Rooftop

During lunch I picked up NRDC’s OnEarth magazine because there was an article about John McCain and Global Warming. I find that I’m often in agreement with John McCain on very general terms, and he’s a very intelligent and humorous interviewee. I was pleased to read that he’s introducing a new global warming bill, even more aggressive than Lieberman’s recent failed bill. That’s quite a feat – especially for a Republican. But he’s up to the challenge, and knows it won’t be easy.

The article alludes to a strong Teddy Roosevelt connection, which is fine by me. TR left quite a legacy, and I’m quite fond of him. I’m all for McCain as the future of the Republican party. Hell, with comments like “it’s the No Lobbyist Left Behind Act” in reference to his own party’s Energy Bill, I hope he’s the future.

Oh, and there was some information on getting off junk-mail (postal, not e- ) lists:
http://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglistdave

My sister had all her camera equipment and music stolen recently. There were other small things stolen, but two of her most prized possessions, her professional Nikon camera and her bounty of CDs, were the biggest loss. The culprits are still at large, though their identity known. Insurance will replace the stolen goods, but the agent warned the agency would promptly drop the policy or raise premiums to regain the cost of the possessions quickly. Ah… piece of mind.

Ultimately, she decided not to make a claim on the stolen items. The thieves won, the insurance company won, and the wall of cynicism in our lives has had several more bricks added to it. Some solace can be had through caustic remarks.

My dad’s contribution:
“To the thieves; You can take my possessions, but not my soul. I can replace my possessions, but you can never replace your soul.”

We’ve all been slighted in some way, and its amazing how powerless it makes you feel. I really hope there is Karma, though it sounds like one of the culprit’s may already be booked paying off other karmic debts. Its f*ckers like these that give Yakima a bad name.

Scientific American has a letter from the editors about the Bush White House and its man-handling of scientific data in its decision making. Many have already pointed out the lack of, well, credibility of recent EPA, White House, Defense, Agricultural, (on and on) decisions and announcements of late, but they lacked a poignant parallel story. The editors point out Lysenkoism, a distorted theory forwarded by the Soviet Union, and how the adoption of the theory for ideological reasons essentially retarded scientific advancement in agriculture for decades.

This ideologically biased selection is what drives things like the Clear Skies initiative, which lowers environmental protections despite thorough studies that show its effects upon human and environmental health.

I would prefer that the administration would simply say – “look, we don’t give a shit about your children, the apocalypse is coming, so it won’t matter. Just let us make our money at the temporary expense of you and your family.”

Ironically, it’ll be quite difficult for them to enter heaven if I remember my camel through the eye of a needle parable correctly. But then again, I suppose you can buy your own heaven. One without all those asthma patients.

One of the many surprising combinations that comes out of limited food options is today’s lunch – a garden-burger bbq riblet with mozzarella cheese served on a soft taco shell. It was pretty good. I’m sure the dietary value was minimal though.

What other past concoctions have there been? spaghetti-pita sandwich, peanut butter-salami-green onion on a soft taco shell, madras lentils on a soft taco shell, cream cheese and grape jelly on a soft taco shell, hot-dog in a taco shell with red chili sauce. Yes – it seems that the source of gustatory innovation is round bread.

Happy Earth Day 2004. I’ve recreated the logo I have on a t-shirt from Campmor. I’ve had it a long time. I really like it. The message is simple, and I do not consider it blasphemous. Its certainly more appropriate than putting “In God we trust” on money. Two things that really should be separate – one’s relationship with the divine, and one’s relationship with money.

Nature is also divine, but that isn’t enough to save it. The aforementioned connection is quite powerful, which is why we’ve seen the reduction of environmental standards over the years. Many of which are as old as Earth Day itself. Fortunately there are plenty of people who understand the spiritual significance of nature, and are making an effort to remind us why we have environmental protections.

Michelle is out of compliance, but you didn’t hear it from me….

While returning from grocery shopping today, I passed by Michelle and my personal sandwich shop, Big Town Hero. I was shocked to see that the location had closed and the signage was completely gone! Sure, there are other locations, but this was the one we ate at while looking at moving to Portland, and during the first couple years of law school. Heck, I’m only two sandwiches short of a free sub.

The manager to the store was great. He ran a tight ship, and the ingredients were always good. Every time he was in the store, the sandwiches were at their best. Some times, when it was just the Wilson High squad, they were lacking, but still adequate. Their “the Italian” quickly became my favorite, surpassing other chain sandwiches like The Little King, Port of Subs, The Sub Shop, and Blimpies.

Its a sad loss, and I blame the other franchise owners for crowding his location. I don’t blame the Subway across the street, because it sucks. Lets just say there are reasons you can have a subway inside a gas station.

Sandwiches are my favorite type of food. The variety of potential ingredients makes for an immense range of gustatory experiences. I’ll deeply miss the location, and don’t know where else to go yet.

Michelle wanted me to cross-post from Rooftop Brew, but instead I’ll just link to the posting. Its some wise-ass remarks about Peter Coors running for Senator. I hate Coors, by the way.