Pollution Report

All of this week's items on the Pollution Report and more can be researched further on the DEQ website.

9/8: DEQ seeks comment on proposed permit to construct and Tier II air quality permit for Woodgrain Millwork, Nampa.

9/15: DEQ seeks comment on draft guidance on point of use drinking water treatment systems in Boise.

9/15: Public comment period extended on draft wastewater reuse permit modification for the Amalgamated Sugar Co. operation northeast of Paul. The draft permit modification would allow year-round irrigation of wastewater at the sugar beet processing facility.

9/25: DEQ is seeking public comment on a draft partial-permit regulating radioactive waste storage and closure activities at an Idaho National Laboratory (INL) facility. The draft partial-permit outlines the procedures for storage of calcined solids and closure of its Calcine Solids Storage Facility.

Andrea Alday's Vegan "Fish" Pate Recipe

This week's Sagebrush Variety Show Farm Report on dill references a recipe for a vegan "fish" pate, which was used as the vehicle for the Sagebrush Players to taste their dill. Here is the recipe from Andrea Alday (host of RadioBoise's Snow and Thunder show):

1 lb firm or extra firm tofu, drained
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh dill leaves
juice of 1 lemon
1 T capers, rinsed and drained
1/2 sheet sushi nori, crumbled
salt to taste

Put all the ingredients into a food processor, reserving a small chunk of the tofu (about 1/4) and process till the tofu is creamy. Season with salt as desired. Add the remaining tofu and buzz till worked in but small pieces remain. Chill in refirgerator and serve cold with raw vegetables, bread, crackers, etc.

Character Profiles: Linden and Marteline

This week on Ukiah Digby for Coroner, opponent campaign managers Linden Cuttown and Marteline Mascarpone finally meet face to face. Despite their mutual distaste for each other's politics, they have something in common: they are both Trekkies -- oops, no, Trekkers. And yes, the numbers Linden rattles off to denote which episodes Q appeared in were actually researched by... us. This theme is present throughout the series, so if you have a background in science fiction, there are lots of details to look out for! The inspiration for Linden and Marteline's characters are political consultants James Carville and Mary Matalin. Carville was Clinton's campaign manager and Matalin was deputy campaign manager for Bush W, and since they were both doing exactly the same job for different people, it's really no surprise that they eventually got married. Oops--I hope that doesn't spoil the suspense of our story.

Red Trees

In this week's Voyage to the Bottom of the Barrel, the Gratzbys observe and comment on the red pine trees. Kelli explains it's a result of heat stress and says she read about it on the NASA website. Here's a link to that report.

Time to Think About Cold Weather Crops

Broccoli romanesco

Cole Crops or Brassicas like Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kohlrabi. You can also frow another crop of leaf lettuce, spinach, and radish if you sow NOW. (This is assumung the first frost comes in mid-October.) Rutabagas are supposed to be planted in the fall only, and you might be able to get away with planting turnips and mustard greens, too. Now's also the time to plant garlic and shallot bulbs for their emergence in spring.

Sagebrush Gear Available

We've set up a souvenir shop where you can get stuff with our radical quail logo. We've also purchased sagebrushvariety.org as our very own. Go tell your friends, and get your Ukiah Digby for Coroner bumper sticker here!

Bucky's Quail Chick Photos

Quinoa and first quail chick.
Happy hen Quinoa with two of her quail chicks
Quinoa with one quail chick
First newly hatched quail chick.
First newly hatched quail chick with remaining clutch.

Vote for Ukiah Digby for Coroner!

It's election season and we're broadcasting the radio play Ukiah Digby for Coroner for Idaho Muscovites, which will be a first for them, but for our wecast/podcast followers, it's the second time around. As our very first radio play, it's a little rough production-wise but thoroughly listenable. It's nice to know how much we've improved over the last year. Still, it's worth listening to again and we've even re-recorded a few scenes. We will provide a listening guide for the hardcore fans on all aspects of the show, episode by episode--and hopefully that won't get us into trouble.

Sagebrush Pesticide Links

As promised by Bucky: Meeting the Challenge of West Nile Virus Without Poisons from Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP). We recommend our Treasure Valley listeners consider joining NCAP-Idaho's listserve for discussion on the decision to aerially spray mosquitoes, explore alternative solutions and avoid future aerial spraying. Send an email to jmiller@pesticide.org if you would like to be added to the listserve. Idaho is late to the spraying for West Nile business. Perhaps we should learn from the past mistakes of others. A good read along those lines is Overkill: Why Pesticide Spraying for West Nile Virus in California May Cause More Harm Than Good from Pesticide Watch.

Pesticide Carnival

This week's show features the exciting, long-awaited conclusion of the Benjamin Franklin Cipher. The rest of the program is dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of pesticides, disease vectors, and the truth about West Nile virus. In the premiere of a new segment, Voyage to the Bottom of the Barrel, the Gratzby family gets sprayed with Naled and all of them get sick. All the symptoms described are realistic and have happened, in fact, to one of the Sagebrush Players. In the one-act radio play The Goathead Assault, the absurdist/surrealist approach takes the idea of assaulting large groups of people with toxic chemicals without their input or consent to the extreme. We've also re-written the Milfoil Song into the West Nile Song. Unfortunately, we ran out of room and could not include our interview with local beekeeper Ed Keener this week, but that has a spot reserved on next week's show.

CIEDRA Bill

Your help is urgently needed NOW - today! - to stop CIEDRA from passing the United States Senate. By taking just a few moments of your time to make calls to Senator Larry Craig's local and Washington offices, you can not only save Idaho's Boulder-White Cloud mountains from being privatized; you can also protect the Wilderness Act as we know it. Please take the opportunity to act today.

Make no mistake: the future of our public lands and the qualities we enjoy and treasure about them will be changed forever if we do not act immediately to STOP CIEDRA in the Senate.

Representative Mike Simpson (R-ID) rushed CIEDRA to the House floor as a "non-controversial" bill on a day when a majority of Representatives weren't even present to vote against it. He has been fast-tracking this horrific bill without meaningful debate because he knows that the more people learn about CIEDRA, the less they like it.

We cannot allow HR 3603 to sail through the Senate the way it did in the House of Representatives. CIEDRA is a controversial bill. It can be stopped if we speak in opposition with a strong and united voice.

Please join your fellow conservationists, friends and family in turning up the volume now. YOU CAN STOP CIEDRA IN THE SENATE BY PLACING YOUR CALLS NOW.

Below are guidelines with the steps and background on how calls to Congress are received.

After you've made your calls, please ask at least two more people to call Senator Craig. Ask them to ask two people, each of whom should ask two more people, and so on. In this way, 2 + 2 can grow to become many more than 4.

Please take the time today to make the calls and contact your friends. Your focused action will STOP CIEDRA NOW!

Here's a sample script for making your calls to Senator Craig to STOP CIEDRA NOW!

WHEN CALLING SENATOR CRAIG, TELL HIM: "I'm calling to thank Senator Craig for opposing CIEDRA. There are a number of reasons to oppose CIEDRA, but most important to me is that it gives away public land and erodes protections for the Sawtooth National Recreation Area that Senator Craig has staunchly supported."

Call Senator Craig's Washington DC office at (202) 224-2752 AND The office listed below nearest to where you live:
Boise (208) 342-7985
Coeur d'Alene (208) 667-6130
Lewiston (208) 743-0792
Twin Falls (208) 734-6780
Pocatello (208) 236-6817
Idaho Falls (208) 523-5541

NEVER CALLED A SENATOR BEFORE? IT’'S SIMPLE! HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT.

From Senator Craig's website http://craig.senate.gov/email/ "When you call my office:

Please be patient as there may be other callers ahead of you, or your call may have to be interrupted briefly to place other incoming calls on hold. If you are calling to voice your opinion on an issue, please be prepared to provide your name and address, or remain anonymous if you prefer. All information provided is kept confidential. If needed, I will respond to your message quickly and thoughtfully and in writing. No matter the issue, my staff will be friendly and polite. I hope you will show them the same respect."

Your call will probably go something like this:

You: "Hello, my name is so and so. I'd like speak with your Environmental Legislative Aid, please.

[You will then be transferred to that person or their voicemail. You may be asked by the person answering the phone what the issue is that you are calling about. Tell them you are calling in regards to CIEDRA].

You (to the Environmental Aide): "Hello, xxx. My name is so and so and I'm calling to thank Senator Craig for his past support of wilderness and to urge him to OPPOSE CIEDRA. There are a number of reasons to oppose CIEDRA, but most important to me is that it gives away public land and erodes protections for the Sawtooth National Recreation Area that Senator Craig has staunchly supported."

If possible, please share your experience in making the call and the response of the staffer with whom you spoke. Email colleen@wildrockies.org and put "Called Sen. Craig" in the Subject line so we can track the number of calls made to the Senator's office.

Pass it on

After you’ve made your calls, PLEASE send this request to call Senator Craig to at least two other people and ask them to make calls just as you did. Ask them to ask their friends to make two calls, too!

