Just a minute, says God

People on Earth say to God, "one penny of your money is one million dollars in our money." God says, "agreed." Then the people say, "one minute in your time is a thousand years in our time." God says "agreed." Then the people say, "you wouldn't miss a few pennies, how about making us all millionaires." God reaches into his pocket and says, "just a minute."

A million years later (a minute in God's time) the pennies land on Earth.

A professor told me that joke many years ago. Marvin Southcott, I think it was. He taught industrial design at Western Washington University.

Another end of the world prediction bites the dust

Maybe the end of the world is coming soon, but "soon" in God's time, and/or the Earth's time could be sometime in the next ten million years.

Humans tend to be egocentric and think that the universe revolves around us. Our lives and our existence on this planet is merely a blink of an eye compared to geological timescales.

How old are the rocks of Steptoe Butte in eastern Washington? Quartzite estimated to be over 400 million years old. Surrounded with much younger basalt that's estimated at 15 to 17 million years old. Some of the oldest rocks in Washington State, but still not that old compared to the Earth itself.

Our "world" of civilizations and/or being cave men (really I should say being "cave people" so not to sound sexist) changes a lot faster than the world of geology. Our world is ever changing so it's always the end of the world as we currently know it.

Bike logo rack on parking meter in Bellingham

It was Bike To Work Day and I did many things walking all over my downtown neighborhood, but didn't get a chance to ride my bike. Did make it to part of the after party at Boundary Bay Brewery.

Trade deficit coal trains through Bellingham

Money flows out of the US to China and other countries while manufactured goods flow in. Then much of that money comes back into the US as China and others invest in our debts.

Can we ever pay China back? Can we ever pay with real goods and services that they can use?

Seems like a tall order, but there may be a time when we export more things to China and other nations. Some manufacturing can migrate back to the US. We do have quite a few raw materials and farm products.

Coal is one of the commodities that USA has and China needs, though it isn't a real expensive item. Are we becoming more like a third world country where raw materials are the main export? Have we painted ourselves into an economic corner where dubious compromises have to be made?

USA has lots of coal and some of that coal comes through Bellingham. Thus the coal trains now rumbling along our waterfront.

As to be expected, these trains are controversial. I'll admit, the trains don't make that much difference to me. What's a few more trains coming through town? Sometimes it's even fun to watch them. I don't have to commute across the tracks very often so it doesn't make much difference to me, but lots of Bellingham is worried. As usual, there is the NIMBY (we don't want this in our backyards) reaction as well as other concerns.

Biggest concern, of course, is global warming. All those tons of carbon going into the atmosphere.

Part of the reason why there's controversy is plans for a new cargo facility at Cherry Point; the Gateway Pacific Terminal proposed by an outfit called SSA Marine. It would be a bulk shipment facility for both coal and other goods such as agricultural commodities. With that terminal shipment capacity could increase significantly.

Currently, the coal trains are headed into Canada, to a coal shipment point called Westshore Terminal which is located near Tsawwassen, BC. That's just north of the border.

If Gateway Pacific is built, it would be on this side of the border, in USA, so the export wouldn't have to involve Canada. It could possibly mean more trains through Bellingham.

Does Bellingham get any benefit from this?

Jobs in construction and a few permanent jobs running the terminal. Some benefit, but nothing real dramatic. No wonder some people are upset. Bellingham is just a tiny part of the bigger picture. USA has been called "the Saudi Arabia of coal." Asia needs it and we're just along the way.

Both our current mayor, and other candidates for mayor (there's an election coming up) have concerns. One of the big questions is, "what effect does rail traffic have on the redevelopment plans for Bellingham's central waterfront?" That's the place where Georgia Pacific pulp and paper mill once resided. The railroad cuts right through that property.

I'm reminded of plans that BNSF Railroad floated back in the last days of the pulp mill. The plan was to move the railroad. Move it to around the periphery of the mill rather than going right through the yard with forklifts, roads and other mill commerce zipping back and forth across the tracks. Plans called (if I remember correctly) to move the mainline closer to the bluff where some switch tracks are now, rather than going through the "gut" of the mill.

Right about then, Georgia Pacific closed. It closed for various reasons including rising electricity costs.

When discussing that rerouting plan with some of my friends in a local sauna (where city planning issues are often discussed), I remember someone's comment about moving the railroad around a closed mill.

He said, "no need to go around a ghost town."

Yes, part of the hollowing out of industry in America means things like pulp mills are closing. GP is replaced with a ghost town for now, but there is a lot of talk about redevelopment for that piece of the central waterfront where GP was. Moving the railroad to more of the periphery might help those plans. Is the railroad still interested? Could the increased traffic possibly expedite those plans?

