SKAN TALK

The Story of Stuff

      

YOU SIMPLY MUST WATCH THIS ON-LINE, 20-MINUTE MOVIE!!!

Exxon and the Rockefellers

Catch the vote today?  If not, read about it here.  Then read the dialogue with my sister Ellen, which was precipitated by those silly e-mail chains calling for boycotts of Exxon and others in an erroneous attempt to reduce oil prices (uh, sorry folks, it wont work -- read why here).

GREEN FATIGUE and the FTC

Well, as predicted, and following in the footsteps of the European Union, the FTC is on-course to come down hard on folks claiming to be "green" and "sustainable" (Read the Story Here).  That will hopefully put a few big-box AD agencies on ice for a while.  Consumers are having a tough time making heads or tails of this whole "green" thing and are now experiencing "GREEN FATIGUE!"  And if that weren't enough, now we have law suits amongst folks in the green space, like Dr. Bronners suing Nature's Gate, Jason Organics, Aubrey and many others over certain unintended petrochemicals showing-up in their products.

Yet there's an upside, for consumer and businesses alike, even short of new FTC Regs:

Read on...

"Is It Safe?"

Anybody remember this 1976 Thriller?  A classic indeed.  The Nazi Dr. Szell (Lawrence Olivier) would ask the unwitting Babe Levy (Dustin Hoffman) those famous words, over and over..."Is it safe?"  Babe, of course, had no idea what the heck Szell was talking about.

Striking similarity to us and the FDA, no?  Unfortunately, we're not holding a dental probe to the FDA's painful cavity.  Oh, if only we were.

Read on...

Sierra Club Uses Clorox to.....Clean House?

Ever use this stuff?  I certainly have.  To those that know me, this probably explains a lot about my odd behavior.  Yet my "sustainable years" have taught me to be more conscious about the "stuff" I use...and let me tell you something...this is NOT something I've used in recent years nor will it ever be something I'll use again.  So Neal, you ask, if this stuff is so highly toxic and bad for me and my family (read about a few of the rail car spills involving chemicals from this product and you'll know what I'm talking about), then why is Carl Pope and the Sierra Club, one of the oldest environmental groups in the US (dating back to 1892), so quick to not only endorse the use of a new product from this company but grant Clorox the right to use Sierra's name as well?

Read On...

Earth Day Interview on CLTV

"To All The Kids Who Survivied the '30s-'70s"

Anyone seen the chain e-mail called:

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930s, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

If not...or for a refresher...click here.

Then read on...

Slipping into Something More Comfortable

When was the last time you had a conversation with a complete stranger?  I'm not talking about that person you met at a dinner party, business meeting or other social gathering; I'm talking about that guy in the cafe, that girl in the park, your mail carrier or even a homeless person begging for money.  Take the beggar, for instance.  How many times have we seen one on the street and despite their asking for money or help, we say "no thanks" or "not today" or "no change, sorry"?  Worse yet, we sometimes just keep on walking -- perhaps in the other direction -- saying nothing at all.  Sometimes, we even have trouble saying "hi" to that person in the elevator, on the running path or in line at the grocery store.

What drives us to disregard the presence of another person standing so close to us that they are breathing the same air?  What makes us so uncomfortable?  What are we afraid of?

Read on...

WHY?

Car is broken.  Drop it off at the mechanic and pick it up later.  Suits are dirty.  Drop them off at the cleaners and pick them up later.  Shoes need repair.  Drop them off at the shoemaker and pick them up later.  In by 9, Out by 5.  Any questions?

Is it that easy when it comes to our government or our health, for instance?  I voted for a candidate.  I’ll pick him up in 4 years.   I’ve got a bad heart so it’s off to the doctor or hospital.  Please call when it’s ready.

Sounds whacky, no?  Yet all too often, that’s what society does.  We take little accountability for politics and, worse yet, for ourselves.  Here’s a catchy slogan I’ve seen somewhere: “Politics is not a spectator sport.”  The same absolutely holds true for our health.  Yet why then do we spend less time on these things than we do fixing our cars, going to the cleaners, and slaving over dozens of other seemingly important tasks that have no bearing on the ultimate outcome of our planet, our community or our beings?

Soldiers in Service

I’m in a conundrum.  I was sent a chain e-mail from a friend recently, containing a link to The Gratitude Campaign (www.gratitudecampaign.org/fullmovie.php).   I was about to forward the e-mail with the following message:

I trust that you all know how much against the war I am, though I don’t believe I’m qualified to question or judge the motivation of someone who chooses to become a soldier in an all-voluntary military.  The fact of the matter is that they’ve chosen to fight for something, whether it’s us, a cause or themselves.  It’s quite a path to choose and I find myself wanting to thank these people for their service.  Accordingly, if you’re so inclined to do the same, then you can choose to spread the message. 

Then I thought about it some more...