Like you, we are grassroots activists in this fight to save the heart of Idaho. We don't have money for slick advertising, telemarketing calls, and paid lobbyists. The more noise we make, the more we can equal this very lopsided playing field.

Finally, thank you.

[unapologetically plagiarized from the Committee to Save the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (CSSNRA)]

Endangered Chicken Links

Sorry about the delay in posting promised links associated with last weeks backyard chicken broadcast. I've been a little distracted by the suspense of wondering if our broody hen, Quinoa, will hatch the fertilized quail eggs we snuck under her. We may be breaking new ground here - I can't find any evidence of anyone else encouraging a chicken to hatch and raise quail although I've heard plenty about chickens bringing ducks up. My own observation is that some hens really want to experience motherhood and Quinoa has that personality. We really don't have enough space for more birds in the backyard (not to mention the city code limiting us to 3 hens) so I'm hoping they hatch and get some early instruction and then leave to explore the wide world (maybe coming back to visit us from time to time). Most importantly, I hope Quinoa find the experience rewarding. If it works out, I'll do an episode on it. Below are the links on endangered chicken breeds. Regards, Bucky Buckaw American Livestock Breeds Conservancy: Conservation Priority List Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities

Under The Pavement

I just came across my own name in the "what listeners are saying" section of the website for Under The Pavement, Manchester's radical/ alternative radio show out of ALL FM 96.9, a community radio station for south, central and east Manchester, England. If I'd known they were going to reprint the positive comment I left on a the Post Punk Kitchen messageboard I might have written something more expansive. At any rate, it's one of a handful of podcasts I subscribe to, because the mix of guests and interviews, alternative news and reports from radical and activist groups (mostly out of Manchester, but still inspiring to this Idahoan) has a lot in common with what the Sagebrush Players are trying to communicate and promote. Solidarity, Robert

Corporate Prime: The Making of

This week we have a special "behind the scenes" discussion of Corporate Prime with writer Kevin Bayhouse, April Hoy, Robert McMinn, Gwen Sanchirico, Jeremy Sinkinson, and Khalil Linane. We'll discuss some of the philosophy and details behind the story, as well as speculate on some of the characters. Next week, we'll premiere the new serial play, The Benjamin Franklin Cipher.

Anacreon in Heaven

Here are the lyrics to one stanza of the English drinking song on which the Star-Spangled Banner is solidly based:

The news through Olympus immediately flew;
When Old Thunder pretended to give himself Airs
If these Mortals are suffer'd their Scheme to pursue,
The Devil a Goddess will stay above Stairs.
"Hark! already they cry,
"In Transports of Joy
"Away to the Sons of Anacreon we'll fly,
"And there, with good Fellows, we'll learn to intwine
"The Myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's Vine.

Visit the link above for the full lyrics.

Apparently, it was de rigeur in colonial days to write new lyrics to existing songs. And in 1812, Francis Scott Key concretized that characteristic American tendency to plagiarize in our national anthem.

Click here for a midi file of the song (which sounds exactly like our national anthem).

From Bucky Buckaw: Show Links

This week's Backyard Chicken Broadcast is another sagebrush piece on transgenics but my first. Here's a link to the article on Creating Transgenic Chickens that got me started on the topic. As you can see the link is to a web reprint of the article on a website I thought I should plug Northwest Resistance Against Genetic Engineering (NW RAGE)

RadioBoise website is back

Things are back to normal for RadioBoise, so our website is now up to date and you can catch up on downloads/podcasts. Good times, good times.

RadioBoise.org Server Is Being Quirky

For the record, we've been updating our website but the changes aren't coming up. RadioBoise's host changed their servers recently, so until tha issue is resolved, check this blog for the latest info!

This is what's on this week (June 13):

-part 6 of the current serial drama, Corporate Prime, written by Kevin Bayhouse
-the latest Sagebrush Variety Show Farm (cilantro)
-Bucky Buckaw's Backyard Chicken Broadcast on chicks
-a special edition Sagebrush Pollution Report on the Atlanta Gold mine proposal
-a rant from Kevin on the current governor
-a new Suburbia Watch

Don't forget you can listen to Sagebrush on Tuesday at 4pm PDT on Radio Free Moscow 92.5 FM

Oh, and most of the guitar in the scene transition music in Corporate Prime nowadays is played by Khalil (with tweaking by Gwen).

That Thai "Pesto" Recipe

3 tablespoons peanuts 3 tablespoons lime juice 4 tablespoons lime juice 1 tablespoon red chile paste or fresh hot peppers (optional) 1 1-inch square piece ginger, peeled, grated 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2 tablespoons water Put all ingredients in food processor and buzz till creamy. You can play with the proportions and quantities easily.

The Secondmen

We pull a few local Idaho references in addition to ridiculing the Minuteman border project: aged rocker Paul Revere, ex-Governor Dirk Kempthorne, and ne'er-do-well Phil Pimpleslot (actually one of the Simplot clan who we really did watch nearly sideswipe every other parked car in the supermarket parking lot on State Street, famous for terrorizing the town on his hawg).

Essay of the Week: Subtitle D Landfill Burial

It's been months since we've recorded an Essay of the Week! This one is based on a memo we found on the Idaho DEQ website [PDF]. Joanne Sheepsley-Peasey makes a disparaging remark about Howard Lyman, who's got a great website, and is one of our greatest influences. (Can you tell?)

Khalil's Band in this week's BW

Khalil Linane, who plays the lead role of David Ortega in the Corporate Prime drama series, can be found in this week's Boise Weekly. His ensemble, the Wilson Street Pub and Sluthouse Band, is interviewed in the Noise section. Too bad the photographer caught him smirking in the photo. He looks better in person. Some of the Sagebrush Players used to play music with Khalil regularly, and we're proud to see him moving on to bigger and better things, musically. We're also trying to get him to record some music for Sagebrush. Maybe if you send him some fan mail he'll be inspired to do that sooner rather than later.

Energy in Corporate Prime

The "corpytown" in New Arco City lies on nuclear energy from two surviving reactors at the INEL site, while in the Treasure Valley energy is mostly decentralized. By decentralized, we mean there's no major power grid. Most neighborhoods or areas have their own combination of solar panels (all structure surfaces), wind-based generators, and geothermal (shallow and deep), depending on local availability. Sure, the hydrodam generators are still functional, but that's just icing on the cake, and in the event of a drought or some other disaster, there's enough locally generated electricity to keep everyone comfortable. Wind designs such as this, or this, or even ... there ar eso many design possibilities. The solar tree mentioned in one of the episodes is a design conceived by Gwen Sanchirico and Michael Tilbrook when they were PhD students in New York. Starting with the space-saving natural design of a deciduous tree, which contains on average an acre of surface are in its leaves.

WWP's Katie Fite interview

Desert ecologist Katie Fite (Biodiversity Director of Western Watersheds Project) is this week's guest on the Sagebrush Variety Show. She explains some of the problems with the Boulder-White Clouds bill (CIEDRA) and the Owyhee Initiative. Here are links to some of the sites she recommends:

Western Watersheds Project
RangeNet
Waste of the West: Public Lands Ranching
Alliance for the Wild Rockies
Owyhee Initiative: A Quick Overview

Bucky's Supplementary Links for Episode 37

http://homefront.silverwarethief.com/ http://www.boggycreekfarm.com/pages/the-hen-house.php which I discovered while researching shows but which never made itheir way into this week's episode

Bucky's Episode 36 Links for

Heres the link to the NY Times article Migrating Birds Didn't Carry Flu that inspired my spoof of the week. Of course you have to sign up as a free member to view it although I've been told that if you google the title of their articles you might get a direct link.

Whenever I mention any bird flu link I always do an obligatory shout out to the master of all bird flu (and public health) blog, Effect Measure. He's kinda soft on factory farming compared to me but he really knows his science and is one of the few people who actually understands the concept of "objectivity" so I figure if I'm not contradicting Effect Measure I'm probably being pretty reasonable.

Arugula

The variety we grow at Sagebrush Variety Show Farm is called selvatica aka wild arugula. It takes a little longer to germinate than the cultivated kind, but once you plant it, it'll easily self-sow itself year after year. Even though it's supposed to be an annual, it perennializes, which means the roots don't die in the winter and grow leaves again every spring.

A good way to eat it is in a salad--by itself or with other greens--with a dressing made of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and grated raw garlic. For a creamier variation that sticks better to the leaves, whip some applesauce into the dressing.

Arugula is also good in sandwiches or chopped into pasta salads. You can make a pesto out of it, too.

Here's a link to groovy arugula nutrition facts.

Sagebrush Resource

On a previous edition of the Sagebrush Variety Show we featured an interview with Alan Durning, President of Northwest Environment Watch on sustainability issues and trends in the Northwestern region known as Cascadia. Podcast Sagebrush Variety Show #30 to hear it.

Just a few weeks later the Sagebrush players received an an email from Alan Durning explaining that after 14 years as Cascadia's sustainability think tank, Northwest Environment Watch has changed its name to Sightline Insitute. (they say the name Sightline better reflects what they do in helping us see a clear way to a better future for us all).

