December in Fremont!

Bins of sweet good Granny Smith apples and deep orange Fuji persimmons are picked and resting in a cool toolshed. We have way more than we can use and I enjoy giving fruit to people who don't have any. I gave a big box of ripe quinces to a friend in the Afghan Market …in that culture quince are prized for their medicinal value. Six nights of heavy frost have pretty well taken care of any tender plants in the garden… and so now it is the season of cutting dead stems away on my perennial flowers to encourage next seasons growth. New sprouts are already forming. A great pile of prunings is forming and soon I will run it all through the chipper to make wonderful sweet smelling mulch. We are harvesting the very last few tomatoes, lettuce and herbs are still OK, also greens for cooking. Fruit tree pruning comes next in January. Nights are cold.

Thanksgiving was a time for reconnecting with family. Sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews, family friends, and we who have melded into the family by marriage. Everyone has changes in their lives, there are funny stories to tell, sadness to share, adventures to describe. Kids have pushed ahead to new challenges, and there are burdens that we must bear together. If wouldn’t be thanksgiving without a turkey to carve – white meat here – dark meat there. Stuffing, gravy, peas, sweet potatoes, and Pie (Apple, Berry, Pumpkin)…

Kitchen full of cooks, laughter coming from the living room… Football on the TV …Good hard cider and wine to enjoy. There was a sharing of books, fruit, leftovers, and good ideas. Most families also has their own unique ways of celebrating holidays…we do…

This week as I visited student teachers, I travelled into neighborhoods where folks had a much different thanksgiving. … California currently has 12.4 % unemployment (one out of every eight people). Average unemployment benefits for a family are less than $300 a month. Imagine feeding a family and covering rent with that amount! Imagine choosing between supper of Ramin noodles or boiled beans… adding a little spam would be a treat. And what of the ones that don’t have enough money to pay rent … Where do they go?

Today, 18% of Americans who work full-time are below the poverty line ($17, 000 for a family of four). The great curiosity for me is why poverty in America is so invisible to those of us who live comfortably. I see someone asking for a handout occasionally, but I am not aware of vast numbers of hungry people in my neighborhood , my shopping center, or grocery store. I see groups of men hanging out in front of my building-supply store hoping for a days work, when I drive past a food pantry the lines seem to extend farther each time. Hunger is hunger where ever in the world it is found. It is especially hard on Children. …here in California or anywhere.

Why is the American middle class in decline? Profit making decisions that led American companies to export jobs to China? …The increased efficiency of tools that require fewer human workers? The decline of strong labor unions? Borrowing excess money on a personal and national level? The greed of banks and financial institutions? Spending 3 trillion dollars on the Iraq war? Selfish government actions that put party above the good of the people? All of the above?

· 83 percent of all U.S. stocks are in the hands of 1 percent of the people.

· 
66 percent of the income growth between 2001 and 2007 went to the top 1% of all Americans.

· 43 percent of Americans have less than $10,000 saved for retirement.


· The bottom 50 percent of income earners in the United States now collectively own less than 1 percent of the nation’s wealth.

One of my favorite slogans is still “Think globally, act locally” . I can’t solve the problem –All I can do is reach out a little more to the hungry. I can support the local food kitchen, This Christmas perhaps I will adopt a family through my church, I can drop a dollar into a Salvation Army bucket every time I pass one. I can support the local school canned food drive… If that is all I can do to reach out, then I am doing something to make the world a better place-and that’s good – but it makes me realize that perhaps I can do even more. I remember too...hunger and deprivation don’t go away when Christmas is over.

Requiem for a tomato

Besides the smells and flavors of Thanksgiving day, beyond the gathering of friends and family and eating a little too much turkey and pumpkin pie there are three things I associate with the Thanksgiving season.

