Even though many Americans think Barack Obama will save America, Frosty Wooldridge still sees major problems that need to be fixed. Wooldridge blogs, "Even with the election of Barack Obama, we Americans stand in the cross hairs of ominous social and environmental change in the early years of the 21st century. Each day, media reports stream into major networks as they expose ‘symptoms’ erupting across the planet. Water shortages, ozone pollution, species extinction, gridlocked traffic, energy crisis and other calamities dominate the news.
With so many events hammering us from all angles? Who can we believe? What’s really going on? Who gets down to brass tacks to explain it all?"
In her recent blog Rochelle reminisies about the struggles she went through during Hurricane Ike and the lessons she learned. "Well," she blogs, "it is a little a bit after 1a.m. in the morning here in Houston and within 24 hours I will be back home in Aspen. Sorry no blogs for awhile as It has been a bit busy here. Since Hurricane Ike hit the American Red Cross opened over 241 client shelters where they sheltered over 212,000 people, the American Red Cross also served over 3.6 million meals plus had over 160 mobile feeding units and the American Red Cross opened 22 staff shelters. So as I stated I have been very busy. When Ike hit I was hunkered down in Ft. Worth and I ended up being a shelter manager in Arlington where I dealt with gangs-then I was moved to Houston where I was in charge of coordinating staff for the shelters in Houston, Baytown, Anahuac, Angleton and Galveston. A week ago the Fort Worth and Houston headquarters merged and jobs changed and I ended up assisting various departments. I did get a day off and I visited my 83 year old great-uncle who hunkered down in Houston while Ike hit-he did well over all-he had minimal damage on his apartment building-however he did sustain a fall and had some bruises-his spirit though is full of spunk and we laughed allot during my short visit. "
Last week, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a drought in California, “Water is like gold! We have to treat it like that.”
Jennifer Steinhauer, correspondent for the New York Times, said, “The drought declaration — the first for the state since 1991 — includes orders to transfer water from less dry areas to those that are dangerously dry. Mr. Schwarzenegger also said he would ask the federal government for aid to farmers and press water districts, cities and local water agencies to accelerate conservation. Drought conditions have hampered farming, increased water rates throughout California and created potentially dangerous conditions in areas prone to wildfires.
The Con Man explores breaking news--the Senate's debate of a cap-and-trade carbon system, and the Bush Administration's decision to formally introduce a proposal to bring nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain. Finally, in the final half hour of the show, he interviews Dr. Larry McLeary, author of "The Brain Trust," about his upcoming appearance at the Aspen Center for Integral Health (ACIH).
From: Scott Chaplin
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2008 10:25:03 -0700
Hello Friends and Neighbors,
I am strongly urging all of you who live in Garfield County (as well as those of you in neighboring counties who care about the future of the region) to come the the River Valley Ranch House in Carbondale this Friday at 5:30 pm. County Commissioner candidates Steve Carter and Steve Bershenyi will be on hand to introduce their platforms and answer questions.
I would consider this race to be one of the most important local political races in recent history in Western Colorado. It is also one of the most exciting because we have the potential to bring about one of the most profound political changes in over 30 years for our area. Garfield County politics has been dominated by a variety of Republicans who have almost blindly supported any and all demands from the gas industry. This has resulting in a great deal of environmental degradation that will continue haunting the County for years to come. The County leaders have also done little to support intelligent growth management, affordable housing or public transportation; just to name a few important causes.
They hated Scott McClellan when he mouthed their mission, and now they hate him when he tells the truth. Also: The Con Man talks about New York State's new embrace of gay couples, and the balance between energy and the environment.
In a land of plenty, the worst thing you can become is that guy—that nerdy guy who runs around turning off lights and (worse) telling everyone he knows to turn off the damn lights or the air conditioner or the sauna or whatever.
I’ve become that guy.
Pleased to meet you.
What does it mean to be that guy? One of the good things about being that guy is that we love questions like that because it gives us the chance to spout off about peak oil and electric cars and solar power. The bad thing is that everyone ends up hating you, because you have become that guy who rags on everybody who things energy is still el cheapo.
I read in Friday’s Aspen Times that off-leach dogs may soon be allowed to run free on Smuggler Road. Judging by all of the un-leached dogs you see scampering up and down this popular hiking trail each day, you’d have thought this was already law. I wish I’d known that dogs were required to be leached. I would have strapped a billy club to my belt and made hundreds of citizen arrests by now.
The Con Man went to a seminar with Randy Udall, sponsored by the Sopris Foundation, and came away a changed man. With peak oil either here or imminent, with demand rising, it's impossible not to look at energy in a new and disturbing way. Life as we know it is about to change.
For far too long, conservatives have made political hay with the notion that they are the party of ideas and the party of values—even as they’ve held a far too timid opposition at bay for having neither.
Enough, already.
The free ride is over: conservatives have not had a new idea since The Gipper left office, and it’s about time we saw their “values” for what they really are—anti-American.
Chris Jacobson of Greenspot on Highway 133 in Carbondale--a store for homeowners and builders who want to be environmentally sound--visits "Con Games," then the Con Man turns his attention to what he has now dubbed "The Permanent War" in Iraq.
