"Mama Maha Mojito" recipe:
Ingredients:
7-10 fresh mint leaves
3/4 Tbsp Agave nectar
5-6 thin slices of fresh ginger
3 slices of fresh peach
1 1/2oz (up to 2oz) White rum
Splash of Pomegranate juice
Top with Club soda
Instructions:
In a highball glass muddle mint leaves, agave nectar and sliced ginger.
Add limes and peaches and muddle again.
Fill glass with ice.
Add rum, followed by splash of pomegranate juice and top with club soda.
Stir with spoon.
Garnish with thin slice of lime.
Enjoy.
I cannot verify that this recipe has never been created before in a professional setting, however the process through which I developed this drink was unique and therefore the recipe is original in my mind.
There was a "beta testing" night with "independent" judges serving as taste developers and recipe enhancers :-)
Regardless of its originality on a broad scale it was a pleasure to make and an experience that was shared with wonderful friends.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Bound for the South
Today's destination is Raleigh, North Carolina. Poolside lounging, a glass of wine and great company from friends seen far too sparsely.
Tuesday morning it is off to "Hotlanta" for a ten week internship with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The day-to-day work that I'll be doing is still vague, but it's better that way. The project is related to environmental health and my specific project deals with programmatic change. "Efficiency, environment, various stakeholders, consensus agreements" - these are all words that were presented in the initial description.
For now the road-trip thoughts will be filled with fanciful depictions of the weeks to come. Invigorating, unknown, thrilling, anxious. I'm excited to unveil the next stretch of roadway, for it may be riddled with rough patches, a long straightaway, intense curves or an uphill battle; I hope it is a combination of all, for without challenges how can we expect to know what can be accomplished?
Tuesday morning it is off to "Hotlanta" for a ten week internship with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The day-to-day work that I'll be doing is still vague, but it's better that way. The project is related to environmental health and my specific project deals with programmatic change. "Efficiency, environment, various stakeholders, consensus agreements" - these are all words that were presented in the initial description.
For now the road-trip thoughts will be filled with fanciful depictions of the weeks to come. Invigorating, unknown, thrilling, anxious. I'm excited to unveil the next stretch of roadway, for it may be riddled with rough patches, a long straightaway, intense curves or an uphill battle; I hope it is a combination of all, for without challenges how can we expect to know what can be accomplished?
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Natural Gas and Society
The appeal of natural gas does not lie in the "energy solution" it will bring, but rather the reaction people have about it and the damage it will bring.
Natural Gas and specifically hydraulic fracturing has become of major interest to me in the past few years. I am from Sullivan County, NY, an area that is on the fringe of "the Saudi Arabia of natural gas," the Marcellus Shale region. Not only could my water supply be contaminated by fracking, but my grandparent's cabin community has already been asked to lease their land for drilling by these companies. They wouldn't receive much money in the first place, but that's not the concern. And while my grandparent's health (and my own) is of obvious concern, they are by no means the only reasons it has become of interest.
Of equal importance is the societal response that surrounds the issue and the environmental damage that is occurring because of it. All the talk of America's decreased dependence on foreign oil, energy independence and increased jobs is the biggest seller and I find it fascinating as someone who thinks that the value system and broad public understanding of the implications behind this are not healthy. Moreover, the broad public benefit is actually completely different and in fact much less than what it is often perceived as being.
Additionally, the focus that is put on the economic benefits, the trust that is put into the short-term financial projections of this investment are interesting, especially when put up against the long term issues that it will impact such as healthcare and environmental damage.
Research has been unveiled about human nature and the ways in which we react to things. There is increasing support that humans do not act rationally and that emotion and values play a huge role. The Garrison Institute held a conference recently about this very topic and it was reported by Time Magazine: "The Greening of the American Brain."
Anyway, I plan on continuing with interest and research in this subject and will hopefully do some more posting regarding it.
Natural Gas and specifically hydraulic fracturing has become of major interest to me in the past few years. I am from Sullivan County, NY, an area that is on the fringe of "the Saudi Arabia of natural gas," the Marcellus Shale region. Not only could my water supply be contaminated by fracking, but my grandparent's cabin community has already been asked to lease their land for drilling by these companies. They wouldn't receive much money in the first place, but that's not the concern. And while my grandparent's health (and my own) is of obvious concern, they are by no means the only reasons it has become of interest.