1. Every year within a week of Thanksgiving Day we have our first frost.

2. Almost all the leaves fall from our Walnut tree between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

3. It is, alas, the end of tomato season...

Frost formed on the fibrils of a garden plant

How I love my fresh tomatoes! I usually get the first one by July 1… and now the season is over. Sweet, full of flavor, and warmed by the sun there are few things on this Earth that surpass them! I eat them fresh like an apple, we put them in salads, I cook them into stews, I blend them into fresh tomato juice..

"Ace" tomatoes

I am a zealot when it comes to tomatoes –My tomato bed is south facing with the most direct sunlight (I call it my Fresno microclimate). In March the soil must be dug deep and mixed with heaps of compost, in April I plant about a dozen little plants ( Ace and Early Girl varieties). The plants are never allowed to dry out once it quits raining, and then I must wait until mid July and early August when we have a rush of deep red perfectly vine ripened tomatoes coming in. Those we can’t eat we wash and freeze whole for winter use. (One fourth of our freezer is now filled with tomatoes).

More tomatoes than you can imagine!

I grow indeterminate tomato varieties that stop growing ( and producing ) only when the night time temperatures reach into the 40 degree range. But now my plants are looking sad – the remaining tomato fruits have large black spots and the leaves are beginning to collect into a gummy green mess within the vine. The flavor of the last ones are way less sweet and generally sad.

And don’t even suggest to me store-bought tomatos – yuck – no flavor – bad texture… gives tomatoes a bad name!!

But it was a good year – great yield and no tomato worms! – And so I must graciously let go – and turn my attention to the bounty of the next season…

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What do we do with all those tomatoes?

After years of searching I have found the perfect Marinara Sauce - (modified from the "Moosewood Cookbook" - by Mollie Katzen)

Marinara Sauce

2-3 T olive oil

2 C chopped onion

1 medium sized bell pepper - diced

2 medium stalks celery, minced

1 lb. mushrooms, chopped

2 medium ( 6 inch ) zucchini, diced

Handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped (if available)

2 t dry Basil

1 t dry Oregano

1 t dry Thyme

1.5 t salt

2 lbs. crushed frozen tomatoes (w/ juice) or you can substitute canned tomatoes (1 large can)

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

1 T Honey

Black pepper to taste

6 cloves minced garlic

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1. Heat olive oil in kettle -

2. Add onion, bell pepper, celery, mushrooms, zucchini, ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, dry herbs, salt

3. Sauté over medium heat until onions are very soft ( 8-10 minutes)

4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, honey, black pepper.

5. Use a spoon to break up the tomatoes into bite size pieces

6. Bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer, partly covered, for 20-30 minutes

7. Add garlic and cook about 10 minutes more

8. The sauce can sit for several hours or can be refrigerated for up to a week.

9. Heat gently before serving

… I double the recipe and freeze in separate packets for quick meals… good with chicken, vegetables, legumes, almost anything!

A double batch takes a little more than an hour to prepare if you get organized first -then we fill 8 oz jars and we have frozen sauce for the next 2-3 weeks -

Photographs

Imagine being able to capture a moment in the life of a person and to experience the faces and expressions years later. From my earliest years there has always been someone with a camera to record family events. The impromptu snap shots are the best! Now some of those early portraits are family icons from times long ago.

My sister Helen and I with cousins

I am not the kind of photographer that I would like to be. I have worked my way through a progression of cameras – and I love my current zoom-lens digital camera. But the question still remains,“What constitutes a good photo?“ In Tanzania this summer we spent a week travelling with the Heifer study-group. When we returned, we shared the photos we had each taken of the same experiences – It was fascinating to see how we made different photo choices. Some wanted to show the texture of Tanzanian farm life, others focused on faces, another on children, one focused on scenery… Each person had their own “decision making filter” in place to guide them in choosing what to photograph.

