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April 2008

• Detecting Prejudice In The Brain
  ScienceDaily (Jun. 30, 2006) — Three Florida teenagers recently pleaded not guilty to the brutal beatings and in one case, death, of homeless men. One of the beatings was caught on surveillance video and in a most chilling way illustrates how people can degrade socially outcast individuals, enough to engage in mockery, physical abuse, and even murder. According to new research, the brain processes social outsiders as less than human; brain imaging provides accurate depictions of this prejudice at an unconscious level.

• see also Are Humans Hardwired For Fairness?
  ScienceDaily (Apr. 18, 2008) — Is fairness simply a ruse, something we adopt only when we secretly see an advantage in it for ourselves? Many psychologists have in recent years moved away from this purely utilitarian view, dismissing it as too simplistic. Recent advances in both cognitive science and neuroscience now allow psychologists to approach this question in some different ways, and they are getting some intriguing results.

November 2007

• 11-05: Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Home Page
  The Solar Decathlon joins 20 college and university teams in a competition to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house.

April 2007

• 3-1:.Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping
  Statement of Belief :: Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Gospel Choir believe that Consumerism is overwhelming our lives. The corporations want us to have experiences only through their products. Our neighborhoods, "commons" places like stoops and parks and streets and libraries, are disappearing into the corporatized world of big boxes and chain stores. But if we "back away from the product" - even a little bit, well then we Put The Odd Back In God! The supermodels fly away and we're left with our original sensuality. So we are singing and preaching for local economies and real - not mediated through products -- experience. We like independent shops where you know the person behind the counter or at least - you like them enough to share a story.We ask that local activists who are defending themselves against supermalls, nuke plants, gentrification -- call us and we'll come and put on our "Fabulous Worship!" Remember children... Love is a Gift Economy! -- The Rev

March 2007

• 3-1: 21st century trash disposal - The Cape Codder
    BigBellies are in at Cape Cod Community College.
    We don’t want to imply the faculty and staff are overindulging in triple-decker monster cheeseburgers, we’re talking high-tech solar-powered trash disposal units. The day of the painted 55-gallon drum may be in its sunset.
    The college has one BigBelly solar trash disposal unit parked outside the Lorusso Applied Technology Building, which is a demo on loan from the Lower Cape Sustainability Center, but it plans to purchase three.
    The BigBelly, which looks more or less like a standard trash can, has a 40-watt solar panel on top which powers a 12-watt battery that operates a trash compactor. With a compaction ratio of 4-to-1 (by volume) the BigBelly has to be emptied only once for every four times a standard trashcan gets dumped.

February 2007

• 3-1: Lesson in sustainability
  HOLLIS - Saul Lindauer, the technology teacher at Wells Junior High School, said some of his most important lessons are imparted at lunchtime beside the garbage cans in the cafeteria.
  Lindauer, a champion of the school's recycling effort, stations himself beside the garbage barrels and encourages students to place their trash in the correct receptacle -- one each for plastic trash, compost and returnables. There is also a separate place for items that can be reused as art supplies.
  "You watch some kids, and they're doing it like the conductor of a symphony," he said.
  Though Lindauer's official job description has more to do with teaching students how to run programs and learn computer skills, the Hollis resident has taken on another role around school that he thinks of as "Mr. Green."
  "I'd like to have a job called the sustainability coach," he said.