Conscious Choice Seattle:

January 2004 | Evergreen News

No Primary Colors in 2004

If you are planning to vote for a Democrat in the presidential race this fall, your election year starts Feb. 7. That’s when some 6,500 state precincts hold caucuses to elect a first round of delegates.

The proceedings go off at 10 a.m. all around the state—sort of a harmonic convergence for registered voters who are willing to sign of statement identifying themselves as Democrats, at least for the day.

Some of the caucuses in the Puget Sound will draw hundreds of voters who form in groups to support their candidate. Other precincts in rural parts of the state have attracted as little as two voters in past election years. Caucus participants may elect one delegate and one alternate for every 175 registered voters in the precinct.

It is a critical day for all campaign volunteers. By noon, Democratic presidential hopefuls should have a fair idea how they will do among Washington delegates at the national convention in Boston during late July.

“We expect a good turnout next month,” says Kirsten Brost, spokeswoman for the state Democratic party. “Several candidates’ campaigns have energized local voters, especially Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich, Wesley Clark and John Kerry. There seems to be a candidate for everybody.”

Of course, that is what most worries Democratic party leaders such as state chairman Paul Berendt who want a unified political party come November.

Weeks ago Berendt endorsed Dean, the former Vermont governor and acknowledged frontrunner, to help the anti-war candidate build momentum in the state. Berendt’s reasoning for the early endorsement—which some political activists contend makes for awkward leadership of the caucus process-- was “it was unfair to pretend otherwise.”

In any case, the caucuses carry a little extra oomph this winter because the state legislature pushed to eliminate the otherwise meaningless presidential primary. Democrats have traditionally relied solely on caucus results while Republicans assign some delegates based on the popular vote but the process is moot with a sitting Republican president.

Once the first delegates are selected on Feb. 7, there will be additional rounds of electing and eliminating to reach the quota assigned to our state. If you are interested in participating in caucuses—don’t say we didn’t give plenty of notice—the best follow-up is to visit www. wa-democrats.org. You can determine your precinct (if you don’t know it) and where your local caucus is meeting.

—Bob Condor

Pass the Remote, Hold the Broccoli

You probably don’t need another reason for turning off the TV during dinner.

But here it is, just in case you have trouble convincing the family or a harried parent-friend who uses the set a little too much for impromptu babysitting: Children who are heavy TV watchers eat fewer whole fruits and vegetables.

Surprised? Didn’t think so. But researchers at the Harvard School of Public health are the first to actually prove the negative connection between the boob tube and less broccoli on kids’plates. They followed children’s eating habits since 1995 and discovered significantly better eating habits among kids who didn’t watch much TV.

Get ready to wince: The typical American child watches 22 hours of television each week, logging more hours than any activity but sleeping. That adds up to 20,000 commercials each year (roughly 150 to 200 consecutive hours). You can safely assume most of those ads aren’t touting farmer’s market fruit salads or vegetables stirfrys.

—Andrew Mulholland

Connecting King To Gandhi

When Barbara Fields-Bernstein co-founded the first Season for Nonviolence back in 1998, she figured it would be a “one-year deal” to commemorative the 50th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s death and the 30th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s passing.

Seven years later, the Season for Nonviolence or SNV is going stronger than ever. Several local SNV task forces will be putting on nonviolence workshops and other beginning late this month. Look for information at local Unity churches (Seattle, Bellevue, Bainbridge Island, Tacoma), Churches of Religious Science (Kennewick, Anacortes, Sequim) and the Seattle-based Center for Spiritual Living.

The initiative launches each year on Jan. 30 at the United Nations to mark the memorial anniversary of Gandhi, then draws to a close on April 4, which is King’s memorial day. Americans in 201 cities representing 40 states have participated.

“We have built some amazing resources on the Internet [www.angt.org] and at the grassroots level,” says Fields-Bernstein, executive director of the California-based Association for New Global Thought. “Plus, lots of the task forces continue year round in their commitment to nonviolence practices.”

Fields-Bernstein makes an important point about the distinction between nonviolence approaches to world peace and the more conventional social activists or war protesters.

“It is spiritually motivated work,” she explains. “People have to do lots of inner work before they go out to the streets, so to speak. You can avoid the anger that often emerges among peace activists.”

Fields-Bernstein chuckles.

“I like what Arun [Gandhi, Mahatma’s grandson] says. He says we fail if we become as mean as the people we are trying to stop.”

Most followers of the 64-day Season of Nonviolence have studied enough to know King was a huge devotee of Mahatma Gandhi. Not everyone else knows, for instance, that King traveled to India and begged guards at Gandhi’s former home (now a museum) to let him stay overnight “to soak up the energy,” says Fields-Bernstein.

The SNV campaign emulates Gandhi too by reaching out to all groups, including businesspeople, educators, politicians and more.

“Everyone says yes to Gandhi and Martin Luther King,” says Fields-Bernstein. “Their nonviolent philosophies and accomplishments opens a lot of doors for our programs

—B.C.

King for a Birthday

Of course, we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday this month too, more than a week before the Season on Nonviolence starts (see previous item). If you have the day off—or even if not—here are the civil rights leader’s half-dozen principles of nonviolence. Such reminders are always welcome in today’s world:

1. Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.

2. Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding.

3. Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustices, not people.

4. Nonviolence holds that suffering for a cause can educate and transform.

5. Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate.

6. Nonviolence holds that the universe is on the side of justice and that right will prevail.

– B.C.