If the railroad was closer to the bluff, it would be easier to build overpasses across the tracks. Possibly even something like a snow shield or sound barrier. Of course those condo owners, right on top of that bluff, might object. Are Americans spoiled?

Still, most of these issues seem fairly minor. The biggest worry isn't really about Bellingham. It's the concern about global warming.

As far as I'm concerned, more trains aren't necessarily a problem. More exports from USA are good. Things like farm products, for instance which is part of the Gateway Terminal plan, but the vast amount of coal being burned in various parts of the world is worrisome.

Even in China, new technologies such as solar power are being developed, but can it happen fast enough? That's a challenging question, especially now that there is increased worry over nuclear power. Nuclear still could be part of the cleaner energy spectrum. Figuring out technologies that use less energy, like happens in the electronics world can help. Also changing cultural attitudes can help, like more bicycling and public transit. Hopefully the world, including USA, can find alternatives to the continuing increase in use of fossil fuels. Either that or maybe finding a way to sequester the carbon? That's a different story.

Picture, nude bike ride protesting fossil fuel happens, by coincidence, to be crossing over a coal train.

US Postal Service has a stamp for commemorating bicycling

Go Green. Someone sent me a letter and it had that stamp. Also remember Bike To Work Day is May 20 this year. Inside the letter was an article about someone who is 90 years old, still riding on some 10 to 15 mile rides. Not bad for 90. Bicycling can be a lifelong activity.

Small footprint for 16 gigabytes

Technology is certainly pointing the way toward reducing the footprint for the things we enjoy.

This tiny chip holds 16 gigabytes of memory. In other words, possibly 4 days worth of nonstop music. I remember my dad's record collection which took shelf space in the bookcase on the living room wall. Vinyl records. It could just about fit on my thumbnail today.

American middle class in decline

Saw an article and video recently on Yahoo Finance.

Here are some figures copied from that article.

-- Middle-income jobs are disappearing from the economy. The share of middle-income jobs in the United States has fallen from 52% in 1980 to 42% in 2010.

-- Middle-income jobs have been replaced by low-income jobs, which now make up 41% of total employment.

-- 17 million Americans with college degrees are doing jobs that require less than the skill levels associated with a bachelor's degree.

-- Over the past year, nominal wages grew only 1.7% while all consumer prices, including food and energy, increased by 2.7%.

-- Wages and salaries have fallen from 60% of personal income in 1980 to 51% in 2010. Government transfers have risen from 11.7% of personal income in 1980 to 18.4% in 2010, a post-war high.

My comments for adapting to the new reality.

There are a lot of factors leading to this. One thing is the evening out of living standards around the world. USA is no longer the undisputed top as much as in the past. Some say the world is a bit fairer now. The quote, "be careful what you ask for as you might get it," applies. I remember complains about the US using something like over 40% of world resources for only 6% of world population in the past. Yes, be careful what you ask for. Maybe the trend toward international fairness is good.

Also there is pressure to reduce consumption due to environmental concerns.

Complicating the issue further is the growing gap between the wealthy and the rest of US population. This makes it harder to embrace some of these changes as possible good things.

I think we will need to learn to live, and even thrive, in a world of lower consumption. Lower carbon footprint and whatever.

Technology can create new and greener wealth, if we let it, so the sacrifice may not be as pronounced as some fear. At the same time, technology may not come to the rescue as fast as we need it. I do think technology holds a lot of promise; however.

We need to learn how to thrive and even live better in a lower footprint world. A more just society with fairer distribution of wealth is one thing, but also changing our own personal lives for, what can be defined as the better.

Bicycling is one example. Lower footprint also can mean better health. Shorter workweek with more time for hobbies, family and so forth can be seen as another positive change if society can be structured so people can afford to live that way.

A lot of these things can be seen as trade offs. Some of these changes can be seen as progress. We'll have to learn how to structure society so it can work.

There can be social progress as well as just the technological progress we are seeing.

In the future, we may have a somewhat slower, lower consumption, but also more high tech world. The shrinking footprint of electronic products is an example. I am amazed by the tiny chip of flash memory, I just bought with 16 gig!

Even if one just lives in a room, where heating bills can be low because there isn't much space to heat, there's plenty of room for a music collection. In the olden days, space was taken with shelves of vinyl records.

For years, since college, I have lived a low footprint lifestyle. This is more common, here in Bellingham, where some vestiges of old hippydom remain. Also, Bellingham may be ahead of the curve in having a glut of highly educated folks for the local workforce. Folks with advanced degrees often work in "low end" jobs. This has been the case for years, here in Bellingham and also in some other parts of the country; especially in college towns. The rest of USA may be headed our way.

Lower taxes keeps raising the bar

According to a recent article in USA Today, US federal, state and local taxes are about the lowest they've been since 1958 as a percent of income.