The name change is just an opener to the big news that they’ve revamped their website Sightline.org to make the most of the institutes comprehensive research, statistics, news and dialogue.

There are some excellent new features.

Like the Maps and Graphics Center with close to 100 maps, charts, and animations illustrating trends such as gasoline consumption, changes in human health, and pollution in northwesterners. All available for downloading and printing or computer vieiwng. The graphic maop of clearcutting in the Central Cascade forest is a real eye-opener ad is the chart showing the increased levels of PBDE levels in blood and tissue samples of north american humans since the 1980’s. PBDE is a flame retardent chemical used in many priducts that can cause neurological and reproductive damage.

The publications section features Sightline books and reports available in full text pdf, on each of the issues that they track--such assprawl and transportation, energy, health, and economy.

An active blog—called the Daily Score—with running commentary on the latest news. Some of the latest entries include Alan’s frankly funny yet inspiring diary of his families attempts to live a year in Seattle without owning a car, a report on the latest scientific findings regarding bird intelligence (Sagebrush’s own Bucky Buckaw already knows birds are at least as smart as humans but it’s nice to see the scientific com muntiy catching up), and a really great explanation of how “booming conomy” can mean different things depending on who’s talking and that GDP doesn’t necesarilly mean good for working schmoes.

The name Cascadia refers to an ecological, economic and cultural region including British Columbia, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon which is most instructive to look at as a whole. However, the new website function that allows viewers to browse or search for Idaho-related information only, for example, is a useful way to manage the wealth oif information Sightline offers.

Sagebrush Variety show highly reccomends our viewers make use of the website. There’s an incentive to join as an emailsubscribers in that subscribers get special features-such as complete access to Sightline’s work, including free pdfs of books and reports; and downloads of high-quality maps, charts, and graphics, their email newsletters, and the abilty to add your own comments to their blog.

Plant sales and planning for the season

Listeners who heard our interview with Diane Jones of Draggin' Wing Farms might be interested to know that there will be a native plant sale this weekend.

Saturday & Sunday, May 13 & 14, 9 am to 3 pm at Castle Drive and Hill Rd. The farm is just off that intersection on Stinger St but there will be signs directing you there.

Also, Draggin' Wing Farm neighbors Peaceful Belly Farm will be selling heirloom tomato plants at $4 each.

Don't feed your loved ones a trite tomato - grow your own! (or at least get some decent varieties from farmers markets/stands)

The Sagebrush Players support backyard gardening and xeriscaping. In fact, we've been growing our own tomatoes already at Sagebrush Variety Show Farms. This year's tomato varieties:

Red Brandywine - the king of heirloom tomatoes
Green Zebra - not an heirloom, but still worth growing for its green color with yellow stripes, great flavor, and ease to grow
Paul Robeson - smallish black heirloom from Russia named after the singer, communist, and equal rights activist
Black from Tula - larger black, Ukrainian heirloom
Black Prince - a smallish red-brown heirloom from Irkutsk that does particularly well in Idaho.
(okay, so we have a thing for black tomatoes)
Yellow Bell - a productive, yellow paste heirloom from Tennessee that grows well here. Great for stuffing with hummus on the run, too.
Big Rainbow - large, multicolored heirloom
Orange Banana - prolific, orange, heirloom paste tomato that's also good for eating and drying.
Striped Cavern - orange-striped red tomato that is shaped like a bell pepper and hollow inside.
Evergreen Emerald - largish all-green tomato

Just reading the brief descriptions of this handful of varieties should make you angry about how corporate farming and food distribution has robbed us of the diversity in our produce--and this is just looking at tomatoes.

Sagebrush vs. the Laws of Thermodynamics

Listeners who missed last week's premiere of Corporate Prime, our latest serial drama, can check it out again this week. We lost our regular battle with Entropy this week, so last week's show will be re-broadcast.

April and Khalil have finals, Jeremy was kidnapped by his mates for his birthday, Lea is spending a few weeks on the coast for her health, Curtis is helping refugees plant a community garden, and Kevin, Robert, and Gwen are being their usual overextended selves.

Corporate Prime, written by Kevin, is a straight drama (no comedy this time) about life after Peak Oil, after the corporations succeed in taking over all aspects of our lives, and after the U.S. loses its place as the imperial superpower. All this takes place in Idaho, starting in New Arco City. Okay, well, it has a tiny bit of humor in it.

Some listeners might be disappointed to learn that there are no characters based on Dirk Kempthorne this time, but if you really are looking for entertainment based on the Bush administration's latest cabinet appointment, we recommend that you listen to Snow Blow Hard: Xmas with a Vengeance or its sequel, Eternal Quest, for a character very much based on the public figure, in a very satirical way, of course, using examples from real life to move the story along. Alas, we can't tell you which are true and which are fiction, but just keep in mind that often life is stranger than fiction.

I will give you a few hints, though. Kempthorne is indeed very much preoccupied about being perceived as an important person. And you can read about his dream to travel the nation by selling burgers from a grease truck in any newspaper. And what politician is complete without their very own scandal? As a testament to his cognitive skills, allow me to quote him on CAFTA: "I support free trade and fair trade." And I have repeatedly spotted Dirk in the seasonal crap section of Fred Meyer staring at clearance holiday items, as if they were cultural artifacts on display in a museum. And he did have a pet highway project that could best be described as "cockamamie."

I could go on and on, but you could just listen to the shows. Just download them! And don't forget about the Kempthrone's Castle skits, either, which are fictitious proclamations that take place on the grounds of the former Simplot mansion.

Bucky Scooped Jim Hightower

Just heard a report on that infernal NAIS from Jim Hightower (for my report see archived Sagebrush Variety Show #30). Not to brag too much - I was a bit ashamed that the NAIS was publically released in 2005 and I didn't hear about it until February of this year. Also, Mr. Hightower caught something I missed, the fact that big agribusiness operations get "bulk discounts" on tagging fees.

Sagebrush Week of 4/10/06

We've got another Eye-Opener (there may be only one or two more coming, as the legislative session is about to end); April wrote a rant on the anti-gay marriage amendment in Idaho; Part 3 of The Dolphinarium (the chilling conclusion comes on next week show); Bucky Buckaw further unravels the nefarious secrets and moneydealing behind the avian flu hysteria; an interview with John Barrett, Interim Executive Director of Idaho Smart Growth on transit options in Idaho; and what will no doubt get us some fan/hate mail, a piece by Robert Blurton on composting human excretion. Send us your feedback, good or bad, to sagebrush-at-radioboise.org.

Bucky's April Avian Flu Links

My latest favorite source for information on sustainability, biodiversity and democracy in agriculture, GRAIN. For a mainstream article on Rumsfeld's Tamiflu fortune CNN Chuck Schumer's heroic efforts to insure no Tamiflu is left unsold in his own words And a piece on the Tamiflu-related run on star anise from National Geographic

2006 Captain Hook Awards

Aar! The recipients of this annual set of awards given to leaders in biopiracy have just been announced! We did our best to deliver them in our best pirate voices. Here's the list:

• Worst Threat to Food Sovereignty: Syngenta
• Greediest Biopirate: J Craig Venter
• Biggest Threat to Genetic Privacy: Google: Indexing Your Genes
• Extreme Makeover Award: Delta & Pine Land
• Most Shameful Act of Biopiracy: US Government
• Worst Déjà Vu: Human Genographic Project
• Access of Evil Award: Canada, Australia, New Zealand
• Biggest Tiny Claim On Nature: Nanosys, Inc.
• Worst Betrayal: Genencor et al.
• Most Hypocritical - Joint Winners: University of California-Davis and The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)

Visit the Coalition Against Biopiracy website (link above) for details, matey.

Dolphinarium update

The second installment of The Dolphinarium will be webcast next week.

The Commercial Empire Strikes Back

Khalil's rant on why big-box stores sap the local economy applies not only to Wal-Marts, but also any national chain stores, fast-food joints, and shopping centers. Here are the stats:

small retail stores (local) average +$326 per 1000 sq ft
large retail chains average -$468 per 1000 sq ft

fast-food chains average -$5168 per 1000 sq ft
shopping centers average -$314 per 1000 sq ft

These numbers in red are deficits passed onto the local taxpayers, mainly in the form of road building and maintenance and crime-related costs. Never mind all the other dollars lost from not using local vendors and suppliers such as printers and advertisers.

Some links:

Local ownership pays off for communities
As police costs rise, towns reconsider big boxes

Alan Thein Durning Interview

Gwen Sanchirico talked with Alan Durning of the Northwest Environment Watch (NEW) while he was in Idaho for various conferences, talks, and presentations on sustainability and how societies should define progress. They talked about approaching sustainability issues from different angles. NEW takes the ecoregion of Cascadia and evaluates it on seven factors:

• pollution
• health
• economy
• population
• energy
• sprawl
• forests

NEW has recently published the Cascadia Scorecard 2005, which finds Boise to be the "most sprawling city in the Northwest." Gee, what a surprise. This is one of our favorite websites, which is packed with compelling information. Durning is the author of several fabulous books, including Stuff: the Secret Life of Everyday Things, on which several Sagebrush segments are based.

