How Belching Cows Contribute to Global Warming

Earth Day was April 22nd and the L.A. Times featured a front page article with a diagram showing how nearly a third of greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming derive from the ingredients and energy to produce food.  And the U.N. reports that livestock contributes towards 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Those poor belching cows.  An average cow burps up 145 pounds of methane per year.  Methane has 23 times the warming potential of Carbon Dioxide (CO₂).  So effectively cows let loose 3,330 lbs per year of CO₂.  That equates to over 3000 miles driven in a car that gets 20 miles per gallon (check out the U.S. Environment Protection Agency Personal Emissions Calculator by clicking here).

Let's break this down differently.  Bringing a 6 oz. beef steak to your dinner plate generates 16 lbs of CO₂ emissions.  That equates to about 23 miles of driving at 20 MPG.  So if you're gonna have a good steak, the least you could do is not drive too far for it!  (On that note, check out Mastro's in Thousand Oaks.)

An even better alternative?  Try chicken.  A 6 oz chicken breast generates less than 2 lbs. of greenhouse gas to arrive at your dinner plate. 

To learn how to eat in way that minimizes the impact on global warming, visit the Bon Appetit Management Company's online carbon calculator at www.EatLowCarbon.org. 

Back to the hungry, gassy cows again.  Cow manure generates both methane and nitrous oxide (a.k.a. "laughing gas") (now why is it I'm not laughing when I smell cow manure?).  Nitrous oxide has 296 times the warming potential of CO₂.  So think about not only the meat you eat, but how you fertilize your garden.

Some final parting carbon-conscious tips that come from the L.A. Times article:

• Reduce your beef and cheese consumption
• Don't waste food as it ends up in a landfill producing methane
• Compost fruit and veggie scraps
• Buy locally grown food as much as possible
• Eat lower on the food chain; producing crops for livestock adds to warming
• Drink tap water rather than bottled; or if it must be bottled, drink from local sources

Lastly, if you have to belch, watch out.  Someone may be counting your carbon equivalents.

Blu-ray You Say?

Blu-ray Disc (or BD) players were first launched in June 2006 as an alternative to HD (High Definition) DVD players.  Later that year Sony included Blu-ray technology in its new PlayStation 3 players and since then have sold over 10 million.  In February 2008, HD DVD maker Toshiba announced "game over" to HD DVD.  And thus Blu-ray has become the high-def format of choice.

This was Sony's revenge I suppose for the Betamax format losing out to JVC's VHS video recording format in the mid 1980s.  For the million or so HD DVD purchasers, you were brave!  But good luck finding DVDs in this now obsolete format.

What is Blu-ray?  Blu-ray is a high-definition technology that uses a blue laser to read the disc (DVD players use a red laser).  Blu-ray screen resolution is 1,080 horizontal lines versus 480 for DVDs.  That added resolution can make for a stunning picture.  But you need a high-def TV to enjoy it!  BDs have 6 times the storage capacity of DVDs.

Will BD make DVD go obsolete soon?  My personal opinion is no, given the fact that hundreds of millions of DVD players are in use and continue being sold.  But BD will gradually creep into the DVD market.  I would imagine that BDs will grow in popularity at similar rate to the growth in high-definition TVs vs analog TVs.

Should I buy one?  If you own a PlayStation 3, perhaps use that to play BDs until BD player prices start falling from their current $400 price tag.  Heck you can buy a PS3 for $400 today.  But if you enjoy being an early adopter and don't mind the fact the prices may drop towards Christmas, go for it!  One thing to make sure though is that your BD player is "backwards compatible" with DVDs.  Most are but make sure to check.

Blu-ray Discs also cost slightly more to rent today, but not that much more.  A local Newbury Park Blockbuster rents BDs for about $1 more than DVDs. 

Airborne Product Settlement and Refund

Popular vitamin supplement maker Airborne Health has agreed to a $23 million settlement for false advertising (such as claiming Airborne products could cure or prevent the common cold).  Final approval of the settlement is expected in June. 

If you purchased certain Airborne products between 5/1/01 and 11/29/07, you can file a claim for a refund.  Visit www.airbornehealthsettlement.com or call 888.952.9080 for more information.  Here are some highlights:

1. You can file a claim for the full purchase price of products purchased, excluding sales tax, assuming you can find proof of purchase (yeah right, like I'm gonna find an old receipt for Airborne purchased at Trader Joe's on June 23, 2001).