Whenever the tax burden drops, or the government pumps money into the economy by spending, it raises the bar of what's needed to sustain the economy and things are still anemic.

It's like we've become addicted to stimulus, either through tax cuts or things like the Obama Stimulus package to just get by. What's normally considered an emergency is now commonplace.

It just seems to be always costing more and more to just maintain. The housing bubble pushed up the cost of housing. Health care keeps getting more expensive. Education and energy are rising also. Quite a few things that are considered essentials are going up while unemployment remains high. Business keeps saying it needs low taxes just to create enough new jobs to keep up with population growth.

Whenever the bar of stimulus, and/or tax cuts goes up, we can't ratchet it back down. It becomes the new "normal" just to maintain what people consider survival.

Something is wrong for sure. Seems like the only way to keep up this level of tax cuts and spending is to keep going into debt. It's a serious problem when we have to do this just to stay afloat.

On the other hand, some products are amazingly cheap. I just bought a tiny chip of flash memory with 16 gigabytes in it for less than $50. That's enough storage space for a whole bookcase full of LP records in the old days of vinyl. I never fail to be amazed at what's available for low cost in the world of electronic technology. Too bad so many other sectors of life that are needed for basic survival, like housing and health care, have to be so expensive.

Point Whitehorn on a relaxing afternoon

Like a Sunday drive, only it was a Saturday bike ride to Point Whitehorn on a beautiful day. Rising gas prices don't effect me, except maybe a few cents rise in the cost of chocolate milk.

Point Whitehorn is up near BP oil refinery in Whatcom County. Maybe 15 miles from Bellingham. Up above is the Point Whitehorn Road which is blocked to cars and beautiful for bikes. From there, the bluff is too steep to access the beach, so last Saturday I decided to go on to the beach. It's accessible on a trail that takes off from the end of Grandview Road. Grandview bends and turns into Koehn Road for a short way into the trail head parking lot. First part of the trail is flat and seems okay to bike until a sign says "hiking only" toward the end where it's steep just before the beach.



Zooming in on tanker ship at BP oil refinery dock.

On my way out, I took Slater, Lake Terrell and Kickerville Roads. Coming back I went through Ferndale and had a nice tuna sandwich.

From the NBC Radio studios at Rockefeller Center

Oil painting of Rockefeller Center I did in early high school. Around 1970.

Back then, I was playing a game with some friends where we were picking out blocks in our town of Pullman. We were drawing maps of those blocks and claiming them as our domains. My friend Jeff had about the best block in town. The central block of the Washington State University campus with gyms, pools, the union building and so forth. My block had some dorms, but not much else except farmland.

Thinking outside the box, I decided to look beyond the confines of Pullman and claim Rockefeller Center in New York. I figured, Rockefeller Center qualified as a "block" because it's blocks are all connected with an underground shopping concourse; so I thought at the time.

3 connected city blocks in New York City, like a planned unit development. The size and variety of this domain fascinated me.

It also housed the NBC studios; both radio and TV. Unlike most kids, I wasn't glued to TV, but radio was a different story. I lugged around a transistor radio that I got for my birthday during 6th grade. NBC radio was my weekend lifeline to Rockefeller Center. Monitor was the show; a weekend magazine of news, interviews and music. President Nixon, Martin Luther King, the Vietnam War and the Apollo program all came through my radio. They even had regular tips from a psychologist named Dr. Joyce Brothers.

After almost 40 years, the ads are even interesting. I've recently found a web site with podcasts that bring back many of those old memories. Monitor Beacon Net. It's archived quite a few things including many of the Monitor shows that ran during that show's tenure between 1955 and 1975.

Entertains me via MP3 player as I do my custodial shift.

Good news. Osama Bin Laden is dead

Very good news. I'll remember this day. Glad no American serviceman were lost in this operation. Good news for President Obama, USA and the world. Hopefully this turn of events will help bring more peace in this world. I feel funny celebrating someone's death, but in this case, it's pretty good news.

Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavor. Second to last shuttle flight planned

Glad that Congresswoman Giffords is recovering enough to watch the launch and President Obama will be there, but the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer is the most exciting payload on board. Looking for anti matter, dark matter and other strange physics from the vantage point of space. May bring some interesting knowledge.

Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Tweets ice cream sign in Edison

Ice cream shop in Edison, WA. that had closed for the day, but I got a picture of the sign. Then got a pastry from an artisan bread place. It was a beautiful day for bicycling to Edison and back.

While climbing Bow Hill, the Saturday Night Fever show was boiling out of my radio from KVI; now an oldies station. Disco is oldies, but sounds so joyous. Energy for the trip home.

