Oranges, lilies and the podocarpus tree

Posted on 27. Feb, 2010 by kchristieh in environment

The rain makes my oranges look more luscious than ever. Please let me know if you’d like to pick some. We make great orange juice from them.

I love the way calla lilies look with drops of rain on them. I should stop blogging and garden more. Hahaha, as if that’ll ever happen!

Too bad the rain made this branch fall from our podocarpus tree. It woke my mom up this morning. I’ve got to get that trimmed.

I hope everyone’s ok in the mudslide zones. This was a pretty intense storm this morning.

Ugg! It’s so cold!!

Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by kchristieh in environment

Brrr!!! I moved to Southern California to be warm, not to wake up to 27-degree temperatures.

I hope our oranges survive!

Time to find my winter coat and furry boots and brave driving my son to school…

Map of expected debris flow from impending rains

Posted on 07. Oct, 2009 by kchristieh in environment, local news

The Greek, Hindu and Japanese systems of thought believe that there are five classical elements: Fire, Wind, Water, Earth and Aether. Our foothills have already had Fire, thankfully not accompanied by too much Wind, but we await the Water that will rain down and probably make the Earth flow in rivers of mud.

The Los Angeles Times blog has a posting titled Federal scientists say risk of mudslides from Station fire extremely high that shows a map of where the mud is likely to flow into our communities if it rains as much as forecasters expect. Unfortunately, the map isn’t at a high enough resolution to easily tell which streets will be impacted. I’ve overlaid it to a Google map to help see which streets in La Canada Flintridge are likely to be in the path of a mud flow.

Here’s the map from the LA Times blog:

Here’s a Google Map covering the same area:

Here’s an overlay of both maps with streets highlighted:

What can be done to prevent this? Simply put, either remove the debris before it flows down, block it once it gets here, or get out of the way. All would be quite difficult, given the terrain, the budget crunch, and the permanent structures in the way. Hopefully the County, the City, and homeowners will do what they can before the rains come.

“I’ve seen fire, and I’ll see rain. I’ll see muddy flows that I hope will find an end.” (apologies to James Taylor)

What should I do with my dead microwave oven?

Posted on 07. Jul, 2009 by kchristieh in environment, shopping

After several months of sputtering, our old microwave finally popped its last popcorn and died. I could have taken it to be repaired, but I figure a repair call would set me back at least $50, and since the oven is probably 20 years old, it might not even be able to be fixed.

I had a bunch of Best Buy coupons, so I purchased a brand-new, much spiffier microwave for $1.79. Yes, that decimal point is correct. I had lots of coupons, and the original price of the new microwave was only $79.00.

What should I do with the old microwave? Wait until bulky item pickup day? Wait until there’s another electronics pickup? Just toss it in the trash? I feel bad for producing this waste, but it made the most economic sense for us.

Right now it’s sitting outside by our garbage cans. It’s rather pathetic.

Ralphs loses competitive edge over Vons; Trader Joe’s in the lead

Posted on 24. Jun, 2009 by kchristieh in economy, environment, food, shopping, things that bug me

Imagine my horror when I discovered that Ralphs is cutting costs by eliminating the handles on its paper bags! Hopefully this will be the incentive I need to remember to carry my cloth bags in the car, but this evening it meant I chose plastic for the rest of my groceries.

It’s a tough life, but I’ll manage somehow. Or I’ll just go to Trader Joe’s.

Colorado Blvd. is becoming a concrete jungle

Posted on 05. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in environment, local news

I’d heard about the trees that were taken out along Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, but I was stunned yesterday to see how much it changed the look and feel of the street. Here’s the view looking west from Lake Ave.:

I had never realized how much of a difference the trees made in that district. It felt friendlier before, and less rushed. I took a few deep breaths and proceeded west, telling myself that at least the trees were going to be replaced with trees that were easier to maintain.

But then I saw this in front of Pasadena Presbyterian. This man appears to be filling in the tree location with CONCRETE! I’ve seen some amazing trees, but I’ve never seen one that could grow roots through concrete. There were other men doing the same thing in neighboring blocks.

I hope I’m reading this wrong, because I think this looks awful. The trees were partly what attracted my husband and I to Pasadena in the late 80’s. They make this world-class city a friendlier, more beautiful place to live, work and visit. I hate to see them go, and to have Pasadena start looking like its big concrete neighbor to the south.