Lion - Ngorongoro Crater

Observing the work of a master photographer helps me to see the world through his or her mind. This past week I saw an extensive photo collection by Henri Cartier-Bresson at the MOMA museum in San Francisco. (Go to this web site to see examples: http://moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2010/henricartierbresson/#/homepage/themes.html.) Seeing his life work is an inspiration for an aspiring photographer like me! Monsieur Cartier-Bresson was the master of the “decisive moment”. For him photography was about observing deeply your subject and then choosing the exact right moment to capture the whole story. His pictures are an invaluable record of moments in the lives of common people from the 1930’s to the 1950’s… Europe, America, Asia, Russia…

Two of his quotes:

“Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again.“

“Think about the photo before and after, never during. The secret is to take your time. You mustn't go too fast. The subject must forget about you. Then, however, you must be very quick.”

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This is what I would like to remember and include in my photos, after viewing the exhibition....

1. A good photo is all about light! If the lighting isn’t right – come back when you can get the light you need to make the photo interesting.
2. A great photo can use shadows and reflections for real and effective results.
3. Avoid far away pictures of people – be close enough that you can see features. Human expression in the moment is all-important.
4. Wait until the “decisive moment” to click the shutter. Wait until people forget that you are there. Wait for the “look”... the “gesture”.
5. Photos showing people doing things can be effective even if you don’t show a face directly. In most of Cartier-Bresson's photos the subject is not aware that a photo is being taken.
6. When photographing a group meeting– don’t show the speaker - show the people watching the speaker. Focus on the responses of people.
7. Landscapes and natural still life compositions can be effective with the correct light, angle, and composition. No subject is too small or insignificant to be considered as a subject....it just has to be have the "right balance".
8. Cropping makes or breaks a good photo – This is done on the computer or darkroom after the fact... (iphoto, photo shop, etc.) The goal is to accentuate your focus topic and remove distracting details.
9. Portraits are the most difficult. Most people put on a set-face when they know they are being photographed. A good portrait takes time and involves engaging the subject, having the subject involved in something other than thinking about having their photo taken.
10. Learn to see outside of your usual "this is a good photo" mode - Photography is about being open to seeing in a new way.

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Just for fun I attempted some photos from the airplane as we returned from Oregon. Here are two examples: In both cases I used a telephoto lens and then some editing with iphoto to correct contrast.

Berkeley: UC Campus to left, City center right

Mt. Shasta

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These days I spent a great deal of time travelling back and forth to visit the student teachers that I am supervising. Public radio stations, KQED 88.5 and KALW 91.7, are my regular companions. I can count on an enjoyable balance of new thought, interviews, music, and entertainment. As I travelled this Wednesday - I heard this interview - Here is both a pod cast of the message and the written text... I was so impressed with it I want to share it:

http://www.kqed.org/a/perspectives/R201011170735

How do you get rid of a raccoon that moves in for the winter?

Roxy started barking about 2AM Tuesday night - I made repeated trips out to have stern words with the dogs - they looked properly remorseful - but as soon as I returned to bed the barking began again. Finally I went to sleep about 3:30 - the barking continued keeping Judy awake until dawn. All Wednesday the dogs were skiterish all day -making frequent trips to the garage as if they were searching for something. Faced with another sleepless night we joined the dogs in their search., Judy spotted the familiar black eyes of a large raccoon staring back at her from the rafters. That wild animal seemed to have settled in and was in no mood to move - especially with two hyperactive dogs barking and jumping down below. Judy took the dogs into the house and the raccoon and I stared at each other. Finally in desperation I attached a loop of wire to a long pole and cautiously reached up into the rafters. Without much difficulty I slipped the wire over the animal's neck. Now it got exciting! I gently pulled and "encouraged" the raccoon to "climb" down the wall of the garage - jumping from stud to stud. Once on the floor his full displeasure became apparent - hissing and snarling at me - this was definitely a very angry and defensive animal! I escorted him out doors. Now I suddenly realized that my new problem was how to remove the wire from the animals neck. I yelled to Judy - she came running - but didn't shut the door completely - so the dogs were back... they turned form gentle little house dogs into wild noisy fierce hunters - They were trying their best to get a good hold on the raccoon with their teeth, and the raccoon was attempting to defend itself - and I was trying to prevent damage to them or to the animal. Judy finally got the dogs back in the house - and I grabbed a pair of wire cutters and walked the raccoon over to the edge of the yard and pulling the wire tight, I cut the loop free. The raccoon bounded away - hopefully never to be seen again. My neighbor Bill said - "Oh he will be back - Raccoons always return again..." We can only hope he is gone for good.