Dirk Kempthorne Spotlight

Now that Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne has received so much attention from outside the state after having been nominated as the new Secretary of the Interior, this might be a good time to go back to the Sagebrush archives and listen to Snow Blow Hard (even though it's really an end-of-year type story). See how many similarities there are between the character Duke Bramblevine and the current commentary in the national press. It's fun, and a lot of it is based on reality.

National Animal Identification System (NAIS) Episode

For those of you having trouble taking Bucky Buckaw's word for it that the USDA is competing with the Department of Homeland Security for most intrusive agency in American History go to the USDA site on NAIS and poke around for yourself. Then get the opposition viewpoint and ways to oppose NAIS from the No-NAIS site and, for something specifically geared to us chicken lovers American Bantam Clubs PDF of NAIS Then, just for fun, look at some pictures of Silkie and Auracana breed chickens at Brown Egg Blue Egg and then ask yourself would you want a world where all the chickens were factory issue broilers? I mean deep down they have the same chicken charm as the "exotics" but once you've seen one you've seen them all. Bred for an average life expectancy of 1 year and to break their own legs by the very act of growing up!

Terry Shepard, Friends of the Liberty Tree

This week's interview is with Terry Shepard, President of Friends of the Liberty Tree. His bill to recognize April 19 as Patriots Day in Idaho was recently passed by the state legislature, and he hopes to have a tree in Capitol Park (across the street form the Idaho capitol) dedicated as a Liberty Tree. To learn more about the project, you can contact Terry at 208-602-2387.

Sagebrush Variety Show on Radio Free Moscow

Radio Free Moscow KRFP (92.5 FM) is trying out Sagebrush Variety Show Monday afternoons, 4-5pm PST. If you live in the area, you can tune in, even in your economy car!

This Week's Sagebrush

We've got the latest UV-Eye-Opener and a Sagebrush Transit Report, along with some older bits. As of next week, be prepared to 100% all-new material, starting with the conclusion of Eternal Quest. If you're a new listener, you might want to download the podcast containing the entire series (up until the cliffhanger, of course).

Alan Thein Durning in Idaho

We mentioned that the piece we did on coffee was based on Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things by John C. Ryan and Alan Thein Durning. Thurning will speak at BSU on Friday, March 3 at 7pm in the Student Union Building--and it's free. We highly recommend going.

There will also be a reception with Durning that Idaho Smart Growth is hosting on Saturday, March 4 5:00-6:30 pm at the Idaho Integrated Design Lab at the corner of 6th and Main in Boise. To RSVP for this event ($40) call the ISG office at 333-8066.

Sagebrush will be there, of course, so if you can't make either event, you will get to hear about it on RadioBoise.org!

New segments this week

We've worked in a few new segments this week:

• the Sagebrush Sprawl Monitor #2 - this will be a recurring report on real estate development. This week Kevin Bayhouse gives an update on the Hammer Flat propposed subdivision. Opponents of it can find more information at www.savetheplateau.org.
• the Sagebrush Pollution Report #2 - another newly introduced regular segment that looks at Idaho's polluters and reminds listeners of public comment opportunities regarding polluter permit renewals and expansion. Much of this can be found at the DEQ public input site.

Our "vacation" is almost over, and we've been working hard at developing and producing brand-new material. Our new "season" launches the week of March 13.

Additional Webcast Time

The Sagebrush Variety Show will now be on three times a week on RadioBoise. The new timeslot is Sunday 8pm MST.

Sagebrush Production Update

We're working on some great new material we will begin webcasting in mid-March, including Corporate Prime, a serial drama taking place in a post-apocalyptic, post-peak oil setting; our Idaho-ified adaptation of The Dolphinarium, a 1995 BBC radio play by Steve Walker; issue collages on shoes, newspapers, and feminism; more interviews; and, of course, the conclusion to Eternal Quest.

Don't forget to read through this blog for background on issues covered in past episodes. If you don't see them on the front page, search for them (at top). Feel free to download our archived shows to catch up on all the programs. If you like what you hear, don't forget to tell your friends about us!

Diane Jones Interview

We interviewed Diane Jones last autumn and although winter is far from being over, it's time to think about spring and planting again. She runs Draggin' Wing Farm, which specializes in hardy, drought-tolerant perennials. You can find her plants at the Boise Co-Op in season, and again in the spring at the Annual Idaho Native Plant Society Plant Sale. She's also at the downtown Boise's Farmers Market Saturday mornings (also in season). You can also visit her nursery Tuesdays 9am to noon, and 5pm-8pm (in season). She is in the process of establishing demonstration beds to showcase the many varieties of xeric alternatives to lawns. and roses. Draggin' Wing Farm is located on Stinger St off Castle Drive in NW Boise. You can call her at 345-4199, or hardyplants@cableone.net.

News Jumble

This week's segment, News Jumble, is an experiment using headlines from the week's newspaper headlines in the local paper's business section. We tried to create new stories based on two or three headlines, but because the exercise wasn't obvious, we provided explanations for the fictions. How many storied did you recognize from real life? That's what Sagebrush is all about -- life is often stranger than fiction, and most of the stories you hear in our serial plays and skits are all true. Tell us what you think of this latest format.

Raven Usher Interview

In a re-broadcast from October, Curtis Pullin interviews ex-Marine Raven Usher, an LGBT activist here in Boise. She is also the editor of Diversity magazine. Raven talks about her transexual transitioning and gives advice for others who may be going through similar issues.

Conscious Consumer: Slave Chocolate

One of the most bitter ironies is that no matter how despicable most people find the concept of slavery, their infatuation with chocolate usually overrides any ethical impulses. With the largest supplier of chocolate - Cote d'Ivoire (aka Ivory Coast) - being known to have slaves and indentured servants making up the cocoa-harvesting workforce, it's next to impossible to avoid slave chocolate unless one puts a little effort into it. Here are a few links to learn more about the issue and alternatives (fair-trade chocolate):

• Project Hope and Fairness, with associated blog by Prof. Tom Neuhaus reporting from Africa
• Chocolate and Slavery: Child Labor in Cote d'Ivoire
• Global Exchange: Did Child Slaves Harvest Your Latest Chocolate Treat?
• Is your chocolate fair trade or slave trade?
• One of the earliest explorations of slave chocolate, including company information on their ingredients

14 Worst Corporations of 2005

We think a yearly update of the worst corporate entities is so important to share that we decided to read the list put together by Global Exchange. Listen to show #20 for details, or visit the Global Exchange website to read their full list of the Most Wanted Corporate Human Rights Violators of 2005.

Caterpillar
Chevron
Coca-Cola
Dow Chemical
DynCorp
Ford Motor Company
KBR (Kellogg, Brown and Root): A Subsidiary of Halliburton Corporation
Lockheed Martin
Monsanto
Nestle
Philip Morris USA and Philip Morris International (a.k.a. The Altria Group Inc.)
Pfizer
Suez-Lyonnaise Des Eaux (SLDE)
Wal-Mart

Coffee Piece

This week we premiered Coffee, the first in a series of experimental pieces on many topics thread together by a theme, in this case, coffee. Let us know what you think!

Coffee is heavily based on Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things by John C. Ryan and Alan Thein Durning (1997). Their website has a bunch of neat and informative resources on product lifecycles and sustainability.

Fascinating overview of the history of coffee

Fair trade coffee is coffee that is traded by bypassing the coffee trader and therefore giving the producer (and buyer) higher profits. Fair Trade does not necessarily mean that the extra money trickles down to the people who harvest the coffee.

Selections from Mamdou Habib’s affadavit on his torture in Egypt and Guantanamo:

Phillip Ruddock, the Australian Attorney General on Habib’s physical condition after release from Guantanamo

Testimonials from Gemima Mukashyaka on Rwandan fair-trade coffee cooperatives

War on Drugs info

In vitro and ex vivo antihydroxyl radical activity of green and roasted coffee. Daglia M, Racchi M, Papetti A, et al. J Agric Food Chem. 2004 Mar 24;52(6):1700-4.

Effect of roasting on the antioxidant activity of coffee brews. del Castillo MD, Ames JM, Gordon MH. J Agric Food Chem. 2002 Jun 19;50(13):3698-703.

Comparison of the antioxidant activity of commonly consumed polyphenolic beverages (coffee, cocoa, and tea) prepared per cup serving. Richelle M, Tavazzi I, Offord E. J Agric Food Chem. 2001 Jul;49(7):3438-42.

Antioxidative activities of fractions obtained from brewed coffee. Yanagimoto K, Ochi H, Lee KG, Shibamoto T. J Agric Food Chem. 2004 Feb 11;52(3):592-6.

Does caffeine intake protect from Alzheimer's disease? Maia L, de Mendonca A. Eur J Neurol. 2002 Jul;9(4):377-82.

