Take a survey about public transportation

Care about, use or despise public transportation in the Bay Area? Do you commute by bike? Take a survey & help out one of my classmates get some data for his business plan...HERE

PSA: Recognizing a Stroke

Public Service Announcement time, friends.

A (33 year old!) classmate of mine recently suffered a stroke, or a series of small strokes. He's recovering at home now, but the extent of damage is yet to be determined.

One of the ways to minimize the effects of a stroke is through quick medical attention - and regular folks like you and me can help...
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RECOGNIZING A STROKE

S *Ask the individual to SMILE.

T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(i.e. It is sunny out today). Ask the person to 'stick' out his TONGUE. If the tongue is 'crooked' - if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.

R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

Please sir, can I have s'more?

Went camping this weekend at Lake San Antonio - the location of the Wildlflower Triathlon. Good times and I'm happy that I trained on the course - I'll be doing the Olympic tri on Sunday, May 4th. I did WF in 2005 and 2006 so I knew that it was a hilly course, but actually being out there was totally worthwhile. I feel more confident about the event, though I'm still having an internal struggle about really, really, really wanting to finish faster than I did in 2006.

Internal brawling aside, I got to hang out with friends, get to know folks in the SF Tri Club a little better and enjoy a weekend away from the city.

However, that was the last (and I'm pretty sure only) time I will camp and entirely skip out on s'mores. Seriously. Especially because there was dark chocolate available, regular AND cinnamon graham crackers and plenty of marshmellows. Silly, silly me. Friends, do not make this mistake yourself. I may find myself roasting marshmellows over my gas oven sometime this week.

Now, about that fire extinguisher that's been on my list of things to buy...

Goods4Girls

Know how to sew and looking for a simple project? Check out this site that my friend SM sent me...
http://www.goods4girls.org/



Here's the DL from the Goods4Girls site:
In many areas of the world, access to adequate menstrual supplies is difficult to come by. Many women and girls rely on rags, newspaper, camel skin or nothing at all for their menstrual needs. A lack of sanitary pads can be a big barrier to a girl's education.

It may seem difficult to comprehend for many women who have easy access to a varied source of supplies, but we can all appreciate how difficult life would be without them. Imagine trying to go to school or work without protection. For many, it brings life to a halt.

Providing disposable supplies creates an additional burden on some communities where solid waste disposal consists of burning the garbage. Since many disposable feminine hygiene products contain plastic, incineration potentially creates an environmental and health hazard.

Goods 4 Girls was started to seek out donors to sew or purchase new, reusable menstrual pads for donations to areas of Africa where these products are needed most. Providing reusable supplies not only provides a more environmentally friendly alternative for these young women (in areas of adequate water supply for washing), it reduces their dependence on outside aid organizations to continue providing for their monthly needs.

Turn off the lights. And I'll glow.

Earth Hour 2008... Turn off your lights from 8-9pm today!

How to participate:

1) Sign up for Earth Hour by visiting http://www10.earthhourus.org/

2) Spread the word

3) Turn off your lights Saturday, March 29 from 8-9PM.

Marathon -> 10/19/08!

The Nike Women's Marathon and Half Marathon registration this year was handled via lottery. Since it began four years ago, it has gotten so popular that it would fill up the day that the sign-ups were available. I did the half marathon in 2005 and had a great time (too bad my finisher's medal Tiffany necklace got lost in Tahoe...). Some friends (LM, PB, AM) were doing the lottery and I joined them.

Except I didn't sign up for the half.

I signed up for the full.

2008 is turning into a good year, peeps. I graduate, enter a new industry with some fabulous-yet-to-be-determined job, am 30 years old and I'll be (finally) running a marathon.

WeCanSolveIt.org

Global warming is a problem of unprecedented magnitude and that's why we've launched the largest mobilization campaign ever. Actions by individuals like you will be the driving force behind this campaign and our ultimate victory. We're going to succeed, but I need your help today.

More than 825,000 people have already joined us, but if leaders in business and government are going to make stopping climate change a priority, we need you to urge your friends to get involved today:

http://wecansolveit.org/inviteyourfriends

We need to grow to 1,000,000 members by April so we can send a loud message that we want action now. That is why I need you to forward the email below to all of your friends right now and ask them to add their voices.

Climate change is an urgent issue that requires immediate solutions. That's why I've joined with Al Gore and others across the country and around the world who want to halt global warming.

We're on the verge of being over one million strong and I'm asking you to join us. Please click here today to become part of the solutions to global warming:

http://wecansolveit.org/onemillion

If leaders in business and government are going to make stopping climate change a priority, we need to send a loud message that we want action now. That's why I'm asking you to get involved today:

http://wecansolveit.org/onemillion

Together, we can stop global warming.


Thank you,

Al Gore

I am an Aries.

Happy spring equinox!

The first day of spring is also the beginning of Aries. We're a fiery bunch. You love us anyway. I definitely have some of the traits of a typical Aries, but I know many non-Arians who could also fit the bill (and, of course, Aries who are decidedly non-Arian).

