Miscellaneous

R.T. RYBAK
R.T. Rybak, innovative Minneapolis Mayor, will speak at the Think Green Sustainability Fair on “LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE NEXT GENERATION.”

Born and raised in Minneapolis, R.T. Rybak Jr graduated from Breck, and Boston College. He began his career as a journalist, working on the Minneapolis Tribune (later Star Tribune and as editor of the Twin Cities Reader. He also acted as Development Director for Minneapolis' Downtown Council and dabbled in the dot.com industry before being elected Mayor of Minneapolis.

As climate change and energy issues begin to take center stage across world politics and policy, the idea of sustainability is constantly brought up and used to describe various policies and initiatives. The World Council on Environment and Development (WCED) eloquently defines sustainable as

"Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs."

The Think Green Sustainability Fair hopes to use this idea to begin the discussion of sustainability in our community.

Think Green is a sustainability fair meant to bring together communities, organizations, companies, institutions, and enthusiastic individuals around the region to start thinking about sustainability in all aspects of our lives. Together, we can build a future, which uses renewable energy sources and reduces carbon emissions, that protects our waters and lands, and that establishes a healthy and good quality of life.

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are supposed to be better for the environment because they are more energy efficient than comparable incandescent light bulbs. And, although they cost more to buy initially, you usually save money in the long run since they last so much longer. You can even sometimes find rebates to help offset some of the initial cost.

The problem with CFLs is that they contain a small amount of mercury, which means that you should never throw them away with your regular trash. Unfortunately, it's unrealistic to expect the average person to bring dead CFLs to a recycling center and then have to pay to get rid of them. So, what are we to do?

I would like to thank everyone who came out last Saturday to enjoy "Saturdays at Slatterly 1st Annual Bloom Day" on Saturday May 17th. We had a great turn out, and expect this event to be an annual event that will BLOSSOM into many more boulevard gardens in our neighborhood, and enhance the curb appeal and walkability of our neighborhood. A special thanks goes out to the Slatterly Park Neighbors Curb Appeal Committee who made this event possible! Also a special thanks to Viola Nursery who donated free flowers for the kids potting station, and to Doris Amundson who donated plants for our perennial plant sale.

Pangea Day Film Watch a worldwide event – May 10, 2008 from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the Rochester Public Library.

Rochester Minn. On Saturday, May 10th, Rochester Public Library will participate in a worldwide event by hosting a Pangea Day Film Watch. Join us from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. in Meeting Room. B (on 2nd floor) as we join thousands from many lands who will be observing what organizers are calling "this first global campfire, harnessing the power of new technologies to bring people together through film."
For more information, visit www.pangeaday.org.

Do you like to talk about gardening, planting trees, planting shrubs, yard care, landscaping ideas, harvesting the produce from your garden and more?

The Eastside Pioneers Neighborhood Association (ESPNA) would like to hear from you, just send your thoughts, ideas and suggestions to mlaplante@aol.com We will publish whatever you give us in this regard in our newsletter, on the RNeighbors blog at www.Rneighbors.org. It would make a great discussion topic at neighborhood meetings. We could also trade thoughts and ideas via e-mail. It would be great to see what kinds of ideas we could come up with to enhance neighborhood gardens.

Where did the love go?

Liberal Democrats feign themselves the party of moderation, tolerance and civility. Reality paints a different picture, however. Here is a small sample of headlines within the last day or so on the veritable war being waged between Barack H. Obama and Hillary Clinton for their party's nomination for President of the United States.

Clinton-Obama attacks get personal

"I'm sure that Sen. Clinton feels like she's doing me a favor because she's been deploying most of the arguments the Republican Party will be using against me in November and so it's toughening me up. I'm getting run through the paces here," Obama told The Associated Press' annual meeting.

"I still have an important tool to restrain taxes and spending. I call it the taxpayer protection pen, otherwise known as the veto pen." - Governor Tim Pawlenty, promising to keep liberal Democrat legislators from "digging into [taxpayer] wallets" during his State-of-the-State speech at the St. Cloud Civic Center

The area liberal DFL legislators' response, as reported in the Rochester P-B was predictable:

"I think it's very disappointing that he's got this extreme rhetoric about using his veto pen." - Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL-30A)

It is Tina Liebling's performance as a legislator that deserves the label "disappointing." How far to the left is Tina when she says that Governor Tim Pawlent's promised use of the veto pen to stem the DFL tide of abusive taxation is "extreme rhetoric?"

"We can't be a new story, I'm sorry. I can't make [Hillary] younger, taller, male.''
-- First Husband candidate Bill Clinton at a bar in New Hampshire last Sunday.

Apparently Bill Clinton can't make his wife honest, likable or trustworthy either.

Bill is right about one thing, however. The Clintons can't be a new story. They are yesterday's news. Their life is a bad soap opera trying for reruns. They are the past. And a particularly slimy one at that.

Hillary may very well get the nomination. She is the establishment Democrat after all. Her gender should be irrelevant but she plays the gender card whenever she is in trouble. Hillary uses it alternately to fend off legitimate criticism and engender undeserved sympathy. Parenthetically, when she was elected Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi said it takes a woman to clean up the House (get it?). Think about it.