essays

Smokers Are Cancer Denialists

|

Smoking causes lung cancer. Nobody disputes that fact. Yet, 1 out of every 5 Americans still lights up at least occassionally. Smoking feels really good, it’s really relaxing and awesome. Cigerettes with a glass of whiskey and coke, full of ice is so wonderful. That intense sensation from nicotine is out of this world. And by the way — it’s awful deadly.

Flames Char the Wood

There was a time when industry spokespersons downplayed the danger from smoking, and there were some doctors and other professionals that questioned the scientific consesus that smoking wasn’t bad for you. Those claims, while never particularly crediable, did give cover to some people who wanted to dig their heads into the sand, and continue to smoke because it felt so increadibly good.

Tobacco companies never forced anyone to smoke. People want their products because they are so damn pleasurable. Anybody is free to quit smoking at any time, but most don’t. There is no real function to smoking, justifying it rationally is very hard to do.

Sitting at a Campfire

Fossil fuels are the exactly like cigerettes.
It’s so damn pleasurable to burn them.

I often ride my bicycle around town or catch the bus to work and shopping. It gets me where I need to go around town. But nothing is as fun as when Friday evening rolls around, I hop in my truck, slap it into gear, and I’m off to buy some beer or head up into the mountains. Hell, even the sound of the engine makes as it clunks into gear statisifies one’s ears. The feel of effortless 315 HP, as slap my foot on gas pedle (leaving rubber on the road if I so choose), and off we go. You can even push the accelerator harder, and it will speed up effortless — even going up hill!

When you drive, you can take any road you want to. You can drive out into the countryside, up into the mountains. It can take you to the wilderness, to a mountain lake, a farm, or some other remote place, at a rate of roughly 45-75 miles per hour. Cars are elegently styled, you are free to choose your music taste, they can provide solitude and a carefully controlled climate to your choice of temperature, such as 72 degrees, and they take you exactly to your destination. Cars are such wonderful things.

Driving Down Truck Trail in Heavy Fog

Let’s be honest, the sensation one gets driving is so awesome … even we all conceed its so deadly. Automobiles kill roughly 40,000 people nationwide in a year, and roughly 1,500 New Yorkers. It’s the most common cause of death for people under Age 40. It’s also warming the planet, and putting us rapidly on a course for a time when there will be no mankind, or certainly no mankind living in a world like today.

There will probably no action on climate change, until the damage is serious enough that it can no longer be ignored. A far higher percentage of Americans drive automobiles then ever smoked, and we are all quite happy denying climate change as we push our ways towards the cliff. Until it becomes so obvious that we are all in a sucide pact, Americans have started dying in mass, and their has been clear and unrefutable evidence on climate change, don’t expect a lot of action…

Truck 2

I sure like my truck. And hell, smoking cigerettes sure is a lot of fun. I guess we are all going to die one of these days at any rate.

Map: Blenheim Hill State Forest
Map: Moose Pond

Ground Hog Day

|

Today is Ground Hog Day, when Punxsutawney Phil is pulled out of his den to find out if he has a shadow, and to forecast the rest of the winter season. We all hope that he does not see his shadow, so that by some act of nature the spring will come six weeks earlier. It’s unlikely though, especially in the northeast.

Frame 59

It’s been awful snowy all winter, including one bitterly cold burst during January. You can argue it’s been worst then most years. The good news is that the worst is beyond us, and mud season can only be a dozen or so weeks away. Some how getting your truck stuck in the mud and muck beats this terrible winter weather.

Distant Mountains

We all want this season will come to an end. It was fun at first, but not so much now. Things will get warm, and it will be wonderful spring then summer. We will be sweating once again outdoors, and spending long nights looking up at the moon, sitting around the campfire. But for now, enjoy the cold.

Days Are Getting Longer

|

One of the hopeful observations of late is how much longer each day is getting. When I get out of work at 5 PM, it’s no longer dark, and often by the time I am home, there are still some hints of light.

Dip in Road

Indeed, tonight the sun will not set until 5:23 PM. In contrast, on January 7 I tweeted that the sun will set at 4:39 PM, almost an hour earlier.

Route 406

Daylight in coming weeks will grow an accelerating rate through March 21, when growth will slow as we head to the climax of daylight on June 21, the first day of summer.

Five Rivers Road

The growth of daylight means warmer days are ahead. It may not feel that way in the depth of winter’s depression, but signs of spring are all around.

