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.