Super Bowls Goes Green

I was able to take part in a Green campaign for the Super Bowl. AMP energy drink is doing a live marketing event that will generate power for their portion of the pre-game show. Ironic considering I have never drank this style of energy drink in my life. Yup. I've never drank a redbull, rockstar, monster, amp, redline, whatever else is out there. Nope. Not once.

The concept is that Trek beach cruiser type bikes, quite comfy, are hooked up to trainers which in turn have been turned into generators. The power generated by the cyclists goes into batteries which when piled up over the next few days.

I am usually a bit skeptical of these things, like does our actions power the DJ set up and the mikes and the lights while we ride? They did. In fact when we all stopped, the entire tent powered down to darkness. Cool. So theoretically the event is power positive in its offset for the goal.

Also, all the bikes and generator/trainer units are being sent to Haiti after this event and given to families so they can power their electric items in their house. Haiti obviously having a notorious habit of being shellacked by Hurricanes on a regular basis.

Among the group I was in for two hours were; my friend/training partner Andy, (Ironman), a Cat-3 cyclist who had already done 6 hours that day and two obvious cyclists behind us. We kept trying to see who could get the most amps out of our systems. (They had little digital displays that showed the amps generated by the pedaling). All of us got to eight amps, some a bit higher. We were told that our group for the two hours had the highest combined battery upload of any group that day.

What was kind of cool is that there was this massive bank of batteries in the bank and each group had a Red Digital Readout (RDR) that showed totals amps being uploaded. The more juice going in the brighter the green glow of the neon they put around the battery's. So we could constantly see our output compared to everyone else. And we were doubling the other groups.

In reality it wasn't a contest to see who could do the most. There was no smack talk or recriminations. In fact I was sweating my ass off staying in Zone 2, while most were just lazily moving the pedals, reading a book, texting, etc. To stay in my zone I had to generate about 3.5 amps and was told in general most people were just doing 2.0 amps.

It's a first of a kind event put on by GMR marketing using live subjects at big public events. All the participants are being paid for their time at $20 per hour in two hour shifts. I took a total of four shifts.

I also won a hat when I answered one of their 'Green' questions correctly.

Personal Responsiblity

Several issues (or challenges) have arose in my life or in those around me. For the most part they are those that all people must endure in life. Nothing extraordinary except when they are personally happening to you. In all things it is best to seek understanding and when that fails seek to see God in the picture. And usually what I find is that taking personal responsibility is more preferable to me than seeking assistance from the government. I would rather turn towards family before government.

My brother has a solid government job. He also has 15 years in the military, currently with the National Guard on the weekends. He is being deployed again in the GWOT (Global War On Terrorism), this time to Afghanistan. The difference in pay is drastic and they are shuttering up the house; his wife and two children, 12 and 4, will be moving in with our parents just a few miles away for the year he is gone. Our dad and I will be the father influence for his children and my wife and mom will be there to support us all, especially his wife. We are pulling together for what's best for the family.

My wife would be first to point out that when you pay into the welfare system with your taxes you shouldn't feel guilty for asking for government assistance when necessary, not as a way of life, but when in emergencies. This came up when a friend of ours went on disability for an on-the-job shoulder injury. The percentage of pay he is receiving from work doesn't cover the overhead and he has a one month old baby girl now. He bemoaned having to go down and apply for assistance but it had to be done. He will be out of work for some time. Many of us, his friends, have taken up the cause help with groceries, meals, etc. Its what we should do. Its what he would do for us.

When my family lived in the Pacific Northwest, the weather there is generally cold and wet. My father installed a wood stove in our living room and each year he and I cut, split and stacked several cords of wood in the backyard. The most used room in our house was always the warmest and free of charge.

SideNote :And for those of you who 'boo hoo' cutting down trees and polluting the atmosphere with smoke, think again. Even the most die hard enviro-whackjob will admit that burning wood is naturally occurring and not a part of the green debate.

