I have no idea what it is but there is something that makes me really like Coke when I am in another country. I mean really like Coke. But if I think back over the past 5 years I think I may have had no more than three of them here in America. Does anyone else have that strange off shore Coke craving that I do? Or is it just me?

Anyhow I am so relieved that I was not in Ethiopia when this hit the fan…… Coke shortage? Are you for real?

Levi

I wouldn’t call PG&E progressive by any means, but look what they are going to start doing to change the landscape of the Solar Energy market in California.

The Hummer….

Its now been proven that people who drive Hummers get nearly 5 times as many tickets as the average driver…Ouch.

As if you needed another reason not to buy one.

Levi Benkert

It all had to start somewhere….

I somehow missed this article when it was in the Bee last week, but when I finally did read it I was rolling on the floor laughing. Blair Robertson is the new Bee food critic and is doing a very good job. Blair actually did a write up on LJ Urban several months back so I got a chance to meet him and he is a really neat guy. He told me all about his sourdough bread recipe and how he always has a starter on his kitchen counter for his next loaf. Anyway, you have to go over and read this article he published about Mortons Steak House. It’s incredible.

In fact I am going to repost it here just in case the link goes sour on the Bee site. (As they tend to to sometimes).

Levi

Lots of beef – for a bunch of lettuce
Morton’s fare is basic and good – but too big and way overpriced

Published: Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009 | Page 8
Overall: 1 1/2 stars
Service: 2 1/2 stars
Ambience: 2 stars
Food: 2 1/2 stars
Value: 1 star

Noteworthy: Of all the steaks, the Cajun ribeye is the most interesting. The wine list is massive. Morton’s still does a solid martini. I am about to show you how to have the “Morton’s experience” and save $200.

Go to the back wall of your local grocery store. Look over the steaks. Avoid the ones that appear to be an appropriate size for a healthy adult. Grab one that is excessively large – stupid large is ideal. You will pay $14. If you pay $16, you are showing off and probably getting gouged. Both of those things are also part of the Morton’s experience. Grab a bottle of Pellegrino sparkling water for $1.49. At Morton’s, the same vintage is $9. [Read more →]

A letter from the European Union environment commissioner, Stavros Dimas, to Barack Obama calls for America to lead the way in an effort to stop global warming. He makes a point to call out that our economy is in peril but efforts to fix that should not derail the larger challenge we face.

He makes it clear that the rest of the world is depending on us and that no one else will feel compelled to fix their issues if America who contributes 22% of the carbon into the atmosphere does not get its act in order.

If someone’s basement floods and they lose their job on the same day it is certainly an unlucky day. But they would not wait until they found a new job before pumping the basement and fixing the leak. If they did, then not only would they be unemployed, but they would also have a house that is starting to fall apart. Common sense says that the longer you leave a problem unsolved the harder it becomes to find a solution. I am quite sure that even Joe the Plumber would agree with this. Climate change is similar. We know there is a problem and it would be short-sighted foolishness to not address it immediately.

Its a tough call for sure but one that we need to heed. We will either be remembered as the generation who stepped up and changed the world or the one who heard and ignored the greatest warning in the history of mankind.

You can read the entire letter here.

I am proud to be waking up today to a new era in American life. I like many in my generation have not experienced what it meant to feel patriotic. I can remember all of the times in my life an inauguration has taken place and none of them were reason for more than a short recap at the end of the day on the news. But today I am proud of what we have accomplished and proud of moving forward to a new day. Not solely because of what we leave behind although I feel that Bush will only be remembered as the President who was in office when our country was attacked, but instead I am proud of our ability to choose someone to lead who admits our faults as a nation and is willing to take them on. Someone who is willing to humbly lead.

I searched around and found the text from the inaugural speech yesterday and am going to repost it here. Partly because I want you to read it and partly because I want to know that its somewhere I can come back and read it again. After you read it answer this question. Did you ever think you would see this in your lifetime?

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. [Read more →]

Its a problem I am sure fewer and fewer people have this year than they did a few years ago. Which puts a new perspective on things that makes it all that much more preposterous when you see what people decided to do when they thought the money would not stop flowing. But what this guy decided to do was simply off the charts. He literally built himself a full scale replica of the white house in Atlanta. Complete with floor mats that have the seal of the president of the united states on them and a real oval office.

Now I know that he must have been making so much money that he thought he was indestructible at the time but is it really any surprise that he is now having to sell the home to pay off debts? I mean was there any shred of business savvy in a man who thought it was a good idea to build a white house in Atlanta?

You can read the original article in the NY times here.

First I have to say that the title of this post is a joke. There is no doubt that green makes sense from every angle but this writer seems to be all over the map when it comes to making up his mind as to what advantage you get from going green.

I say build it green because in 5 years everyone will be and you will be ahead of the game. Stop looking at the market statistics so closely and start doing whats right all the time.

Here is the article.

I keep hearing how everyone is so excited about the new Times Square ball and how its oh so much more efficient than the one they used last year. Does anyone get that this thing is only going to be lit for a short and that somewhere in the region of 1,000,000 people are going to be traveling to see the thing? I am puzzled how the energy saved on that ball matters at all when its a part of such a wasteful event. Not that I would never go but I just don’t get why that matters at all.

PHILIPS LIGHTING provided the new solid state lighting technology for the Ball, resulting in an astounding increase in impact, energy efficiency, and color capabilities. Capable of creating a palette of more than 16 million colors and billions of possible patterns, the 32,256 Philips Luxeon LEDs in this year’s Ball represent more than three times the number of LEDS used last year, to deliver a brighter and more beautiful New Year’s experience than ever before. And this year’s Ball is 10-20% more energy efficient than last year’s already energy-efficient Ball, consuming only the same amount of energy per hour as it would take to operate two traditional home ovens.

Whooo Hoo?!?  Did you hear that two home ovens! Amazing.

Levi Benkert