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THE COMING OIL CRISIS
My Green Party friend Tom Dickerman of Daly City has forwarded excerpts from a book by Colin J. Campbell called "The Coming Oil Crisis." Campbell cites experts who claim world oil production is projected to peak within the next five years due to natural depletion, whereas demand for oil is expected to continue its exponential climb as world population increases. If this comes true, the results could be very ugly. Campbell's book is published by Multi-Science Publishing Company and Petroconsultants S.A. For more information, email dickermn@verio.com
ODE TO SOY
You can laugh at tofu and other soybean products, but millions of people enjoy the stuff and swear by its health-giving properties. Now, however, there is disturbing news about soy: Daniel Sheehan, director of the Estrogen Base program, Division of Genetic and Reproductive Toxicology, in the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) National Center for Toxicological Research, told FDA's Office of Special Nutritionals on February18, 1999 that the Center disagrees with FDA's proposed health claim that connects soy protein consumption to a reduction in risk for coronary heart disease. According to Sheehan, research has demonstrated that some soy isoflavones, including genistein, have been shown to be toxic to the human thyroid and in tissues that are sensitive to estrogen. The possible health claim was presented in the November 10, 1998 Federal Register by FDA's Office of Special Nutritionals. If this concerns you, it might be worth looking into. Sheehan has published a related manuscript in the Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine (vol. 217, pp. 379-385, 1998) entitled "Herbal Medicines, phytoestrogens and toxicity: Risk:Benefit Considerations." Go to the library, bookstore, and Internet for further information. Thanks to Sister Rachel of Turtle Bay for opening my eyes to this one.
DOG WALKERS, BANK SWALLOWS SHARE FORT FUNSTON
Thanks to green artist Amy Owens for this good news from Ranger Roger Scott, GGNRA information officer. The disputed six acres known as Dog Heaven was to be closed to protect the habitat of migratory bank swallows that nest there. Winter storms had eroded the bank swallows cliffside dwellings, forcing them to seek new lodgings further inland. Fences, gates, and signs will help cordon off the birds when they are visiting the area from March to August, still allowing dog walkers limited access. After August, some restrictions will be lifted. For more information, call (415) 556-8372. Meanwhile, rangers and volunteers will be handing out flyers about the new regulations.
RUNWAYS OF THE GODS
SFO is offering a million bucks in prize money for so-called environmentally friendly runway expansion designs. Great. What about alternatives to SFO expansion, like high-speed rail links and new runways at Oakland and San Jose airports? SFO seems eager to dig and fill the bay. Save the Bay urges you to write letters to the editor, call radio and TV stations, and raise hell about SFO's plan to sling mud and rake muck. For information, go to www.savesfbay.org.
DON'T GO POSTAL, GO COASTAL!
Save Our Shores (SOS) sanctuary stewards lead informative 90-minute walks along Half Moon Bay's coastline, retracing the path of the old Ocean Shore Railroad. Learn about issues facing the largest marine sanctuary in the nation and discover diverse wildlife. Meet at Pillar Point harbormaster's office in Princeton-sur-Mer (that's Princeton-by-the-Sea, baguette breath), El Granada, the third Saturday of each month at 10:30 a.m. Also, SOS beach cleanups are the first Saturday of the month. Families, friends, and corporate and community groups are welcome. Gloves and bags are provided. Meet at the north end of the surfers' beach parking lot next to Pillar Point RV park in El Granada, 9 to 11 a.m. For information, call 650-560-9533 or e-mail hmbshore@pacbell.net. SOS is a nonprofit environmental group dedicated to protecting Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary through education, policy research, and citizen action.
WATCH THE BIRDY
Point Reyes Bird Observatory holds bird walks the first Sunday of each month this year (except September) from 9 a.m. to noon. A $5 donation is requested. Also scheduled are all-day bird trips throughout the year. For information, call 415-868-1221, extension 780, or e-mail prbo@prbo.org or visit www.prbo.org.
HIKING TO SWEENEY RIDGE
Jerry Crow emails: "The difficult-to-squeeze-through cyclone fence at the top of Fassler Drive in Pacifica was replaced over a year ago by a metal frame with an excellent pedestrian passthrough." (For coastal and ridge trail maps, check out Pacifica Books at Linda Mar Shopping Center or the Rockaway Beach visitor center off Highway 1.)