Of equal importance is the societal response that surrounds the issue and the environmental damage that is occurring because of it. All the talk of America's decreased dependence on foreign oil, energy independence and increased jobs is the biggest seller and I find it fascinating as someone who thinks that the value system and broad public understanding of the implications behind this are not healthy. Moreover, the broad public benefit is actually completely different and in fact much less than what it is often perceived as being.
Additionally, the focus that is put on the economic benefits, the trust that is put into the short-term financial projections of this investment are interesting, especially when put up against the long term issues that it will impact such as healthcare and environmental damage.
Research has been unveiled about human nature and the ways in which we react to things. There is increasing support that humans do not act rationally and that emotion and values play a huge role. The Garrison Institute held a conference recently about this very topic and it was reported by Time Magazine: "The Greening of the American Brain."
Anyway, I plan on continuing with interest and research in this subject and will hopefully do some more posting regarding it.
Natural Gas: America's Energy Dilemma
This week the New York Times published an article about research that is soon to be released regarding the natural gas industry in America.
The article discusses two interrelated pieces of research, one published by NASA that discusses the potential damage from methane pollution and another by Robert Howarth, a professor of ecology and environmental biology at Cornell University. Howarth's research finds that natural gas is not the "clean energy solution" that it is being touted as by industry, popular media and the Obama administration.
Howarth's research takes on one of natural gas' rising stars; hydraulic fracturing, "fracking," and examines pollution rates throughout the process; from extraction to burning. When natural gas is popularly called "cleaner and more efficient" than coal or oil the preachers are often limiting their statement to the burning process. There is a world of other elements that need to be examined, and Mr. Howarth's research opens the door for it.
The reaction from the pro-natural gas industry is already clear. They're denouncing Howarth's research and calling him an advocate who is against hydraulic fracturing (fracking), an unconventional extraction process (highlighted in the Oscar nominated documentary "Gasland" by Josh Fox).
Well YES, he very well could be against this method of extraction; he's a scientist who developed and performed studied that resulted in conclusions that blatantly give data of WHY he should be opposed to this method of extraction.
While he mentions his research is the first study and that it should be followed by many more, his conclusions are seemingly strong enough to bring enough concern to the industry for them to give pause and think about the process, give the EPA pause regarding the regulations surrounding the process and give the Obama administration extreme pause before continuing to massage this method into the public's mind as a "Clean alternative."
And perhaps most importantly give the public pause before they jump onto the bandwagon of "energy independence," "cleaner than foreign oil" and whatever other drag-show cover ups are being put onto this marketing campaign.
Surely the pro-Gas industry is already gearing up for a heavy assault of propaganda that will declare this study and its authors as not worthy of being believed. They'll probably declare them unpatriotic and perhaps even Socialists who do not deserve the attention of the public or Congress.
The same day that this article was published in the New York Times, they featured an Op-Ed piece from a pro-Natural Gas fella titled, "Pass the Boone Pickens Bill." He immediately prefaces his piece by stating his personal friendship with T. Boone Pickens, an oil tycoon who is a major supporter of exploiting America's natural gas reserves. While this could be seen as being honest in his stance and hopefully bringing some weariness to readers, it most likely brings support to his piece for anyone without journalistic weariness. This blatant connection serves to indirectly strengthen his stance and his conclusion. Readers may tend to believe that someone with personal connection to the main supporter of this legislation must know what he's talking about when it should, in reality, immediately reveal the weakness and strong bias that are attached to his words and opinion.
While Mr. Nocera may truly believe - and have the background experience (working closely with Pickens) to support his opinion - that exploiting America's natural gas reserves will "decrease America's dependency on foreign oil," bring jobs to America and - along with it - strengthen the economy, his background (and opinion) shows that he's not terribly concerned with "America" as it pertains to the health of its citizens or protecting the environment.
He makes a huge mistake in saying that "you can’t use solar or wind to power a vehicle," as electric vehicles and electric-run mass transportation can increasingly compete with fossil fuel driven vehicles.
Natural Gas and America's Health
But more importantly, this fella and his Texas puppeteer, T. Boone Pickens are advocating the exploitation of an industry that is potentially WORSE than coal and oil in terms of carbon and methane emissions AND an industry that brings serious health risks to the very nation that they are aiming to bring "Salvation" to.