Coffee consumption and risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Salazar-Martinez E, Willett WC, Ascherio A, Manson JE, Leitzmann MF, Stampfer MJ, Hu FB. Ann Intern Med. 2004 Jan 6;140(1):I17.

And, finally, yes, you really can get your own civet coffee. We totally missed another bizarre coffe variation, "Weasel Coffee":

"Wild Weasels roam the coffee plantations and eat the ripe coffee beans, but rather than digest them the weasel regurgitates them and vomits them up! Due to the fact the cherries have been in the weasels gastric juices, it seems to dramatically alter the taste of the coffee once brewed."

Sagebrush Song Lyrics Up!

We've added the lyrics to all the songs produced for Sagebrush to our website.

Erratum

This week's show credits Lea Wilson for her acting, but the name should be Lea Williams. She plays Vidalia Gleason on Have-It-All Habitat and the Tourist on Snow Blow Hard.

Saving Energy in Winter

For more money-saving and heat-conserving ideas, visit some the following links: http://www.nstaronline.com/customer_service/energy_efficiency/wintertips.asp http://www.newdream.org/buy/save_energy.php http://facilities.uoregon.edu/cps/energy/myths.html

Lyrics to "Rebel"

(PJ Dimdeed:) I've done it all to make a buck I've seized and squeezed opportunity It's got nothing to do with luck I'm a piece of work I'm a one-m,an dynasty I'm a legend But really, I'm just a regular sort of guy (Ghost of Holidays past:) You're poisoining the land You must control your greed There's a better way You must confront your life (PJ Dimdeed:) I'm a rebel and I deserve a medal For inventing recycling I feed corpses to my hogs I spread stoxic sludge on crops I got rich by never wasting nothing I'm the badass grandpappy of the green revolution When you thaw your frozen dinner and you plop it on your plate Think of me and tell me ain't I great? It takes a lot of land but I can get that cheap Good soil, now that takes work and time away from profit So I soak my potatoes in a bath of chemicals Just spray lot of chemicals, that's how you grow potatoes. I'm a rebel and I deserve a medal For inventing recycling I feed corpses to my hogs I spread stoxic sludge on crops I got rich by never wasting nothing I'm the badass grandpappy of farm mass production When you thaw your frozen dinner and you plop it on your plate think of me and tell me ain't I great (Ghost of Holidays Past:) PJ, PJ come with me Come with me, Take my hand We're going back, I'll make you see How you came to be, PJ.

Sagebrush Gets a Grant!

The Sagebrush Variety Show has been awarded a grant from the Green Institute under its Local Governance Program Area. Green Community Projects funds small-scale local Green projects that are determined by the Institute to be innovative and to further Green values and issues. That be us! Thanks to the Green Instutute for the new audio gear we've been able to procure, which will make us mobile and improve our production quality, not to mention reduce the producer's stress level.

Technical Difficulties

We apologize to our listeners for re-webcasting show 14 on 12/6/05. Show 15, featuring the premiere of Snow Blow Hard: Xmas with a Vengeance, will be played tomorrow, Wednesday 12/7 at 8pm MT. We had a really rough week and an even rougher series of recording sessions with noisy neighbors and uncooperative software. If you missed it, the show will be available for download after Wednesday.

Bucky's Raw Backyard Egg Recipes

EGGNOG
2 eggs, beaten well
3 tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp nutmeg, ground
2 1/3 cups soymilk
Blend all ingredients together and serve chilled.

ZABAGLIONE
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 tablespoon light or dark rum
1/4 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup silk soy creamer
Combine the yolks, rum, and Marsala in the top of a double boiler. Place over (not touching) barely simmering water in the lower pan and whisk vigorously, or beat with an electric mixer, until the mixture begins to foam. Add the 1/2 cup sugar and whisk continuously until the mixture triples in volume and thickens to form soft mounds when the whisk is lifted, about 7 minutes. Immediately place the top of the double boiler in the ice water bath to stop the cooking. Let cool, stirring occasionally.
Serve the zabaglione immediately

MAYONNAISE
1 c Salad oil
1 Egg
Or
2 Egg yolks
2 tb Lemon juice
Or
2 tb Vinegar
Salt and pepper
Paprika
Beat egg or egg yolks with a rotary until slightly thick; add 1 teaspoon oil at a time beating well after each addition, until 1/3 cup has been added. Add a few drops lemon or vinegar.
The mixture should be quite thick and perfectly smooth. If it isn't you added the oil too quick or didn't beat it enough. Continue to add the oil and acid alternately until it's used up. Add seasonings to taste. Store covered in the refrigerator.

HOLLANDAISE
2 tablespoons white-wine or tarragon vinegar or fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons boiling water
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup non trans fat butter substitute like earth balance or smart balance light
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
Melt the butter substitute and keep it warm.
  Heat the vinegar or lemon juice until just warmed.  Have small saucepan with boiling water and a measuring tablespoon ready.
  Place the top of a double boiler over (not in) hot water. (This means the bottom of the top of the double boiler sound not make contact with the water heating in the bottom half of the double boiler).
Place the egg yolks in the top of a double boiler and whisk until they begin to thicken.   Now add 1 tablespoon of the boiling water.  Continue to beat the sauce until it begins to thicken. Repeat with the remaining water, one tablespoon at a time, beating the mixture after each addition.
Now add the warmed vinegar or lemon juice. Remove the double boiler from the heat.   Beat the sauce briskly with a wire whisk. Continue to beat the mixture as you slowly pour in the melted butter.  Add the salt and cayenne and beat the sauce until it is thick. Serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
2 cup soy creamer
3 oz unsweetened chocolate (fair trade)
c sugar
Heat 2 cup soy creamer in saucepan over medium heat, until just about to boil.
Finely chop the chocolate and place in bowl.
Pour hot cream over chocolate, stir once, cover, and set aside.
Whip remaining cream and sugar in the other bowl until they form soft peaks.
Stir the chocolate mixture until all is melted and well incorporated, then fold in the cream.
Chill for at least 2 hours.

Show 13 synopsis

We're up to show 13 this week, which includes: The exciting conclusion of Ukiah Digby for Coroner was webcast! Also, Curtis PUllin interviews Marty Durand from the ACLU of Idaho on "activist" judges and interpreting the Constitution; Bucky Buckaw discusses salmonella and raw eggs; Have-It-All Habitat takes a look at Spendus maniacus; the conscious consumer on animal ingredients. Friday, November 25 is Buy Nothing Day. The Sagebrush Variety Show microsite on RadioBoise.org is ready! Check it out.

Show 12 redux

This week's show also includes: Bucky Buckaw on avian flu Michael Badnarik on Ukiah Digby for Coroner - the final episode of the series is next week! Have-It-All Habitat looks at Powerus hogus The Conscious Consumer on factory-farmed turkeys We have updated our podcasts to high-quality feeds and are now current. Show 12 will be up tonight. Soon, we will have our microsite on RadioBoise.org up.

Thanksgiving Alternatives

Every year over 300 million turkeys are slaughtered in the United States in factory farms. Forty five million are killed each year for Thanksgiving. There are plenty of alternatives: Have your regular Thanksgiving feast minus the turkey. You can try a Tofurkey or Unturkey found at the Boise Co-op or Fred Meyer. These don't always appeal to everyone, but if you reallylike leftovers, try Tofurkey sandwich slices. Start a new tradition. Have friends and family bring their favoritevegetarian dishes or have a themed dinner. Be creative! Try some of the following recipies for alternatives. There are some great vegan recipes at http://vegweb.com/recipes/events/index-thanksgiving.shtml. I especially like the Thanksgiving "Meat" Loaf, and everyone who has ever tried this gravy in Idaho has gone absolutely crazy over it (even meat lovers). Here are some more vegetarian recipes to try: http://www.vegcooking.com/f-thanks05.asp. For more information on the lives of factory-farmed turkeys and why you should choose a cruelty-free Thanksgiving check out: http://www.goveg.com/f-top10turkeys.asp.

Michael Badnarik Talks to Sagebrush

Michael Badnarik, the Libertarian Party's 2004 Presidential Nominee, not only chatted with us while he was in town last week, he also was game enough to play himself in a cameo appearance on Ukiah Digby for Coroner. We just love third-party candidates with a sense of adventure! His performance and the interview will be on this week's show (show 12). RadioBoise will also broadcast a half-hour interview a few times during the week. We'll post those times when we learn them.

