Like babies, obesity often starts in the backseat of a car

Interesting article on the lesser-discussed of the two major health scourges we have a lot of here: teen pregnancy and obesity.

People are always willing to gas endlessly about teen pregnancy, but obesity doesn't get as much attention. What's worth noting is that Salem and Marion County, two governments that really get hammered by high public obesity rates (through health care costs), do so much to promote obesity. They do this by relentlessly promoting auto culture.

(As just one example of our structural obsession with promoting cars, note that, by law, you have to build a room for a car into every house built in Salem, and you have to pour a driveway, even if you have no intention of ever having a car. Oddly, there's no such law that requires a homebuilder to provide sensible solar orientation or to take advantage of the free energy that shines down on the home, or to reserve suitable space for a vegetable garden. Why is that?)

It should be noted that obesity isn't entirely new. There have always been some genetically predisposed people, people whose bodies make them obese on very little food. This, however, is a very small fraction of us.

What is new, mainly since WWII, is the culture of obesity, which is exactly the same as the culture of the automobile.

Governments have decided that the central organizing principle of society is and should be providing automobility for all those who can afford it--or who are willing to try to afford it, while doing without decent housing, health care, and eduction.

Like babies so often do, for most people, obesity starts in the backseat of cars. The vast majority of us who are obese (and I include myself since I oscillate between 40 and 50 pounds over the top of my recommended weight) are that way because we live sedentary lives that involve lots of travel in cars.

And a big part of why we live sedentary lives is that our city and county planners and elected officials think that the only time we deserve consideration is when we're in a car.

In the mind of planners, when we're on foot or a bike, we're an "alternative" to God's proper mode of transport, the car. If you cut across the city and county government departments (police, public works, community development, etc.), you'd find that the care, feeding, monitoring, and storage of cars is the prime obsession of government today, and that it permeates every department.

In the name of encouraging "growth" we do indeed encourage growth--both the sprawl that helps make the city almost entirely unusable by those not in a motorized wheelchair called a car and the sprawl around our waists.

Most telling is that Salem just defeated a levy to allow the bus system to keep operating in its limited way on Saturdays, while passing a much more expensive bond to pour even more money into streets and sprawl.

Support Oregon Food Bank - with just a click!

Erstwhile Portland blogger Jack Bogdanski runs a "buck a hit" day for charity every year where he donates $1 for each unique visitor to hit hit blog that day. This year it's gotten a whole lot better:

This year, a benefactor of this blog who is both prosperous and generous has offered to take us back to our high-rollin' roots. He'll give $1 to the Oregon Food Bank for every hit on this blog next Wednesday, up to $5,000! And so rather than quit counting the hits at 1,000, this year we'll keep going to five times that number, with a new dollar going to the food bank for every unique visit. (We use SiteMeter for the "official" count.)

This wonderful new development means that we'll need lots of extra visits beyond the number from a typical day on this blog. Assuming that we're not showing photos of Sarah Palin's torso, our readership on a typical weekday usually comes in at around 3,000 unique visits, and so the laws of inertia aren't going to get us to 5,000 without some serious help from strangers. We're back to the olden days, where having new folks show up all day really will make a difference. Please help us get out the word and get readers in here that day -- next Wednesday, December 17.

So this is your opportunity to do a lot of good with a little bit of effort -- make sure to click over to bojack.org next Weds!

Even though he's Portland, the Oregon Food Bank helps all over, including here in Marion County, where we have a lot of people living on the very margins and who are going to need a lot of help in the months to come.

Great post on "How Things Changed"

(click graph to enlarge)


Ryan Avent has an insightful post at Gristmill that every city, county, and state official in Oregon (and the US) ought to read and heed:

There's a remarkable graph that has starred in blog posts and news stories with some regularity over the past year. It shows vehicle miles traveled in America over the last quarter century or so. For most of the period, the line rockets upward, straight and true, preparing to blast off the page. But then the strangest thing happens. In 2004, it starts to level off. And in 2008, it begins to decline.

The tale behind that line grows in significance by the day. That rocket-ride upward corresponds fairly directly to the economic story that has culminated in the current crisis. Americans moved outward from cities in droves in the 1980s and 1990s, buoyed by cheap oil prices. Commute times soared as metropolitan areas stretched into the distant exurbs, many of which now lay devastated by housing defaults and foreclosures. As demand for oil increased, so too did prices, which led to a stream of money flowing into the Persian Gulf. Gulf nations recycled it back to us by buying American debt, thereby facilitating the massive borrowing that fueled the housing bubble.

In the end, high oil prices also helped to pop that bubble. The squeeze expensive gas placed on household budgets helped push marginal homeowners over the edge, fueling the credit conflagration, before finally exhausting the American consumer and tipping us into recession. And an epic recession it will be -- large enough to sink oil prices and the international financial system that sustained American debt-supported consumption.

Read the rest there.

No Harm, No Fowl

Story about Lawrence, Kansas, and the struggle to get zoning codes updated to recognize the value of small fowl as part of an integrated pest-management and food security strategy for the 21st Century.

