All I Want For Christmas

My birthday is exactly 2 weeks after Thanksgiving , 2 weeks before Christmas, and sometimes in the middle of Hanukkah, so I have always loved this time of year. When I was young, this time of year was filled with lots of good food, lots of good parties, and double the amount of presents. Now that I'm an old man(LOL),I still party and eat too much, but the presents have dried up over the years. So to indulge the inner boy in me, I have compiled a wish list I would like to give to Santa. I have been good all year(seriously I have!),and these gifts will not only benefit me, but help combat climate change and promote sustainability(Seriously They Will!)-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PRE-FABRICATED SUSTAINABLE HOME

21st Century home builders can design thier homes using computer programs that take residential customisation to the next level. Using sustainable materials and constructing offsite in a warehouse cuts down on waist and on site environmental pollution. The planning and land prep may be long and expensive, but building and living in the ultimate sustainable toy makes will make me the coolest kid in the neighborhood.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TESLA ROADSTER

This car feeds the environmentalist's need for speed guilt free.The Tesla Roadster is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) sports car produced by the electric car firm Tesla Motors in California. The Roadster was the first highway-capable all-electric vehicle in serial production available in the United States. According to the U.S. EPA, the Roadster can travel 244 miles (393 km) on a single charge[12] of its lithium-ion battery pack, and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) in 3.9 seconds. The Chassis is a Lotus Elise glider and Tesla's contract for 2,500 of them expired in September. A new Roadster is in the works for 2014, so in the meantime I will just have to mash around town in the funnest collector item on the street.------------------ SOLAR HOT WATER TANK

Hot water is such a luxury!!! Residential solar tanks allow you to take responsibility and enjoy the benefits of hot water at the same time. They also can be retrofitted to existing homes relatively easy. Rubber duckies and bubble bath not included.----- RESIDENTIAL WIND TURBINE

Modern alloy materials and compact design makes today's home wind turbines lighter in weight, quieter, and more energy efficient. Their initial cost is quickly recouped, and can help people diversify their homes energy and lessen its carbon footprint.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RESIDENTIAL HEAT PUMP

Ditto on everything I said about the wind turbine.----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SAIL BOAT

A few years ago I borrowed a sail boat to take out this woman I was trying to empress. A coworker of mine gave me a crash course in sailing and the use of his boat. The chick eventually dumped me but my passion for sailing has flourished. Racing across the water using the power of mother nature is the ultimate sustainable high.--------------------------------------------- SOLAR WATCH

These modern sun dials have been updated with technology that allows you look like your wearing a watch on your wrist, not a solar panel. Typically, sunlight and artificial light are absorbed by a solar panel behind the crystal. The dial is either on a layer above or actually on the solar panel. This solar panel converts the light into electrical energy to power the watch. The watch will usually store energy in a rechargeable cell to power itself during the night or when covered such as by a person's sleeve. No more batteries to fill landfills or twisting knobs too small for my fingers.

Faux Christmas Tree, Faux Christmas Tree ...

It's that time of year again when environmentalist around the country debate which is more Eco- friendly; Real or Fake Christmas Trees. Meanwhile, most of the rest of society dig in their storage for the fake fir of years gone by, or make the annual trek to the local nursery and pick from this years crop. There are statistical and emotional arguments on both sides of the debate which makes it very difficult for me to choose a side. Artificial trees have been gaining ground in American living rooms — 50 million fake trees vs. 30 million fresh ones, according to the two competing industry groups, the long-standing National Christmas Tree Association (which supports real trees) and the more recently formed American Christmas Tree Association (defends artificial trees).

Each side has important pros and cons that need to be considered. Creating local jobs in the nursery industry and having many qualities that offset climate change give supporters of real trees a strong argument, but health and safety concerns, plus pesticide contamination offsets real trees sustainable assets.

Fake trees encourage people to re-use products and recent technology has improved the looks and reliability of artificial trees, however, the materials associated with and the manufacturing of artificial trees are known environmental contaminants which sometime promote human and environmental exploitation. Personally and professionally I can identify with both sides of issue so I have decided to take a stand and tell everyone: DON'T BUY REAL OR FAKE! DON'T BUY A TREE AT ALL!!

