thinking, researching, going beyond the topline...

Perhaps it's time to talk about a subject near and dear to my heart - thinking. Odd thought, says you? Perhaps, but here's why.

Many of us spend a lot of time on this thing called the Internet. Some of us for fun, some based on a specific agenda, others to earn a living (like me!) and those who simply read and watch from the privacy of their homes.

There are a lot of sources and possibilities - way too many to count. You can Google, check out Wikipedia, look for groups formed around a particular issue, surf the blogosphere for points of view and even visit that great, modern amalgam of links to all things newsworthy, Alltop (thanks Guy K!); all these things can inform your opinion. But, therein is the crux - while they can inform your opinion, it's critical they don't create your opinion. To do that, you must think.

Sure, it's easy to hop aboard the popular opinion of the day and adopt it as your own. Can you speak about the opinion knowledgeably? Do you understand the underlying facts and issues behind that opinion? What are the pros and cons?

Recently I've jumped on what I hope will be an ever-faster moving train, the Pickens Plan. I listened to several people who said Pickens was missing the point, that other sources - solar, geo-thermal, hydrogen - need to be part of the equation. They are, one has to just look below the surface and pretty pictures of wind turbines. A compadre asked that I look at some of the underlying reasoning for why Pickens is pushing the plan - to gain further land rights, which will help him in an effort to create a water pipeline from the Texas panhandle into the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. As I'm sure water scarcity will, at some point in the future, create a lot of battles for water rights, I find this a bit disconcerting. Realistically, I knew in my heart this oil man hadn't suddenly found himself altruistic. However, as a firm believer in working toward the development and use of alternative, renewable power sources and applications, after consideration I still deem Pickens plan to be a viable one, and, more importantly, something which stands a chance at real grass roots support, and one has potential to get the American people unified in the goal to release us from the bonds of MidEast oil.

I simply attempt to illustrate, above, that there was thought behind my decision to join Pickens and his plan. As I grow older, I try to put careful thought behind all important decisions. The time for following the crowd is long past, at least for me. It is my hope that others might feel the same way.

There are many thoughtful, intelligent, creative, hard-working people in America. We deserve, based upon our contributions, better than what we're getting from a government run by self-serving corporations, particularly when so many of them are guided by that barrel of oil.

Think about it.

saving gas, one drop at a time

As I drive around town - and, admittedly, it's less and less these days - I am continually amazed by those who tear past me to the next stop light in a rush to get there from here, those who take off like the proverbial bat out of hell from a stop, and those who wait til the last possible minute and step hard on the brake pedal.

Certainly they are finding the cost of a fill up as painful as I do - aren't they?

There are simple techniques everyone can use to get the most out of a gallon of gas. Slow acceleration, gradual stopping, and driving highways at 55 rather than 65, 70 or faster can prevent reducing your mileage by up to 33% on highways and 5% around town. Do you really need to be there in such a hurry?

Keep tires inflated to the proper pressure and the vehicle well-tuned. Remove that excess weight. Stuck at a light you know to be ridiculously long? Turn off the engine if it's safe. Using cruise control, which keeps the vehicle at a constant speed, helps to save gas. Be sure to replace the air filter regularly, and use the recommended grade of oil.

Plan your trips in a circuitous manner, and try to make as many right turns, so as to avoid waiting for lights, as possible. Careful planning, to minimize trips to the grocery, bank and other errands, will keep pennies in your pocket, rather than in the gas tank.

Lastly, get onboard actions supporting alternative fuel sources. The solution to the current gasoline pinch isn't digging for more oil, but rather finding ways to reduce our dependence on it by encouraging and supporting the development of alternative fuel sources. My pet project currently is the Pickens Plan. It's not the only answer, but it is a big step, and we can use as many efforts to create alternative power sources as possible.

reclaiming dead timber -- and saving a tree

This evening's "Nightly News with Brian Williams" segment "EarthWatch" ended with a report that -- from my perspective -- represented a brilliant idea in tree conservation.

A firm in British Columbia, Canada has started to log trees submerged by the formation of resevoirs for hydroelectric dams. According to the report, there an estimated 300 million trees which can be found and harvested in these resevoirs and used for construction purposes. Due to the lack of oxygen and cold water temperatures, the tree trunks are very well preserved and just ripe for harvesting.

The company uses specially developed equipment, a so-called "sawfish," mounted with cameras, metal arms and saws. Using remote viewing capabilities, they are able to find a tree, attach an airbag to it and remotely operate the chain saw which cuts the tree "down". The company doing this salvage logging is hard put to keep up with the demand for their product.

With the high demand for lumber, and ongoing clearcutting and devastation of our forest, this is an excellent and environmentally sensibile idea. I hope American companies will follow suit.