No! Recycling Can't be Garbage!!!

So I just read my first article that was against recycling and my world has been turned topsy turvy. That's right. Up until now I had only looked to recycling from an environmentalist perspective and I LOVED IT. But now...I'm viewing it as an economist. AH!!!

This is the article, Recycling is Garbage by John Tierney.

While I would encourage you to read it yourself (took me about 30 min) I have included four highlights:

Quote one: "Every week," Dittersdorf said, "75,000 trees are cut to make the Sunday New York Times." The children were appalled. A few glanced reproachfully at me sitting in the back of the
room. I didn't try to justify my -- or your -- role in this weekly tree-slaying, garbage-
generating, earth-defiling ritual.The children were in no mood for heresy.

This is when the NYT journalist was giving an example from when he observed a classroom's 'Three R's" example lesson. I thought the way he portrayed the children's resentment hilarious! To think, a journalist getting beat up by 30 little third graders. hehe...


Quote Two: Chaz Miller, a contributing editor for Recycling Times, a trade newspaper. "There's been a messianic zeal that's hurt the cause. The American public loves recycling, but we have to
do it efficiently. It should be a business, not a religion."

This is also how I kinda used to look at it, with the zeal only an environmentalist could have. But now they are applying to my allegedly more rational economist side!? So what is my opinion on the matter? I think I'll take to heart the idea that recycling is necessary, but it has to be done efficiently. In the article it states that on a local government level, there are many systems of recycling that work at an economically efficient level. But what makes or breaks a system is the fact that each one is adapted to the municipality that it is in. New York's system of recycling needs to be inherently different from Paris, North Dakota. We can't just have one solve-all-problems system across the board (or in this case the federal government...) and that's why we have state governments. We've got to use them!

Quote Three: When consumers follow their preferences, they are guided by the simplest, and often the best, measure of a product's environmental impact: its price.

Ah, the true words of an economist. Tierney is actually quoting one right here! So yeah, they introduce the idea that people should have to pay for the disposal of their own trash and I thought to myself...yeah...that could work. I've seen pictures of pre-government trash collecting and they look pretty raunchy...but now that people have had a taste for clean streets maybe it'll work.

Quote Four: Many environmentalists trust government regulations more than market forces.

Ew. I hate government regulations. They are useful, yes, but often inefficient. I LOVE market forces! Enough said, my economist side won out on this side. But as always, one should never rule out the other option when making policies cause then you might miss the best course of action...

So I hope this was thought provoking. It was for me. I never thought recycling could be bad...and though I don't go into the detail the article does...I find I still want the good feeling I get when I put an empty gallon of milk into my homes yellow recycling bin that now costs more than I thought it did. Lucky for me recycling is inelastic :D

FW: Health Care

This was sent to me...and I think it prooves a point...though I won't be sending it to anyone else. enjoy~! -Strawboat Subject: Health Care   Even if you don't want to "add your name" to the list, at least check the list out before deleting....   I usually don't pass along these "add  your name" lists that appear in my email, but this one is too important. This one has been circulating for months & months. Please, keep it going! To show your SUPPORT for Obama's health care  reform, please go the end of the list and add your name to the  rapidly growing list below and send it on to your entire email list. 1.     Nancy  Pelosi 2.        __._,_.___     No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.425 / Virus Database: 270.14.55/2489 - Release Date: 11/08/09 07:37:00

Only the Best Month Ever!

I have to say that this November is going to be a blast.

Why you might ask? Oh, the reasons are endless, to be sure. However, I do have two particular reasons why.

1) Movember

That's right gentlemen. Take this opportunity to grow a mustache. We all know that if it's for a cause, then it's acceptable! Don't listen to the other guys you know who say it's nasty! Don't listen to the sissy girls who say it's disgusting! Just do it!

2)NaNoWriMo!

That's right literary buffs everywhere! Take this month to set aside all serious thought to you writing and write til your fingers bleed! Or til you hit 50,000 words, whatever comes first. But the whole point is to write a 175 page novel! I've never done it before...

So, that's two reasons why this November is going to be amazing! Since I can't really participate in the first, I think I'm going to have to be avid about the second one. :D

The Killers

As promised, I drew the Killers this past conference weekend. However, I have forgotten to write about them! I was kinda caught up in getting them framed. I was very excited to have them in a panoramic scene...unfortunately the bookstore does not have that capability. So I had to split the pictures into 4 solo motifs. Do enjoy~!
Brandon Flowers! He came out the best! Though I'm upset at this fact, as I'll explain later, I'm also pleasantly content with it. Head singer extraordinaire and he's got style! Whoot for those cool ties he wears!

Mark Stoermer! He's the bassist. He always is really cool and informative in interviews. But he also came out the weirdest...I think at least. But my friend said he looks like a bassist so I must have done some good in this picture of him! :D
Ronnie Vannucci! He's my favorite band member! I worked on him first so that he would come out the best but Brandon diiiiiiiiiiiiiiid D: At least I got some of his 'tude in the photo. I have a secret obsession with drummers...no, not really. It's just that out of my two favorite bands (The Beatles and The Killers) I like him the most and Ringo Starr. So yeah. Ronnie!
Dave Keuning! He also came out re-he-heally good. His hair was fun to draw :D

Some exciting news! It was suggested to me by the boss of the framing guy that I sell prints of these. It's the first time my artwork has been wanted for monetary gains! Unless you count me bribing others in the 4th grade...but I don't. Anyways, I'm looking into it, but I have neither the time nor money to pursue it. So instead I will continue to simply entertain myself. :D Yay the Killers!

Dear Boy in my Religion Class who Sits in front of me,

I have decided that you read my blog. For no other reason comes to mind than this when I put the following situation to thought.

I was sitting doing sudoku before my religion class started and I heard the word "Barney". My ears perked up. He was talking to the girl sitting next to him about how his roommate had left pandora open on his laptop. He then proceeded to make a Barney and friends station on it.

I was dumbfounded.

How could ANYONE but me have this idea?!?!?

Therefore I have decided, boy, that you read my blog. Thank you for considering it worth reading.

-Strawboat

Places to go, Things to see

I don't do bucket lists. But I do make lists of places I'mma go someday! :D

Library of Congress

Zion's National Park

The Eiffel Tower

Tokyo

Trujillo, Peru

Alaska

Australia, Sydney

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand Moscow :D

Opening Pandora's Station

For any of you out there who have a pandora account, you NEED to have this station.

I have made it my personal goal in life to make sure that every account I come upon on Pandora except my own have it.

What do I mean by this, you might ask?

Well, if you haven't noticed, when you close the tab/window/whatever from your pandora account without actually signing out, you will still be logged in the next time you go to the website from that computer.

You'd be surprised just how many people actually don't know this/forget to log out! So just know...don't be surprised if some random stations show up on your pandora every once in awhile... :D