A pathetic tribute to Cesar Chavez

Posted on 31. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in environment, inspirational people

After the blogger picnic at Farnsworth Park in Altadena on Saturday, I took the long way back to the car. Behind the main park building, I found the Cesar Chavez Memorial Garden. Isn’t it pathetic?

People shouldn’t plant memorial gardens unless they plan to maintain them.

Is there anyone out there who would take this over and give it the love it deserves? I can’t, since I can’t keep a plant alive for more than a week, but hopefully this blog post will reach someone who cares.

Don’t plant a garden for me when I die someday. Just make sure this blog isn’t deleted.

Mushrooms blooming in my backyard

Posted on 06. Jan, 2009 by kchristieh in environment

These mushrooms bloomed out of a tree trunk in our backyard practically overnight:

Thankfully, my dog isn’t interested in them. If he were, I don’t know if he’d get sick, high or full. Do you?

Berkeley has the best California mushroom identification site I could find. The closest pictures seem to be of

• Collybia butgracea
• Gymnopilus spectabilis
• Hebeloma crustuliniforme; Poison Pie

Even though they look like pancakes, I’m not going to take a chance, especially with the name of that last one. Yikes!!

Here’s the earthquake info

Posted on 05. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in environment, my life

A 5.5 located 117 miles east-northeast of Los Angeles. Click here for more info.

Wonder if my father will call? I told him it’s ok to call if it’s greater than 5.0. We’ve had that deal ever since I moved to California for college in 1981.

NOTE: It was later downgraded to a 5.1. Read more here.

Earthquake – did you feel it?

Posted on 05. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in environment

Just felt an earthquake. (occurred around 8:18 pm) The chair I’m sitting in shook, and so did the ceiling fan cord and the cords to the blinds. My husband didn’t feel it, but he’s on the first floor.

67% percent of my mail wants me to part with my money

Posted on 28. Nov, 2008 by kchristieh in environment, my life, startling statistics, things that bug me

When I was in college, I couldn’t wait to get the mail. I’d receive letters from home and faraway friends, and occasionally the package of homemade cookies from Grandma “D”. (Yes, that’s what we called her. Her last name was too long for young kids long ago.)

These days, I have to have a reminder on my computer to get the mail. After tallying up my incoming mail for a week, I can see why. Here’s what I received within the week ending this past Monday:

• 15 catalogs
• 13 charitable solicitations
• 13 other ads
• 8 bills
• 10 magazines
• 14 other pieces (invitations, college brochures, thank you notes, etc.)

Between the stores, charities, and bills that want (and demand) my money, that’s 67% of my incoming mail. The catalog count would be much higher, but a year ago I signed up for several services that promised to cancel catalogs for me. I’ve also actually sent letters to catalogs that are sneaking through asking to be taken off of their mailing lists.

I wonder how much paper is wasted on me? I’m going to cancel some of those magazines, since I don’t read them all anyway.

Now to figure out how to streamline my email. Thankfully, the Mail program on my new iMac is helping out with that. I love Smart Mailboxes!!

MeOW! The mountain lion is back!

Posted on 18. Nov, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, environment, local news

La Canada residents shouldn’t let down their guard since a mountain lion was shot and killed in Arcadia. According to Debbie Johannes, who is operating the mountain lion hotline, since that lion was captured,

The bad news is that the 180 pound male cat’s back and was sited again at 849 Green Lane. A little girl riding her scooter in her front yard came face to face with the cat.

This may be the same lion that nearly killed the dog up on Castle Knoll.

If you see a mountain lion in a residential area, you should call 911. Then, please call the Finney and Friends hotline number at . This group is keeping track of local mountain lion sitings so that authorities can have a clear picture of what’s happening in our area.

I always get confused about what to do with different animals. Should I stay or should I go now? If I stay there will be trouble, if I go it will be double. C’mon and let me know…should I stay or should I go?

Here’s the scoop on safety tips:

• Mountain lion: Stay calm, act bigger, gather children close, fight back if attacked. DON’T RUN! DON’T TURN YOUR BACK!!
• Coyote: Make lots of noise, throw rocks, appear as big as possible, chase IT away. DON’T RUN AWAY!!
• Black Bear: Make your presence known, stay calm, make sure the bear knows you’re human by talking and waving your arms, through something to the ground to distract it. If the bear attacks you, FIGHT BACK! DON’T RUN AWAY!! Once the bear starts to leave, be quiet until you’re sure it’s gone.
• Rattlesnake: Wear over the ankle boots and loose-fitting, long pants. If you’re bitten, wash the area, keep it still, and remove watches or rings that may inhibit swelling.

