Jesse Arreguin for Berkeley City Council, District 4
Lee August 13th, 2008
Well, it’s “almost” November of an even year, which means it’s time for Berkeley City Council elections. I’m endorsing Jesse Arreguin, and helping his campaign by weaving his web site, jessearreguin.com.
If you live in District 4 (Dona Spring’s district), I hope you will support and vote for Jesse. If you have any questions, please email me or visit his web site (the web site is still in the infancy state, but should be much fuller by the end of the weekend).
Peets or Starbucks? An organic coffee review
Lee July 25th, 2008
Yesterday I stopped by my local Peets (Walnut and Vine, the original) to see if they had organic decaf beans (about 7:00 pm, very slow inside). The bean counter worker looked at the selection and said “No, not certified, but they’re all basically organic except for the certification.”
I said thanks and left the store, but a few doors away I was upset enough about his response that I decided to go back. I asked him what he had meant by “basically organic.” He said that they don’t really use any pesticides, that Peets is careful who they buy coffee from, and implied that therefore they used no/fewer pesticides. I asked if he could show me this in writing, and he went in the back to see. When he came out, he said they had nothing. I asked if the manager was in, and he went and got someone.
The shift leader (”I’m not the manager”) repeated his claim that all the beans are grown with “almost no pesticides.” I again asked if they had this in writing. She said no, but that was what they were told in trainings. (Peets website “Lean: How Coffee is Grown” make no mention of pesticides or organic farming practices.) I left with three of the workers there wishing me a good evening in tones that didn’t seem to convey any real sense of sincerity.
After this experience, I thought I’d see what response I got at the Starbucks down the street (Cedar and Shattuck, “Mortuary Mall” for those who’ve been in town a while). I asked if they had any organic decaf. The woman at the counter told me that no, while they had organic beans that were decaf, the decaffeinating process made them not organic. I said that the “Swiss water process” didn’t make it not organic, and she replied that Starbucks doesn’t use the water process, and she wasn’t sure why. We had a good, short discussion about how at least the beans were being grown in an organic matter, so it was better for the farms and farmworkers, even though at the last minute some chemicals got added to it.
I must say that I was pleased about the honesty I got from the worker at Starbucks. She said that she had convinced many people to get the chemically treated, formerly organic decaf beans, but was very clear on what made them non-organic.
By the way, both companies sell organic regular coffee, just not organic decaf.
So, bad marks for both companies for not carrying organic decaf. Peets gets serious bad marks for not even admitting that their coffee isn’t organic unless they can say so in writing, essentially trying to sell me that there’s no real difference except for the label, what I would consider deceitful marketing–and this all the way up to the top person in the store. Good marks to Starbucks for honesty and knowing what actually happens to their beans, and not trying to sell some that weren’t grown organically as “almost organic.”
Carbon sequestering in the seabed, nice video too
Lee July 25th, 2008
Science Friday, my favorite radio show when I’m not teaching on Fridays, had a great piece today on carbon sequestering on the ocean floor.
What if you could take CO2, pump it down a deep hole in the sea floor and turn it into something harmless? New research suggests the idea is not so far-fetched. David Goldberg, Taro Takahashi and Angela Slagle of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory published a study on the subject in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week.Click the “Play” arrow on the lower left side to start the video. It does a great job of using breakfast cereals to help explain the process.
War Resister support protest at Peace Arch
Lee July 15th, 2008
On my way back from Canada, I stopped for my usual visit to the Peace Arch on the Canada/US border. This year I was pleasantly surprised to find a protest in favor of US war resistors, and Robin Long in particular. For more details, see http://resisters.ca/index_en.html. Click the photo on the right for more photos.
In short, Robin Long is a US Army soldier who fled to Ontario in 2005. He has been in Canadian courts as one of the test cases for deportation. While the Canadian Parliament votes (non-binding) to allow US soldiers who have left the US to stay, the Prime Minister has different politics.
Here’s the Wall Street Journal article on Long’s deportation.
I was interviewed by GlobalTV, so I might appear in an online story there.
Great visit with some of the Canadian Trampleasures
Lee July 15th, 2008
Last night I had a great visit with cousins in Delta, British Columbia, Canada.
Gary is my “fourth cousin.” He’s proud to be the oldest living Trampleasure in Canada, and the third oldest in the world (my dad beats him out by a decade, as does Colin in London).
I met two “fourth cousins once removed” and three “fourth cousins twice removed.” We had a great time talking about the family tree, how Canada got it’s name (a joke I’m sure they would have heard, but maybe it’s just a US joke), whether or not we actually made it to the moon, and the reality of the 9/11 events (let’s just say not everyone believes the US government tale).
The kids were pleased to see a Trampleasure from another shore (well, almost). I had a great time. The visit gave me encouragement to do more family tree research.
Two lovely days on Widbey Island, WA
Lee July 14th, 2008
I spent Saturday and Sunday with my old neighbor Quinn. Quinn moved up here last fall, and is enjoying his first summer on the island. He’s got a nice place, with enough space to hang his many guitars, but not so much as to need to hire a housecleaner
He’s on the end of a dead-end road, with a few other houses within earshot, but not enough to make one feel crowded.
