People don”t associate California with the oil business nowadays, but anyone who has ever driven through Huntington Beach, Brea, Bakersfield, or a host of other places should know better. There was a time in the early 20th century when California”s […]
Environment
Andres Duany: Living Small
In the same USA Today 30 years special in which Marc Andreessen gave his dire warning in my last post, Andres Duany, not a man of the left, talks about the urban future. Global warming will not be prevented, he […]
Global Warming Not a Bad Thing
Robert Zubrin, in this article from National Review, takes a different approach from most conservatives on global warming, and to my view the most sensible approach. Instead of denying that global warming is happening, or insisting that human activity has […]
Help the Environment with Cactus Sucking Selenium
It has been discovered that the prickly pear cactus sucks up selenium, regarded as a pollutant in the West San Joaquin Valley, slowly enough to not be toxic but enough to be of benefit to selenium-deficient diets. In small quantities, […]
Cigarette maker spends big to fight per-pack tax
If we are going to add to the expense of cigarettes, I can suggest better things to do with the extra dollar per pack than put it in the government coffers. 1. Have the manufacturers (or sellers) put a Ziploc […]
Dishwasher Detergent
The interesting thing about the impulse to give us dishwasher detergent that doesn’t actually clean dishes is that it comes from the Spokane area, an area traditionally regarded as conservative. They did not like the idea of phosphorus in their […]
An Even Better Butts Solution
I have long been an advocate that smokers should carry a little bag, like dog walkers, to clean up after themselves. But I saw an even better idea on a comment thread recently. That, like with bottles and cans, a […]
Global Warming: If You Can’t Beat It, Join It.
This recent article in Reason Magazine by Ronald Bailey raises the issue of whether Global Warming is worse than the sort of society and government it would take to stop it. Actually, I think a more efficient way of dealing […]
BlueKennel Declares It’s First Official Consumer Boycott!
I had heard about all this before, but this explanation [link to Rohrlich] by Justin Rohrlich on the evils of corn (maize, for non-North Americans) based ethanol as opposed to sugar based ethanol explains not only the situation, but the […]
A Water Conservation Tip
While we’re on water conservation, unofficial San Diego laureate Jason Mraz has some advice for us. Maybe Levi’s saw this, because Details magazine has a Levi”s ad with a guy peeing in a field. I will spare you that picture. […]