Posted inHealth

Hexane in veggie burgers is a concern, not a killer

A few days ago my health-conscious wife rushed downstairs from her computer, printed web site pages in hand. "My Boca Chik'n Burgers are made with a neurotoxin," she said, "They're going to kill me." She wasn't 100% serious... about the killing part. But after some initial skeptical mutterings of that can't be from me, my Googling confirmed that hexane is indeed involved in the processing of lots of veggie burgers which contain non-organic soy protein. This isn't new news. We just hadn't come across the hexane scare until now. Back in April of this year, Mother Jones magazine kicked off…
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Posted inCurrent affairs

Obama tax deal looks better to me

I'm still deeply disappointed in Obama and the Democratic leadership in Congress. They had plenty of opportunities the past two years to fulfill one of Obama's central campaign promises: repeal the Bush tax cuts for the richest Americans, and keep the middle class tax cuts. But I wrote my "Send a message to Obama: unsubscribe from OFA" post before all of the details about the deal with Republicans were released. I haven't changed my mind about Obama being a weenie, or the desirability of telling Organizing for American to take an email hike. However, I'm finding more things to like…
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Posted inCurrent affairs

Send a message to Obama: unsubscribe from OFA

Like I said a few days ago, the Barack Obama I voted for isn't the same guy who is now President of the United States. I wanted change, optimism, and progressivism. What we're getting is more of the same, malaise, and some sort of amorphous whatever political philosophy. (There's another opinion floating around in the blogosphere -- that the current Obama is the same as the old one, a non-progressive who is kissing up to conservatives and Wall Street because that's who he has loved all along and just fooled us before. Having read his book, my wife doesn't believe…
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Posted inSalem

Real men (and women) don’t always watch sports

Kristen Grainger, a Willamette University vice-president, wrote a terrific editorial for the Salem Statesman Journal. In "Game day is just another day for many" she talked about the Most Important Thing happening in Oregon today: the U of O vs. OSU football game, which determines whether Oregon plays for the national championship. A terrific writer, Grainger managed to entertainingly weave together cooking classes, the history of tamales, sex roles, and misplaced machismo in a paint store. This morning I emailed her, saying I wished she could write all of the Statesman Journal editorials. Have a read. Download Game day is…
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Posted inCurrent affairs

What happened to the Obama I voted for?

Today's email from Organizing for America, the largely irrelevant remnant of the grassroots effort that helped get Obama elected, put another nail into my I'm pissed off at Obama coffin. I voted for him. I contributed quite a bit of money to his campaign. I started off enthused about Obama's presidency following his inauguration. Now just about everything he does irritates me -- especially the fact that he isn't doing much. A recent spate of opinion pieces in the New York Times crystallized my irked mood. They helped me realize that people who are a lot more knowledgeable about political…
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Posted inHome life

I discover comfort shopping

In today's newspaper I read about a new restaurant whose owner described its cuisine as "comfort food." I'm not sure what that means exactly, but I suspect health-minded vegetarians like me wouldn't find much to eat there. Still, I can identify with the concept, because I've been getting into comfort shopping. Not that this is something entirely new for me -- earlier this year I praised the iPhone 4 as the way to perfect happiness. Yes, money can make us happy when it's used to buy the right things. In these tough economic times, the problem is finding the right…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Sustainability

A cosmic perspective on climate change politics

I can forgive politicans for most of the crap they inflict on us, because that's what I expect from them. Crap. But there's one malfeasance that's unforgivable: Failing to protect the livability of our planet. We can argue about the size and role of government, whether health care should be single payer or privatized, how the education system should operate, what the optimum level of taxation is -- all kinds of questions are open to avid discussion and debate. Except how to preserve Earth in a fashion that will enable future generations to survive, prosper, and engage in their own…
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Posted inUncategorized

