AliveAndKickN

Tanks, no thanks, and tanning beds

Did you ever look at something and instantly feel that it simply makes no sense.  I feel that way every time I pass a tanning "salon".  I don't think I've ever seen anyone going in or out, but unless they are laundering money, they must get customers.  Well recent articles may change that, but if cigarette usage is any indication, it will survive anyway.  Tanning beds have been compared to arsenic and mustard gas.  Since younger people are the typical audience, it's doubtful that it will be banned.  The other night, I caught a show on TV regarding oil exploration in ANWR in Alaska.  I honestly can't remember the show or cite the info, but a few things stuck in my head.  First, our military is the single biggest entity by far in petroleum usage, roughly 2 1/2% of the daily usage globally.  And second, supposedly the heat created to get to the oil in ANWR is enough BTUs to heat every household in the US.  Call me crazy, but it seems that by trying to save the world, the military is potentially screwing up the world (in more ways than one sometimes).  And in trying to fuel the world, the oil companies could be fueling the world, sort of.  For the past 20+ years, annual fuel creation has been outstripped by fuel usage.  Think this is sustainable?  No sense diversifying, right. 

Even after all of the food scares with peanuts, lettuce and more, further oversight by the FDA barely passed the House of Representatives.  I have to assume my representative was against it, as with everything.  We'll see what happens in the Senate.  This week, my wife was the patient for a change.  After being jealous of my surgeries and the attention I've received over the years, she decided to get rid of her appendix.  It went smoothe, and after a day, she was out and on her way.  While we were there, an orthodox rabbi from the local Chabad came into our room uninvited and proceeded to perform a prayer for her recovery with us.  Should it have bothered me as much as it did?  We didn't ask for it, he was not someone we knew, and he didn't ask if we wanted it.  Or do well wishes trump common courtesy?   

Smells Fishy, Don't it?

An article from 2002 claimed Chilean salmon were being over taxed with antibiotics in order to compensate for poor environmental issues surrounding the fish has been vindicated.  You see, Chile exports the second most salmon, behind Norway, and finally based upon their admission, Chile has admitted to giving 350 times the amount of antibiotics to their fish.  Most of the salmon sold into the US comes from Chile, apparently under the term Atlantic Salmon.  So here's my question once again - If the situation is simply incorrect for creation of something, at what point do you simply stop doing it, regardless of the economic value?  Whether it's salmon farming in Chile, raising beef in drought-stricken Texas, or growing celery in drought-stricken California, sometimes environmental issues take precedent.  The amount of stuff apparently in Chilean water prohibits the natural raising of salmon. 

Tonight, CNBC had a special roundtable of very bright people discussing healthcare reform.  Some really good points were traded - a hundred years ago, the three biggest causes of death were pneumonia, TB and diarrhea.  Technology changed this.  But now people are living longer, but becoming less healthy.  Obesity and cardiac issues have replaced them.  If you have the insurance or the money, you can get things fixed.  I still come back to two basic fundamentals.  Rationing of care is not an evil, especially given the amount spent on last days of life.  Also, the business of private healthcare insurance is inherently flawed.  In any business, the goal is to take more money in than what goes out, make a profit.  In healthcare, that means denying things to save money.  I do agree that people should be accountable for their lifestyles.  Eat crap, smoke, drink too much, don't exercise - don't be surprised with the result.  Unless you have a mechanism to track decisions over time, there's still no way of knowing, and offering incentives/solutions.  And can we get past the rankings?  Who cares if we are ranked #1 in everything?  We can't be, considering the sheer number and diversity of poeple in the US.   

Last week, 44 poeple, including elected officials from NJ were arrested on multiple charges, including bribery.  Most forget that elected officials in NJ are for the most part, semi-volunteers.  I'm not condoning the action, but remember that I get paid $3600/year without option of purchasing benefits.  In return, I typically have a dozen meetings/month.  I knew this beforehand, so I'm not complaining.  However, it's easy to see why so many have gone down the slippery slope. 

Healthcare Healthcare Healthcare

I had my first checkup since my surgery in February.  Out of convenience, I combined Dr. Jellyfingers with my new renal guy.  The expected outcome came true which was positive, but the buildup can bring anxiety.  Combine that with the accredidation process we just passed for the Healthcare business, and I'm spent.  Just as I'm ready to pass out from all of this healthcare, our President went on television to continue the press for healthcare reform.  As someone all too familiar with the intracacies of healthcare from multiple perspectives, I hope some of the details help others to get through the muddle of information.  The emails from my Congressman do nothing but paint a negative picture of practically everything (as usual).