Finally - Rain! Well, at least a little...

Quarry Lakes Regional Park - Behind our house

The usual implications of "seasons" don’t have much meaning in Northern California. With our first rain we have moved from the dry season to the green season. Grasses and seasonal plants are emerging from their summer dormancy and the hills show signs of green. We have had only about ¾ inch of rain since June but its enough. Bulbs are emerging; perennial plants are starting to stir… This season of growth will be a long protracted unfolding of one plant variety after another when conditions of moisture, temperature, and light give the required stimulus for grow and flowering. We will have a few days with freezing in January – and that will certainly limit the growth of some plants...but is all part of the expected growth pattern for plants found in the Mediterranean growth biome. The trick is to only plant what grows naturally in these conditions.

Vertical gardens

Tanzanian sack garden - July is mid winter in Tanzania -

so this sack garden was not fully grown out at the time of this photo

While Judy and I were in Tanzania this summer we saw family farmers growing amazing vertical gardens in large synthetic fiber grain bags. First they insert a pipe in the center and filled it with coarse gravel, then added around the outside a mixture of top soil, animal manure, green manure, ashes, compost… The pipe is removed, and water can be added through the gravel to travel evenly throughout the mass. Kitchen gray water is often used with good results. Then holes were made in the side of the bag and garden vegetables were planted --- mostly salad greens and cooking greens, onions, etc. A system like this is good for 3-4 years before it needs to be redone. More compost and manure and soil can be added as needed to maintain the full sack as the mass settles. Adding earthworms also helps to add nitrogen and to keep the soil open.

My Northern California vertical garden

I returned home and built my version of the system: I started by using heavy gauge fencing material (about 3 ft. diameter) with 2” x 6” spacing. The inside is lined with soil weed guard cloth. I purchased a length of 4” plastic pipe for the center, which I filled with gravel… and then proceeded to mix top soil, my back yard compost, green waste, a sack of steer manure … and placed the mixture between the weed guard cloth and the central pipe.

Once filled, I removed the pipe and watered the soil mixture. Judging by the internal temperature, it took a few days for the system to “mellow” – the effect of the steer manure. Then I make holes in the sides of the system adding salad greens, kale, Italian parsley, and onions, mustard greens… Even during hot spells I found that I only needed to water about once every 3-4 days. During rainy times the mass avoids becoming soggy.

I have since created a second garden and planted strawberries.

This system seems to me to be ideal for many California home and apartment dwellers with small back yards. It can be set up in the location with the most sun. Even then the system does have different microclimates depending on where in the system the plants are placed.

We have had been quite a week in Northern California!

I have to admit that I didn’t watch a single San Francisco Giants game all season long – but I got hooked on the World Series -saw every game! Like one of the news people said, “Baseball is supposed to be boring – but these guys made it interesting!” And to top it off the welcome-home parade was incredible… Baseball players often have their indiocentricities – but some of these guys were totally unique. It was fun to see them come home winners .

For us Northern California Liberal Democrats – well it was a mixed bag. We are thankful that our new governor is Jerry Brown and Gavin Newson will be our lieutenant governor – both good men. Barbara Boxer will be back representing us in Congress… thank goodness! Also its good news that the oil companies didnt get their way ( Proposition 26...rolling back the environmental protection). And Harry Reid in Nevada made it too. I can’t say that I am so happy about the restructuring of the US House of Representatives… but this is what democracy is about… the will of the people. The pendulum swings both ways.