The park I found on Facebook

Hidden behind showboat homes is Bellingham's Northridge Park. I discovered it from a message thread on Facebook where people were wondering why they never noticed it as they drove by. Someone mentioned walking the trails so I thought, easy to miss in "car-centric" culture. Maybe I can find it biking.

Thinking "trails" instead of "roads," it's more accessible. There's even this neat tunnel for a trail that goes under Barkley Boulevard near the top of the hill. I knew about the tunnel, but never bothered to venture north into the park, until yesterday when I read about it on Facebook.

Why not call it Facebook Park?

Yes, there's quite a bit up there. Trails, wetlands bridges.

Turns out, according to what I saw on Facebook, a lot of those neighbors in the showboat homes are reluctant to have the park be that accessible. You know, people like that can be paranoid. The land was bought in early 1990s and Bellingham Parks Department has discussed providing more obvious signage, parking and even restrooms. Some of the neighbors have resisted that idea so the park remains somewhat obscured. Meanwhile trails have been developed and I saw quite a few users in the park. Folks out walking and some joggers from nearby Squalicum High School.

Learn a new thing every day.

Kind of hidden from those who zoom by on Barkley, but not so hidden to trail users. Tunnel below.

Larger entrance sign hidden on a dead end street called Woodside Way at north end of park.

A question the wealthiest one percent of Americans should ask

Is it better to have 5 vacation homes in a troubled world where you must have elaborate security to protect it all, or only 3 vacation homes in a healthy world where people can trust one another and feel safe?

The one percent can't really live in isolation from the rest of the population. The health of our entire community affects the one percent. If we allow the gap between haves and have nots to get too wide, the quality of life for everyone in society deteriorates; including the quality of life of the one percent. Having to live in fear and needing to hide behind the wall of gated communities doesn't seem very desirable to me.

Quality of life, rather than total number of assets, should be the bottom line.

Ryan budget proposal might inspire more discussion of pulling the plug on grandma

The Republican House proposal to cut the deficit focuses a lot of cuts on Medicaid and nursing home care. This will likely bring back a "pull the plug on grandma" discussion, which pestered the Obama people during debate about health care reform. This time, the discussion can come back with a vengeance. It can pester Republicans and possibly soften the illogical alliance between fiscal conservatives and right to life groups.

Within this discussion are also real questions about the value of life under certain circumstances. Is life really worth living, if one is confined to a nursing home bed and will most likely be dead soon anyway? What about the cost of keeping babies with severe birth defects alive? To add even more fire to the discussion, what about the cost of taking care of all the children that can be dealt with in a more cost effective way through abortion?

I'm not necessarily proposing anything here. I'm just saying that these questions are part of the discussion.

Ideally, end of life decisions should be left to the patient and those close to the patient such as family members and doctors. Carefully crafted right to die legislation has passed in several states such as Oregon and Washington. These laws are compassionately written with the goal to reduce suffering. Republicans often oppose these measures.

Questioning the value of being alive does, of course, put one on a slippery slope. Some fear that it's treading too close for comfort to thinking that the Nazis had.

Still, this line of discussion is happening and like it or not, the economic situation will add to it. If nothing else, it is likely to make Republicans, especially those with ties to right to life constituents, very uncomfortable.

Accident involving bike rack on bus

I think the bike was okay, but rack was a bit crumpled. Accident happened April 8th on corner of Magnolia and Cornwall. I was standing there, actually hugging someone at the time and heard a crash in the street behind me. Bellingham Peace Vigil was taking place at corner of Magnolia and Cornwall. Looked like no one was hurt. Damage mostly to the bus's bike rack and the truck.

The rack worked kind of like a cushion.

I brushed out licence plate number to protect privacy of whoever was driving that truck. Just something I thought of doing while uploading this. I took this picture after bike was removed from bus.

I'm glad I'm in the slow lane. Accidents not impossible, but less likely to happen. Still good to be watchful. So far, so good for me.

Contrasting experiences, from the rat race of the street to the peace vigil on the sidewalks.

Flowering cherry is in bloom again

Adds color to biking and walking.

Food Not Bombs table each Friday

Free food in front of old Federal Building on Magnolia Street each Friday around 4:30. Also lots of hugs. I walk down to check "snail mail" (or real mail?) at my post office box. Zack (third from left) and other volunteers offer vegetarian feast. Also lots of free hugs.

Last Friday, we hugged for a long time and other passers by joined the hug from time to time. One woman took our picture. I had my camera also. Now I wish I had remembered to ask her to hold my camera so I could have the picture too. Missed opportunity. She got a good picture, whoever she is.

It's nice when lots of folks drop by to join in food, hugs and conversations.