Here’s a picture of a mountain lion that was spotted beneath a bridge on the La Canada JPL campus back in January, 2008:

Perhaps I won’t be walking my little dog in Hahamongna!

Forget the new down jacket: buy another swimsuit

Posted on 26. Sep, 2008 by kchristieh in environment, things that bug me

When my sister visited Norway with AFS in high school, she learned how to knit warm Norwegian sweaters. This proved to be useful when she went to college in Vermont, but it was completely useless when she lived here in Southern California.

This NASA chart illustrates why: since 1878, the average annual temperature in Los Angeles has gone up around six degrees.

Not only is it getting hotter, but our heat waves are becoming more frequent and are lasting longer:

They found that the number of extreme heat days (above 90 degrees Fahrenheit or 32.2 degrees Celsius in downtown Los Angeles) has increased sharply over the past century. A century ago, the region averaged about two such days a year; today the average is more than 25. In addition, the duration of heat waves (two or more extreme heat days in a row) has also soared, from two-day events a century ago to one- to two-week events today.

They also predict that this trend will continue:

The team forecasts that in coming decades, we can expect 10- to 14-day heat waves to become the norm. And because these will be hotter heat waves, they will be more threatening to public health.

Hmm. Like the asthma some of my family members suffer from?

They say that global warming caused by greenhouse gases is the cause of the generally higher temperatures, but that our paved environment, traffic, buildings and lawns all absorb solar heat and help contribute to the lengthy heat waves.

I like hot weather. Really, I do. I hate cold weather, so I love living here. But this is very depressing, since it hurts not only our health, but our planet’s. And I don’t see that trend changing any time soon.

When doves cry

Posted on 29. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, environment, local news, sports

While driving west on Foothill Blvd. in La Canada today, the LA County Sheriff’s car in front of me stopped and put its lights on. We all stopped and witnessed the deputy don rubber gloves and scoop up a mourning dove that was sitting in the middle of the road. He took it to the side, and placed it safely in the landscaping outside Armstrong’s. I was very impressed.

It seems like lots of things are dying. My dog, of course, which makes us cry. And this week our precious California Live Oak turned brown, and our arborist says we’ll need to take it out. I need to get a permit from city hall before we do that. How can a “live” oak die?

I guess this all makes sense. It is Hell Week after all.

Energy-saving tips I hadn’t imagined

Posted on 23. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in environment

Here are some tips from Organicasm that I didn’t know:

• A plugged in hair dryer, cell phone charger, and other devices will all pull energy even when you’re not using them, so don’t just turn devices off-unplug them, too.
• Once a year, wipe down your refrigerator’s coils to keep it efficient.

These all make sense. I try to do what I can, and even called several catalogs recently to cancel them. Unfortunately, I’m still not perfect. But I try. Hopefully that counts. But I’m still depressed over Wall-E.

I was in an elevator when the earthquake hit

Posted on 29. Jul, 2008 by kchristieh in environment, food, my life, shopping, startling statistics

After we dropped my father-in-law off at Burbank Airport, the kids and I headed over to IKEA for some Swedish meatballs. As we were sitting in the newly-remodeled restaurant, I thought I felt an earthquake. I waited to see if the kids felt it, and when I saw that they didn’t, we had a short discussion about earthquakes. Although they’re 14 and 16 and have lived in So. Cal. their whole lives, both said they’d never felt a quake before. I told them that they’d feel a 3.0 or a 4.0 if it was near them, but they’d start to be a little scared at a 5.0.

Less than 10 minutes later we had a 5.4 earthquake. We were in an elevator on our way up to Steve & Barry’s, and the elevator started shaking. It felt like it might drop. Thankfully, I’d pressed the wrong button when we got in, so it stopped at the next floor and let us out. That’s when we realized it really was an earthquake. The car alarms in the adjacent garage started going off, and the windows at Barnes & Noble moved in and out like they were breathing. We moved to an open area in case another quake struck, but eventually we went up the escalator to Steve & Barry’s. (Why don’t they sell men’s pants with waists under 30″? No wonder they declared bankruptcy!)

My husband said that several of the young people in his Pasadena office left to go check on their pets. Lucky they’re not in China, walking for days to try to find their children. According to Wikipedia, the recent Sichan earthquake measured 7.9. Because the Richter scale is logarithmic, that means that quake was over 100x stronger than ours.

I never want to feel one that strong.