Judy and I spent last weekend in Sea Ranch on the Northern California coast – visiting family. As a rule I like to see pristine natural areas preserved as National or State parks – The development of Sea Ranch was conceived in the early 1960s – fiercely opposed by environmental groups at the time. The reality today is working well… Homes are arranged in small clusters with open spaces separating them. Some have chosen to build homes hidden away in the forest, while others prefer being perched on the brow of the rocky ocean coast. There are strict rules on acceptable designs, height limits, paint colors that can be used, planting around the building must be compatible with native vegetation, and there is a sharing of responsibilities among the residents.

Residents have a strict design review board and have kept alive the vision of a community living in harmony with nature. We regularly saw flocks of wild turkeys, quail, and deer on the grounds. There are beautifully maintained grassy meadows, deep forest glades, and wild breaking waves… Most notable are the wide range of architect-designed homes – causing Sea Ranch to be a sort of museum of innovative architectural styles and features – mostly featuring natural wood, and well lit open living spaces. Some live there full time but many are San Francisco residents who keep this as their quiet retreat.

Eron and Michelle's dog "Murphy"

So we returned to a busy week – for me lots of student teacher visits – I think I’m learning more than anyone!

Tuning into the season..

Most mornings I walk with my two Jack Russell Terriers. We have several alternate routes – Quarry Lakes Regional Park is walking distance from our house, the Alameda Creek flood control channel has walking trails, and from there we can walk into the Niles Community Park and into the “downtown” of Historic Niles. The dogs have no apparent preferences – happy with whatever route we choose. Walking is also a time to stop and talk to friends. Dogs sniff each other and roll in strange stuff that smells good to them. I deeply love the colors and smells of fall, the crisp mornings, the ripe fruit. This is the only season that we see sundogs when the sun is just at the right angle on the cirrus clouds. The earth is like some strange wonderful mechanism as it slowly makes its way around the sun and generates all this slowly emerging of seasonal changes.

And here it is the election season once more – back in the time of Lincoln – elections were about having debates – standing on stumps or on the back of train platforms -talking about the issues … Now its sound bites, endless advertisements, phone calls, mailings… I don’t think this is what the founding fathers had in mind when they envisioned “government of, by, and for the people) –not when 4 billion dollars are being spent for a midterm election (and this at a time of economic hardship?). That just seems too much like someone buying an election. After the election I never know what to do with all the political signs that we put up in our front yard… Some of the heaviest and best I turn inside out and use for projects until the next election.

To keep everything in perspective I go out, now and then, to check the progress of the persimmons – they are beautiful, as they turn orange. We have two kinds: the Hayashi (Pointed) and the Fuji (Flat); also my favorite Granny Smith Apples are just about ripe. This is all well and good – but the neighborhood Raccoons and Possums (to say nothing of the Scrub Jays) are beginning to show up to check things out. I built a kind of tree skirt out of wire fencing that the Raccoons and Possums haven’t figured out yet how to climb over … lets hope.

No rain yet…

Identity

Walking through a high school hallway during passing period is an experience in diversity. There are the academic kids, the athletes, those that identify with a particular style of music, the computer nerds, those with a strong ethnic identity, the musicians, and there are the druggers, and the gang members, and the loners…. All swirling around in a mad dash to make their next classroom. The AP chemistry students, the remedial pre algebra kids, the special needs kids, the vocational auto shop students, the kids wearing strong political and social messages - here they all are. Within minutes the hall is silent – everyone has found his or her niche.

What fascinates me the most is the self-selected identity that students choose for themselves. In today’s world there are so many choices- It's like out of the whole wide world each person decides to build fences and say, “ this is me”, “and this is not me”.

Developing an identity is something we acquire partly during our formative years, partly it’s choice, partly from our environment, partly the effects of our own decisions. Many of us choose to identify as someone who seeks to be a good neighbor, to support those who need a helping hand, we try to be fair, to do our share, and we reject being cruel and judgmental to others. But we all know people who have chosen other identities....and sometimes we ourselves fail.