2. More realistically, you can file a claim for up to 6 purchases with proof of purchase.  The refund will based on the average retail price of the products.  You still need to provide an approximate purchase date and purchase location.

3. You can file claims online or by mail.  If you have receipts, you can either scan and submit them online or mail them in.

4. You have until 9/15/08 to file your claim.  If the final approval of the refund, is appealed, it may take awhile for you to get your refund (if at all).

5. If total refund claims exceed the "settlement fund" ($23 million less attorneys fees and other expenses), then refunds will be reduced proportionately.

Will this $23 million settlement hurt Airborne?  Nah, probably not.  Last year they were No. 149 on the Inc magazine list of fastest growing private companies, with 2006 revenues of $145 million (up from $10 million in 2003).  And with only 22 employees!

Pursuing Your Passion: The Artwork of Chuck Trunks

What is the typical career progression of someone with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry, who does graduate work in molecular biology and spends the next 18 years working at the world's largest biotech company?

My good friend Chuck Trunks had a passion for art going back to his childhood in Philadelphia.  It was probably 10 years ago that I first saw some of his "precision abstract" artwork at his home in Camarillo.  I knew that eventually the rest of the world would join me.

Boy was I right.  Chuck left Amgen last fall to pursue the goal of working on his art full time and sharing it with the world.  This is a challenge to say the least as he gave up a steady salary and great benefits for the uncertain world of art.  But the world is already getting to know Chuck.

Chuck has completed nearly 30 works of art in four collections that share some of his thoughts about the world.  His "USA" and "True Love" collections deal with societal and relationship issues, respectively.  His "Interference" collection covers technology.  The collection he currently works on is called "Hopes and Dreams."  Each collection can take up to a year to complete.

As Chuck's friend I am well aware of his keen eye for detail.  Chuck is the guy you want to travel with because he'll have everything nailed down so you can just relax and have fun.  He'll also quickly notice if a kernel of corn is lodged in your teeth or there's a smudge on your mirror.  This knack for detail is well apparent in his meticulous work.

To learn more about Chuck and his work, check out his aptly titled website, www.ChuckTrunks.com (update: website currently

Chuck's latest work, "Pop Star" (Summer 2008):

http://www.chucktrunks.com/

Free eBooks at Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg is the largest collection of FREE eBooks in existence.  The project has been run by volunteers since 1971.  There are over 20,000 eBooks amd Audio Books in the collection. 

What is the catch?  For one, you will only find books in here for which copyright protection has expired or that are in the public domain.  So you will not find the latest Tom Clancy and Steven King books in this collection.  Any book published pre-1923 is part of the public domain.

I explored the site and while it is not exactly Amazon.com easy-to-use, I was certainly able to find many interesting books.  (Now if only I actually had the time to read them!  Some books are available in audio format however!).  For example, it took less than a minute to download the entire text and pictures from Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (published in 1884).  I was surprised that both the text and all of the original pictures from the book came with the download.

Other classic books I saw in there included Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of Two Cities, The Raven (Edgar Allen Poe), The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Beowof and others.

So if you would prefer to have a bunch of classic books available on your laptop to read rather than checking them out from the local library, here's your opportunity!

I did come across a Barnes and Noble website that has a collection of literary classics available free online in a readable online html format.  However pdf download of the books are not free.  Check it out by clicking here. 

Project Gutenberg

www.gutenberg.org

Looking For The Lowest Local Gas Prices?

A buddy of mine tipped me off to www.VenturaGasPrices.com, a website dedicated to providing detailed information about gas prices throughout Ventura County.  VenturaGasPrices.com is part of www.GasBuddy.com, a national network of over 170 websites tracking local gas prices.

So if you are looking to save a few bucks, take a look at this site before gassing up.  Tonight I saw that premium gasoline at the Oxnard Costco is $3.11 per gallon as compared to $3.47 per gallon at the Chevron located at Thousand Oaks Blvd. and Rancho Road.  That difference would amount to over $6 on an 18 gallon tank.  Might be worth a trip to some of you.

For those who enjoy charts and historical data, there is a nice tool on the site that allows you to see gas price trends in throughout the country for periods up to 6 years.  That is, if you can stomach the fact that gas prices have doubled in the last 5 years.  (Whereas the price of ExxonMobil stock has tripled in that same period.)

Ah, time to start checking out those hybrids.  Love the fact that city mileage is higher than highway mileage on a hybrid!