The Story of Stuff – What We Buy, Where it Comes From, and How We Throw it Away

I recently heard an interview on public radio WLRN with Annie Leonard, an activist who produced a video called The Story of Stuff. She explains the impact of how consumer goods are produced, distributed, sold and thrown away. I was amazed to learn that the toxins in our computers and other electronics are part of the cost of the product, but the cost is “externalized” by the manufacturing company; this means when it is time to replace your old equipment, the company does not have to take it back to dispose of the toxic elements properly, but we have to do it – either by taking it to the dump or having our city and local government pick it up as hazardous waste. That costs us and our local governments, but it is not part of the cost for the manufacturer, nor is it part of the advertised price of the item.

It seems like many electronics are cheap; we can buy radios for a few bucks, laptops are down to about $600 in some cases, video cameras are cheaper than a few years ago too. All these products came from somewhere. That’s what Leonard explains – the people who made it, how little they are paid, what their work conditions are like, how the products are sold to us with marketing and advertising that is aimed at our desire to always have the newest and latest thing, and how many products are designed to break or fall apart quickly so we will have to buy new ones. All of this makes up the real cost of the item.

Leonard pinpoints this shift in the U.S. economy to right after World War II, when the prosperity and value of our society was defined according to how many consumer goods were sold.

She makes suggestions for altering the cycle of production and disposal that is damaging our planet and our health. She raises questions about package design I never thought about such as – why does a tube of toothpaste come in a box? Take a look at her video (it’s about 20 minutes long) and see what you think:

http://www.storyof stuff.com

New Albums

Jordan Zevon’s “Insides Out” – this is his debut album, release date April 2008. The song This Girl has some clever lyrics: “Living on the street of dreams – Just got my notice to evict.” The songs have a pop-rock sound, not hard rock or alternative sound. His voice is not as unique as his father’s, but I enjoy some of these songs. Check it out.

Also new: Mudcrutch: Scare Easy is the song I heard. “I’m a loser at the top of my game … I don’t scare easy, don’t fall apart when I’m under the gun. You can break my heart, and I ain’t gonna’ run. I don’t scare easy for no one.” Great lyrics, great guitar, great Tom Petty. Release date April 2008. I can’t wait to hear the whole album. I have my concert tickets for the show this summer. Can’t wait for the show. Always great concerts. If you’ve never been, get tickets and go. A real band. They write their own music, can actually play their instruments, a group of friends making great music. In other words, it’s great.

Knut the Polar Bear Celebrates His First Birthday

This photo shows Knut when he was a baby and a year later. This link has a gallery of more photos from his birthday party:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,521558,00.html

He weighs over 200 pounds now.

Song Sets

If I were a DJ at a rock ‘n’ roll radio station, I’d create song sets based on themes and play a few a day.

That is, if the radio station actually let DJs play what they wanted. The classic rock station in my area plays the same songs over and over. Lately they’ve been playing so many ballads and mellow tunes, the station sounds like an easy listening station.

I wish the station would add a show of new music by classic artists. They’re still alive and producing some great stuff, but you’ll never hear it in this market. Tom Petty’s most recent albums (The Last DJ, Highway Companion). Eric Clapton (Road to Escondido – with JJ Cale). Warren Zevon (The Wind). Bob Dylan (Modern Times). Bruce Springsteen (Magic), Graham Parker (Don’t Tell Columbus), Paul McCartney (maybe a bit mellow or more pop sounding but an important figure in rock history; all of these, completely ignored. What a waste of opportunity to spread new music.)

There are a lot of songs about the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle and the record industry:

“The Last DJ” – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (the whole album, but especially the title track, and “Money Becomes King”, and “Joe”.) Tom Petty was going to name him album Hard Promises, pictured here, $8.98, the price of the album in protest to the rising album prices in 1981. If only they were that cheap now. Record stores are a dying breed too. No more flipping though albums. CDs just don’t have the same feel, and there isn’t much room for cover art.)

“Into the Great Wide Open” – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (also a great video featuring Johnny Depp)

“It’s a long way to the top (if you want to rock and roll)” – AC/DC

“Rock n roll ain’t noise pollution” – AC/DC

“So you want to be a rock and roll star” – The Byrds (also a great live recording performed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on his “Pack up the Plantation” album, 1990.)