I know people that have a passion for one topic – its like a filter that they wear over their eyes – they measure everything by whether it deals with their topic of choice: Cars, their political party, geology, surfing, sex, their religious orientation, their sport, plant pathology, modern dance, getting an education… ( or some combination of the above... ) All of these can be ways we build fences that limit what will be possible for us to see and experience…

In the schools that I visit I see gang members who live in a dangerous world every day. They often have no support group and live among people that they don’t understand or trust… the daily dangers facing them are real. - The only options that they see are to be regularly victimized or to join a gang to find acceptance and protection. (For which they pay a great price). This person has chosen a very limiting identity out of fear and the need to belong.

I see people with diminishing options as their life unfolds – a high school drop out has fewer options than someone educated. A felon returned to society is limited in his or her opportunities. Bad choices have real implications. I suspect that many of the limitations people put on themselves are based on fear – fear of what we don’t understand or what we can’t control. Many people retreat to self made walls seeking protection from the unknown. We become venerable to social engineering, as those with special interest and money can use their resources to shape us using modern media to cause us to become what they want not what we would normally become. Its easy to direct the opinions of those who lack knowledge. This is increasingly true as scientific, political, financial, social concepts become more specialized.

Notes on Inner City Eduction

Student Altar in a City School

I pull off the freeway and find my way through the Oakland city streets to the school I am visiting. After checking in at the office, find the classroom, I wait until the end of the previous class, and then catch up with the intern before the students pour into the room. Some high school age students enter graciously, some creep in quietly, others are boisterous or aggressive. Some students begin at once on the “Do Now” work on the overhead– others need a reminder. The teacher greets the students, then as students continue working, goes through the routine of starting the class. This formula varies little regardless of the neighborhood…

Student art can offer a window into real feelings

I visit a few schools that remind me of the 3^rd world conditions that I saw in Tanzania. There are neighborhoods where the unemployment is 20% and 10% of the males are in prison, there isn’t much to look forward to if a young man drops out of school but “workin' the street “ – …drugs, or crime. How do you build a vision of what is possible for kids that see no hope? Kids need to feel that staying is school is worth the effort. They need to feel that staying in school can be a way out of despair. To create such a system requires teachers who understand the realities of students’ lives, understand how to offer the learning that students needs, and cares enough about the individual students to follow up. Many kids have never had a male role model at home, isolation, temptation, and lack of parental guidance are daily realities. There are kids that find the violence in the street to be at best distracting, and at worst terrifying. How can a teacher with 150 students in a day keep track of the individual needs of kids that don’t have a quiet place to do their homework, who may be more concerned about avoiding gang action than learning about mitosis?

I want to testify that I see programs that are changing students’ lives.

“College Track “ is a program in Oakland and East Palo Alto that takes average but committed students as ninth graders and offers a community place where they can come in the evening to do their homework. Volunteer adults are there every night to tutor students in all subjects, counselors help students know how to be prepared for college and how to jump through the necessary hoops – The majority of students are still with College Track as seniors, they apply for, and are accepted into college … with scholarships to pay the way. This program provides long consistent support and provides a safe place to be in community outside of school. The program is funded by corporate grants. Such a program is a success due to the committed action of many people who care.

I see individual teachers who care – who treat students with dignity – who allow no one to be tuned out in class. They design class activities that produce meaningful learning and they build or review the learning skills that may have been overlooked or poorly learned in earlier years. However there is a great danger – If you build a sense of what is possible in a student… if you kindle that spark - there must be a commitment to support that student all the way through– Nothing is worse than the despair of losing hope after it has been offered. Real change requires a united action – a committed school – a community center – People that care… It happens when committed people dream, plan, implement, and follow through.

In Praise of Ordinary Things + Photo set

Photoset: "Three Excursions": Click here to open: At top left click on "slideshow" for best viewing http://picasaweb.google.com/jzlatnik49/ThreeExcursions?authkey=Gv1sRgCJCw6t7K54zw9gE#

It’s a time of ordinary things – but ordinary things can be spectacular.