The old saying in sports is "no harm, no foul." We're stuck with being harmed by Salem's antiquated zoning code that doesn't allow small fowl in residential zones.

Fantastic News - Radio Free Salem (KMUZ)!

Don't know how this slipped past without notice, but Salem's "Radio Free Salem" project has announced that it will get its Low-Power FM license and be able to broadcast community radio in Salem as radio station KMUZ!

The Oregon Cultural Trust has an inquiry about whether gifts to KMUZ will qualify for the OCT tax credit deal (see prior post) -- they certainly should!

Cultural Trust -- a very tasty free lunch

You can support the same arts and culture groups in Salem that you've been supporting but, if you kick in a matching amount to the Oregon Cultural Trust, you can also get the state to give you the money you gave to the Cultural Trust right back in the form of a full tax credit (i.e., it comes off your taxes, it's not just a deduction against income).

That's up to $500 per person, $1000 for a couple, and it doesn't matter if you itemize your federal return or not.

Of course, let's say you and your spouse give $1000 to your favorite arts group--say, The Historic Elsinore Theatre (which would be an excellent choice, by the way) or the Salem Public Library Foundation (another excellent choice). Then you give another $1000 to the Oregon Cultural Trust.

Come tax time, assuming you are itemizing your federal tax return and pay in the 25% bracket, you reduce your federal tax liability by $500 (25% x $2000). THEN, on your Oregon return, you get the full $1000 you gave to the Oregon Cultural Trust back, because it reduces your Oregon tax liability dollar-for-dollar. Thus, for only $500, you managed to direct $2000 worth of benefits to yourself and your community, including supporting your favorite Salem groups.

(Note that the Oregon Garden Foundation is one of the qualifying organizations, so if you want to support that brilliant, innovative place, you can do so as well.)

Holiday Breakfast on Bikes - Dec 12

Tireless bicyclist Eric L sends another newsy update on Salem's bike scene:

Last night Salem City Council held a work session to discuss the proposed bridge connecting Riverfront Park and Minto Island. OBEC Engineers and Todd Klocke with Urban Development gave a presentation on cost estimates, schedule, and four design concepts. Mayor Taylor joked, "When can we start?" Because of environmental mitigation and navigability issues, the project is not simple, but it appears there is significant city support! For more information, including slides of the four design concepts see the city's site - http://www.cityofsalem.net/Departments/UrbanDevelopment/DepartmentProjects/Pages/MintoIslandBridge.aspx

Breakfast on Bikes - Friday, December 12

West Salem commuters! We'll be under the Center Street Bridge, next to the AC Gilbert House from 7am to 9am. We'll have hot coffee and snacky things to fortify you against the cold! Thanks to Cascade Baking Company, Coffee House Cafe, LifeSource Natural Foods, the Salem Bicycle Club, and Willamette University for support! For more see -

http://breakfastonbikes.blogspot.com/2008/11/holiday-schedule-friday-dec-12.html

Keizer Christmas Lights Ride - Wednesday, December 17

The Salem Bicycle Club's annual Christmas Lights Ride. The ride starts at the BiMart in Keizer at 6:30pm.. Decorated bikes are encouraged, but not required. Bring a can of food or other donation for the Marion-Polk Foodbank. There will be a stop for Hot Chocolate!

For more see - http://www.salembicycleclub.org/content.plx?page=rides

Ho Ho Holidays Ride - Thursday, January 1 Start the New Year with the Salem Bicycle Club's New Years Ride. The ride starts from the Red Lot downtown at 10am. See -

http://www.salembicycleclub.org/content.plx?page=rides

Breakfast on Bikes - Friday, January 30 We'll be on the Capitol steps for a special "legislative session" of Breakfast on Bikes!

Union Street Railroad Bridge Opening - Saturday, February 21 (tentative date) Save the date! Join Friends of Two Bridges in celebrating the grand opening of the Union Street Railroad Bridge. (Date to be confirmed; time and exact place TBD.) For more see - http://www.cityofsalem.net/Departments/UrbanDevelopment/DepartmentProjects/UnionStreetRailroadBridge/Pages/default.aspx

At the Vision 2020 Bike/Ped Group earlier this month, Julie Warncke with the City announced they would be completing the pre-application for two Transportation and Growth Management Grants, one focused on downtown circulation for non-auto traffic, the other for a comprehensive update to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Elements in Salem's Transportation System Plan. The Bicycle Element needs to be updated, and this is terrific news! The 2009-11 grant cycle has a special focus on climate change, and improving bicycle traffic in the city will relieve congestion and reduce greenhouse gases. For more see - http://www.oregon.gov/LCD/TGM/grants.shtml

For the TSP see -

http://www.cityofsalem.net/Departments/PublicWorks/TransportationServices/TransporationPlan/Pages/default.aspx

This summer 21 volunteers helped out with Salem's first bicycle count. A big thank you to you all! It will provide a solid baseline with which to evaluate Salem bicycling progress each year. Here's a report with a map of the sites -http://breakfastonbikes.blogspot.com/2008/12/summer-2008-bike-counts.html

Remember the Salem Happy Riders for Friday bikey socializing! See the

google group at -http://groups.google.com/group/salem-happy-riders?hl=en

Finally, a big ol' tip-of-the-cap to 18 year old Salemite Alex Kohan. Early in October, Alex completed the Furnace Creek 508, a 508 milerace through Death Valley, featuring 35,000 feet of elevation gain.