Sharon Ullman Interviews

Former Ada County Commissioner (2001-2003) Sharon Ullman is Curtis Pullin's guest on the show this week and next (shows 10 & 11). In part 1, Sharon talks about the role of the commissioners, budgets, and open government. In part two, she gives us the lowdown on Commissioner Rick Yzaguirre and the other commissioners' dirty deeds. Sharon received the Max Dalton Open Government Award in 1999. Link to Sharon's opinion piece in Boise Weekly from July 2005 about some of the topics discussed in the interview. Sharon recommends Free Market Duck to listeners (it's a little Randian in spots, but there's plenty of great stuff there). Ready to get involved in city government? Here are some local links: Meridian has a very crappy website and council meeting agendas are nowhere to be found. Eagle has a decent website with meeting agendas. Boise takes the prize for most accessible documentation on a website. All the relevant links are on the home page and you can even watch City Council meetings webcast from the comfort of your own home. Nampa city council agendas & minutes Caldwell's website is disastrous. There are some sporadic agendas (rather old, I might add) for some of the city commissions, but it doesn't appear that they post their city council agendas & minutes. Ada County Commissioners agendas but minutes unavailable online. Canyon County Commissioners agendas & minutes search (why they don't post them by date is beyond me)

Conscious Consumer: Cut Flowers

Are you aware of high traces of pesticides in floral bouquets? Organic Bouquet - online teleflorist that sells pesticide-free flowers Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the USDA The Smith River Project in California

Essay of the Week 7: Ostrich and Sheep

The inspiration for this essay is the testimony from Colorado State University Professor Richard L. Knight and California rancher Mike Byrne. It's actually true: some species are still around today only because they were put on ranches as livestock. However, in most cases, overhunting is what threatened them in the first place. A few remaining Florida Pelicans and American Bison were raised on ranches for feathers or meat and that's the only reason they're still around today. There is a story out there claiming that in the 1940s Sidi Mohammed, a boy in North Africa, was raised by ostriches for a decade.

4th Anniversary of USA PATRIOT Act

How many references to the USA PATRIOT Act in this week's show? Tell us how many by email and we'll write a small part for you into an upcoming Digby episode. That's right, the dastardly PATRIOT Act was passed 4 years ago this week. Idaho has had its share of successes in passing resolutions expressing our distaste: -West Bonner Library District passed a resolution on Monday, February 10, 2002 -Idaho County passed an ordinance on Monday, September 22, 2003 -Boise City Council passed a resolution 5-1 on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 -Moscow City Council passed a resolution 5-1 on Monday, June 7, 2004 -the Idaho Legislature unanimously passed a Joint Memorial encouraging passage of the federal SAFE Act (which would rescind some of the most egregious sections of the Patriot Act) on March 25, 2005 Idaho is one of the 7 states to have expressed statewide opposition to the Act. The others are VT, AK, HI, ME, CO, and MT. We're encouraging people to write letters to the editor about the Patriot Act and how much it sucks, before Congress reauthorizes the sunset provisions (any day now). For writing points, visit the Bill of Rights Defense Committee's information-packed web site.

I'm a Believer

This week we deviated from our tradition of writing original musical material and did a much-altered cover of I'm a Believer (by Neil Diamond/the Monkees). Rather than go for a traditional sound, we made it as different as possible: tenor sax, steel-string guitar, nordic fiddle, and no drums. I thought it was just a liberal fairy tale But now conservatives feel the same The Feds were out to get me Cos of the books I read I guess the Patriot Act isn't what is claims Then I saw that badge Now I'm a believer Not a chance I'll get a fair trial I've been detained now I'm a believer I couldn't leave here if I tried I thought the Bill of Rights would be my guarantee After all, I had nothing to hide It's un-American to fight it Something must be done About the terrorists--and baby, I'm not one Then I saw that badge Now I'm a believer Not a chance I'll get a fair trial I've been detained now I'm a believer I couldn't leave here if I tried What's the point of justice? All you get is framed when I needed defense, I got is blame Then I saw that badge Now I'm a believer Not a chance I'll get a fair trial I've been detained now I'm a believer I couldn't leave here if I tried

Interview with Diane Jones

Diane says that fall is the perfect time to kill your lawn! Here's how: smother your lawn with autumn leaves. Get them from your neighbors if you don't have enough, because you'll want a layer 6-8 inches deep. Wet them down to keep them from blowing away, and by spring, not only will your lawn will be good and dead, it will be nicely mulched with the decaying leaves. You can plant native perennials directly into it. Seed germination methodology for penstemons (if you want to try growing your own - now is the time!) Idaho Rivers United water conservation pages explains why it's important to reduce water use and gives you advice on how to achieve just that. Diane Jones runs Draggin' Wing Farm, which specializes in hardy, drought-tolerant perennials. You can still find her plants at the Boise Co-Op, and again in the spring at the Annual Idaho Native Plant Society Plant Sale. She's also at the downtown Boise's Farmers Market Saturday mornings. You can also visit her nursery Tuesdays 9am to noon, and 5pm-8pm through October. She is in the process of establishing demonstration beds to showcase the many varieties of xeric alternatives to lawns. and roses. Draggin' Wing Farm is located on Stinger St off Castle Drive in NW Boise. You can call her at 345-4199, or hardyplants@cableone.net.

Conscious Consumer: Getting Enough Protein

Many vegetarians and vegans have heard the all too familiar question, “You don’t eat meat!? How do you get enough protein?” The truth is, many Americans are getting too much protein in their diets. The average daily protein requirement is 20-40 grams—about the weight of 10 pennies. The average American eats 90-120 grams of protein each day. This can cause health problems including damage to the kidneys, calcium loss, and osteoporosis. A varied vegetarian diet easily provides all the necessary amino acids. You don’t have to worry about combining proteins. A variety of foods through out the day will suffice. Some excellent vegetable protein sources include grains such as brown rice, oats, millet, and wheat, legumes such as green peas, lentils, alfalfa sprouts, beans, tofu, textured soy protein, soymilk, and peanuts. Nuts and seeds such as almonds, cashews, walnuts, sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds are also good sources of protein as well as greens such as broccoli, collards, and spinach. Although it's not necessary, combining vegetable protein rich ingredients in one sitting can increase protein absorption by about 30%. Some examples that average 15-35 grams of high-quality protein are: corn tacos with pinto beans, soy yogurt with walnuts, whole grain bread with peanut butter and jelly, noodles with sesame seeds, and hummus made with tahini spread on pita bread. For more information visit: www.vegweb.com www.gentlebirth.org/nwnm.org/Diet_Prevents_Osteoprosis.htm www.vegsoc.org/info/protein.html www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/protein.php

Jeremy Sinkinson's Rant

Rainforest Action Network pages on Boise's promise to stop logging growth forests. This includes links to Boise's policy statement. Related news and links: Federal government's Healthy Forests Restoration Act Chris Maser, 1996. Salvage Logging: The Loss of Ecological Reason and Moral Restraint, International Journal of Ecoforestry, 12(1):176-178. Timothy Ingalsbee, Salvaging timber; scuttling forests: The ecological effects of post-fire salvage logging. Four-year study in Amazonia shows that selective logging is more damaging thatn clearcutting. Scientific American: Selective Logging Fails to Sustain Rainforest

Episode Guides

Episode guides to the show segments will be posted to the August Archive page from the navigation to the left.

Podcasts

All old shows are now available for download at 64 mbps bitrate quality. Just click on the green heart for podcasts or manual downloads. RadioBoise's web server has just been updated and soon all the material will be available on their site.

Ukiah Digby for Coroner #8 summary

Episode 8: Travis takes Ukiah to an emergency dentist when his tooth starts hurting during their dinner date. The dentist turns out to be a non-secular one, asking very personal questions about sex and drugs on the medical forms. The next day, Marteline gives Ukiah a hard time about dating Travis, and they share their information about Umatilla’s black-market dealings.

Have-It-All Habitat: Rapidus aquaeous

Rapidus aquaeous: Dr. Bachauser takes a motorboat ride with Larry Swearengin, who enjoys displaying his high-speed watercraft to all others in its midst in the lacustrine environment.

Essay of the Week: Bicycle Commuting

Marlene Raznick's secret formula for avoiding flats:

1. Armadillo tires are expensive but well worth it.
2. Mr Tuffy tire liners - buy them in a width that allows you to line the sides of the tire as well at the bottom for maximum coverage.
3. Invest in a decent tire pump with a built-in pressure gauge. Keep your tires properly inflated - check them every day before riding. Some flats are caused by not having enough air in your tires.
4. If you see any goathead patches, stop and pull a few up. The plant is an annual, meaning that if you pull it out by its root, it won't grow back. Do pick up any of the dangerous seeds, though, and pack them away. 5 minutes a day on your way home will clear a moderate patch in a week.

Slime, shlime. It's disgusting, messy, and may cause diarrhea (don't believe me? check the label). It has never helped me deal with any leaks or punctures, but more importantly, it contains propylene glycol. This chemical, being toxic to at least some mammals, has no justification being leaked and squirted all over the place by bicyclists.