Dark Early

The chickens are laying more, the birds seem to be out more. The average high is now a few degrees above freezing, and when this cold spell ends, snow will start to melt away and signs of spring will become clearer.

Why Are So Many Mega-Suburbs to be Home to Mass Murders?

|

Lately there has been a fair bit of discussion about the mass-murder shootings, that usually occur in large suburbs, with populations greater then 100,000, located outside of large cities. Not only do these happen in large suburbs, but often the outer rim of the suburbs, towards the rural fringe, where some of the newest suburban housing is located.

Much of the discussion has been over gun control and accessibility of guns in many households. Yet, if gun ownership was the problem, then most mass murders would come from rural households where gun ownership and hunting is far more common on the farm and forest lands. Yet, that’s not where the majority of mass murders come from.

It’s the suburbs. Usually the outer suburbs, usually home to the most politically, and especially socially conservative Americans. The outer suburbs tend to be not only very white and wealthy, but also outspoken on issues of prohibiting gay marriage and abortion. Mega-churches preaching gospel from Walmart sized and styled cathedrals dot the landscape.

Yet, being a social conservative is not what makes one a killer. Plenty of rural folks are conservative after all, yet they don’t kill. Rural churches often preach very conservative views too. Those folks don’t kill much besides deer and turkeys. What does make a killer is living in vast spiritual wasteland known as the mega-suburbs.

The Mega-Suburban Environment.

Mega-suburbs are basically a mid-size city scaled up to the automobile-size, with private detached houses with yards, on endless sets of cul de sacs and parking lots. Land use is strictly segregated, with housing in one location, retail outlets in another, and office parks in finally another. Everything is massive to accommodate a large population, yet isolating and impersonal.

Life has no style or passion in such locations. It’s all about Keeping Up with the Jones, having the new big house, the new big car, and all things else built with plywood and vinyl siding. It’s about the good paying job to pay for all these expensive things, and try to provide your kids with a “better life” in the suburbs. Life is boring and repulsive.

In these mega-suburbs, typically everything is connected by massive connector roads with 6-8 lanes with endless stoplights, bordered by retail, and often overcrowded but underbuilt 2-lane secondary roads. Folks drive everywhere, greatly cutting down on interaction with one and another. People spend multiple hours a day stuck in traffic and fighting for a parking spot at the shopping center. Never meeting another person through much of days activities, it’s easy to develop hostile feelings towards others you don’t interact with except from within the confines of an automobile.

The Mega-Suburban Fascist Police State.

At same time, mega-suburbs tend be governed draconian governments that try to regulate every part of one’s lives, to keep the “quality” of the community up. Every mega-suburb has very detailed zoning codes that try to keep up appearances of endless vinyl siding houses, and strip malls, over the pretend value that it increases neighbors property values.

With the masses of faceless people driving on crowded but large highways, strict anti-road rage and speeding laws must be strictly enforced by the police. Bored teenagers, wandering the streets, must be strictly disciplined by the police, because there are no parents or neighbors outside to watch out for the kids. Cameras dot the streets of the mega-suburbs, because people are afraid of crime, real or imagined. The police presence is always very noticeable in mega-suburbs.

Life in mega-suburb is a life of government fascism. People in mega-suburbs often have no interaction with their legislative bodies, except maybe to vote to pro-business and pro-growth conservatives in the fall. They feel they need the security provided by an overbearing police force, and complicated home security systems. People are paranoid and scared living in the mega-suburbs, fearing others will take all that they’ve worked so hard to obtain.

The Mega-Suburban Nature Deficit.

Mega-suburbs, while often close to corn fields, farms, and rural areas, have little contact with areas beyond the urban-rural interface. Most suburbanites never go past it, and if anything view the rural folks beyond the urban-rural interface to be little more then under-educated rural idiots.

Mega-suburbs have parks, but they are usually just highly developed recreational areas for use solely by paying and structured High School football and softballs teams. They are not for relaxation or nature enjoyment — but always developed and highly controlled activities. There is no getting away from it all — except in one’s own home — where the stresses of home and feelings of isolation creep in.

The Mega-Suburbs Are Scary Places With Scary People.

Folks who live in mega-suburbs rarely get out of highly controlled environments, where informal interactions are rare. In the mega-suburbs, people don’t pass each other on streets without 2-tons of steel wrapped around them. They don’t interact with people except in office complexes, or at Credit Card checkout lines at mega-Walmarts.

In cities, folks walk down streets, ride public transit, and interact with people at small bodegas and shops. In rural areas, people attend small personable churches, know their neighbors, and shop at places with familiar faces. In contrast, the mega-suburbs lack any kind of personal interaction, without highly regimented rules and government controls.