As the Halliburton trucks and drilling facilities spread wider across this nation, more and more evidence arises that the very process of extraction is proving extremely dangerous to drinking water, localized air pollution and, as Howarth's research shows, the earth's atmosphere.
While jobs may be created by the natural gas industry, those very workers and their families; not to mention the towns, villages and surrounding population are being put in serious health risk by the industry. Hopefully their paychecks will be saved for the healthcare costs that are going to pile up in their future.
The article discusses two interrelated pieces of research, one published by NASA that discusses the potential damage from methane pollution and another by Robert Howarth, a professor of ecology and environmental biology at Cornell University. Howarth's research finds that natural gas is not the "clean energy solution" that it is being touted as by industry, popular media and the Obama administration.
Howarth's research takes on one of natural gas' rising stars; hydraulic fracturing, "fracking," and examines pollution rates throughout the process; from extraction to burning. When natural gas is popularly called "cleaner and more efficient" than coal or oil the preachers are often limiting their statement to the burning process. There is a world of other elements that need to be examined, and Mr. Howarth's research opens the door for it.
The reaction from the pro-natural gas industry is already clear. They're denouncing Howarth's research and calling him an advocate who is against hydraulic fracturing (fracking), an unconventional extraction process (highlighted in the Oscar nominated documentary "Gasland" by Josh Fox).
Well YES, he very well could be against this method of extraction; he's a scientist who developed and performed studied that resulted in conclusions that blatantly give data of WHY he should be opposed to this method of extraction.
While he mentions his research is the first study and that it should be followed by many more, his conclusions are seemingly strong enough to bring enough concern to the industry for them to give pause and think about the process, give the EPA pause regarding the regulations surrounding the process and give the Obama administration extreme pause before continuing to massage this method into the public's mind as a "Clean alternative."
And perhaps most importantly give the public pause before they jump onto the bandwagon of "energy independence," "cleaner than foreign oil" and whatever other drag-show cover ups are being put onto this marketing campaign.
Surely the pro-Gas industry is already gearing up for a heavy assault of propaganda that will declare this study and its authors as not worthy of being believed. They'll probably declare them unpatriotic and perhaps even Socialists who do not deserve the attention of the public or Congress.
The same day that this article was published in the New York Times, they featured an Op-Ed piece from a pro-Natural Gas fella titled, "Pass the Boone Pickens Bill." He immediately prefaces his piece by stating his personal friendship with T. Boone Pickens, an oil tycoon who is a major supporter of exploiting America's natural gas reserves. While this could be seen as being honest in his stance and hopefully bringing some weariness to readers, it most likely brings support to his piece for anyone without journalistic weariness. This blatant connection serves to indirectly strengthen his stance and his conclusion. Readers may tend to believe that someone with personal connection to the main supporter of this legislation must know what he's talking about when it should, in reality, immediately reveal the weakness and strong bias that are attached to his words and opinion.
While Mr. Nocera may truly believe - and have the background experience (working closely with Pickens) to support his opinion - that exploiting America's natural gas reserves will "decrease America's dependency on foreign oil," bring jobs to America and - along with it - strengthen the economy, his background (and opinion) shows that he's not terribly concerned with "America" as it pertains to the health of its citizens or protecting the environment.
He makes a huge mistake in saying that "you can’t use solar or wind to power a vehicle," as electric vehicles and electric-run mass transportation can increasingly compete with fossil fuel driven vehicles.
Natural Gas and America's Health
But more importantly, this fella and his Texas puppeteer, T. Boone Pickens are advocating the exploitation of an industry that is potentially WORSE than coal and oil in terms of carbon and methane emissions AND an industry that brings serious health risks to the very nation that they are aiming to bring "Salvation" to.
As the Halliburton trucks and drilling facilities spread wider across this nation, more and more evidence arises that the very process of extraction is proving extremely dangerous to drinking water, localized air pollution and, as Howarth's research shows, the earth's atmosphere.
