Summer in Suburbia

Heat induced, sleepless summer nights.

Bright and hazy, peeking through the leaves and vulnerable spots

The summer sun sweeps over Suburbia’s tree-less parking lots.

A dip in the pool, river, any water

Only helps a short while, as it gets hotter.

No man, woman, child or pet is safe

From the blazing heat that can cause sweat to drip from your head to your waist.

The smartest come together to combat the heat

As if it were a foreign enemy, someone we must defeat.

The summer is a time to reflect, relax and play

Nothing beats a cool beer, with chips out in the sun all day.

Or hard work, long days and minimum pay

Just to have your air conditioning take your money away.

Hot, sunny days and warm, moonlit nights

Make summer seem less like a season and more like a right.

Full article posted here.

To the Bottom and Back in My Honda Prelude

A true story about the best car ever.

My 1997 Honda Prelude SH is the best car I have ever driven, owned or had the pleasure of being in its apresence.   The grippy handling, quick acceleration and comfortable cockpit add to the overall fun factor.  During the cold months, it holds up and heats up quickly, but when the temperature rises and the sun comes out, it’s a great car that packs a punch.  Short trip or the long distance, this Japanese two-door sports coupe is one hell of a ride.

It certainly got me through some times good and bad.  From tearing up an autocross course to cruising out on the town, my Prelude is pure fun.  It even survived a road trip to Jacksonville, Florida for the ACC Football Championship game Virginia Tech versus Boston College.  I was a Hokie at the time and thankfully we won.  That ended up with a blown up engine from another person that was driving.  I was in the passenger seat and sat there as the other person over-revved and blew the engine, snapping the camshafts.  It was pure horror.

So we sat and the sun set, in the cool South Carolina December, miles from an exit, waiting for a tow truck that ended up in a parade with road blocks, dead ends and filthy motels.  One shop quoted the damage at 2,500 dollars which of course as a broke college student at the time, didn’t have nor did the person that did the damage.  There we were, stuck near Columbia, hanging out to dry.

Then I realized I had an extended warranty from Carmax.  That’s right.  I made some calls, had my car towed and made it to a Carmax, luckily in Columbia.  What I needed was a new engine, it was completely fried.  But I had the warranty.  Next thing I know, parts got ordered, my friends and I hitched a ride with another friend back up to school and I got a call several weeks later that my car is ready to be picked up.  I rode down there with my father, the total bill was around 96 dollars and it ran like new all the way back to Richmond, Virginia.  What a champ, it couldn’t have been a better metaphor for the winning weekend.

My 97 Honda Prelude has been through it all and it still kicks to this day and puts a smile on my face without a problem.   Even on off days when I’m not thinking about the car, I’ll hear a comment about how rare it is and have my day made.  It sure is a special thing.

For the actual article visit here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8121347/to_the_bottom_and_back_in_my_honda.html?cat=27

The Priorities of a Nation

Finding a path.

A victorious day it was when the 9/11 Responders Bill was passed but I was left scratching my head thinking, what took them so long? Those against the idea of fraudulent and wasteful spending as a talking point against this issue but they fail to highlight the expansive, ongoing and unchecked fraud and inaccurate billing that occurs with the overseas military contractors. These contractors are given large paychecks from tax payer dollars and enter into an old-guard system that fails to transparently report the amount spent and progress that has been made.

One thinks the 9/11 Responders bill could have been paid for if they shed a few billion from the 2011 U.S. Defense Budget that cost over $700 billion yet the news and reports of the Afghanistan War seem to be worse and the target pull out date is pushed further back into the unsure position of being conditions-based. Over the past ten years, the defense budget has more than doubled and does not seem to be reduced in the future. The Department of Defense overview for the 2011 budget claims they are trying to restructure and rebuild yet their price tag soars higher and higher.

It all is in claims of national security yet so many things seem to slip past our detection, or border, and the American people have failed to see the effect of this massively inflated budget yet feel in their wallets and hearts when the country cannot afford to shield its soldiers, feed its poor or heal its sick.

What is also interesting is the complete disregard and disinterest to the massive drug war that is taking place at this moment to our southern neighbor, Mexico. The entire defense budget is centered on the health and stability of the United States’ Middle East occupation yet both sides of the aisle in Congress argue about the horrors of illegal immigration, low-quality Chinese products or drugs finding their way into America via tunnels, submarines or corrupt customs agents.

Why not remove some troops from Japan, Germany and Italy. Take some money for unused and unnecessary fighter jets, outdated information systems and obsolete weapons. Instead of letting  our stockpiles grow to the ceiling, take the money from the defense budget to figure ways to recycle and reuse those weapons and their materials to promote a green and environmental impact that America will set a precedent for the future.

The United States needs a long-term goal because as of now, it is a country running around with its head cutoff. With all the money and resources, even England couldn’t last as the world’s superpower and if America doesn’t wise up and decide to shift its priorities, it will end up the same.

The Other Oil Spill

We can all learn from BP.

On June 11, a Chevron pipeline in the Salt Lake City region of Red Butte Creek was reported to have leaked approximately 800 barrels into the Jordan River.  Chevron was quick to act in a cleanup response that, as of June 18, has recovered 600 barrels of oil with an estimated 100 barrels that have evaporated.

A statement released by Chevron stated an “electrical arc that created a hole about the size of a quarter in the top of the pipe” is the apparent cause of the leak.  A further investigation will take place with federal agencies, local fire departments and the Mayor’s office to confirm the reason.

Saturday morning, Chevron was approved by the U.S. EPA and Department of Transportation, to flush Red Butte Creek.  The remaining oil will be pushed through the creek and into absorbing booms and vacuum trucks.  Chevron has warned local residences that the odor of the oil will likely increase and has made a commitment to accommodate anyone and will be monitoring the air for any toxicity.

