "need" for petroleum based products such as fertilizers and weed killers (not to mention the gasoline that is used to power lawn equipment). [It is possible that political situations could affect our ability to fertilize our crops as well which could lead to a food shortage.] 

* contributing to the pollution of drinking water and land in general. [Fertilizer contains toxic pollutants.]

But what alternative do we have?

There are several steps you can take to combat our current situation, from changing mowers to gardening with only native plants. Even taking one small step could mean a world of difference if
the whole nation were to follow suit. And by taking a little extra time and money up front, you can actually reduce your costs and labor dramatically and still have a beautiful yard.

Alternatives

* Get a reel mower. Use a broom instead of that noisy leaf blower. And try out a pair of clippers instead of using a gas powered string trimmer. Several regions have programs called "Mowing Down Pollution" which enable you to turn in your gas-guzzling power mowers and other hand-held equipment in return for great rebates on people powered lawn equipment. (Just type "mowing down pollution" into your favorite search engine and see if there's a program near you.) -- Of course, if you
want to get really radical, you could try having a free range guinea pig. We had one for 8 months that kept our lawn looking like a golf course. Our lawn was trimmed and fertilized without any money or energy on our part. (It worked great until a neighborhood cat discovered our "lawn mower.")

* Try a little xeriscaping. Xeriscaping means planting water conserving landscapes that are appropriate for their given uses. (For example, a rock garden isn't appropriate for an area where your kids will be playing soccer, but it might be the best option for a part of the yard that's hard to drag the watering hose over to.)

* Go native! The plants that are native to your part of the country are ones that are perfectly adapted both to the climate and the pests. You'll end up watering and fertilizing less and enjoying your yard more. (Did you know that Kentucky Blue Grass is not native to Kentucky?! It was actually brought in from Europe.) You can find out what plants are native to your area by plugging your zip code into the
Backyard Wildlife Habitat site. (Go to the Native Plants page and click on the kinds of plants you'd like to find. There will be a popup page that asks for your zip code.)

* Water your current lawn more wisely. Avoid watering your driveway, sidewalk or street (or any other
non-growing thing that doesn't really need water). Water in the morning when temperatures are cooler to minimize evaporation. Only water your lawn when it needs it. (If you walk across it and leave footprints, then its time to water.) Collect rain water and use it to water your garden. (There are even more water saving ideas at the "Water. Use it Wisely" web site.)

* Compost. By composting your grass, leaves and kitchen scraps, you not only save landfill space, but you're creating a terrific soil amendment (=healthy soil that's full of good stuff for plants).

Resources (in addition to the ones listed above) Top ten Reasons to consider a reel mower (from the American Lawn Mower Company). Another helpful composting site. More great essays on Lawn Culture: The American Lawn, Dawn of a New Lawn, The Lawn Mower: Analysis of Suburban Artifacts (Interpretation), The Lawn: A History of an American Obsession, Have you checked your hay crop for irony lately?,

Footnotes (1) quote taken from Jeremy Rifkin's book, Biosphere Politics, (Crown Publishers, Inc. New York, c1991), page 166 (where he is in turn quoting Frank J. Scott from his treatise, "The Art of Beautifying Suburban Home Grounds." (2) quote taken from the article "Dawn of a New Lawn" by Andy Wasowski in Audubon Magazine

Chef Tako

If you enjoy animation and need some new recipes for dinner, then check out Tako in the kitchen (and yes, the chef is an octopus).

Family Tree Program

Here's a program that helps you show your family tree in a graphical format, and it generates web pages to match. And its free! The catch.... It only works on those crappy WinTel computers. Come on folks, make the switch!

eCard Upgrade

Tired of those same old eCards? Check these out. (In fact, you can not only make birthday cards here, but you could try pulling together a whole birthday flick!) OK, OK, so its a little weird. But you've got to admit its totally cool.

Shredded Wheat

How is shredded wheat made? I mean, you can't just shred a wheat kernel and come out with something that looks like shredded wheat, right?

A Modest Proposal

What if each individual, from babies to seniors, received "pollution points" in the same way that some industries do. Everyone would have a comfortable amount that they are allowed to pollute. (I'm speaking specifically of vehicle usage here, although I do realize there are many other ways that we pollute as well.)

If a person chooses to drive a small, efficient vehicle, or if they walk or ride a bike or carpool, then they can get monetary refunds to pay them back for unspent pollution points. In the same way, people who drive gas guzzlers or major smokers would have to buy extra pollution points in order to cover their usage. (They could buy points off of the people who use less.)

In fact, the ability to buy gasoline could be tied to this. (Otherwise, the same people who fail to get drivers licenses and to register their car would opt out of this as well. And they’re most likely the worst offenders.) When registering your car, you would be given a plastic card, like a credit card, that has your total pollution points on it for the year. In order to buy gas, you’d have to put this card into the gas machine or it won’t dispense gas. (Even if you pay with cash, you’d still have to swipe that card to get the gas machine to pump gas.)

Kid Finder

I think this is pretty cool...

If you're worried about someone making off with your kids (as has happened in several high profile cases lately and has happened to my husband when he was a kid), here's a way that you can find them again. The main unit costs $400 and there's several service plans running from $25-$35/month. They're not just cool for parents. Kids can use them as beepers as well (therefore, cool for kids).

You've Got CD's

So Rob and I got to wondering today, is there anyone in the United States of America who has NOT received an AOL cd? (We're guessing that we've received at least 45 or 50 in the past ten years.)

Buffalo Hair - new miracle fabric source?

the NYT had an article today about a "new" fabric that is 100% natural. you can throw it in your washer and dryer without any worries that it will shrink or wrinkle. this amazing new material? -- buffalo hair --

if you liked the interview with ira glass yesterday, you may also enjoy his web site.

Catching up with my Zine Stack

i'm finally working my way through my stack of magazines. (ok, so i've only skimmed off the top 5%.) -- hightlights: an interview with ira glass by regenerator, an article explaining how a Brazil football team was responsible for a mass prison escape by Pravda, and some great ads by the Center for Children's Health and the Environment.