Essay of The Week Supplemental

Gas prices push U.S. bike sales to near-historic peak Glory be: More bicycles than cars have been sold in the U.S. in the past 12 months. That's about 19 million bicycles -- nearing the 20 million sales peak during the early 1970s oil embargo -- and roughly $5 billion to $6 billion in business, according to the trade organization Bikes Belong. Though concern for the environment may factor into the two-wheeler surge, one bike-shop owner pins the new jones for cycling primarily on spiking gas prices. Sales of some auto brands, however, are holding high despite rising fuel costs: Hummers are on track for a year of record sales, thanks in part to the introduction of the H3, barely more mileage-conscious than the H2. The military-inspired vehicles project power, freedom, "and being able to go where I damn please," says auto industry researcher Wes Brown. "It's not just 'Let me by.' It's 'Get out of my way!'" If you're on one of those new bikes, watch out for Hummer-driving halfwits with a baseless sense of entitlement. from grist.org

Conscious Consumer: Homemade Seasoning Mixes

For all the budding culinary independents out there who would like to cook more but don't have the flavoring part of it quite down yet. Following are spice and herb combinations you can keep in an airtight jar. Add salt separately to each meal.

• Italian: basil, oregano, black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.
• Cajun: cayenne, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, thyme, and paprika.
• Indian: cumin, coriander, garlic, ginger, turmeric, and whole black mustard seeds.
• Jamaican: thyme, cayenne, onion powder, dried chives, black pepper, cinnamon, and a little sugar.
• Yemenite: for a blend that works especially well with tomato dishes, use fenugreek, coriander, cinnamon, black pepper, and garlic.
• Spanish: paprika, saffron, fennel seed, oregano, onion powder, and garlic powder
• Mexican: cumin, onion powder, cayenne, and one or more of any kind of ground chile powder. Not the chile powder you get in a jar - try getting the inexpensive bags of various ground chile varieties in the Mexican section in the supermarket or from bulk bins (New Mexico, Pasilla, California Chile, etc.).
• Moroccan: combine orange peel, cumin, coriander, ginger, oregano, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, and cayenne.
• Ethiopian (doro wat): mix ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, fenugreek, and cayenne.

You can also use these seasonings to marinate tofu by mixing them with a little oil, vinegar, wine, or soy sauce (you can also add honey or sugar). You can make delicious baked tofu by baking marinated slices on a cooking sheet in the oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, basting the tofu with the marinade, turning occasionally, until browned and most of the marinade has evaporated. Just make sure you use firm tofu. You can marinate anything and bake it.

After you've exhausted our podcasts...

and are still hungry for more vegan/lgbt/culturally diverse/politically radical-friendly entertainment, there are some other very cool transmissions out there. For instance, vegan freak radio, a podcast by a couple who describe themselves as "30-ish vegans, authors of Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World, and proprietors of VeganFreaks.org, where we blog about living life as the ethical vegan freaks that we are." Or there's post punk kitchen, the companion website to a vegetarian cooking show on public access television out of New York City. See clips from their vegan cooking show and read through the many text-based delights.

Ukiah's Recipes

In episode 7 of Ukiah Digby for Coroner, Ukiah cooks a vegan meal for his significant other, Travis. By popular demand, here are the recipes for the dishes mentioned. Buen provecho! Portobello Wellington Herbed Roasted Vegetables Apple and Beet Salad 8-10 red beets 6 McIntosh-type apples 8 large heads Belgian endive 3 med heads radicchio 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup olive oil lemon juice Wash and trim the beets and 3 apples and roast in oven at 350 degrees F until tender (about 25 minutes for the beets, less for the apples). When done, remove from oven and allow to cool. Peel and dice the other three apples and sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning in a large bowl. Peel and dice the roasted beets and add to the diced apple until well coated. Reserve remaining dressing for drizzling on individual servings, as needed. Peel and core the baked apples and combine with balsamic vinegar and olive oil in food processor. Blend until creamy. Pour dressing over the apple and beet cubes and mix. Wash, trim, and dry the endive and radicchio. Tear the radicchio into large but manageable pieces, and separate the endive leaves but leave them whole. Arrange them on a serving platter. Place the apple-beet mix on top.

Conscious Consumer: Processed Foods

This week's Conscious Consumer discusses the increasing prevalence of nasty stuff in processed foods: trans fats, whey, GMOs, not to mention artificial (and "natural") flavorings, dyes, and preservatives. This is a huge topic but you can begin your research at the following links. The Campaign to Ban Partially Hydrogenated Oils Organic Consumers Association RedDye40.org - food dyes "NATURAL" AND "ARTIFICIAL" - Excerpt from Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser I'd like to point out that "natural flavor" is synthetic, i.e., made from chemicals in a lab. They may have started out as "natural" sources but in the end the flavors come from a beaker. Some of the original sources are animals or plants, but the majority of flavors and artificial colorings are made from petroleum products and can include other health offenders, such as MSG. Each year 29,000 people in the United States are hospitalized--and 150 die--from food allergies, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food-safety group. Estimates vary, but 1 in 25 to as much as 1 in 6 Americans experience some kind of food allergy.

Ukiah Digby for Coroner #7 summary

Ukiah and his image consultant, Travis, have a dinner date that turns into an emergency trip to the dentist. Marteline uncovers some of Umatilla Kennewick's darkest secrets (which Travis had casually revealed to Ukiah) at the election clerk's office. Linden convinces Marteline to meet with him and exchange campaign secrets.

Today is National Coming Out Day

The Sagebrush Players are coming out in support of everyone in the LGBT community. This week's show highlights LGBT diversity: Curtis Pullin interviews Raven Usher, an LGBT activist here in Boise. She is also the editor of Diversity magazine. Raven talks about her transexual experience and gives advice for those who want to come out of the closet. Ukiah Digby has a scene where we meet his significant other, Travis, for the first time, and discuss homophobia and coming out of the closet. Meanwhile, the villains of the story plot against our gay hero by attacking his sexual orientation. If you live in the Boise area and are thinking about coming out, consider attending a Next Step meeting, a Coming Out discussion group that meets each Thursday at 7pm at The Community Center.

Smoke Signals

Rohn Webb presents his first Smoke Signals report this week. Farm Aid for Native American disaster relief and learn how to help Coastal Tribes Wallowa Band Nez Perce Interpretive Center Wallowa County government (for updates on any land-use decisions

Speaking of PCBs

General Electric Co. has finally agreed to dredge the PCBs it long ago dumped in the upper Hudson River of New York state, nearly 30 years after the contamination was discovered. With 43 miles of tainted river bottom to tend and total costs estimated at $700 million, it will be one of the biggest and most expensive industrial cleanups in history -- although it's still unclear how much GE will do. The company has committed to Phase One -- removing the worst-contaminated deposits, about 10 percent of all PCB-laced sediments -- but won't make a decision about Phase Two's dredging of less-contaminated mud until Phase One is complete. Some eco-advocates fear GE may yet weasel out of cleaning up the bulk of its mess. "It looks like there's a loophole big enough to drive dredging barges through," says the Sierra Club's Chris Ballantyne. But federal officials insist they've reserved the right to force GE to do the entire job -- or bill the company millions for cleaning it up themselves. straight to the source: Times Union, Elizabeth Benjamin, 07 Oct 2005

Ukiah Digby for Coroner summary, week 6

The Digby campaign's road sign crew, led by Hans, has a run-in with the law while putting up signs. As a result, a rumor is generated that the Digby campaign is run by Germans and Kennewick's campaign manager, Linden Cuttown, launches a smear campaign after enlisting the questionable assistance of Lodi Tundep (who was the one responsible for the unfortunate water-slide incident at the Flag & Family Picnic in episode 3).

Owyhee Initiative

This week's Essay of the Week discusses the Owyhee Initiative. For information on why this is not a good plan, go to this website. If you consider yourself an environmentalist, outdoors enthusiast, sustainable hunter, ecologist, anti-corporatist, socialist, populist, progressive, you should not support this bogus scheme. As the essay suggests, just because the word "wilderness" is in there doesn't mean you'll end up with any wilderness. Here are links to two environmental organizations you can trust: Western Watersheds Project and Committee for the High Desert. This week's essay is dedicated to the memory of Lee Mercer.

Poison Perfume - Supplemental

The Chemical Injury Information Network (CIIN) is a support and advocacy organization dealing with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) Linda Chae, founder of the ToxicFree Foundation owned a small cosmetic company and discovered that some of her products were making her customers sick Synthetic Perfumes, Colognes and Scents Are Turning Up Noses by Damon Franz and Holly Prall E magazine (sorry you have to pay to get the complete online copy but it’s in the Boise Library!) Lynn Lawson has written one of the definitive books on the subject, Staying Well in a Toxic World: Understanding Environmental Illness, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, Chemical Injuries, and Sick Building Syndrome

Commercial Eggs Less Nutritious More Bad than Backyard Eggs

See the test results showing that true free-range chickens lay eggs that are more nutritious and less cholesterol-laden than factory eggs at Mother Earth News See the abstract (or pay for the full article) of one study showing the transfer of factory farm drugs from hen to egg at Ingenta.com the online research service