At that same corner is the Friday Bellingham Peace Vigil where folks hold up signs proclaiming various causes. That's a tradition which dates back to the 1960s. The Food Not Bombs folks have more recently joined up with gatherings at that corner.

Food Not Bombs is a tradition in many cities.

GOP Congressman Doc Hastings must think hiring attorneys can bring back cheap oil

He seems to think gas prices are going up because President Obama is blocking domestic production. I have news for him. Domestic oil production needs higher gas prices. We've depleted the cheap stuff, but we still have some oil that's more expensive to extract. Think North Dakota's Bakken Shale formation. Lots of oil, but costs more to extract.

Instead, Hastings wants to point fingers at Obama. According to article I just read:

As he conducts his hearings into gasoline prices and other issues, Hastings will be aided by a new Office of Oversight and Investigations that he created earlier this month. Hastings said it will have "multiple staff" with experience as attorneys and investigators. His committee already has a communications team of six to help Hastings get his messages out.

Democrats say the GOP is simply playing politics with a hot and volatile issue.

Yes, spending more government money on lawyers for another office of oversight and investigations.

Oil is just getting more expensive. We could "drill baby drill," and as soon as Obama said domestic oil production has to be part of the mix; the Deep Water well in Gulf of Mexico exploded.

Bad luck. Poor Obama.

It's weired. In that article there's still no mention of suggestions for converting vehicles over to natural gas, rather than oil. I keep hearing folks outside the Washington, DC Beltway talking about ideas like the T Bone Pickens Plan for more use of natural gas in motorized vehicles. I wouldn't know, but folks say it could buy USA some more years of cheap fuel. Why aren't more politicians (especially Republicans, but Democrats also) jumping on that bandwagon?

I say, especially Republicans, since some of that idea's talk show supporters tend to lean somewhat Republican. I'm thinking of financial advisor Bob Brinker and also KGO talk show host Bill Wattenburg in San Francisco.

Meanwhile my lifestyle is not dependent on automobiles. I live within walking distance of work and bicycle longer distances. I still eat and use the economy some, but not driving saves a lot.

Last summer, my vacation bike travels brought me through Pasco, WA. where Hastings is from. He says his central Washington (state) district is largely rural and more effected by rising gas prices. True.

Thinking about the vitriolic atmosphere of our political climate in that other Washington (Washington, DC), I can share a story about biking through Pasco; for what it's worth.

Along the Columbia River, where Sacagawea Heritage bike trail resides, it was nice. Then when I got east of the river, it seemed like more automobile and truck sprawl where tension is in the air. That's where I remember arriving at a motel just in time to hear one end of a phone conversation where some unreasonable caller was bitching out the desk staff. I just remember hearing the desk person yell into the phone, "I am the manager and the owner." "Don't call again." I guess the person on the other end wanted the manager. I was thinking, "good for you not to put up with the flack."

After he hung up the phone and there was a pause for catching breaths (relax, relax), I booked my room. The room was nice.

I say about oil prices, relax, relax our economy will have to adjust.

We solved one problem when we eliminated the middle man, then we had another problem because of unemployed middle men

Best education for today's job market might be physical education

So many jobs require one to stand on one's feet all day. Good muscle tone and ankles are required of many sales clerks, janitors and even nurses who are on their feet a lot. PE may be the most important part of an education for today's jobs, but not the old style of competitive PE. Not the football team, but lifelong fitness. Things like aerobics instead. Toning and healthy lifestyles.

Another friend of mine has just applied for disability (SSI) even though he isn't that old. He's overweight and not in great shape, but also the job market doesn't offer much of a match for his skills. He's an academic, like a lot of people. Versed in history, media and culture. More or less of a generalist. Has worked in web based media, but how many jobs are there in media these days? Late 1990s was sort of a boom time for web art and culture, but these days, it seems like most of the jobs are in things like cleaning, painting, sales clerks and so forth. There is a lot of volunteer positions and my friend volunteers, but little budgets to pay for those tasks. He teaches some classes and does some tutoring part time. If he could stand comfortably on his feet for 8 hours, he could work as a sales clerk, but that seems out of the question.

Our economy is still creating a lot of low wage jobs; like custodian for instance. One can do those jobs with style, but it takes different kind of training than many folks aspire to. Learning how to maintain one's health and get through the shift with energy left over for a life outside of work can be a valuable skill. Also learning how to live on the cheap and maintain self esteem would come in handy. Where does one find social life and how to live a quality life in the community are needed skills.

Education tends to stress the need for more high tech or high end job market skills, while so many of the actual jobs are low end. There's nothing wrong with high tech. It's just that everyone isn't destined to do it.

Facebook versus face to face community

A recent article in New York Times described how online social networks have surged in popularity with gay men and lesbians, while many social groups have been in decline. The article described bear clubs and other connections that are dwindling as people stay home and do social networking on line.