Both days went great, Quinn and I hung out a bit talking, then we went off with his friend Charlene to see the island (well, south part).
Saturday was (not by plan) “Cultural day.” We went to one of the local towns (Langley) for an art/music festival (Choochochum), where my souvenir from the island was a CD of one of the local bands that played. We then went over to Charlene’s place for dinner, then off to visit a neighbor (environmental consultant, full of great stories and anecdotes).
Sunday we went to South Widbey State Park and walked through the forest, including a view of the “Ancient Cedar.” Next we walked the beach at Double Bluff, where we saw a Harbor Seal pup on the beach. We later heard from a marine mammal volunteer that the beached pups rarely make it. This one seems very thin, and its rear flippers appeared paralyzed. See my album for lots of photos of the cute pup: http://trampleasure.net/lee/gallery/main.php/v/july2008/album/
Further down the beach we realized it was about time for the cruise ship Charlene’s nine-year old son was on to pass by. We looked carefully at the first one, waving as it went by (we could barely see people on the deck). Oops, wrong company. Two ships later we saw his ship. We waved and waved, because he had told his mom that he’d be watching the island as he passed. I got a couple photos where we could see people at the railing, but too small to identify anyone.
I’ve seen a few eagles, and this morning on my drive I was able to take a picture of one arriving at the nest with some food for the little ones.
Today I’m off to visit the Trampleasures in Canada. Gary and Betty Anne will be there, as well as probably a few of the kids and/or grandkids. It should be fun. I haven’t seen them since ages ago when they came down to California. Time to get back on the road
Mt. Rainier and a family of foxes
Lee July 11th, 2008
Today started off with me doing laundry and computer tasks while Etsuko went to class and Bob went to work.
Around noon, we had got it together to drive to Mt. Rainier. Etsuko used to give tours on the mountain, so she was our guide. The park entrance is about two hours from Seattle, but we had a nice drive, and didn’t run into much traffic. I find it interesting how you can see Mt. Rainier clearly from Seattle, but then when you start getting closer to it it becomes hidden behind closer, but much lower foothills (west coast speak for 2,000 foot mountains). But, we finally got there, and had a wonderful drive up the mountain, stopping at waterfalls and wildlife along the way.
At the top of the road, at about one mile high (~5,000 feet), we stopped at the Paradise Inn for a bathroom break and to enjoy the view.
On our way down from the Inn, we were stopped by a gaggle of cars (well, two) pulled over with cameras flashing. A family of four foxes (looked like “mom” and four kits) were posing for us. The kits were happily romping around in the snow, while mom seemed happy to sit in the sun, scratch, and stretch. I’ve got several photos online, so be sure to check the album.
I found it amazing how “tame” these foxes were. They weren’t begging for food, but they also didn’t have the fear of humans that one would expect from “wild” animals.
On our way back down, we stopped at a great Thai Wok, a great Tai restaurant in and had dinner (with enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow). The review on Yelp was great, and I added another to it.
Two hundred people can commute…but how would Lenin do it?
Lee July 10th, 2008
The options shown in the poster are: By car, by bus, by light rail, and by bike. Very descriptive.
Another day, another 200 miles or so
Lee July 9th, 2008
Last night I did make it to the Hoh Rainforest. Lots of lichen, moss, and fungi.
I went to a campfire talk on fungi, and it was lead by a fungal. She had group participation acts, with people playing the role of trees and fungus. It was a big hit, and people learned a lot.
I didn’t get to see any elk, but heard of one that wandered through our campground. I do have a nice shot of the Hoh River and its great glacial till induced steel blue color (the glaciers grind the rocks into powder as they pass over, and when the ice melts at the end of the glacier, the powder enters the runoff).
One twelve mile stretch where the speed limit was 35 I was able to get 48 MPG in my little car. Oh, if only we could all drive so slow.
Aberdeen, my Aberdeen
Lee July 8th, 2008
Yesterday’s hitchiker was a self-proclaimed aging hippy who was just getting off work and heading home to help insulate the floor of her house with her old man (no, that’s not her father). I only took her about six miles.
Today’s hitchiker was a guy named Bill (as my dad would say, no one with that name can be all bad). Neither he nor I knew the roads, and I thought I’d be able to take him about 80 miles, but about 15 miles into the ride there was a fork and his road went right when mine went left. Both Bill and I were the same age, and he was trying to get to a town where he had room and board lined up so he could look for a job. I always remember from my days of unemployment during the baseball strike of ‘81 how close we can be to being homeless. For a couple months I lived in my VW bus in front of the house I had been living in because I couldn’t afford the $105 rent and another friend (who could afford rent) needed a room. “There but for fortune [and friends] go you and I.” On parting I gave Bill $20 to help with life.
Well, tonight I’ll be camping in the Olympic National Park, and probably get a hike in as well. My goal is the Hoh Rainforest area, hope there will be spaces open. I’ve been lucky so far, and I’m fairly flexible if there’s not spaces–it seems like there’s other camp sites nearby, and it is the middle of the week.
Well, time for a quick pit stop in the back of Safeway (free Wifi at most Safeways these days), then back on the road.
Love,
Lee