Here’s the Google Street View image of the elevator we were in when the earthquake struck:

Is it bad that humans are self-centered?

Posted on 21. Jul, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, environment

an·thro·po·cen·tric: the idea that humans are the most important beings in the universe

Steve Ross thinks that humans anthropomorphize chimpanzees so much that we’re blinded to their endangered status. In Chimps Aren’t Chumps, he says,

A survey that I and several colleagues conducted in 2005 found that one in three visitors to the Lincoln Park Zoo assumed that chimpanzees are not endangered. Yet more than 90 percent of these same visitors understood that gorillas and orangutans face serious threats to their survival. And many of those who imagined chimpanzees to be safe reported that they based their thinking on the prevalence of chimps in advertisements, on television and in the movies.

I’d skimmed over his op-ed piece in yesterday’s NY Times until I read about Paul Watson in the 11/25/07 New Yorker:

In anthropocentric society, a harsh judgement is given to those that destroy or seek to destroy the creations of humanity. Monkey-wrench a bulldozer and they will call you a vandal. Spike a tree and they will call you a terrorist. Liberate a coyote from a trap and they will call you a thief. Yet if a human destroys the wonders of creation, the beauty of the natural world, then anthropocentric society calls such people loggers, miners, developers, engineers and businessmen.

Ouch. Am I guilty as charged? I’ve always appreciated a cute picture of a dog or a monkey dressed in human clothes, but I’ll never look at them the same again. We need to remember that animals and the environment are God’s creation, and are way more important than our creations.

But I think I’ll always appreciate a nicely dressed monkey.

WALL-E: Great movie, but oh so depressing

Posted on 29. Jun, 2008 by kchristieh in education, environment, movies, my life

We loaded the kids into the Prius last night and saw WALL-E at our local theater. As all of the reviews I’ve read agreed, this is a great movie. The animation and story are top-notch, and the music is wonderful.

So why am I still so depressed after seeing it? Perhaps it was the bleak vision of the future, a world so filled with trash that humans escape to outer space, where they lose their individuality and bone structure and suck on protein drinks. Even though the end of the movie could be considered optimistic by some, the realist in me doesn’t think it would play out that way. I hope our great-great-grandchildren don’t blame our generation for all of their woes. We’re trying!!!!

On a happier note, I think that WALL-E could score some good summer employment cleaning up the destruction at my kids’ alma mater, Palm Crest Elementary School. I drove past today and saw that the district decided to go ahead and build a new cafeteria / auditorium (a “cafetorium” as we say) and has commenced destruction. Many of us fought hard to pass the bond to support this, so it’s satisfying to see that all of our efforts weren’t for naught. Hopefully there will be enough kids to keep the school open! (If we were in Europe, I wouldn’t bother.) Although my kids spent Kindergarten through 6th grade at the school, and I was a PTA president there for two years, it seems like a long time ago that we were part of the PCR community. Still, if I walked around campus during the school year, I know I’d see lots of people I know and feel part of it again.

Here’s a picture of the destruction so far. Go for it, WALL-E!

Winter wonderland in Southern California in May

Posted on 23. May, 2008 by kchristieh in environment, local news

Here’s what my front yard looked like after yesterday afternoon’s wacky hailstorm:

There was so much hail on local roofs that it looked like it had snowed.

Toyota was wrong; my Prius gets even better mileage than they said it would

Posted on 10. May, 2008 by kchristieh in environment, my life

The results are in: so far, my Prius is getting 50.38 mpg. That includes a pretty good mix of city and freeway driving. Toyota had predicted it would get 48 mpg city and 45 mpg highway. Wow.

Even if I assume that my highway mileage would be slightly lower, at around 48 mpg, it’d only take 2.3 gallons of gas to drive the 112 miles to my mother and stepfather’s house. It would only take a little over 8 gallons to drive the 392 miles to my sister’s house.

I’m a convert. So are the local peahens.

$90 spent on a tank of gas

Posted on 21. Apr, 2008 by kchristieh in environment

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw what the person before me paid for gas today: $90.00. They had purchased 23.023 gallons of gas.

Wow. It’s probably not long before someone pays $100.00 for a tank of gas.