No, I don't really follow astrology. But I do think that we can gain strength from different pieces of any religion or spiritual path. And sometimes, it's just fun.

Traits of Arians...

Adventurous and energetic
Pioneering and courageous
Enthusiastic and confident
Dynamic and quick-witted

On the dark side...

Selfish and quick-tempered
Impulsive and impatient
Foolhardy and daredevil

ARIES TIDBITS

Health
Each sign has a part of the anatomy attached to it, making this the area of the body that is most sensitive to stimulation. The anatomical areas for Aries are the head, face, brain, and upper teeth.

Ruling Planet
The ruling planet for Aries is Mars. This powerful planet rules ambition, force, power, competition, animal nature, desire, sexual energies, war, tools, violence, and courage.

Color
The color of choice for Aries is red.

Lucky Numbers
Aries' lucky numbers are 1 and 9.

Compatibility
Aries natives are most compatible with fellow Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius individuals.

Opposite Sign
The opposite sign of Aries is Libra.

The Perfect Gift
A sporty car, metal jewelry, a nice steak, high-tech gadgets

Likes
Comfortable clothes, taking the lead, physical challenges, individual sports

Dislikes
Inactivity, delays, work that doesn't use one's talents

Famous Aries
Russell Crowe, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Mariah Carey

Best travel destinations
England, France, Italy (especially Naples and Florence)

Strengths
Courage, determination, self-confidence, enthusiasm

Weaknesses
Impatience, silly arguments, allowing fear to limit choices

Charismatic marks
Athletic body, youthful attitude, a need to take the lead

Best environment
Any situation that requires action, courage in the face of fear, competition, and freedom of choice. Aries individuals are better outside being active than staying close to home.

Two-Wheeled Wonder

Some bike luv for you this morning... short essay called "Two Wheeled Wonder" about bikes and biking from the Sierra Club here

My two favorite points:

• A human on a bicycle is more efficient (in calories expended per pound and per mile) than a train, truck, airplane, boat, automobile, motorcycle, skateboard, canoe, or jet pack. Cycling is more efficient than walking, which takes three times as many calories per mile. Pound for pound, a person riding a bike can go farther on a calorie of food than a gazelle can running, a salmon swimming, or an eagle flying.
• British author H. G. Wells summed up cycling's promise best more than a half century ago: "When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race."

You can also take a quiz on biking: How Green is My Bike Ride?
The quiz was tricky for me because I commute and road ride. With questions like "My favorite cycling outfits are..." I could easily answer "Whatever I happened to be wearing that day." about commuting and then, of course, "Made from aerodynamic miracle fibers." for road biking.

For bike commuting, my score ->
American Flyer (80-100 points): Your score: 92. You're truly using your bicycle to save the planet. Keep pedaling!

For road biking, my score ->
Three-Speed (60-79 points): Your score: 73. You're on the right track, but maybe your wheels are just a little wobbly. Perhaps a tune-up's in order.

Trash talk - new shoes from Nike

Not a bad looking basketball shoe, eh? Looks even BETTER when you find out that it was made out of trash (mostly manufacturing waste). While the R&D for this shoe was probably fairly expensive, the on-going manufacturing costs should be fairly cheap. Sure, they have to do some more stitching and materials sorting - but they don't have to actually BUY much in the way of raw materials. Let's hope this becomes a trend at Nike and for other shoe makers.

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Steve Nash, the All-Star Guard for the Phoenix Suns, and Nike have teamed up to create the Nike Trash Talk, the first Nike performance basketball sneaker completely produced from manufacturing waste. Nash, who debuted the shoe last night in the Phoenix versus Dallas Mavericks game, appears to be quite a greenie himself: "Any opportunity to promote the environment and preserve our planet is a step in the right direction," he said in a press release.

Modeled after Nash's current shoe, the Nike Zoom BB II Low, the Trash Talk meets Nike's Considered design standards for sustainability, which we've discussed at length about, in the following ways:

1. The upper is pieced together from leather and synthetic leather waste from the factory floor using zig-zag stitching.

2. The mid-sole uses scrap-ground foam from factory production.

3. The outsole uses environmentally-preferred rubber that reduces toxics and incorporates Nike Grind material from footwear-outsole manufacturing waste.

4. The Phoenix Suns' colorways will have shoe laces and sockliners that use "environmentally preferred" (we're not clear what that means) materials, and will be packaged in a fully recycled cardboard shoe box.

No word, alas, on worker renumeration and conditions, a sore subject that Nike has been nursing ever since the New York Times published a series of articles in 1996 and 1997 that reported "grim conditions" and widespread human-rights abuses in Nike factories.

A limited number of the Trash Talk will be made available in three different colorways: Two Phoenix Suns colorways (home and away), plus one colorway for Nash to wear this week for the All-Star Game. You can get the All-Star colorway this week at the House of Hoops by Foot Locker in New York City and New Orleans for a suggested retail price of $100.

For Phoenix Suns fans, the team's colorways will launch on April 22 at the House of Hoops. ::Nike

Link to original article on Treehuggger.