… we need to ban mega-suburbs to save human life.

Terrain Map: Development In The Albany Area
Terrain Map: Ferris Lake

What Would Jesus Buy?

|

Reverend Billy and his gospel choir from the Church of Stop Shopping travel the country trying to spur awareness of consumerism around the holiday season. He parodies this consumerism and tries to get people to think about the real meaning of Christmas.

A non-religious film with a great deal of humor, the protest tactics of Reverend Billy frequently gander him the criticism of the police and a significant amount of interest to the media. Not only does the film show many of his stunts, he takes a look at how widespread consumerism is in both the youth and adults alike.

The reactions of the people interviewed in the film about consumerism is somewhat incredulous, but at the same time frankly captures many people’s view about the necessity to give expensive presents for the holiday season. As the film notes, many people find themselves so stressed out about gift giving that they are unhappy during a season that’s supposed to be an enjoyable season.

Last Night for Tree

People are not finding happiness in the holiday season, they are just exchanging material gifts without meaning. Much of the happiness and family times that come from Christmas could be done without such wasteful consumption that is speeding up the destruction of our earth. Indeed, watching the film it’s amazing how much joy comes out of protesting consumerism — not just by the protesters but by the people witnessing them.

It is amazing to see how much joy comes from the song, dance, and acting by the Church of Stop Shopping. You will be laughing and finding much of the happiness that is now gone from our holiday season. After the film, you might just be feeling a lot happier and less stressed then when you where when you went in.

Snow Covered Mountain

And no, I doubt Jesus would buy a Wii like the one kid said.

Unfortunately, unless you are in a few limited cities where it is playing, you will not be able to see it. The film only played during two showings in the Albany-area, at The Sanctuary for Independent Media. This venue while enjoyable is not on the radar of many people who would have otherwise gotten great joy from seeing this rather hilarious and enjoyable film.

Reasons I Like Camping

|
  1. No Real Rules except for Respect of Natural World.
  2. No Schedule except the Fall of Darkness Over the Land.
  3. Get to Visit Interesting Places; Explore New Lands.

Camping in the Morning

  1. Get to Play with Fire, Sit and Watch the Campfire.
  2. Get to Burn All Your Camp Trash with Plastic Burning and Melting in the Fire.
  3. Cooking Delious Meals Over the Fire or In Dutch Oven.

Smoke and Heat Rises Into Lean-To

  1. Beautiful Moonlit and Starlit Nights in the Woods.
  2. Drinking beer and smoking cigerettes and watching the fire burn.
  3. No Time to Get Up in the Morning.

Kayak Parked

  1. Peace and quiet or music as one sees fit.
  2. Having time to read and get away from all of it.
  3. A big change in the routine.

Urban-Rural Interface for State Boundaries?

|

Would government be effective if urban areas and those areas in the urban sphere of influence such as the suburbs where separate from truly rural areas, where residents rarely go to city? By definition, the urban-rural interface is the border between the lands within a practical commuting distance for the productive non-farming rural resident and the rural resident who rarely interacts with the city.

As I’ve written many times in the past, urban policies being applied to rural areas rarely make sense, as do rural policies applied to urban areas. The conflict between the rural and the urban is best mitigated by creating and having two separate and sovereign governments, while allowing them to come together for questions of national and international policy, for things like nation defense, transportation infrastructure, and large-source emitters’ pollution control.

Political districts currently are based on haphazards of history or attempts at gaming the political system and not geographic reality. Large regional governments in urbanized areas and their spheres of influence would be far more effective at addressing the large problems of day from transportation to materials recovery or disposal. Moreover, the linkages between two urban regions of similar size (such as Syracuse Urbanized-area and Albany Urbanized-area), are far closer in many ways then a single county (Albany County’s Urban Sphere of Influence versus those areas in extreme western-portion of Albany County outside of Urban Sphere of Influence).

Urban areas really like their new found power since the awful 1964 ruling in Reynolds vs Simms, that mandated both houses of a legislature be equally proportioned, and banned the upper house (ie. Senate) from being based on geography, giving rural areas limited voice in the process. Urban and more liberal constituencies are unlikely to give up their dominance in the process, or allow more rural areas to have sovereignty, because it’s fun to boss around people you disagree with.

While maybe politically impractical, giving urban and rural areas complete sovereignty in their own matters would solve a lot of problems, and create policies more appropriate for their constituencies.