Interesting perspective, but I would say the dynamic is different in large cities like New York versus small communitys like Bellingham. There wasn't much in the way of gay clubs in Bellingham even before the internet. It could be that cyberspace has actually enhanced the face to face gatherings of the real world in small communities.

Before internet days, there wasn't much in the way of inexpensive methods to get the word out. Big cities had large organizations like, for instance the Seattle Men's Chorus. They could afford a visible presence with advertising in major media, office space and mailing lists. SMC even puts out its own glossy magazine supported by paid advertising. In Bellingham, we now have The Betty Pages, but that's only been in the last 6 years.

Cover for a recent Flying House that I get for free

What have we had in Bellingham before the internet? A campus organization at Western Washington University with office space, discussion groups and a newsletter. I tend to forget that we did have a gay bar back then which started in the mid 1970s. Other smaller communities didn't even have that. People have found memories of the bar, but I remember not going often due to the cigarette smoke that was still legal in Washington bars of those days.

For community and political organizations, there were things like Hands Off Washington that came and went when initiatives were on the ballot. Also some other things, but the number of small groups really picked up when email started. A more affordable way to get the word out will make more of a positive difference in small communities where groups are too small to afford other kinds of publicity. This dynamic may be a lot different in large cities where organizations could thrive and actually have fairly sizable budgets for mailings, advertising and meeting spaces.

Another factor that may be leading to decline of traditional gay organizations in places like New York and San Francisco is the high cost of living in those cities. In the past, it used to be that gay people would gravitate toward cities to find more community. Now days, the cities tend to just draw people who can afford to live there, regardless of other factors such as the need for being among others of a minority culture.

Among several on-line resources in Bellingham is my own Newsletter and resource guide

Other resources include Skagit PFLAG.

Exploring the planet Mercury, closest to the sun

Yesterday, I watched part of the webcast soon after Messenger space probe successfully went into orbit around Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun.

On a per capita basis, space exploration is not that "energy intensive." Sure, it looks like the rocket used lots of energy when it lifted off that pad 7 years ago, but compared to millions of people making routine jet flights to Europe, it isn't much energy on a per capita basis. Even jet travel, on a fully loaded commercial flight, is more energy efficient than everyone driving the same distance in cars.

It took the spacecraft 7 years to get to Mercury swinging around Earth, Venus and Mercury for the slingshot effect on it's way to the right position for orbit.

Watching the webcast reminded me of seeing Apollo land on the moon. When billions of people marked that moment.

Today, hardly anyone knows the Messenger Mission is even happening. "Mercury?" "What's that?" "Isn't it that bad crap in those squiggly new fangled eco bulbs they want us all to use now?"

To follow Messenger, I had to go to the web and pull up a special site. Google quickly zeroed in on that site amid the billions of pages and blogs about everything from football to Aunt Jessie's cat that's out there. It's still almost like magic to me.

Back in 1975, when Mariner 10 did our first flyby of Mercury, I managed to find the first closeup look at that planet. It was buried behind the sports pages of our newspaper.

We're still learning and exploring.

Nuclear power for cars

As fossil fuels lead to global warming, I remember thinking that nuclear power may make a comeback as more vehicles go toward using electricity. For the electric car, the power has to be generated somewhere.

The disaster in Japan is likely to put a chill on future expansion of the nuclear power option. That leaves us with other choices such as solar power and wind farms. In many ways, solar is ideal, but it's fairly hard to collect thus making it somewhat expensive. Similar problem with wind power.

There's also the T Bone Pickens plan to use natural gas in vehicles. It's cleaner than oil based gasoline from a global warming standpoint, but still a global warming fuel. I once heard that natural gas is about 40% cleaner than oil when it comes to greenhouse emissions. Maybe my figures aren't exact, but ballpark idea.

Looks like we may have to adjust the economy to the reality of more expensive energy. The automobile is one of our biggest energy hogs so switching it over to electricity may be problematic. That's one of the reasons why I've kept advocating bicycling, walking and public transit. Making our residences more compact, rather than sprawling countryside living. Having jobs and errands within walking distance of at least the bus line is a great way to plan.

Ironically, we may have to live more like the Japanese. Use less energy per capita and rely more on public transit. One reason why Japan uses a lot of nuclear power is the fact that they don't have much domestic energy. They have to import just about all their fossil fuel.

The US started out as a large oil provider and built it's infrastructure around cheap gasoline. Now the US must import most of it's oil as well. The US is sometimes still called the "Saudi Arabia of coal." We could go back to burning coal and then generating electricity to switch gasoline running cars to coal; I mean electricity.

Someone wrote to my blog once calling electric cars "coal cars."