Here's his account of the race - http://www.ohpv.org/albums/alex508-2008/index.htm It's an amazing

accomplishment, a terrific account, and pretty much just leaves me gasping in admiration. Congratulations Alex!

Supporting existing transit: instant economic stimulus

http://is.gd/aTw7

This is a good post as it offers two ways to immediately put money in
the hands of people who will immediately spend it buying things that
create actual value (reduced energy use) while reducing environmental
harm.

Salem's Cherriots, for example, is undergoing a round of budget cuts,
even as demand for its transit service skyrockets. We don't need
years to plan and design investment there; we could invest money
profitably in days by rehiring drivers and mechanics about to be laid
off and by restoring routes and weekend service.

A bill and a tax we should happily pay

Of all the foolishness that we fall prey to, failing to really appreciate -- that is, to truly understand, as well as be thankful for -- the many blessings we enjoy here in Salem is among the worst.

Chief among those unappreciated blessings taken for granted is clean water. Water that doesn't make us sick. Something that, as it turns out, doesn't just magically appear, but requires constant vigilance and disciplined management.

By coincidence, just as I read this story about a small proposed increase in Salem's water and sewer rates (and the many complaints about it), I finished a fascinating book called The Big Necessity: The unmentionable world of human waste and why it matters. Highly recommended. Every person who eats and drinks should read this book.

As the author, Rose George, states in her introduction, sanitation -- keeping poop out of the drinking water -- has done far more to improve human health and social wealth and happiness than all the money spent on health care and all doctors, nurses, and pharmacists combined.

Sadly, we live in a city filled with people who, like most Americans, are happy to throw millions of dollars at useless upgrades to an airport without airlines, big TVs, and acres of "free" parking, but then grumble about a few bucks more a month to upgrade our sewer facilities. In a city where the City Council is eager to blow hundreds of millions of dollars on a third Willamette River bridge, we should be grateful that they recognized the value of good sanitation.

UPDATE: There's a good source of revenue for paying for water/sewer systems that we're overlooking: bottled beverages sold in stores and drinks sold in shops and restaurants.

We should use a small beverage tax devoted entirely to upgrading and maintaining local water and sewer systems. which should be levied on wholesalers of all bottled/canned drinks and on people selling drinks (restaurants, bars, theatre snack bars, coffee shops, etc.).

By getting a tiny fee for each drink sold in Salem --- or, even better, anywhere in Marion County --- we could raise very significant revenue at little or no admin/collection cost and would help account for the fact that a lot of what our sewers handle doesn't start out as tapwater, which was the case many years ago when we tied sewer rates to household/business water use.

Marvelous home gardening site

Rainy-Side Gardeners. Here's a nice example of why this is such a great site*:

Complete Organic Fertilizer

Steve Solomon developed a fertilizer mixture specifically for our maritime climate. It is best to buy each ingredient in bulk, as it is cheaper over time than buying small boxes of fertilizer. Store in metal galvanized garbage cans and keep moisture out.

Four parts seed meal (cottonseed or canola meal is usually readily available here in the Northwest.)

½ part lime in equal amounts of agricultural lime and dolomite. Leave out the lime for acid loving plants such as rhododendrons.

½ part phosphate rock or bone meal (for vegetarians phosphate rock would be the obvious choice).

½ part kelp meal.

You won't need to be precise when measuring this out. The seed meal and lime are the most important ingredients, and as you build your supply of fertilizer, you can add the latter ingredients as you can afford them. You can mix them all at once or store them separately and mix what you need as you use them.

For many of the plants listed in the Plant and Gallery Guide, I recommend using this formula.

Recommended Reading:

I highly recommend the book Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades. The author, Steve Solomon, developed the complete organic fertilizer recipe. Even if you garden strictly with ornamentals, this book will help you understand our climate, cold spring soils, and what our plants need for year round health. Solomon goes into detail about our soil structure as well as the need to fertilize specifically for our unique situation. A must read, in my opinion, for gardeners in the maritime Pacific Northwest.

Book Description: Here's a fully revised edition of this regional bestseller- considered to be the definitive food gardening manual for the Pacific Northwest. This is the bible of vegetable gardening for anyone turning the soil west of the Cascade Mountains-from Western British Columbia to Northern California. It includes the basics of soil, when best to plant, the art of composting, what varieties grow well here, which seed companies are reliable, information on handling pests, and an extensive section on the cultivation of each vegetable.

* (*Except for plugging Amazon.com (plug deleted from this repost -- support your local bookseller or if you must buy online, shop Powells.com where shipping is free for orders over $50.)