The point is that there is options if you think of them critically. Personal responsibility is taking an honest look at yourself and what you can do to better yourself, yes that sometimes means sacrifice. Cutting some of the fat away from your expenses could go a long way to paying off other debt. Do you really need a monthly fee at NetFlix and Blockbuster and also shop at Hollywood? If you bought a spiffy $20 thermos at REI that keeps a couple cups of coffee hot all day long, think of the money you'd save at Starbucks each month? Probably enough to pay a credit card for the month. Making a couple of sandwich's before work not only saves on the calories you'd get from the vending machine during the day but saves on the cost of food. Spend $5 on some thick cut deli turkey and some cheese and you'll make four sandwiches for the cost of one at the store.

When your down and out, mentally, financially or physically, or hooked on a vice that is ruining your life its most likely your fault for getting in the situation. Exhaust all solutions to fix it yourself, then ask your family or close circle for help (if they haven't already) and then seek outside government assistance.

Double Standards

Double standards abound in our society. Its strange how one negative connotation can be accepted and another can not.

For example, driving to work today a newer SUV with a woman driver ahead of me had two bumper stickers on the window that were terribly derogatory to our current President, an elected republican. I did what I am sure most conservatives do; swallowed any indignation, shake my head and pull ahead.

I have a feeling that if I had a defaming quote against any liberal person or socialist cause or just a simple Fish logo, I would be flipped off or yelled at when stopped at lights. Pretty sure I would have a busted window or be keyed if I was parked in a lot for a day with a big sticker proclaiming my dislike with something.

I remember hearing about some of this occurring during the last presidential election, not just to vehicles but to conservative offices.

Its okay to wear a Che Guevara tee shirt or a communist hammer and sickle shirt but wear a shirt with a cross or proclaiming my support of a religion or partisan cause and I'd be derided. I have been derided in the past for wearing my vintage Ollie (North) for President shirt. In hind site it was probably naive but nevertheless.

As the election looms closer, the amount of bumper stickers will increase, no doubt. I will continue to shake my head, smile and say, "God Bless", treating them just like I do when people cut sharply in front of me in traffic.

35 mph is the standard

Congress passed a bill this week and President Bush has agreed to sign it, which starts to bring America into alignment with whats right instead of a-lining their pockets with lobbiests. The bill stats that the average mpg of American brand automobiles must be 35 mpg by 2020 along with several other increases in levels of sustainable, renewable energy sources used by the public.

I personally think it should be sooner than 2020 but overall, its a step in the right direction. I recently reviewed a report in a magazine for the mpg's of the most popular auto's sold and doing a comparison by foreign or domestic brand, foreign vehicles average significantly higher than American though not at the 35 mpg standard either. I believe the American standard in the report was 17 mpg with only two non-hybrid vehicles being over 20 mpg.

Detractors claim the boost in mpg will increase the cost of vehicles by about $7,000 and could be the end of the muscle car.

First, anyone who thinks car prices couldn't go up $7,000 naturally between now and 2020 is an idiot. Look at the increase in car prices in just the last ten years. Now project forward a dozen. Plus most people buy cars on what they can afford to pay each month and what gives them status not the overall cost of the item. For example, a Prius, the uber-enviro car can cost up over $50,000 and most hybrids are mid-$30,000.

Second, much like the oil crunch of the 1970's that brought us the Mustang 2, muscles cars will probably take a hit. But the key word in the legislation is 'average'. Dodge could easily push their new vehicles into the 35 mpg zone and then hybrid their current models out and still cover a few 9 mpg hemi's.

Plus, look at what you drive today. Could you possibly imagine driving the same car you did twelve years ago? Of course not. And your car today is probably more reliable with better emission control, its progress. You can't project your today vehicle on 2020 standards either. Heck in 2020 I'll be fifty and would love to have a 'space age' car that does it all for me.

Or a rocket pack. I always wanted to own a rocket pack. Think they'll have those by then?

Santa lite

A prominent London newspaper has announced that Santa will not be allowed in some malls because he is a fatty. Santa needs to go on a diet. Gadzooks.