It appears that more food stamps are usable at farmer's markets here in Jersey.  One of the benefits of less expensive technology.  Keeping it local - very cool.  Unfortunately, at the same time in the coal belt, West Virginian's are boycotting Tennessee because a Republican Senator had the nerve to support the increased regulation on mountaintop removal.  Are you kidding?      

What if...We're Betting on the wrong Ship?

As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the moon walk, I keep hearing about how we are going back to the moon.  As I listen to it, I have to wonder to myself, what's the cost-benefit relationship for space exploration versus, say water exploration?  After all, water is around us right now.  The moon is only available to a handful of people at a time.  There's only so much garbage we can dump into space at a time.  We dump billions of tons a day into our water locally.  Shouldn't more of our budget of money and time be spent in the water than in space?  As I listen to the coyotes in the woods accross the street, as they serenade the deer population, I Googled federal agencies to see if I could find a water department.  I found the EPA, and the Maritime Commission which deals with ships, the Interior, a Marine Mammal Commission, a Maritime Administration, but no overall water department.  The EPA's budget is about $10billion (which is 30% more than last year thankfully), but it covers much more than water.  I did find the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with its budget of $4billion, which is roughly 20% of the budget of NASA.  I guess it's just not sexy enough, but at least it's better than the $550million allocated for the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation.   

Do I think space travel is something to pursue?  Yes, especially since technology innovations are helping us every day.  GPS, weather predictions, etc.  Do I think the same amount, if not more, should be spent on our water exploration?  Considering the proximity and the likelihood we will need our water systems sooner than space, absolutely.  Of course that would require cooperation from other nations, which is for another day. 

So Where's the Beef?

It's been a while since I've had time to get on the blog, so I apologize.  If you remember, I have to kill a few trees to create documents that have little to do with my business, but since you need to meet certain standards, it needs to be done.  And since crunch time is coming, the trees have been dropping more and more.  Anyway, a few agenda items caught my attention, over and above the national personalities descending on Jersey.  First, it appears that the FDA is considering limiting antibiotic use for livestock.  Should it matter that 70% of all anitbiotics in the US actually go to livestock, and that it's mostly used for growth, not necessarily for curing anything?  Livestock groups disagree, so nobody thinks it will go anywhere.  Good luck taking on Big Food.  Speaking of Big Food, McDonald's continues to get greener.  Starting with one North Carolina location, they will offer vehicle recharging while you eat.  A tradeoff for eating non-grass-fed beed?  A compromise?  I guess if you absolutely need a cheep burger, it's a decent alternative.

As the Governor's race heats up here, I noticed an ad from the Republican Governor's Association, telling people to judge our Governor by what he does, not by what he says.  I found it compelling, considering that Mark Sanford was the head of the Republican Governor's Association until a few weeks ago.  Isn't he the one who called for President Clinton's impeachment over Monica Lewinsky, then went to Argentina to be with his mistress on taxpayer money? 

The garden's growing nicely.  Every morning, green beans and cherry tomatoes.  Shortly, cucumbers and peppers and strawberries.  Haven't had time to get out hiking or soccer playing, but still trying.  Too many meetings.  Gotta love summer. 

An Eco Semi-Conscious 4th of July

     My wife decided, tha t even without 2 of the 3 kids in the house, we My wife decided, that despite 2 of 3 kids being out of the house, we needed to get away.  So, from the Edible Jersey magazine, she found what turned out to be a perfect getaway, at least for us.  The Laurita Winery, in the heart of horse and farm country, was terrific.  250 acres of vineyards, an 80% recycled 30,000 square foot building and Bed & Breakfast, a horse farm for recovering racehorses, and more.  The vineyards are hand-sprayed so no airplane spraying.  They use solar panels.  The wood is reclaimed.  There is a field of wildflowers.  Unfortunately, I don't see how the math will work for them.  Based upon the guide, they should generate just over a million a year in sales, but my math guesses their annual expenses as close to a million as well, if not more.  This obviously doesn't factor in the upfront costs to create this oasis.  Anyway, my wife and I did our best to help the cause.  Between what we spent on the stay, the bat house (no I'm not kidding), some wine bottles, the food while there, and of course the horseback riding, we did ok.  I would certainly recommended it again.  After leaving, we stopped at a few local farms, and picked up some Jersey blueberries, some tomato plants, some wildflowers, and a few desserts for the ride back. 