How to shorten winter to one month

Since I'm eligible for social security benefits, I've got retired-time now to solve the world's problems. After pondering where to start over several Grande Christmas Blend coffees at Starbucks, here's my choice: Shortening winter to one month. I picked this problem rather than nuclear disarmament, famine, environmental degradation, or Middle East peace for a couple of reasons. One, winter is my least favorite season, so I'm personally motivated to shorten it as much as possible. Two, with sufficient caffeine in my system to stimulate my steadily aging brain, it didn't take me long to figure out a way to make…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Family

My daughter’s bad news for the housing market

Celeste, my daughter, lives in southern California. A middle-class Hollywood neighborhood, to be precise. Recently she gave me an update on the dismal mood of homeowners down there -- an attitude that doesn't bode well for the economy in general, given the importance of the housing market. Celeste and her husband both have good jobs, for which they're thankful. They bought their house, after selling a condo, at close to the top of the housing bubble. Now their home's assessed value approximates their mortgage balance, since values have dropped considerably the past few years and they wisely put 20% down.…
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Posted inTai Chi

Andrew Luck’s big hit on safety: football Tai Chi

Tomorrow Oregon State plays Stanford, whose Heisman-worthy quarterback is Andrew Luck. A few days ago on the evening news, I saw a clip of Luck leveling a California defender during a run. It was so impressive I had to search out the play on You Tube for a closer look.   Like the announcer says, Luck absorbed the attempted tackle. (Watch the closeup at about the one minute mark for the best view.) This looks Tai Chi'ish to me. In my Tai Chi class there's a big guy who used to play high school football. Sometimes he talks about how…
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Posted inMiscellany

Me on “What’s so great about Oregon?”

Ooh, I love to see my name and photo in the newspaper! Also, my brilliant piece on What's so great about Oregon? When the Statesman Journal asked for submissions, I couldn't resist.

Short answer: We're #1 in personal freedoms.
Longer answer: click on post continuation

(Note: my wife wanted me to clarify that I don't go to strip clubs. I just admire Oregon for being free to have so many of them. Also, to the online commenters who thought my piece was a satire — it isn't.)

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Posted inCurrent affairs Home life

Regence BlueCross of Oregon is evil (and heartless)

I've changed my mind about Regence BlueCross of Oregon. And not for the better. In a previous post I called Regence "heartless," after seriously considering the adjective "evil." After enduring two more months of bureaucratic bullshit from Regence concerning my wife's dry eye problem, I've decided that stronger words are needed to describe how this company screws over longtime individual policy-holders like us. As described before, we were forced by Regence BlueCross of Oregon to switch to new policies as of July 1, 2010. These "Evolve" plans actually were a devolution: for the same premium, we got substantially fewer benefits…
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Posted inHome life

Amazon Prime helps save the Earth (and my time)

I'm a frequent Amazon shopper. Until recently I'd resisted the invitation to sign up for Amazon Prime: Amazon Prime is a membership program that gives you and your family unlimited fast shipping, such as FREE Two-Day shipping and One-day shipping for $3.99 per item on all eligible purchases for an annual membership fee of $79. Eligible customers can try out a membership by starting a free trial. But when I needed to have a book delivered quickly to prepare for a discussion group meeting, I decided to use the free trial to get it shipped to me in two days.…
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Posted inCurrent affairs

An open letter to Obama (from a still-hopeful progressive)

A friend of ours here in Salem, Russ Beaton, has written an open letter to President Obama that expresses what a lot of other people who voted for him in 2008 are feeling:

Good about what Obama has done so far, bad about his lack of evident zeal for moving the country further forward after the midterm election.

Throughout the arduous primary campaign, I eagerly listened to every speech and interview I could access.  My early conclusions were always reinforced and my enthusiasm grew.  I sent all that I could afford as campaign donations and continually worked for your candidacy as opposed to Hillary’s – who I believe would make an outstanding President.  But we needed a fresher start with one not as connected with past successes, failures and political entanglements.