Right now the pipeline is and will remain out of service until a review by the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials agency is completed ensuring the safety and strength of the pipeline.  Tests started Sunday with a 13.75 mile section of pipeline pressured at 300 psi, noting that normal pipeline operation runs at 60 psi.  The tests will continue Monday.  The return of the leaked Chevron pipeline is to be announced.

The cleanup response is headed by the Red Butte Canyon Unified Command that is run by Chevron, U.S. EPA, Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake Valley Health Department and Salt Lake City.

A Chevron spokesman stated the clean up could follow into the next weeks or months and for local residences to be patient.

The Label of the European Union

Getting to know food.

Last week the European Union voted on a new food labeling system that will require all processed foods to carry a label alerting consumers of high fat, salt and sugar foods.  Similar to the American or Australian labeling system, food labels will be on the front of food packages stating the fat, sugar and salt content of an item.  The font needs to be at least three millimeters tall and for meat, state the origin of the animal.  The new labeling system is aimed at attacking the rising obesity in Europe and advocates for the labeling system agree this will help consumers make healthier choices.

The vote struck down the proposal for a traffic light system that many companies fear the system may wrongfully label packages and negatively affect sales, although some European grocery stores have adopted their own traffic light system of labeling.  Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s and Nestle came out against the traffic light system stating it could lead consumers to still choose an improper diet, regardless if the product had a green label.

Nutella, an Italian-based company, fears its famous chocolate-hazelnut spread may become threatened with the new labeling system that will not only reduce the company’s profits but also its landmark image.  The Italian company started a subcommittee against the legislation supported by the governor of Piedmont, Nutella’s home, along with other food producers fearing the legislation may result in misleading labels that will drive away customers.

The global economic collapse has increased pressure to lower costs and improve health awareness among many European countries.  This sounds like a helpful way to decrease health issues in Europe but should realize the United States has had a food labeling system since 1990 and still hold the largest number of obese citizens with a slew of health issues that plague the country with steadily rising costs.

All the labels and pills in the world are no match for a proper diet, moderation and education.

Congress and the Bill

As unemployment looms, the dance in Congress continues.

Congress is in a deadlock over extending unemployment benefits and COBRA healthcare for the nearly ten percent of Americans that have lost their jobs.  Bill H.R.4213 American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010 is estimated at 127 billion dollars.

Closing the wealthy tax loophole in this bill is estimated to raise $43 billion in revenue.  As the wealth gap widens every year and Wall Street seems favored over Main Street, this is a long overdue comeuppance that the American people need to hear.  Wall Street investors make billions every year with considerable knowledge of the complicated financial markets and know how to shift their finances to reduce taxes while John Q. Public is in the dark and sending half their paycheck to the government.

Watching the BP oil spill, hearing CEO Tony Hayward stating he “would like his life back” and Mayor Bloomberg defending BP executives for doing all they can, not to mention failing to be prepared for this disaster, these large corporations need to be held accountable.  It is time the loopholes be closed and this is a good start.

The lesser known parts of the bill are the wealth of tax credits for using alternative fuels like bio and renewable diesel and homes that are using energy efficient products.  This is a positive step to progress our country into a greener future and expanding the use of alternative energy.

It also highlights tax reductions for certain elementary and middle school teachers as well as tax credits for mine rescue team training and railroad track maintenance expenses.  There are even tax credits for increasing research activities, much of which can be helped to fuel an alternative medicine and lower prescription drug costs.

The bill is full of these wonderful tax credits that can help boost the economy and citizens into being motivated to help put America back on track.  What this bill does not have is a way to put Americans back to work and keep them there.

The spill in the Gulf Coast is a powerful metaphor for Congress and they too need the people to step in and clean up the mess they made.

The New Land of Opportunity

Minerals minerals everywhere and not a way to mine.

The Pentagon and American geologists recently reported a plethora of minerals in the hard-to-reach mountains of Afghanistan.  This is an interesting report considering the military’s 90,000 plus troops are supposed to be on a schedule to turn the country over to President Karzai and his military and begin removing troops summer of 2011.

First thought is this is wonderful for the economically and diplomatically challenged country.  Second thought is why is this report coming out now and hitting all the channels and inspiring rhetoric about mining and development.  This has been known for years and the United States Geological Survey has focused on this in 2007.

A country waged by war and an extremist group demanding power, is desperate for a plan to turn the country back into a working, developed nation.  The ‘newly’ rehashed story about the minerals could be the golden ticket Afghanistan so sorely needs.  A possibility to mine the minerals and receive record profits for the country and improve its military and be able to battle the Taliban effectively and bring a stable economy to a nation that seems to be moving backwards.

But mining in Afghanistan is no walk in the park.  Little to no infrastructure and rough terrain deems the resource rich mountains unattainable.  Not to mention the need to build a functional mining town, bring electricity, running water and supplies to sustain the region and keep it secure with either private military contractors or the U.S. military keeping a post and forever extending their deployment.

Currently there are no Afghan mining companies and they have no way of receiving those minerals without involving foreign investors.  Unfortunately it may not be easy as terrorist still claim to be prevalent and corruption plagues serious progress.  That corruption could lead to lax regulation and reduced benefits for workers and mimic the many violations, negative health and environmental effects and explosions that almost seem common place with mining and drilling giants.

It certainly is interesting that this crucial report comes out a year before the nation’s reported troop withdrawal from the region with an enticing price tag that may justify our involvement and inevitable drilling contracts that will forever keep us addicted to foreign oil.