“Shooting star” – Bad Company

“Johnny B. Goode” – Chuck Berry

“Rock and Roll Fantasy” – Bad Company

“Working for MCA” – Lynrd Skynrd

“We’re an American Band” – Grand Funk Railroad

Other songs are about being in the road and touring:

“Stay” – Jackson Browne

“Turn the page” – Bob Segar and the Silver bullet band

“Wheel in the Sky” – Journey (and “Faithfully” even though I’m tired of that song because it gets played so much and it’s so mournful; the songs asks for sympathy, but I don’t feel like feeling sorry for a rock band that was making tons of cash and living the rock n roll lifestyle.)

More about the industry:

“Have a cigar” – Pink Floyd (I’ll list them even though the local radio station plays them so much I’m sick of them. “Money” is an obvious example.)

“Barracuda” – Heart

“Rock and Roll Band” – Boston

Songs with a driving theme:

“Radar Love” – Golden Earring

“I can’t drive 55″ – Van Halen (with Sammy Hagar, an obvious choice)

Songs titles that name a character but not by name but by role:

The Pretender – Jackson Browne

The Stranger – Billy Joel

Rhodesian Ridgeback Puppy

All 20 pounds of her:

She is 10 weeks old here.

Tour de France 2007 Reports

I wish the Versus channel would reduce the amount of attention they are giving to the doping scandal. I think they are trying to add “excitement” to their coverage, but it is just coming across as cheap sensationalism. They also had a spot put together that showed past crashes and they set it to music. This is not classy. Crashes are not entertainment. They seriously injure people and can end careers. I hope the station does not continue on this type of coverage. Commentator Al Trautwig prefaced a profile about Jay Ullrich by talking about the doping allegations against Ullrich. While it is true there are investigations, there is a race going on now that all the riders have been tested before entry, so lets focus on today, not harping on doping.

The crash near the end of stage 2 caused some serious injuries. I saw a photo of Erik Zabel taken before the start of stage 3 and the caption said he was the one who caused that crash. It did look like a Milram rider, but I had no idea it was Zabel. He is an honest man to admit it. He said he was avoiding Tom Boonen. These things happen; all riders know that. While no one is happy about it, especially the injured, riders know this can happen. It was not intentional or stupidity. Zabel is experienced and respected.

I’m glad Levi Leipheimer came across the line without injury. One Discovery team rider did have to get his hand operated on and will not start. Freddy Rodriguez look all banged up; he came in without his helmet! But he’s a tough and experienced rider; he won’t be whining.

Phil Liggett has been highlighting a new British rider, Mark Cavendish. But when Cavendish had a problem during stage 1 and was stopped on the side of the road I think to get a flat tire changed, it looked like he was yelling and bitching up a storm. Phil Liggett noted that this was not very mature of Cavendish, and I was glad to hear Liggett say it. It’s not just because Cavendish is young; Jay Ullrich was young when he was in the spotlight and I never saw him acting like a jerk. I hope this Cavendish kid learns his lessons and behaves more professionally.

I’m very disappointed that Bobby Julich is not at the Tour this year. Talk about an athlete who always shows good sportsmanship. He is an admired rider, skilled, accomplished and has been on the podium plenty to prove it.

The Vending Machine is Laughing

Have ever been caught in the break room by a co-worker with your butt in the air as you try to fish out a snack from the vending machine tray? Check out my new essay on how embarrassing it is to use a vending machine. See the “Essays” tab of my blog (until I figure out how to use the “read more” link). Thanks.

Why are My Women Friends in Love with the Dog Whisperer?

I was at a party recently on a balmy spring evening in Ft. Lauderdale and joined a conversation with a group of women, some I knew, others I’d just met, and as we chatted at the outdoor bar before dinner, the conversation turned to dogs. Each woman had a dog she loved, as did I, so I added my lavish praise of my own dog, admitted he was spoiled just as the others did. We ooh’d and aw’d over stories of how cute the dogs were and what they had done. One woman said her dog had passed away, and we all offered condolences. The talk turned to training, and one woman mentioned the television show, “The Dog Whisperer” and the dog trainer, Cesar Millan.

All of us drew in a breath and said in unison, “I love the Dog Whisperer!”

There was a pause. It was the first moment of silence in the usual ritual of party chatter and what had been a warm conversation. We all seemed amazed that we were all in agreement, and a hint of jealousy perhaps crept in, as if perhaps each woman had thought she was the only one, that somehow he was theirs.