What’s In A Name Change?

Vegetarians have long tried unusual ways to promote their compassionate stance toward animals, even dressing up like cows and chickens at times.

But one recent promotional ploy is about the most eccentric yet. Karin Robertson, a 23 year-old education manager of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has legally changed her name to GoVeg.com, which is a pro-vegetarian Web site run by her employer.

Talk about loyal and dedicated employees (or talk about any adjective you like).

Since her name change to GoVeg.com, people have certainly noticed.

“It’s so off the wall,” says GoVeg.com, who didn’t elaborate on any emerging nickname. “People cock their head to their side.”

Her initial reason for the change was because she wanted to promote animal rights and get people talking about vegetarianism, not to promote PETA. She has since done educational tours throughout high schools and colleges, lecturing on vegetarianism.

What’s more, she speaks with Girl Scouts in her neighborhood about how to be nice to animals and not eat them.

So how long should one keep such a name?

“I keep waiting for it to get old, but I couldn’t ever imagine changing it,” says GoVeg.com.

She has observed at least one example of change caused by her new identity.

“So far, I’ve changed a meat eater into a vegan,” he said.

Agriculture experts at the International Poultry Exposition in Atlanta earlier this year said that animal rights activists are choosing sentiment over science and practicality. The young employee’s name change has left the ag industry slightly but not particularly threatened.

“It’s a free country. People are entitled to their own opinion,” said Kara Flynn of the National Pork Producers Council.

And, apparently, zany name changes too.

—Jeffrey Nirtaut

SFI Wood: Out of Its Trees?

Environmental groups are asking that when you shop for lumber products you go out of your way to tell your home improvement retailers and office supply stores not to carry SFI-labeled products. That label stands for “Sustainable Forest Initiative” and is suppose to signal eco-friendly, sustainable wood.

But the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has organized a coalition of leading environmental groups—including the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council -- to kick off a campaign with the slogan “Don’t Buy SFI.”

Why not? For starters, says RAN, the American Forest & Paper Association, arguably the world’s most powerful timber trade association, appoints SFI’s governing board and provides 82 percent of its funding.

“The SFI is an industry-sponsored group whose purpose is wood certification via self-governance,” says Bruce King, the director of Ecological Building Network. “Relying on SFI to certify lumber is in my view tantamount to hiring the fox to guard the chicken house”

The campaign suggests that SFI has little credibility to begin with. For instance, corporations such as IKEA, Home Depot and Kinko’s do not take the SFI logo as a true indicator of green certification. Those businesses prefer the Forest Stewardship Council’s certification.

While the anti-SFI campaign acknowledgees industry has made improvements, namely through its “cut a tree, plant a tree” model for forestry, RAN’s findings show that SFI does not protect old growth forests, roadless area, U.S. Public lands or forests in danger of being converted to tree farm. Nor do they adequately restrict clearcutting or help to recover imperiled species.

–Jessica Odehnal

Another Reason to Forgive and Forget

Holding a grudge is unhealthy. In fact, the overall findings of a recent study suggest that people with forgiving natures are more likely to have lower blood pressure, thus reducing the risk of disease.

Those who were more likely to harbor resentment were found to have higher blood pressure levels, even when at rest and not confronted with situations related to betrayal.

Dr. Kathleen A. Lawler of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville has been researching the relationship between health and forgiveness. This most recent study included 108 college students who were evaluated on how they felt when betrayed by someone else. Researchers monitored the blood pressure and heart rate of the students when interviewing them about their feelings of betrayal and forgiveness.

What resulted was many students who were unable to forgive experienced an arousal of the sympathetic nervous system, which develops during stressful situations. They also “experience a more sustained physiological arousal” than others who can forgive.

These stress responses have been connected with an increase risk of chronic diseases—cancer and heart disease, says Lawler. “Stress can suppress the immune system, increasing the development of tumors, after exposure to a virus causing cancer.”

Lawler performed a follow-up study with adults (average age of 42) and found similar results—that those who are less forgiving by nature showed “greater cardiovascular reactivity.”

“Forgiveness may produce beneficial effects by directly reducing betrayal,

conflict and stress,” says Lawler.

—J.N.

Water, Electricity Do Mix—Sometimes

Ordinary tap water may eventually become the energy source for charging your cell phone and calculator.

This possible new energy source was discovered by a group of engineers from the University of Alberta while they were tinkering in a lab and realized that when water travels over a surface it leaves a slight charge similar to the charge of a battery.

“This technology could provide a new power source that could be charged up by pumping water to high pressure,” says professor Larry Kostiuk, one of the lead researchers. “It’s possible it could rival wind and solar power, but this would need huge bodies of water to work on a commercial scale,”

The initial experiment was done by using a syringe that pushed water through a two-centimeter glass disc filter with over 450,000 holes in it. That’s where the electrical charge was created. From these microchannels electrodes attached at either end of the device connected to a wire—which, in turn, created the electricity.

Despite the challenges of repeating the effect on a large scale, Kostiuk remains positive about the discovery.

“Hydrocarbon fuels are still the best source of energy but they’re fast running out,” he explains. “New options like this one could be vital in the future.”

The inventors are currently developing a commercial strategy with the

University of Alberta’s Technology Transfer Group to get the energy into a working battery.

“Right now we’re focusing on efficiency, but we hope to have this electricity available to the public in the next five years,” says Kostiuk.

—J.N.

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