1. The dogs and I walked last night in an open space and watched the sun in the half hour before sunset. The great huge sun moved nearer the horizon and then bit by bit it vanished! It was incredible... The air was still, like it was holding its breath. The whole process was so silent! Not only does the sun shine its own light but it gives color to all other things. As soon as the sun was gone, colors quickly fade and it becomes a world of black and gray profiles. (Green objects were visible with the least light). Birds stirred in their treetops to settle in for the night. In the last twilight the crickets started their concert.

2. Fall in California is subtle – We don’t have great eqinoxial storms, no sudden shedding of leaves, and great colorful fall sunsets. I know that summer is past by the ripening of apples and persimmons turning orange. It is the season of orange and black “orb weaver” spiders – each morning I find one or two perfect webs in the garden. White pelicans return in significant numbers, geese become nervous as their departure date approaches. ( Some know a good thing and stay all winter... )Now is the time to visit the coast –there’s no early morning fog and it’s too early for rain. When I walk in the hills I may find tarantulas out seeking a mate. Afternoons, I hear football practice and the high school band is polishing its routine. Evenings come earlier and we need an extra blanket. It’s a time of expectation – it is so long since we have had rain!

3. There is a large fig tree on my regular walking route that has come into its time! The owner is quite willing for those who walk by to pick a fig or two…there are so many! The blue jays have a little different idea of who owns the tree. Figs bear for a long season compared with many other fruits – a few ripen each day– enough for walkers and jays.

4. I planted my winter garden this week– leaf vegetables and lettuce for salads… they all do OK even in the cold days of December and January… I started the seeds in a starting tray sitting inside a south facing window to keep them at a good germination temperature. Now I must wait 10 days for the seeds to “hatch”, and then when the plants are large enough, I will plant them into the soil.

Photos: Slopes of Kilimanjaro & Weekly commentary

9/30 Notes from Fremont

Click on web address below to open: To view slides click on "slideshow" top left corner

http://picasaweb.google.com/jzlatnik49/TheSlopesOfKilimanjaro?authkey=Gv1sRgCLXX28W_zvi1dw#

We in California have an opportunity in the coming election to make a difference in an important climate change issue. Please vote "NO" when you vote on California proposition 23 in the Nov 2010 ballot! This measure would permit the state to return to 1990 greenhouse gas emission levels....under the guise of protecting jobs but in reality the measure is financed and supported by large petroleum and business interests attempting to protect their profits. California cannot afford to return to its high air pollution past. Studies show that more jobs will be created than lost by a change from petroleum to “green” alternatives. We can’t change the entire climate of the world but we can affect the air we breathe and set an example for others.

In this week's blog I want to outline what we know about climate change and why it is important for us and out planet...

Understanding Climate Change

OK – Lets get this straight.

Climate is based on the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elements in a given region over long periods of time.

Weather is the present condition of these same elements and their variations over periods up to two weeks. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity.

Evidence for Climate change:

Based on information from NASA: http://climate.nasa.gov/

The Earth’s climate has changed throughout history. Just in the last 650,000 years there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the abrupt end of the last ice age about 7,000 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era – and of human civilization. Most of these changes are attributed to very small changes in the Earth’s orbit changing the amount of solar energy the Earth receives.

The current warming trend is of particular significant because most of it is very likely human induced and proceeding at a rate that is unprecedented in the past 1,300 years.

Earth-orbiting satellites and other technological advances have enabled scientists to see the big picture, collecting many different types of information about our planet and its climate on a global scale. Studying these climate data collected over many years reveal the signals of a changing climate.

Certain facts about Earth’s climate are not in disput:

1. The heat trapping nature of CO2 and other gases was demonstrated in the mid 19^th century. The gradual increase of CO2 in the atmosphere correlates exactly with the rate of fossil fuel burning and removal of forests, etc. The gradual increase of CO2 also correlated with the measured long term warming of the Earth’s atmosphere.

