New Mexico Magazine photo contest

Nice video slide show of 8th annual New Mexico Magazine photo contest.
Nice music by Sol y Luna, perhaps next year Santa Fe's own platinum recording artist Ottmar Liebert could provide the background music.

Tiny House in my future?

Found this website via this Tibetan Buddhist site, that asks the 3 year retreat participants to build their own bungalows. I am not going on retreat I was just looking to see what type of Buddhist presence was in the Tucson area. Lots of information on Tiny Houses including a blog. Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. My favorite would be in style of the Z-glass house. Which by the way looks similar to the one from this post back in 2007.

Toward a greener Europe

This week, European regulators will start setting new efficiency standards for fridges, TVs, and other products. Strong rules could massively cut Europe's climate pollution -- affecting climate change worldwide -- but industrial lobbyists are pushing to weaken the proposals.
Green technology already exists that would dramatically improve the fridges, TVs, washing machines, and other products that each of us use. Strong green standards, according to expert studies, could have a huge climate impact--greater than taking two thirds of Europe's cars off the road. And these standards would reduce our energy bills by tens of billions of Euros per year.

But the most-polluting companies want to sell dirty products cheaply, and avoid green investment. It's up to us to make sure EU negotiators hear the clear voice of citizens from around the world -- and not just the voices of industry lobbyists. Click below to watch the video and sign the petition -- it will be delivered to negotiators this Thursday:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/refrigerator_revolution_video

Passport Security

I was just checking my passport and I need to renew for next year, but I have concerns about the RFID (radio frequency identification) tags embedded in the new passports. I understand that with the right equipment all of your biometric information can be compromised. Doing physical damage to the tag will hold you up at the various ports of entry, like hammering the tag, microwaving it (fire), a pinhole or cutting the antenna (leaves tampering evidence). I did a little search and found this RFID blocking passport billfold which I will order. just being cautious. I don't foresee myself traveling internationally soon, except for the odd trip to Baja.

I was thinking,(that could be dangerous)back to when I used to patronize Barnes & Noble. After reading into the book half way or more, I would find an RFID chip. I guess they wanted to know where the book was living after it sold. Curious.

Where have I been? Nowhere.

I've been so busy just living recently and I've neglected this silly blog. At this moment I am looking at a stack of books half of them I haven't even cracked open for the first time. I must catch up. I don't know why I am stressing about it, so tomorrow I will begin putting time aside for reading only. Nonetheless I do like being surrounded by books and that paper smell, especially from well worn pages.

SOLIDARITY FAST FOR ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwe has descended to an almost unimaginable state of desperation. Most of Zimbabwe's 11 million people eat one meal a day—or less. But as pressure rises at home, in the region, and around the world, Mugabe's grip on power may be slipping. Click below and join the one day global solidarity fast -(from sun up to sun down)- the more of us that fast the stronger the call for justice and democracy

Pledge to fast for a day sun up to sun down, if you are able.
Thank you,
Michael

France proposes Tax on Coca Cola,

Didn't know that Bush's administration tripled the import tariff on Roquefort.
Save Roquefort Cheese

Zen the movie on Master Dogen coming soon.

My Zen teacher recommended this but it is in Japanese only and not showing here, yet. It just opened on the 10th of January in Tokyo.
Here is a preview.

They're leaving Califonia in droves.

For the fourth year running, more residents left California than moved there from other states. In the year ending July 1, 2008, the state lost 144,000 people, more than any other US state, according to census estimates.

The most popular destinations for those quitting California are Texas, Nevada, Arizona and Washington state, the U-Haul truck rental company told the Los Angeles Times.

I have read locally that we may lose a seat in Congress due to the shrinking population. Read the whole story here from the Telegraph in the UK.
On the same subject of cost of living, You can compare your cost of living with other cities by using this calculator.