MOTOR MANTRA
Sick of being tailgated by every adrenaline-addicted hot-head with a cell phone for a brain? Tired of being cut off by caffeine-guzzling, testosterone-addled slalom drivers? Well, I am. CHP says I shouldn't even tap my brakes to get Mister Obnoxious off my tail … might cause a road rage incident. They advise me just to slow down gradually and let the jerk get past. OK, fair enough. Meanwhile, here is my mantra for attitude adjustment/behavior modification for stress reduction in the slow lane: Relax. Stay cool. Breathe normally. Avoid reactions and conflict. Drive smart. Avoid eye contact. Ignore gestures and don't make any of your own. Take no action, but do take down license plate numbers and descriptions. Knowledge is power. Enjoy your ride.
CORNERSTONES OF FITNESS
Modern Maturity magazine recently reviewed Exercise: A Guide from the National Institute on Aging. The book recommends: endurance (swimming, biking, floor scrubbing, playing golf without a cart, hiking, shoveling snow), strength (weightlifting with repetitions), balance, and stretching. For a free copy (while supplies last), call (800) 222-2225 or 222-4225(TTY), or e-mail <"mailto:niainfo@access.digex.net">niainfo@access.digex.net, or go to weboflife.arc.nasa.gov/exerciseandaging.
THE WRONG STUFF
Our revered space agency has lost two multimillion-dollar spacecraft attempting to explore and land on the Martian surface. Whatever happened to The Right Stuff? In a supreme irony, report my friends Mitchell Hall and Beverly Red of the Mars Wilderness Trust, the ill-fated Mars probe was to have spent 90 days searching for water on the Red Planet, just as the World Commission on Water for the 21st Century listed most of the world's major rivers as badly polluted and losing volume. The only relatively healthy big rivers left are the Amazon, the Congo, the St. Lawrence, and the Mekong.
INDOOR SPORTS
It's the season for indoor games. Get out the board games and Chex mix. I have a new one for you. Actually, it's an old one called anagrams. All you need is a bunch of Scrabble letter tiles: no board, no racks, no scorekeeping. It's simple to play but very intense and fun if you like word games. E-mail me at mayburrito@firstworld.net and I will send you the rules and equipment list.
RECYCLE YOUR OLD STUFF
Think about it. Every bit of household stuff you donate to Goodwill and Salvation Army is striking a blow for recycling, one less bit of landfill and litter. It also represents work for a disabled repairperson who restores cast-off items to usability and marketability. Also, those programs use the money they make off your discards to fund drug and alcohol rehabilitation, so they get double bang for the bucks. If it's salvageable, don't toss it in the trash, take it to the truck.
WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD
Finally, the reality-challenged passenger railroad serving the state capital has added an evening train out of Sacramento to the Bay Area. Halleluia. It's about time. Now you won't get stuck in Lodi if you miss the 5:45. The 8:05 p.m. inbound schedule also comes with upgrades and improvements of trains and stations all along the Capitol Corridor. Ride on. If you would like a copy of the proposed new schedule, e-mail Richard Silver at RicSilver@aol.com. More good news, rail riders: Now is a cool, uncrowded time to visit the State Railroad Museum in Old Town Sacramento next door to the depot. Fares between the Bay Area and Sacramento are about $15, with discounts for seniors, students, and AAA cardholders. It is a scenic ride alongside San Francisco Bay, Carquinez Straits, Suisun wildlife refuge, and the Yolo floodplain. Hot food and cold beverages are available on board. Self-service bike racks, too. No reservations required. Call Amtrak at 1-800-USA-RAIL for schedules and fares.
OPEN-SPACE MUSEUM
Missing your culture fix because of fear of crowds? Visit the Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, San Francisco. Ken and Myndee, who are known to me, recently enjoyed the practically empty museum on a Sunday morning. Rain and football games may have helped depress attendance. "I got up close and personal to a few fine Rodins," emails Ken. "Also, there is a café that serves coffee and goodies. It was empty except for one woman reading her Sunday paper and enjoying the peace and quiet. For the budget-minded, the area around the museum is great for hikes and views." Museum members pay $50 a year for unlimited access; nonmembers pay $8 admission.
PERILS OF PYRACANTHA
Pyracantha (Greek for thorn tree) is a Eurasian shrub of the rose family, with small red or orange pomes (think of pomegranate and manzanita-how do you like them apples?) They grow everywhere. Birds eat them until they get tipsy. Deer love them, too, and Ron VanSickle of Seaview Tire and Brake in Pacifica is concerned about deer eating pyracantha and then staggering into traffic and getting hit by cars coming down Sharp Park Road to Highway 1. Ron thinks Caltrans might consider removing pyracantha bushes from median strip, just out of kindness. "To the deer, it's like a salt lick," Ron says. "I have heard that in drier years, the berries are more fermented." Ron first became interested in this when he noticed deer stalking the pyracantha in his back yard along San Pedro Creek.
GOT NEWS?
E-mail Meandering Maybury at his NEW address: mayburrito@firstworld.net.