Lets keep it real; Christmas trees are so 20th century. If most people knew how UN-Christ-like the history Christmas trees are and how Paegen it really is, Rush Limbaugh would say anyone displaying a tree was UN-American. A decorative tree can be recreated using the abundance of objects we already have at our disposal. People can't water and nurture the plants they already have in their homes, so it seems silly to cut down or manufacture a tree to use for 2-3 weeks a year. Create a Faux Christmas tree that reflects your own location and perspective. Instead of going out and buying a tree with the kids, help them gather items for a environmental lesson in self expression. Show off your inner sustainable Martha Stewart and create a tree or any holiday setting using items that reflect your commitment to combating climate change. Here are some pics of some cool tree alternatives

Tonight I'm Gonna Protest Like It's 1969

By the time I was born in December of 1970, my parent's were seasoned protester's on the front line of social change. They were young, black, urban, baby boomers who were raised during the American Civil Rights Movement. Black was Beautiful!, and members of The Nation of Islam and The Black Panthers were respected members of our community and close family friends. Hitting the streets and marching for justice was not only a civic duty, it was a badge of honor as far as my parents were concerned. When I was a teenager in the 80's, my mother often reminded me of my pampered existence, and how my generation was not contributing to the " Struggle" like they did. " I remember trying to run to the car from the tear gas" she used to say, " Your father had a Volkswagen Bug with a whole in the floor, so even when we made to the car, the gas would come up through the floor". When my dad would get arrested during protests, my mom would be his 'one' phone call, " Because his last name began with Y, he was always the last person to use the phone" she amusingly remembers, " sometimes he would have to wait for hours just to call for bail". My parent's activism and social conscience positively reinforced the notion of saying and taking a stand for what you believe in. 21st century economic inequality, a country in a war we don't understand, and political disdain is sparking social unrest in big cities around the country reminiscent of the late 1960's.

The phrase 'Don't trust anyone over 30' drew the line between sides in during the cultural wars of the late 1960's and early 1970's. On one side, the 'Counter Culture' were deemed young spoiled 'Hippies', that were either going to change the world through social equality and the power of love, or start the dawn of the Apocalypse. On the other side stood the ' Establishment', straight laced dinosaurs who were either committed to law and order or social repression. Age seemed to be the determining factor that determined which side you were on, and anyone who sympathized with ideas of the other side was deemed treason-is to their generation. Forty years and two generations later, We have seen the constrictive and restrictive establishment rules loosen up and include people it never acknowledged before. We have also seen hippies tune in, grow up, and sell out. The recent Occupy/99% Movement has stirred emotions and opened old wounds among the cultural masses. People are protesting and struggling over the same issues that confronted us in 1969. The environment, social progression, and cultural freedoms are still issues that people fight for, however, the main reason for social unrest today is the way wealth is distributed in America, and the rapidly shrinking middle class. Record Wall Street and corporate profits have harshly contrasted the worst main street recession since the Great depression of the 1930's, spawning many Americans of all ages, races, and genders to take to the streets and stand up for what they believe in. Baby Boomers fighting for Social Security and MedaCare are standing side by side with their middle aged, unemployed children, and grandchildren about to graduate from college with mountain of debt. The 99% Movement has bridged gaps between three generations in a way we haven't seen in modern history. The lines in the sand being drawn in today's culture war are rooted in federal and local political policies designed to reflect conservative agendas or liberal progressiveness. The looming 2012 presidential election and evaporating government budgets are starting to make politicians and big city officials look like the ghosts of establishment past.

Republican presidential nominees seem to be taking turns channeling the spirits of Ronald Reagan, George Wallace, and Richard Nixon. With the exceptions of Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman, the current republican contenders for president have collectively dismissed the 99% Movement as unproductive whiners who need a lesson in responsibility, and embraced the Tea Party with religious zeal. Newt Gingrich, Michelle Bachmann, Mitt Romney, and Herman Cain have turned the 2011 Republican Presidential debates into a political say-once, trying to contact iconic republican establishment figures from the great beyond. Former Speaker Gingrich has come the closest, telling protesters to "Take a bath and get a job". Local officials in big cities are also taking a tough stance with occupiers and 99%ers. Even mayors of historically liberal cities like Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, and NYC are starting to look like establishment heavy's and tools of the 1% in the eyes of some on the left. Police officers have met protesters with the usual tear gas, pepper spray, and paddy wagon round up that earn many a lefty their social stripes, and local government agencies around the country have systematically evicted occupiers of public and private spaces in the name of public health and safety. The harsh treatment of peaceful protesters is starting to garner support for them among many Americans frustrated with the system. Putting dirty hippies in their place is one thing, but tear gassing a bunch of old ladies fighting to keep their hard earned pension has sparked fear in the hearts of the working and middle class. The American dream of prosperity is way out of reach for many people, even when you get an education, work hard, and stay out of trouble. Our right to assemble freely is being challenged by our governments need for law. The Occupy/99% movement is starting to unnerve the powers that be on all sides of the debate. Corporations and conservative politicians want to silence or forceably remove protesters from the national stage. Many liberal leaders, most notably president Obama, are taking calculated steps to show support. Left leaning politicians are walking a fine line between pissing of their constituents, and pissing of their corporate sponsors. I get the feeling the 1% would like the 99% Movement to go away and be quiet, but the movement is to big and diverse to ignore. The only way to get rid of the 99% is to put them back to work, something our leaders are failing to do. The up side to all of this is my generation and the one after it is getting the long awaited protest cred our parents and grandparents got over forty years ago.