While jobs may be created by the natural gas industry, those very workers and their families; not to mention the towns, villages and surrounding population are being put in serious health risk by the industry. Hopefully their paychecks will be saved for the healthcare costs that are going to pile up in their future.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Adam Meier invited you to Dropbox
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Sunday, February 27, 2011
The Climate Change Oscars
I'm pleased to see the significant number of films about environmental issues such as climate change, displacement of peoples, waste stream and fossil fuels that have been nominated to the Oscars.
If this is not a clear sign of the grave situation our society and the natural environment is in - especially if we continue to pollute, destroy, consume beyond our means - then I'm not sure there is one. Personally there have been many (more important) signs/signals from groups, governments, organizations that should have signified the necessity of change. However, in our media-driven society perhaps the mother of all award shows is the "proper" place for it to really drive home the importance.
Five (5), 1,2,3,4,5 Oscar nominated films are "environmental exposés."
Gasland by Josh Fox is a feature length documentary about the gold rush of natural gas extraction that's going on in the United States. Through a process called hydraulic fracturing of "fracking" that was developed by Halliburton, natural gas is extracted from shale that lies deep below the earth's surface. Wells are pumped with water, sand and other chemicals and sent into fissures in the rock. Essentially, the sand "holds" the shale open while the gas rises to the surface. The issues involved are numerous, but most importantly there is a huge lack of regulation surrounding the industry. The EPA passed legislation emitting fracking from many environmental protection laws. The companies, therefore, are not subject to the same restrictions, permitting procedures or monitoring that safer industries are. Large swaths of the mid-west, where natural gas wells are drilled have had major impacts on drinking water quality and leeching of toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. This creates a dangerous circumstance for those living near to the wells.
"Sun Come Up" follows the relocation of some of the the Carteret Islanders a peaceful community living on a remote island chain in the South Pacific Ocean, and now, some of the world’s first environmental refugees.
If this is not a clear sign of the grave situation our society and the natural environment is in - especially if we continue to pollute, destroy, consume beyond our means - then I'm not sure there is one. Personally there have been many (more important) signs/signals from groups, governments, organizations that should have signified the necessity of change. However, in our media-driven society perhaps the mother of all award shows is the "proper" place for it to really drive home the importance.
Five (5), 1,2,3,4,5 Oscar nominated films are "environmental exposés."
Gasland by Josh Fox is a feature length documentary about the gold rush of natural gas extraction that's going on in the United States. Through a process called hydraulic fracturing of "fracking" that was developed by Halliburton, natural gas is extracted from shale that lies deep below the earth's surface. Wells are pumped with water, sand and other chemicals and sent into fissures in the rock. Essentially, the sand "holds" the shale open while the gas rises to the surface. The issues involved are numerous, but most importantly there is a huge lack of regulation surrounding the industry. The EPA passed legislation emitting fracking from many environmental protection laws. The companies, therefore, are not subject to the same restrictions, permitting procedures or monitoring that safer industries are. Large swaths of the mid-west, where natural gas wells are drilled have had major impacts on drinking water quality and leeching of toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. This creates a dangerous circumstance for those living near to the wells.
"Sun Come Up" follows the relocation of some of the the Carteret Islanders a peaceful community living on a remote island chain in the South Pacific Ocean, and now, some of the world’s first environmental refugees.
Sun Come Up Trailer from Sun Come Up on Vimeo.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Obama's State of the Union Address... shortened
Stock market
People, jobs
Small business
Tax cuts
1 mill private sector jobs created over last year
Changing world
Technology Internet
India & China education math science, investment. Solar, computer
challenge, not discourage
Largest most prosperous economy in world
1st to be founded on idea
Sacrifice struggle
"We need to Out innovate out educate and out built the rest of the world"
Deficit, reform
1st step: encourage innovation
Google facebook
"...It is how we make our living"
Free enterprise
Space race
Biomed, it, clean energy. Security, jobs, etc
1 million electric vehicles by 2015
Eliminate billions in taxpayer dollars to oil companies. Instead of subsidizing yesterday's energy, let's invest in tomorrow's
By 2035, 80% from clean energy sources
(clean coal, natural gas included)
Education: big agenda item
Responsibility in homes and comm
Not just winner of superbowl, but winner of science fair.
