Tag Archive for power

Letting off a Little Steam Today….

Waring: I’m venting today on something political that really bugs me–money and the Koch brothers.

At their conference “American Courage:Our Commitment to a Free Society,” they announced their plan to spend half a billion (yes, with a “B”) dollars to get Republicans elected to the Senate, to secure a majority, therefore, power. (This is after they spent hundreds of millions in 2012.)  And not just any Republicans but the ultra conservative ones whose battle cry seems to be “No negotiation–Our Way or Die!”

I don’t begrudge them the right to spend their and their backers’ money in any way they choose.  What DOES bother me is that they’re trying to buy elections. Whether we like it or not, the person with the most financial backing usually gets elected, because they’ve had more advantages of publicity, public exposure (therefore, name-recognition), chances to use negative campaigns against opponents, opportunities to make deals with groups to support him.

It just seems to me that the Kochs are trying to Cook the election, and I don’t like it!

 

 

Pretty Cool!

I’m a cool green now, thanks to my son, Mark.  He helped arrange a new heating/AC device for our house–a Panasonic model with split units so we can heat/cool our living-family-kitchen area or just our master bedroom. My power bills are proving that it’s efficient, and I’m really enjoying the comfort. (Note: until this was installed, I was anti-AC for my home.) It was fun, too, because a film crew from the TV show “Designing Spaces” came to my house to interview Mark and demonstrate the unit.

I don’t mean this to be a commercial, just a reminder of how easy it is to help yourself AND the environment at the same time. See what I mean by viewing the short video from the TV show at http://www.designingspaces.tv/show_segment.php?id=1162.  At the same time, you can “meet” my New Jersey son, Mark O’Donnell.

 

 

Earth-Friendly Tip: Power to the Earth

40% of the electricity used in the average home goes to electronics when they’re powered off but still plugged in.  If we avoided all that phantom load we could close down 17 power plants.  The easy, safe way to “unplug” one or more items is by using a power strip with surge protector.

 Leaf 6

[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/ view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. Or download a free copy from your favorite e-tailer.]