Do you really think children look at Santa with the same critical eye as they do Aunt Jane? Santa has been round like a bowl full of jelly for hundreds of years. Meanwhile the same youth watched Aunt Jane gain 80 pounds over the course of five years.

Yes the human race has an extreme problem with eating to much and not exercising enough. That being said, Santa is an icon known for his size. And by the way, according to the official historical records, (that being Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer), Santa has to be force fed in the last few days to gain the 'Santa' weight, which would mean once Christmas is over he loses the weight, which is more than can be said for Aunt Jane.

This is another case of aging baby boomers putting their adult contraptions on children. Santa is a pure spirit, not some overeating diabetic relative.

Transpose this with Halloween where 50 is the new 12. The reason teenage girls can only find costumes prefixed with 'Hot', 'slutty' or 'naughty' is because Halloween is no longer a night for children its a night for adults to think they are still children.

Whats next neutering the Easter Bunny?

How do you have a treaty with yourself?

A senate committee today voted to send a resolution to the full senate to reduce greenhouse emissions with credit incentives for those that cut and credit penalties for those that don't. Those most affected by this decision are utility, manufacturing and transportation businesses. Which in the end means the consumer and user. Thats you and me.

A vote most along party lines to progress the bill was claimed to help the children. Senator Barbara Boxer claims, "We are facing a crisis that will hit our children and our grandchildren the hardest if we do not act now. Not to act would be wrong, cowardly, and irresponsible."

Oh its going to hit our children alright. Higher taxes and consumption costs. The bill seeks to force companies to reduce greenhouse gases or carbon dioxide emissions much like the much ballyhooed Kyoto Protocols which have done absolutely nothing for those that elected to follow it since the mid 90's.

This time its just us. The good ole' US of A. The thought amongst the mostly liberal backing of this plan is that by America taking steps to control global warming other industrial states like China and India will follow suite. This is highly unlikely since China is a communist state only concerned about its own internal interests and India while a democracy is more concerned about becoming the China-alternative to leadership in Asia.

If this bill is ratified, it would surely increase the taxes the average American family would be required to pay. A Washington Times Article on November 11th, estimated that the burden for these caps would be about five trillion dollars over 40 years with no evidence of appreciable change in global warming patterns.

Sure that is a bit of alarmist mentality. Scaring people into radical conclusions seems to be the norm these days.

Turn out that lightbut keep your tv on

Sunday football has drunk the environmental kool aid. Over the last weekend while NBC (owned by General Electric) was doing a pre-game show, they turned off the lights in the commentary booth and began describing its mission statement of doing its part to help global warming.

So, what NBC is essentially saying is, "Watch your big screen plasma in the dark." I thought I wasn't supposed to watch tv in the dark. Isn't it supposed to ruin my eyes? I know I was told not to sit to close to television sets because that would ruin my eyes. Thats why I traded in my knob operated 13 inch black and white rabbit eared tv for my 60" HD DLP Flat screen with 1080i.

What's a fan to do?

What if I already converted my lighting to the horrendous glow of energy saving bulbs? Do I still need to turn them off even though I am only running 15 watts for a 100 watt bulb? Isn't it enough that I have to subject myself to the awful output of color by these bulbs? Conversely my wife tells me she would rather sit in a dark room with the tv off as along as she didn't have to watch or listen to football on Sundays.

Interesting.

I suppose the logical conclusion to this, using the main steam media model of, "tell a lie long enough and it becomes truth," global warming is going to shift all football games to morning and afternoons and only on days that are sunny and in stadiums that have retractable roofs or no roofs at all. "It's better for our environment to to not have stadium lights on during a night game," is the logical reason.

In the end, the NFL could care less about global warming. In fact most cold weather teams look forward to late season games in their home (cold air) stadiums because its a detriment to the visitors. The NFL cares about cash. The ones who get hurt are not the fans who are in a kajillion watt lit stadium getting their information from a billion watt speaker system and a jumbo tron, its us 'little' people who have to put up dorks trying to save a species one light bulb at a time.

BTW, do you think I have to take the bulb out of my microwave too? Microwaved pizza just doesn't taste the same unless I can see the cheese melting just right?