It’s no surprise that I just received this breaking news alert:

Breaking News from ABCNEWS.com:

AVERAGE PRICE OF GASOLINE HITS $3.51, BREAKING RECORD SET IN 1981, THE ENERGY DEPARTMENT REPORTS

Our new oak trees, courtesy of the city

Posted on 18. Apr, 2008 by kchristieh in environment, local news, my life

Forget our tropical, palm tree landscaping theme: two days ago our fair city planted two California Live Oaks (I think) in our front yard. The trees are intended to remind drivers that the curb now juts out on the south side of our property, and therefore they need to slow down and swerve around it. Cars have been clocked at 55 mph on our 30 mph street, so slower traffic would be much appreciated.

I’m setting up a reminder to take a picture each year on the anniversary of these trees being planted. I hope they thrive and grow quickly. And for my mother’s and son’s sake, I hope they don’t become a spider sanctuary.

UCERF predicts So. Cal. due for big quake

Posted on 15. Apr, 2008 by kchristieh in environment, local news

It’s a good thing that the Macy’s on South Lake Ave. in Pasadena is closing temporarily for seismic upgrades. According to the Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF) website:

According to the new forecast, California has a 99.7% chance of having a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake during the next 30 years (see Figure 1). The likelihood of an even more powerful quake of magnitude 7.5 or greater in the next 30 years is 46%. Such a quake is more likely to occur in the southern half of the state (37% chance in 30 years) than in the northern half (15% chance in 30 years) (see Figure 2).

The probability of a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake over the next 30 years striking the greater Los Angeles area is 67%, and in the San Francisco Bay Area it is 63%, similar to previous WGCEP estimates (see Figure 3). For the entire California region, the fault with the highest probability of generating at least one magnitude 6.7 quake or larger is the southern San Andreas (59% in the next 30 years; see Figure 4). For northern California, the most likely source of such earthquakes is the Hayward-Rodgers Creek Fault (31% in the next 30 years). Events of this size can be deadly, as shown by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake (magnitude 6.9) and 1994 Northridge earthquake (magnitude 6.7).

Here’s a snapshot view of what’s expected in my neck of the woods. My fair city, La Canada Flintridge, is right where the bottom of the (1) is on the map:

Many thanks to Ken H. for posting the UCERF link on his Facebook page. I REALLY need to get more earthquake supplies. I bought a bunch of dog food, but then my dog ate it too quickly. I guess I’d better get some human food, too.

I need to get prepared for the next big earthquake

Posted on 30. Mar, 2008 by kchristieh in environment, religion

Does your house ever creak? When we lived in Pasadena, our house would make strange noises in the months and weeks before a big earthquake.

Our house has been creaking lately. Hopefully that doesn’t mean there will be an earthquake, but I should be prepared at all times anyway. One of the great kids who helped me clean up the school at Servathon a few weeks ago told me that her earthquake researcher father just purchased a big bin of earthquake supplies. If that’s not a sign to be prepared, I don’t know what is.

I figure I’ll never be completely prepared, but I could have more toilet paper, dog food, and canned goods around. I’ll probably never be prepared as some Mormons are, but we’ll probably be in better shape than many. Here’s a helpful list of what you should stock.

Do you know what to do if there’s an earthquake? I thought I did, but I definitely didn’t ace this 10-question earthquake quiz. I’m glad I took it, however, since I learned a few things. Maybe they’ll save my life someday.

If you get a question wrong, the house disintegrates. Thank goodness it’s not my house!!

Too many sirens

Posted on 09. Mar, 2008 by kchristieh in environment, local news

All day long I’ve heard sirens. I hope I don’t read about awful things that happened here today in the paper tomorrow. Today’s weather was beautiful, so there were probably lots of motorcyclists and hikers out.

The local mountains and the roads that run through them can be so dangerous. :(

My memories aren’t eclipsed

Posted on 21. Feb, 2008 by kchristieh in environment, my life

When I pulled into the grocery store parking lot last night, everyone was looking up at the lunar eclipse. It was pretty cool, but it wasn’t nearly as dramatic as the solar eclipse I saw when I was a little girl. Last night I told my kids I thought it occurred when I was three or four years old. I remember that I was attending a viewing of the movie “Snow White” one Saturday at the Congregational Church in Rutherford, NJ when we all ran outside to watch the sky turn dark.

I looked on Wikipedia, and quickly found the date: November 12, 1966. Sure enough, I was almost exactly 3.5 years old that day. And, according to the Day of the Week Calculator, it was indeed a Saturday.

It’s amazing what we remember.

The next total solar eclipse we’ll be able to see from North America will occur on August 21, 2017. Wow. I wonder what I’ll be doing then? I wonder if this blog will still exist? Will my kids be married?

