Yesterday was sunny. I went to Washington Square Park. I had been scheduled to meet a friend in the park before the problem with my roof arose so combined activities. We spoke about an hour. I think he enjoyed seeing everyone approach and hearing their questions and my answers. Right off the bat several people asked me about it. Some were interested, some just curious, some weird. So far only[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Elliot, by Russel Kirk: I learned of this book from the Conservatism 101 course I wrote about in last week’s selective media post. I read the book partly to learn, partly to see what of conservative values, history, and philosophy might resonate with sustainability. It turns out plenty. I read some online but mostly listened to twenty hours of its[…] Keep reading →

I last flew March 23, 2016. If I calculated right, today begins Year 9 of not flying. I expected that first year to be the worst of my life. Now I see flying as tearing families, communities, and nations apart. Everyone thinks of flying as bringing them to distant family members. What scattered the family in the first place? You didn’t bike away from your family. Likewise with feeling nature[…] Keep reading →

On my second day suddenly without roof access, I went out in the morning to the bench, came back in to go to the bathroom and eat lunch, then changed strategies from before. First, I ran into my building’s handyman, who mentioned he knew a few superintendents on the block, so he may be able to put me in touch with people who can give me access to nearby roofs.[…] Keep reading →

My building is doing construction so I don’t have roof access. Do I give up? Hell no! That’s what everyone else is doing and it’s making them miserable. And killing people (and wildlife). I have to figure out something longer term, maybe getting certified to go into a construction site (I’ve been trained and certified for things like it before, when my first company, Submedia, constructed our displays in subway[…] Keep reading →

It’s tempting to point out flaws of people like Thomas Jefferson, who spoke eloquently about freedom but didn’t practice it in his own life as a slaveholder and racist, to discredit them. George Washington only freed his slaves in his will, not while he lived. Gandhi did odd things regarding his chastity, like sleeping naked with young girls. Mother Teresa let helpless people suffer she could have helped and called[…] Keep reading →

Since recording this conversation, I’ve mentioned to a lot of people, “you wouldn’t believe the situation with dyes and poisons in our clothes.” The most common response has been something like, “Oh yeah, I’ve heard. It’s terrible.” Then I share some of what Alden shares in this conversation and they say, “Wow, I didn’t realize it was that serious,” and become very interested to learn more. Our clothing touches us[…] Keep reading →