While at the B&B, I was able to catch up on some reading.  I read about a more eco-friendly fireworks display, which is taking some hold, but the cost is prohibitive currently.  Again, upfront costs versus costs later on, due to drinking water issues.  I also found a copy of New Jersey magazine from last year.  It was a special pet issue, where they profiled some pet numbers.  In our little state, there are 2.2 million dogs registered, and 2.4 million cats registered as pets.  Now, if 40 thousand are adopted annually, this means that most of these are created on purpose, aka puppy mills.  That's a lot of reproduction, pet food, poop, and to a significant extent, plastic bags and/or kitty litter.  This doesn't even address fish tanks, horses, snakes, and all of the other stuff people keep as pets.  Now I'm a dog lover.  My wife's dog Sadie the wonder beagle earns her keep by chasing rodents from the garden, and she stays in the yard, where her stuff gets mixed in with the landscaping.  Think about the pet indstry math, and it helps you think about why some other countries dislike us so much.  Working animals make sense.  Animals lying around taking psycotropic medication to offset their anxieties?  

I also read Tom Brokaw's "The Greatest Generation."  300,000 Americans killed in WWII.  Almost 2 million injured.  Amazing sacrifice. 

   

Happy Birthday to Me

I didn't think the Facebook birthday wishes would matter, but it was actually kindof cool to get a whole bunch of notifications on the Blackberry over the last few days.  As with many major milestone days (Bastille Day, Arbor Day, etc), I of course thought about the bigger picture issues.  I made the mistake of reading my Sierra news, and checking out Google's pictures of the floating garbage island double the size of Texas in the middle of the Pacific, as well as the pictures of the mountains without tops in the Appalachians.  So what else is happening besides the fiascos that are Michael Jackson's will and Sarah Palin's political career?  A climate change bill has passed the House of Representatives, albeit barely.  For the record, I don't like the bill very much either.  So many compromises had to be made to each constituency - big agriculture in the heartland, coal in Appalachians.  As long as we have electricity prices being rediculously low in half of the country, it's going to be awfully hard to get efficiency or clean energy in use everywhere.  As long as we continue to subsidize and promote cheap food, it's going to be awfully hard to get any significant sustainable food production, or even promotion of biodiversity.  We'll continue to have rows of corn/soybeans/cotton, and miles of cows/chickens/pigs.  Chemicals and antibiotics will be used to manage it, and we'll all pay for the cleanup and runoff.  Nice.

Last year, when pump prices were over $4, people reduced their driving, and economics took over.  Lower demand got the prices lower.  The same can be learned from our current economic situation - less buying power means less purchasing of unnecessities (yes, that's my word - don't misunderestimate me).  Too many eateries, but now too many people cooking at home.  Too many retailers, but now too many people skipping the new car/outfit/kitchen.  I hate to see people without jobs as much as the next guy, but are there positives to be gained from less consumption?  

The healthcare overhaul is theoretically on the table as well.  Again, the special interests line up to maintain their pieces.  For the record, I like the idea of a government-run competitive insurance program.  I think health insurance falls pretty close to being a "right," not just a privilige.  And with insurance companies generating hundreds of billions of dollars in profit (except AIG), it seems something is wrong (my health insurance, as a small business owner, is $2500/month for my family and anyone I employ's family).  Granted, the current Medicare situation is a problem as well, but if you consider that hundreds of billions are being spent on last days of "life," there is definitely room for improvement as well.  Considering what the climate change bill looks like, I have doubts about healthcare reform as well.  

I was thinking of ways to get rid of current representatives, who simply do little but act as roadblocks to any progress.  I have two ideas - the first is an easy one - appoint them to something (of course they'd have to accept).  In California, just outside of San Francisco, one representative Ellen Tascher became an appointee to the State Department.  I'm not saying she's a bad representative by any means.  I'm saying that incumbents win, usually pretty easily.  It costs millions to even try to displace them, which is why most are there for life.  With her seat open, a bunch of people have stepped forward.  A second idea is more novel.  Michelle Bachman, the ultra-whatever from Minnesota, has recommended to her family and her constituency that they not complete the census forms that should arrive for the 2010 census.  While I don't recommend committing a crime, it might solve a problem in that Minnesota could lose a Congressional seat with the population shift.  New Jersey could do the same for our own Michelle Bachman (AKA Scott Garrett).  Districts could be moved, and incumbents would be matched against incumbents.  I like it.