Maybe the greenhouse gas from coal can still be sequestered into the ground, rather than spewed into the atmosphere, but that ads to the cost of energy also; if the technology even becomes available.

Nuclear is still an option and the newer designed nuclear plants would be a lot safer than the older technology. I read that the plant in Japan that's having problems was built in 1971. Safety technology has come along way since then, but nuclear would be a hard sell.

We may just have to figure out how to have an economy that is less dependent on cheap energy. Ironically, like the Japanese who have been used to living on an island with little fossil fuel resources, we may have to rely more on public transit, walking and bicycling to combat global warming; rather than some magic "electric car" fix. Learn to build our suburban areas more compact. Live in smaller and better insulated homes. More of us live in apartments. My brother doesn't live in an apartment, but he does have solar panels on his roof. Gets a large part of his electricity from the sun.

Technology can still create magic, but it needs to be more "low energy per capita" style of magic. We should think about the advent of light emitting diodes, for instance.

Keyboards are getting so cheap in spite of the oil plastic connection

This friend of mine got a new keyboard for her computer. It was only $15 at a local box store. Wow. Keyboards must be coming down in price.

She was reluctant to just go out and buy a new keyboard as she lives frugally. Striving to be environmentally conscious, she reuses, recycles and repairs what she can, but her keyboard died a few days ago.

These days, repairing doesn't make a lot of sense. The cost of labor is often higher than the cost of buying new items. In an average household budget, rent (or mortgage payment) has gotten so high that it far out shadows purchase of new products. If keyboards only cost $15, one can buy 40 of them per month for the cost of renting a $600 apartment. There's not much incentive to save things and do repairs anymore.

Keyboards usually have a lot of plastic in them. Some folks feel that as oil prices rise, our world, which is largely from of plastics, will crumble. Well, I doubt that's likely to happen. From what I read, plastics only account for less than 7% of the oil consumption. Driving automobiles is a much bigger user of oil.

For most people, driving is a large blind spot. They keep driving their cars because they have to get to work, pay their high housing costs and put their kids through college and so forth. In the face of that household picture, $15 for a keyboard is nothing. Since time is often thought of as money, most people don't have the time to fiddle with repairs.

My frugal friend, who finally had to break down and buy the new keyboard, does save a lot on oil. Like me, she rides her bike everywhere. That's where the real oil savings comes in.

My keyboard has lasted 5 years and it's still going strong. It and the monitor are on their second computer. In 2009, I kept old peripherals when I got a new "box." The monitor is still flat screen.

Lettering has worn off some of the keys on my old keyboard so I'm guessing where the Es, Ss, and Cs are. I could do a simple repair job using tiny squares of paper and writing the letters with felt pen. If I do this, I would then tape the letters to the keys with scotch tape.

Do I have time for this, or should I just go out and buy a new keyboard? My rent is real low and my job is not very demanding. Maybe I do.

Repairs for my friend's keyboard wasn't so easy because the problem was electrical.

I hate to toss out this keyboard because all the electrical parts still work fine. I'd feel guilty because it's served me so well and doesn't deserve to be tossed in the trash. I know it's not alive, but it still feels kind of disrespectful to toss something that's working so well.

Maybe you don't have time to read all these details as you live in the world of cheap products, high rents, stressful jobs and busy lives. That's what we really need to change if we want to slow down consumption.

Back when I was a kid, my mom used to darn socks. Now days, people wouldn't be likely to know what darning socks is. If I remember correctly, my mom fixed holes in a sock by stretching it over some bulbous shaped wooden tool that looked like a spindle. She would then use needle and thread to sew up the hole.

That was back when a nice big house could be bought for around $25,000 and only one wage earner could support the whole family on less than $18,000 per year.

Today, socks are so much cheaper, relative to other things like housing and health care, that we just buy a packet of 6 tube socks for practically nothing.

I don't know if I'd want to go back to the days of darning socks, but having family members spending more time at home, or at play, while spending less time in the workplace seems desirable. When I was a teenager, I had lots of time to play with my radios and fantasies. I didn't have to work in a fast food place.

Biking up Sehome Hill over the years, If I'm slower, I don't notice since I don't have a stopwatch

A favorite hill climb of mine handy to where I live. I've ridden up there many times over the years since college back in the late 1970s.

Does it feel any different now? Not that I notice. I've never brought a stopwatch with me so I've never noticed how long it takes.

They say it's supposed to take longer as one gets older. Maybe it does, but I haven't ever timed it so I've never known the difference. It feels the same and it feels good. The "sports" mindset can spoil things. Maybe I'm a bit slower, but without the stopwatch it's hard to tell.