Turning Up Noses article

Smelling Good but Feeling Bad published in E: The Environmental Magazine, Jan, 2000 by Damon Franz & Holly Prall Synthetic Perfumes, Colognes and Scents Are Turning up Noses Have you ever wondered which personal fragrance or perfume will make you the most attractive? If the person you're trying to attract happens to be a member of the Sierra Club, then the answer is probably none. In California last year, the club's San Francisco and Loma Prieta chapters resolved to "take action to discourage the use of fragrance products in all public places," and advocate that this position become a regional and national policy. Why does the Sierra Club care about how you scent your body or which fabric softener you use? Well, quite literally, these products are making people sick. For many, the use of fragrances like perfume, cologne, after-shave or scented lotion is a personal choice affecting only the user. But the phrase "personal fragrance" can be seen as a contradiction in terms. Fragrances are, by definition, volatile: that is, they quickly become airborne. Once they're aloft, they're easily inhaled by others, and this can create a health problem akin to second-hand cigarette smoke. Breathing Hard Exposure to fragrance chemicals may result in dangerous and painful asthma attacks in which muscle spasms, fluid and excess mucous obstruct the airways. Such attacks afflict about 14.6 million Americans and kill an estimated 5,000 each year, according to the American Lung Association. The Louisiana State Medical Center found that one out of every five of these asthmatics experiences an attack as a result of exposure to perfume. Even those with no asthmatic history may begin to have attacks after becoming "sensitized" to the chemicals in fragranced products. Betty Bridges, a registered nurse and founder of the Fragranced Products Information Network, was a healthy working mother who had never had an asthma attack before 1988, when her employer switched to a cleaning product with added fragrance. "Almost as soon as I sprayed the solution I couldn't breathe," she says. "After I ran outside to get some fresh air I could breathe again, but I was wheezing badly." Shortly after the initial attack, Betty began to have reactions to perfumes and other scented products. People afflicted with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) suffer a host of crippling symptoms upon exposure to low-level chemicals that most people can tolerate. Like Betty Bridges' asthma, MCS can begin at any point in an otherwise healthy person's life. The air freshener that smells great today can make you nauseous tomorrow. And the perfume that makes you feel sexy may be giving the person next to you a migraine headache. Sound unlikely? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn't think so. In 1991, it sponsored a study to identify the compounds found in many fragrance products, in part because "chemical sensitivity may be widespread enough to have significant effects on the country's productivity and health care costs." Asthmatics and MCS sufferers aren't the only ones feeling bad about the chemicals in fragrance products. In 1986, The French journal Ann Dermatol Venereol reported that "perfumes are the most common cause of skin allergy to cosmetic products." The same year, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) listed fragrances as a category of chemicals that should be given high priority for neurotoxic testing. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet taken NAS' suggestion, Anderson Laboratories has. Anderson is an independent testing lab that specializes in biological effects of polluted indoor air. The lab's president, Dr. Rosalind Anderson, reported in the Archives of Environmental Health that mice experience neurotoxic effects--as well as sensory and pulmonary irritation and airflow limitation--in response to fragrance exposure. Anderson says that her findings, in addition to human reports of adverse effects, are significant enough for her to advocate that people stop using fragrances. "We think that, even if you don't find yourself to be sensitive to fragrances now, you may be later on," says Anderson. "We also don't know if there is such a thing as silent lung damage." If you like scents so much that you're willing to risk your health and the health of those around you to wear them, you probably shouldn't move to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The city recently established fragrance-free policies in most of its public offices and many private businesses. And Halifax isn't the only city to make a public issue out of such second-hand health hazards. In Marin County, California, restaurant patrons are able to choose fragrance-free seating, thanks to the efforts of Citizens for a Toxic-Free Marin. Chemical Soup Since people have been using perfumes for hundreds of years, it's reasonable to wonder why the problem has surfaced only recently. But until the 20th century, perfumes were made from natural ingredients derived directly from plants and animals. As fragrances became cheaper and more widespread, they also became more synthetic. The National Academy of Sciences reports that 95 percent of chemicals used in fragrances today are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum, including known toxins capable of causing cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and allergic reactions. But surely, you might say, if there really was a significant health risk created by perfumes and other scented products, the federal government would protect people by attempting to regulate them, right? Guess again. Since the cosmetics industry is self-regulated, it isn't required to register its formulations, test results or consumer complaints with the FDA. "The cosmetics manufacturers aren't required to submit safety data, so we don't really know what sorts of tests they run" says Wayne Stevenson of the FDA Cosmetics Registration Section. "When they run tests, they keep the results in their own files. They don't share the information with the FDA." Human health risks aren't the only problem. Fragrances that are washed down the drain from laundry, shower and household cleaning activities may not be removed in waste treatment plants, and so they can stick around to contaminate animals and ecosystems. Synthetic musk chemicals in particular may be ecologically harmful "due to their high bio-accumulation potential in animals and in the aquatic environment, their general persistence, dermal permeability and insufficiently assessed toxicity" says Dr. Gerhard Rimkus of the Food and Veterinary Institute in Neumunster, Germany.Next time you reach for that bottle of perfume or cologne, remember that you're using powerful chemicals regulated solely by the industry that sells them. Remember that just because they don't affect you now doesn't mean they won't affect someone in line next to you, or that you'll always be immune to their effects. Think about where they might end up once they've disappeared down the drain. If you do have a reaction to scented products, take action. Complain not only to the producer of the product, but also to the FDA (for cosmetics) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (for other fragranced products). CONTACT: Consumer Product Safety Commission, (800)638-2772; Human Ecology Action League, PO Box 29629, Atlanta, GA 30359-0629/(404)248-1898; Office of Cosmetics and Colors, Cosmetic Adverse Reactions Monitoring Program, 200 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20204/(202) 205-4706.

Upcoming CIM Public Meetings

Communities in Motion Open House Meetings: 10/5 - 9 am to 8 pm at the Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho in Nampa 10/6 - 9 am to 8 pm at the Idaho Historical Museum in Boise Attendees can give input on their needs and ideas for growth in the Treasure Valley and public transportation. For more information, visit the COMPASS website.

Ukiah Digby for Coroner summary, week 5

On this week's installment of Ukiah Digby for Coroner, it's the battle of youth volunteer power. We meet another teen, Ash, who volunteers to work on the Digby campaign, and is caught between two cultures. The German exchange student, Hans, complains about his host families each trying to convert him to their religion. Taking the Digby campaign's cue of empowering youth and getting them turned on to politics, the dastardly Linden Cuttown recruits Claude Hairycoat as Youth Coordinator for the Kennewick campaign, who enlists an army of aggressively conformist "punk" teens to get out the vote. You can hear Kill Your Lawn, a song recorded by Ukiah Digby's former band Peabody, on this week's show.

Banned Books Week

This week's show reminds everyone that this is Banned Books Week. We tried to get an up-to-date list of currently banned books, but no one is forthcoming with such a list unless you pay for it or make the trip to the local library and request the information. So please pardon us for naming books banned previously in our promo. However, we were able to discern that the kinds of books under most fire this year seem to be those with gay & lesbian themes -- for once, it's actually not Huck Finn.

The Conscious Consumer

Links on genetically modified foods and Monsanto Corporation mentioned on this week’s Conscious Consumer segment: Organic Consumers Association Monsanto Corporation Sucks World Health Organization

Short Biography of Neem

Neem was born in Emmett, Idaho on June 10, 2004. She is a direct descendant of the Cochin (then known as Chittagong) chickens who catalyzed the craze for chickenry that swept the USA in the 19th century) but she is a member of the bantam wing of the current family (1/2 to 2/3 as large as her "standard" relatives). Her flock was small but approaching overcrowded when she, and one of her flockmates, Peelu, were adopted as week-old chicks by Gwen Sanchirico and Robert McMinn of Boise. The chicks took to their new home and became fast friends but tragedy struck after just a few short months when Peelu died. The circumstances surrounding her death are still unresolved and although it may have been an accident, forensic experts lean heavily towards a cat or dog murder. It was at this point that Neem, who had not previously shown much interest in humans began to bond with Robert and also showed an interest in the performing arts. Robert nurtured her interest in modern dance, acrobatics, cycling, and acting, and as soon as Neem was ready and an opportunity presented itself he used his connections to help launch her film career with Thai Chicken, The Movie by FTB Productions. Another FTB production, Triple-U came soon after and by all accounts Neem’s film career is taking off.

Bucky Buckaw's Chicken News

Local chicken celebrity Neem will be appearing in the film Triple-U which will be shown at the Idaho International Film Festival here in Boise. Triple-U will be shown with other shorts as part of the "Made in Idaho" screenings on Saturday, October 1st, 7:00pm at The Flicks, Saturday, and Sunday, October 2nd, noon at The Egyptian Theater. Sagebrush Variety Show Episode 5 will air September 27 and 28 and will include Bucky intervewing Chad A Rinn, Director of Triple-U and author of the original short story which inspired the film. To find out more about the multitude of entertainments (comics, literature, film, performing arts) created by Cecilia Rinn and Chad see their website at FTB Productions. For more info on the Festival see their website.

Welcome!

Over the coming weeks, we will be setting up the Sagebrush Variety Show blog with production notes and info, links related to content in the segments, and an episode archive available for podcasting. In the meantime, you can listen to the Sagebrush Variety Show at Boise Community Radio's webcast every Tuesday at 4pm and Wednesday at 8pm (Mountain Time).