Here’s a picture from the Rockford, IL Register Star of last night’s eclipse. Each photo was taken 20 minutes apart.

White circle around the moon

Posted on 19. Feb, 2008 by kchristieh in environment, travel

On Sunday night I saw the following when I looked up at the Santa Barbara sky:

It was much more vivid in person. The moon was nearly full, and there was a white ring around it. Here’s how Wikipedia describes it:

A coloured circle around the moon is not a moonbow: it is usually a 22° halo produced by refraction through hexagonal ice crystals in cirrus cloud.

An astronomy professor who was in the group said the ring was actually only about a mile above the earth, and that this happens more frequently on the West Coast. I’ve been out here for 26 years, and I’ve never seen this. Maybe I need to look at the sky more.

Cute little old man gorilla baby

Posted on 08. Jan, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, environment

Here’s proof that apes can be old souls too. This month’s National Geographic Magazine (p. 97) shows this little western gorilla baby being cradled by its mother. Way too cute.

When I graduated from college over 20 years ago, my grandparents gave me some money. I used it to purchase a Sony television and a subscription to National Geographic. The television is still working fine, and I still subscribe to National Geographic.

Too bad I don’t always find time to read it. At least my daughter makes sure I don’t miss pictures of little old man apes.

Am I just burying my head in the sand?

Posted on 05. Jan, 2008 by kchristieh in books, environment, international, politics, religion, things that bug me

At lunch today, my kids and I discussed the legacy my generation is leaving theirs. In some ways, it’s pretty grim. In fact, if I think about it too much, it’s downright depressing.

I recently read that if we don’t take some serious steps to conserve our resources and stop global warming (or the term I prefer “global weirding“) by 2012, it’ll be too late. I do my little bit, like trying to recycle everything that I can, but it’s a drop in the bucket compared to what’s needed. The mere fact that I’m an American means that I’m consuming an outsize share of earth’s resources. And I doubt that developing nations want to be told that the consumption party’s over just as they have enough money to join in.

Besides global warming, the West needs to make peace with radical Islam. Or maybe, vice versa. There’s a small subset radical Muslims who won’t be happy unless non-Muslims don’t have any influence. They’re not at all tolerant of beliefs other than their own. For example, read about what’s happening in Europe, or how the Dakar Rally was canceled for the first time since it started 30 years ago due to terrorist threats, or about all the books about Islam in this weekend’s NYTimes Book Review (see below). I think we need to find more ways to bridge our cultures, but I’m afraid that we may be the only side who wants to build that bridge.

I could stress out and lose sleep over these things, but amazingly enough, I don’t. I can’t solve these problems on my own, so it’s not productive to stress out over them. Am I burying my head in the sand? Perhaps. And if so, perhaps that’s the healthiest reaction I can have, as long as I do what little I can to solve these problems. I wasn’t able to do that after 9/11 – I didn’t sleep well for a long time after that. Never again, hopefully.
Links:

• Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s NYTimes review of “The Suicide Of Reason: Radical Islam’s Threat to the Enlightenment, By Lee Harris
• Fouad Ajami’s reflections on “The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order” by Samuel P. Huntington
• “Islam’s Silent Moderates” by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
• “The People We Have Been Waiting For” by Thomas Friedmann

More ways to stop catalogs from clogging up your mailbox

Posted on 18. Dec, 2007 by kchristieh in environment, shopping, things that bug me

Back in October, I blogged about CatalogChoice, a free service which allows you to specify which catalogs you don’t want to receive. I unsubscribed to 67 catalogs at that time. I’m happy to report that for the most part it’s working. There are still a few scofflaws that wind up in my mailbox, but when I went back and looked at the list of catalogs I’d asked not to receive, it became clear that this is the first season that I didn’t receive most of them.

Liz Galst has a great article today on Salon.com that lists other services which will remove your name from both catalog and junk mail lists. Some cost a nominal fee, but a portion of that fee goes to planting trees. The article suggests that a multi-pronged approach to cutting junk mail is necessary to get off most of the lists. Here are some additional services they suggest. Per Galst’s recommendation, I’m also going to sign up at GreenDimes.

• GreenDimes ($15)
• 41pounds.org ($41)
• StopTheJunkMail ($20)
• Direct Marketing Association (DMA) Mail Preference Service ($1)

And of course, make sure to sign up at the national Do Not Call Registry to help stop junk calls in the middle of dinner.

Too bad all the newspapers we receive require trees too.