Spiders.......

I have to admit, spiders freak me out.  I know, in general, that spiders are harmless to humans.  But, I once had an allergic reaction to a spider bite that was painful and long lasting.  That aside, it turns out that spiders are one of nature's best pest-control agents, feeding on insects, mites, snails and worms.  So, unless you see a black (or brown) widow, you're best to let that spider do his business eating the other pests in your house.

Pooponomics

While reading the mint blog, I learned a new word:

Pooponomics

The disposal of human waste is a $100 billion business.

Consider this: on average, the parents of a newborn can expect to change 6,000 diapers during the first two years. During that time, they’ll spend about $1,600 on diapers, not to mention the added costs of wipes and diaper rash ointments. Meanwhile, the average American household spends nearly as much each year on having its septic system pumped and sending its waste into the sewers as they do on soft drinks.

Original Source:  http://www.mint.com/blog/trends/pooponomics-90210/

Renegade Craft Fair

Checked out the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco today  http://www.renegadecraft.com/san-francisco

It took me 4 hours to work my way through the more than 200 booths of really ingenious up-cycled items.  Most popular were:  Mustaches and Owls.  The most unique item was a wooden tie http://www.etsy.com/listing/75718168/wooden-tie

Here are some of my favorite items:

Bugs Under Glass http://www.etsy.com/listing/65986290/beetle-riding-a-tricycle-carnival-act
Monster Hoodie http://www.etsy.com/listing/70939835/my-big-monster-hoodie-purple-and-lime
Mis Nopales Art http://www.etsy.com/listing/69427181/johnny-cash-calavera-die-cut-vinyl
Mistura Timepieces http://www.mistura.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53&lang=enu
Squid in Pocket Hoodie http://www.etsy.com/listing/61409451/sos-pocket-monster-hoodie

I'm inspired to start screen printing items.

Happy 4th of July - I hope you see a fireworks show at a Disney property

I love fireworks - but big Fourth of July fireworks displays are typically propelled by the ignition of gunpowder—a technological innovation that pre-dates the American War of Independence. The fall-out from these exhibitions includes a variety of toxic pollution that rain down on neighborhoods from coast to coast, often in violation of federal Clean Air Act standards. We need something new!


Traditional fireworks produce smoke and dust that contain various heavy metals, sulfur-coal compounds and other noxious chemicals.
  -Barium is used to produce brilliant green colors in fireworks displays, despite being poisonous and radioactive.
  -Copper compounds are used to produce blue colors, even though they contain dioxin, which has been linked to cancer.
  -Cadmium, lithium, antimony, rubidium, strontium, lead and potassium nitrate are also commonly used to produce different effects, even though they can cause a host of respiratory and other health problems.


Good news!  The Walt Disney Company has pioneered new technology using environmentally benign compressed air instead of gunpowder to launch fireworks.  This, combined with laser lights creates a dazzling show.  I look forward to the day everyone adopts this technology.

Under the Dome

I just finished reading ‘Under the Dome’ by Stephen King.  I decided to read this book because I had heard one of the major themes of the book is the ecology.  While the book does touch on ideas of: warming; pollution; limited food/water resources and oxygen depletion; the ecology theme is buried amongst the high body count.  I enjoyed the book, but it did contain more gore than I expected.

I had my own ‘dome day’ while reading this book.  On TV was the Simpsons movie, in which a dome was placed around the town.  And, I was also reading the book ‘Zeitoun’ by Dave Eggers.  ‘Zeitoun’ is set in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and they mention the conditions of the emergency shelter setup in the Louisiana Superdome.  Frankly, the behavior of the people in the Superdome paralleled the behavior of the characters in Stephen King’s dome.

Update 7/18/2011:  Just watched the final Harry Potter movie.  I had forgotten that Professor McGonagall cast a spell that placed a dome of protection over Hogwarts.  Domes are everywhere!

$10 Litter Tax on Cigarettes

Did you know the most commonly littered item is the cigarette butt?

Here are some alarming facts…
- Over 4 trillion cigarettes are littered worldwide each year.
- It takes about 15 years for a cigarette butt to break down in the environment.
- Cigarette butts are the most common debris found in streams, rivers, and coastal environments and makeup roughly 38% of debris.
- Cigarette butts account for more than 1/3 of all forest fires in the U.S.
- More than 2 billion lbs. of cigarette butts are littered or disposed of in landfills each year.

These facts are overwhelming and prove the need for a better system to ensure proper disposal of this toxic trash. One solution that came to mind is charging a Litter Tax. This tax would be similar to the recycling fee that is charged when you buy sodas or beer. You pay a little extra upon purchase and then are refunded the money if you comply with the rules. For the Litter Tax, cigarette packs would be manufactured to include pre-paid return address labels printed right on the pack. The smoker must place 18 cigarette butts into the pack and ship it back to the manufacturer to receive a $10 check in the mail. What are your thoughts? Do you think this would help?

Originally posted by Kris Rudeegraap  http://www.rudeegraap.com/