2. Ice cores from Greenland, Antarctica, and tropical mountain glaciers show that the Earth’s climate responds to changes in solar output, in the Earth’s orbit, and in greenhouse gas levels. They also show that in the past, large changes in climate have happened very quickly, geologically speaking: in tens of years, not in millions or even thousands of years.

3. The Global sea level rose about 6.7 inches in the last century. The rate of increase in the last decade is nearly double that of the last 100 years.

4. Twenty of the warmest years on record have been recorded since 1981, all ten of the warmest years occurring in the past 12 years

5. Oceans have absorbed much of the increased heat, with the top 2300 ft. of ocean water warming by .3 degrees F since 1969. Such a temperature shift can trigger dramatic changes in animal and plant growth, leading to the destruction or moving of populations.

6. The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are decreasing. Greenland lost 36-60 cubic miles of ice per year between 2002 and 2006 and Antarctica lost 36 cubic miles of ice between 2002 and 2005.

7. Declining Arctic sea ice - The extent and thickens of Arctic sea ice has rapidly declined over the last several decades.

8. Glaciers have retreated almost everywhere in the world: Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska, and Africa.

9. The number of record high temperature events in the United States has been increasing, while the number of record low temperature events has been decreasing, since 1950. The U.S. has also witnessed increasing numbers of intense rainfall events.

10. The carbon dioxide content of the Earth’s oceans has been increasing since 1750, and is currently increasing about 2 billion tons per year. This has increased ocean acidity by about 30 percent.

Elections + African photos

Go to top left hand - click on "slide show" for best results

http://picasaweb.google.com/jzlatnik49/ANIMALSPLANTS?authkey=Gv1sRgCMvkv-Wm-KH4ogE#

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No new taxes! Really?

Here it is almost the election and one of the hot topics these days is taxes.

How did taxation get to be such a dirty word in American politics? Now in the election season it is held up as a banner that the right rallies around “No new taxes” “ tax cuts…” and the Democrats approach the topic with caution.

One evening in Tanzania we sat with two couples – one from Germany, the other from Sweden. They agreed that they didn’t understand the American fear of taxes – the German spoke saying “ Sure we have high taxes – but we have an excellently maintained infrastructure, you never see homeless people on the streets, quality medical care is guaranteed for all, and my children don’t have to go into debt for years to pay for their higher education. I think our system is great.” The Swedish people agreed that they had a similar system and were also very satisfied.

I suppose it comes back to the American concept of individual responsibility – The underlying theme seems to be “What I work for I should get to keep. “ “Why should I pay for someone who is lazy or not as smart or lucky as me…?" We believe in the pioneer idea of rugged individualism.

However, individualism seemed to work better in a wilderness or at least a rural setting – as people live in more dense groupings the pioneer concept of individualism becomes increasingly difficult – We have common needs that can not be denied – good roads and schools are difficult for individuals to design and maintain. It makes sense to pool money from all individuals to pay for services that we all need or may need.

In Arusha Tanzania tax money is not spent on sidewalks in front of the stores - If the shop owner wants a side walk they can add it - it not, people have to walk in the street. The result is a system of sidewalks with 3 foot drop offs as you pass from one shop to another... or people walk in traffic in front of many shops. Some side walks are a foot wide, others 8 feet wide. Its the ultimate in individual responsibility and free choice.

The focus on lower taxes has left us in the situation with not enough money to maintain roads and streets properly, support of public schools and universities has been reduced to bare bones, many state parks are now shut, and police, fire, and city services have been seriously reduced. What is so bad about funding those common services that benefit us all? I guess I'm a rare bird but I would support the idea of all of us chipping in a little more to have these services running properly again.

Bottom line is – if we done like how our tax money is being spent we can elect someone that will spend it in ways that benefits our mutual way of life – Electing people who only promise additional tax cuts will result in an even greater reduction in our shared community resources.