As for aces and pains, I haven't noticed that either. Most likely because I keep doing little trips like this. Most people aren't that motivated to keep doing the little trips. If they aren't winning the grand race, they aren't motivated. It's that sports mindset again.

Some folks workout on treadmills, but most modern treadmills track one's heart rate and speed with great accuracy. It's like bringing the stopwatch on the hill climb. Over the years one can chart inevitably declining numbers into the grave.

Still, I guess the treadmill is good if one is slowly charting improving numbers from couch potato to fitness.

Then there the news of the 16 year old high school basketball player who died after he made the winning basket. He died a hero while some of the rest of us just plod along.

Haxton Way Trail in Lummi Nation

I heard there was a new bike trail near Lummi Casino so I rode out there on a nice day a few weeks back.

The trail goes along Haxton from Slater to Kiwina Roads. About 2 miles. It's not that long, but it's paved and even has solar powered street lights.

Some might ask, why spend money for this trail, but I read that since 1988 there have been 16 deaths along Haxton. Car accidents, car pedestrian and car bike accidents.

I don't ride out in Lummi lands very often because of narrow roads and traffic, but the situation is improving. Might as well have a safe "non car" route to the Casino which is a large employer at Lummi.

I accessed the north end of the trail from Slater Road which does have a shoulder. Then I rode south along the trail to Kiwina, turned around and road north back to Slater. Trail runs along west side of Casino Parking lot and then south to Kiwina.

Little by little, the green healthy ways of getting around continue to grow.

Great 7 minute documentary video on the trail. Link added October 2013.

I'm not participating in National Day of Unplugging since I get lots of face to face contact anyway

I get a lot of non cyber "face to face" interaction because I live in town and I go out a lot. Much of the reason for this day is to encourage people to turn off technology and go for more face to face interaction.

"Face to face instead of Facebook."

A lot of the problem keeping us away from so called "real" contact is not about technology. It's about how we build and use our living environments. Unlike many Americans, I live where there are sidewalks and trails so I can bump into folks walking places. Others are trapped in their homes and cars.

It's easy to walk to the YMCA where spontaneous conversations can start in the sauna area.

During warmer months, people go to Bellingham Farmer's Market for more reasons than just shopping. Who knows who you might bump into.

There are often things like gallery walks and discussion groups within an easy walk or bike ride. That's one advantage of living in density and also being open to whoever might come along.

Strangers sometimes talk on the bus.

We don't have to unplug the net for face to face contact. It's more about how we build our living environments.

Do we use meeting places, or are we "insular" in our isolated homes?

Do we go out for more reasons than just shopping?

Are there places to go without having to drive a long ways?

If we don't have these face to face opportunities, it's probably better to have the net than nothing.

Why teachers aren't paid as much as lawyers

Because there are a lot more teachers than lawyers. Lawyers, doctors and some other professionals make up an elite class that tend to get paid way more than most folks. People sometimes wonder why we pay lawyers more than teachers. There are a lot more teachers than lawyers so we couldn't afford to pay all the teachers as much as we pay the lawyers. Maybe we pay the lawyers too much.

Also, when you think about it, there are too many lawyers. There are too many lawyers, but still not as many lawyers as there are teachers. We need more teachers than lawyers. Teachers are more of a "bulk" class. It's just a numbers game. Hard to be considered "elite" when you're a fairly large percent of the population.

Here in Bellingham, our largest employers are Western Washington University, Bellingham school district and Saint Joe's hospital; possibly not in that order. Two of our largest 3 employers are educational institutions. Other metropolitan areas tend to have somewhat different demographics, but educational institutions are often a big share of the economic base.

There are elite folks in the economic system that it could be argued make too much money. Corporate CEOs for instance and of course those pesky lawyers. As for the rest of the masses, including teachers, we can't all be close to the top. Life can still be of quality, but we all can't be "top dogs." I once saw this quote on someone's profile that said, "even if you win the rat race, you're still a rat."

I consider myself a Democrat, but I can still remember a concept that former President Gerald Ford, a Republican, illustrated in one of his speeches about inflation back in the 1970s. Ford said, inflation was like a football game where everyone is sitting comfortably in the stands until a few folks stand up to get a better view. When they stand up, it starts blocking the view of other folks who now have to stand up to see over the heads of the first folks who stood up. Pretty soon everyone is standing up to see and no one has a better view than they did when everyone was sitting down.

Even with these thoughts, I still don't see any reason to take away collective bargaining rights. That's a different topic.

On the other hand, the majority of people in our economy aren't unionized.

Even if one has collective bargaining, there's little to bargain for when budgets are tight.

Now, I just got to thinking, if population growth was slower and there were less kids, there wouldn't have to be as many teachers. With less teachers, we could afford to pay them more. Their profession would be more of a rare elite.