Overstuffed

Its the weekend after thanksgiving and the activities of the past couple of days may have you feeling a bit lethargic and stuffed. I'm not just talking about turkey and dressing in your belly , I'm talking about all the merchandise you purchased on Black Friday destined to stuff your storage area. The family holiday of bountiful feasts to celebrate the fall harvest is being kicked out by the corporate sponsored frenzy designed to celebrate retailers year end profits. During a time of 9% unemployment, record mortgage foreclosures, and a economy trying to keep its credit rating, advertisers have sacrificed Thanksgiving to give Americans more time to spend money we don't have. Being able to afford environmentally harmful, mass produced products in a globally unfair market is a problem in itself, but many Americans are starting to struggle with storing all of the useless treasures thy have accumulated over the years. The conspicuous consumptive shopping habits of Americans are starting to show in our bulging closets, garages, and rented storage units, and are putting the squeeze on our already tight pockets.

The term Black Friday was coined during the 1960's in Philadelphia by police officers and other public workers who dreaded shoppers crowding the streets the day after Thanksgiving, looking for bargains to kick off the holiday season. The term spread during the 70's and 80's but started to get real momentum during the 90's, and has since been deemed the " busiest shopping day of the year". Many retailers say they depend on the day to keep them profitable, or in the "Black", and can help them predict holiday shopping trends. It also is a day for consumers to get high priced items at bargain prices. For many years, retailers opened there doors at 6am Friday morning, then some started to open at 5am, then 4am, and in the late 2000's, retailers started to open at 12am, giving people the opportunity to shop all night long. In 2011, Walmart and Toys'R'Us pushed the envelope by opening their doors at 10pm Thanksgiving night. Targets employees and their families signed petitions and employed the media to urge the retailer to rethink it's decision to open so early, and allow workers to spend time with their families. Target replied by saying it was only responding to public demand, and that many employees requested to work the midnight shift. The demand that Target refers to seems to be massive in spite of protests inside and outside of the stores. The failing economy, and the Wall Street Occupation/99% movement hasn't put a damper on spending this holiday season with brisk sales and crowded stores filled with shoppers bringing out the worst in each other. Bloody grandma's fighting for Tickle Me Elmo's and innocent mothers being trampled to death by stampeding shoppers vying for the latest gaming system is the price we pay to keep our children spoiled. The popularity of Black Friday coincides with the booming self storage industry in America. Americans are spending billions of dollars a year to rent spaces to house the things we don't use but can't seem to part with.

The Self Storage industry is primarily an American phenomenon. In 2009, there were 58,000 storage facilities world wide and 46,000 were located in the U.S. There is more than 2.35 billion square feet of storage space in America, equivalent to three Manhattan Islands, and one in ten Americans rent a storage space of some kind. Sizes range from 10x5 foot(large walk in closet) to 20x20 foot(two car garage). The units traditionally have been located at the edges of cities or in industrial areas in warehouses or individual drive up structures. Recently however, storage facilities have been popping up in vacant office and retail spaces in the heart of cities due to demand and the loosening of zoning restrictions. The recent housing crisis has driven the demand for storage units, and people who once had houses to store years of clutter in have been forced to downsize and either get rid of things or put them into storage. Most of us at some point have had to sort through our own, or someone else's belongings and wonder what to do with the things we can't seem to part with. Some people end up forfeiting substantial square footage in there homes to make room for their stuff. Most people couldn't park their car in their garage if they had to because it is filled with items collecting dust. Closet's, attics, and even living spaces are crammed with boxes of gifts from birthdays and Christmas' long forgotten. We have bigger houses and more land than most countries on earth, yet we still need more room for our stuff. Unlike most rental units, storage units come with a catch. If you don't pay the rent, the owner of the unit doesn't chuck your stuff on the curb for you to collect, the owner gets to keep your stuff to auction off for the rent. Even though most of the items in storage units are considered junk, some house antiques or other items that can be sold for much more than the monthly rent of the unit. This has spawned an industry within a industry, and popular TV series like Auction Hunters and Storage Wars. With people running out of food and others running out of space, we still spent another Friday after Thanksgiving stuffing our lives full of merchandise we don't need, can't afford, and simply don't have room for. Americans need to go on a shopping diet and examine our gluttonous spending habits. We are becoming a nation of hoarders who collect massive amounts of useless stuff for no other reason than the false psychological sense of national security. Spending your way out of a recession or depression is not going to solve our problems, it only leaves us over stuffed.