…Given this background of support, I am compelled to say that your comments in the press conference the day after the 2010 midterm elections were the first words I have ever heard from you that were truly disappointing.  Even to an independent centrist and especially to an ardent supporter, your call for compromise and “working together” sounded like complete capitulation.

I hope you'll read Russ' entire three page letter. (A Word file can be downloaded below; I'll also attach the letter as a continuation to this post.)
Download Open Letter to Obama

Russ is an Emeritus Professor of Economics at Salem's Willamette University. Also, a Bearcats Hall of Fame tennis coach.

Read on for an excellent explanation of why progressives like me are disappointed  with President Obama, yet still hopeful that our enthusiasm can be rekindled by seeing some sparks and fire emanate from the Oval Office.

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Posted inCurrent affairs

Senate Republicans get stupid on START treaty

If you're anywhere near my age, you'll remember the not-so-good old days of nuclear war fear: home bomb shelters, Cuban missile crisis, above ground tests in Nevada that caused radioactivity to show up in milk, and other scariness. Almost everyone would agree that reducing nuclear arsenals is a good thing. Since 1992 this has happened through treaties between the United States and the Soviet Union (now reduced to Russia). A New START treaty is ready to be ratified by the Senate. Previous nuclear arms control treaties were approved by massive bipartisan margins: 93-6 in 1992 for the START I treaty…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Entertainment

Bristol Palin boosted by Tea Party vote fraud

Bristol Palin, Sarah Palin's daughter, is a mediocre dancer. I've watched every episode of Dancing With the Stars this season, so I can testify to that. She's been in the bottom two many times, saved only by viewer votes -- not the judge's scores. Last night Bristol made it into next week's final (top three will compete) by beating out Brandy, a far superior dancer. Brandy got 57 points from the judges on Monday, the competition night, including perfect 10's for her Tango, while Bristol got 53. What bugs me -- a lot -- about the viewer voting is that…
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Posted inPhilosophy Science

When mind wanders, happiness departs

I used to work with a highly creative and socially conscious guy who told me once that he was always thinking about something. Driving his car, brushing his teeth, eating his dinner -- most of the time his mind was occupied in pondering how to make the world better while his body was doing something else. This probably made him more productive, but not more happy. Such is the conclusion of research I came across today in the New York Times: "When the Mind Wanders, Happiness Also Strays." Whatever people were doing, whether it was having sex or reading or…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Sustainability

Ice sheet melting brings oceanfront dream closer

I've always wanted to live on a beach. According to a New York Times story, if I live to be about 150 -- to the end of this century -- that dream will be at least three vertical feet closer to our current elevation of 440 feet, and possibly a lot more. Scary, especially for those who already live in low-lying coastal areas, and for young people (plus those yet to be born) who will bear the brunt of global warming effects -- including sea level rise. Reading "As Glaciers Melt, Science Seeks Data on Rising Seas" added to my…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Home life

Me to Federal Reserve: “Higher interest rates, please”

The U.S. Federal Reserve is supposed to be an independent guardian of our banking system, immune from pleas to do this or that from either politicans or regular citizens. But since Sarah Palin felt free to critique the Fed's recent monetary policy actions (though many, including me, were surprised she even knew what the Fed did), I figured I might as well throw in my own request: Higher interest rates, please. Higher inflation also, if that goes along with higher interest. I'll confess to being minimally economically literate. But I know how to balance my checkbook (except when I can't).…
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Posted inHome life

The Tao of leaf raking

I don't know why I gave this blog post the title I did. But that's how the Tao works: mysteriously. Anyway, I like feeling special, and so far Google tells me that the Internet is bereft of Taoist (or in this case, pseudo-Taoist) musings about how raking leaves leads one to recognize his or her oneness with the cosmos. By "one," of course, I mean me. So forget the "her" in the rest of this blog post, because in our home, contrary to our species' evolutionary history, the male is both the hunter and gatherer of leaves. A few days…
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