Why are all these women in love with the Dog Whisperer? I wondered if they meant the show or the man. I’m pretty sure they meant the man. My husband certainly thinks I’m in love with him. I protest when my husband says it. He walks in the room and catches me watching the show, shakes his head and laughs.

So I thought I would look more carefully at Cesar Millan’s interactions with people, especially women, and not just the dogs on the show. The way he is with the dogs I think is part of his appeal. The way he is with the people sometimes can be off-putting, especially when he tells them they are doing something wrong and that they are the source of their dog’s problem. Some people don’t like this. You can see them get stiff as he says it, and their replies get curt. But he usually wins them over at the end when they see how changed their dog is.

But I looked at what else he does, from when he first walks in to a person’s house. He sits down with the people, usually ignoring the dog, and asks them what they want.

When he says, “How can I help you?” that alone earns Brownie points because, really, in the course of your usual day, how many people ask you how they can help you? Don’t we more often get asked to help, especially if you are a woman and even more so if you are a Mom? That’s Mom’s job, to help, and that’s great, but once in a while a helping hand would help a lot.

Cesar teaches you to fish for a lifetime, as the proverb goes, not merely giving you a fish for a day. He gives you rules, boundaries and limitations – his mantra. In a world where you can have anything you want – even if it’s bad for you – someone tells you No and liberates you from the freedom. He’s an authority, and sometimes we like having an outside figure tell us what to do and not to do. We can then relay this information, these rules, to others with the weight of the authoritative person who established the rule. We’re off the hook. “It’s not me saying this, it’s the expert.” It’s the same with doctors. If you’ve been trying to talk your husband into losing weight, for example, but he doesn’t listen, all it takes is the authoritative edict from the doctor and bam, husband diets, at least for a while.

Cesar doesn’t pretend either. He tells it like it is. Often people avoid telling you something is wrong just to avoid hurting your feelings or being the one who was rude. Cesar tells you the truth, and he’s right. He can back it up. It’s like he has a special kinship with the dogs and can speak their language, hence the name of the show.

One woman he helped wiped tears from her eyes as she realized she had to demand respect from her dog, and she did it and it worked and her dog still loved her. Cesar gave her permission to demand respect. She said it herself, that all her life she’d let people push her around, and now she was going to be different. I believe her. It was a great transformation to watch.

That’s one of the things I love about the show. I learn more about myself and what I want from my dog as I watch them learn things about themselves. What do I want from my dog? Companionship, a buddy (although Cesar would caution me against this), and I admit I like that fact that my dog is so happy to see me when I come home and is interested in everything I do, even cleaning the bathroom. You know the joke: what’s the difference between a man and a dog after a year? The dog is still excited to see you when you walk in the door.

I’ll keep watching The Dog Whisperer and hopefully keep learning to be a pack leader, be “calm and assertive” as Cesar instructs. He’s confident and has air of command without aggression. I aspire to be more self confident. Cesar says dogs live in the moment. Maybe I could learn to let go of some things in the past and be like the saying goes: “I strive to be the person my dog thinks I am.”

Paris Roubaix

Congratulations to Stuart O’Grady who won the 2007 Paris Roubaix race. It was a dusty race this year instead of a muddy course, but that did not prevent crashes.

This week begins the Tour de Georgia, where George Hincapie will race after recuperating from an injury in the Tour of California earlier this year. George loves Paris Roubaix but could not race it this year. Hopefully he will have a good race, and the rest of team Discovery will also. Levi looks good this year.

Kiva Organization Microloans

The PBS program, Frontline, reported on how microloans from a company called Kiva are making a difference in people’s lives in Uganda. That’s where the program started, and it has now expanded to help people in other countries.

Kiva’s website uses PayPal to allow people to donate money to help those in third-world countries start businesses. PayPal is donating their services, so Kiva can charge little or no interest on the loans. When you donate, it provides the satisfaction that you and I can help someone. There is no middle man in the way, no delays, no costs from infrastructure that banks have to support.

See the Frontline website for more details:

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/uganda601/

Learn more about Kiva and decide if you want to participate:

http://www.kiva.org/app.php

I have heard about microloans and always thought they were a great idea. Here is a way to participate on a one-to-one basis. I am loaning to a woman in Haiti for her food stand. Haiti is close to us here in South Florida, and it is a shame that such a beautiful island has been destroyed by senseless violence. By helping people run a business, those people can help raise their children better, access education for them and improve their neighborhoods, perhaps even grow their business enough to employ others, improving the economy and creating happiness.