Schools share responsibility
Reform from everyone
Teachers: nation builders
100 thous in science, tech, engineer, math
Become a teacher, your country needs you
Not just high school: high diploma
Affordability for college
Tuition tax credit
Immigration: citizenship
Google servers
3: rebuilding america
High speed rail & Internet
Infrastructure
80% access to high speed rail
98% high speed wireless
Barriers: lobbyist
TAX system reform
Exporting US goods
Trade agreements
Panama, Columbia
Asia pacific global trade talks
Growth investment
? Food, water, air safety??
Goes through good things. Blah blah blah
Health care law
Legacy of deficit spending
Tooting the stimulus bill
Sacrifice to live within their means (he's said that before...)
Freeze annual domestic spending for next 5 years
400 billion decrease in deficit
Not on back of most vulnerable citizens
Annual domestic : 12% of spending
Need to cut more
Defense, health care, tax breaks and loopholes
Medicare and Medicaid
Strengthen social security
Can't afford rich tax cuts.
Competency and efficiency of gov't
reorganize government
Exorts, housing dept,
Salmon
Think bigger
Merge, consolidate govt
rebuild peoples faith in institution in govt
Meeting with lobbyists
No earmarks
Foreign affairs:
Defeat enemies
Build coalitions
Freedom, justice, dignity
Iraq, 100 thousand left with heads held high
War coming to end
Extemists within borders
Afghan July start troop exit
Pakistan: al queda leaders under pressure
Iran, North Korea nuclear safety
South America this year
Sudan voting 1st time in long time
Tunisia freedom of people
military people (biggest thanks from everyone... Hmmm priority much?)
Gay rights
Wouldn't trade for any other nation on earth
Reinvigorating the idea and spirit of America
Pennsylvania drilling technology
Chilean mine
Plan B
We do big things
People, jobs
Small business
Tax cuts
1 mill private sector jobs created over last year
Changing world
Technology Internet
India & China education math science, investment. Solar, computer
challenge, not discourage
Largest most prosperous economy in world
1st to be founded on idea
Sacrifice struggle
"We need to Out innovate out educate and out built the rest of the world"
Deficit, reform
1st step: encourage innovation
Google facebook
"...It is how we make our living"
Free enterprise
Space race
Biomed, it, clean energy. Security, jobs, etc
1 million electric vehicles by 2015
Eliminate billions in taxpayer dollars to oil companies. Instead of subsidizing yesterday's energy, let's invest in tomorrow's
By 2035, 80% from clean energy sources
(clean coal, natural gas included)
Education: big agenda item
Responsibility in homes and comm
Not just winner of superbowl, but winner of science fair.
Schools share responsibility
Reform from everyone
Teachers: nation builders
100 thous in science, tech, engineer, math
Become a teacher, your country needs you
Not just high school: high diploma
Affordability for college
Tuition tax credit
Immigration: citizenship
Google servers
3: rebuilding america
High speed rail & Internet
Infrastructure
80% access to high speed rail
98% high speed wireless
Barriers: lobbyist
TAX system reform
Exporting US goods
Trade agreements
Panama, Columbia
Asia pacific global trade talks
Growth investment
? Food, water, air safety??
Goes through good things. Blah blah blah
Health care law
Legacy of deficit spending
Tooting the stimulus bill
Sacrifice to live within their means (he's said that before...)
Freeze annual domestic spending for next 5 years
400 billion decrease in deficit
Not on back of most vulnerable citizens
Annual domestic : 12% of spending
Need to cut more
Defense, health care, tax breaks and loopholes
Medicare and Medicaid
Strengthen social security
Can't afford rich tax cuts.
Competency and efficiency of gov't
reorganize government
Exorts, housing dept,
Salmon
Think bigger
Merge, consolidate govt
rebuild peoples faith in institution in govt
Meeting with lobbyists
No earmarks
Foreign affairs:
Defeat enemies
Build coalitions
Freedom, justice, dignity
Iraq, 100 thousand left with heads held high
War coming to end
Extemists within borders
Afghan July start troop exit
Pakistan: al queda leaders under pressure
Iran, North Korea nuclear safety
South America this year
Sudan voting 1st time in long time
Tunisia freedom of people
military people (biggest thanks from everyone... Hmmm priority much?)
Gay rights
Wouldn't trade for any other nation on earth
Reinvigorating the idea and spirit of America
Pennsylvania drilling technology
Chilean mine
Plan B
We do big things
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