There has been some, though limited, dissemination of information about the electronic wasteland spreading throughout developing and third world countries. Since the rise of the electronic gadget Western countries have been shipping and then selling our electronic trash to countries such as China, Pakistan, Nigeria. Yesterday’s computers, cell phones, ipods, etc are then mined for the valuable metals, including copper, iron, cadmium and mercury hidden within the innards of our e-junk.

Greenpeace and other such groups have warned the global community that workers, with little or no protective gear, breathe in the toxic heavy metals, including lung-damaging cadmium as well as lead and mercury both of which are known to cause brain damage (see G2 Media Works, The Deepwater Project). And then there are the fumes. In order to fully strip the components the plastic and other shell parts are burned, giving off enormous amounts of toxic fumes. The long-term impact on the workers and villagers, including children, is monstrous; the effects on the earth’s atmosphere and our environment are enormous.

There has been a surge in developing, producing and marketing electronic components that use a much lower percentage of toxic metals. Which is great, but before buying a new product we first must deposit the old. So, of course, instead of throwing your cell phone into the garbage consider recycling options.

We recently received an email from Josh Dorfman at The Lazy Environmentalist offering a few suggestions for recycling your electronic trash.

His twist? “Earning Cash By Recycling Electronics.”

Below are listed Josh’s three recommendations for recycling outfits that provide free shipping to send them your cell phone, computer or digital camera and in return will send you a check. Pretty good deal, if you ask me.

Josh’s Top Three:

• Gazelle.com – Send Gazelle your used cell phones, digital cameras, MP3 players, laptops, GPS units, camcorders, gaming consoles, iphones and more, and the company will you pay you for them. When possible Gazelle refurbishes them and makes them available to its partners for resale. It’s possible to get great deals on refurbished at items at major retailers like Target thanks to Gazelle. Gazelle.com will send you a postage paid box in which to ship your items.
• Buymytronics.com – Buymytronics.com is on a mission to recycle used, new, and broken electronics. To make it worthwhile, the company pays you for them within 48 hours of receiving them. Send founder Brett Mosley and his team your old cell phones, cameras, game consoles, camcorders, and ipods, and they’ll send you cash. Buymytronics.com will reimburse you for your shipping expenses: $5 for the first item and $2 for additional items in the same package.
• Greeenphone.com – You don’t have to sell your soul to prevent global warming, but you can certainly “sell your cell.” Visit Greenphone.com to find out how much your used cell phone is worth and then print the free postage label and mail your phone to the company. Once Greenphone.com receives and verifies it condition, the company will cut you a check.

So, there’s a little food for thought and a bit of cash for food.

Thanks for the great suggestions, Josh (josh@lazyenvironmentalist.com).

Cafeterian

..is a slang term coined by Pile that refers to a theist who claims to be part of a particular religious affiliation (such as a “Christian”), who picks and chooses select aspects of scripture and dogma to follow, while ignoring contradictory or other scriptures, rules and dogma.

Since almost all religious people pick-and-choose how they want to interpret the nature of their faith and its tenets, you could say all theists are “cafeterians” but there’s a special brand of theist, usually Christians, who like to spend a lot of time and energy calling themselves “real Christians” and railing against other “fake Christians” who don’t follow their particular interpretation of scripture, what Jesus is all about, or other aspects of their faith.

These “cafeterians” basically select what they want to believe in, not unlike one would visit a cafeteria and select specific plates of food, while ignoring everything else.

Here’s a classic example of a “cafeterian” diatribe:
The basis of Christianity is the teachings of Christ. You don’t have to look up the Hebrew meanings to know that. What Christ says goes first. The rest is just unnecessary commentary, and/or backstory. What does Christ say? Love God and Love Others. But that’s not what every Christian does. –User:Reflectionist

If all Jesus said was “love god and love others” then the bible could be a half-page long. Isn’t it convenient that this Cafeterian has condensed the entire nature and history of Christianity into this simple sentence. It’s up to us to trust him that this guy somehow has figured the whole of Christianity out. Sure. One might also note the long-standing term “Salad bar theism”, the idea being someone who approaches their religion like they do a salad bar, picking only the bits that “taste good” while ignoring the rest. Maybe this is why there are more overweight people in the Bible belt than any other part of the U.S. I do know from experience that if you expect to eat at a local buffet on Sunday, you had better get there before churches let out…if you wish to eat. I guess they are rewarding themselves for enduring the services and worship.

1903 – The oldest recipe for the club sandwich was published in the Good Housekeeping Everyday Cook Book, by Isabel Gordon Curtis in 1903. The recipe states:

Club Sandwich – Toast a slice of bread evenly and lightly butter it. On one half put, first, a thin slice of bacon which has been broiled till dry and tender, next a slice of the white meat of either turkey or chicken. Over one half of this place a circle cut from a ripe tomato and over the other half a tender leaf of lettuce. Cover these with a generous layer of mayonnaise, and complete this delicious “whole meal” sandwich with the remaining piece of toast.

1930′s - Some historians think that the sandwich was originally only a two-decker and that it originated aboard the double-decker “club cars” of our early trains in America that traveled from New York to Chicago in the 1930′s and 1940′s.

James Beard (1903-1985), American chef and food writer wrote the following about the Club Sandwich:

. . . it is one of the great sandwiches of all time and has swept its way around the world after an American beginning. Nowdays the sandwich is bastardized because it is usually made as a three-decker, which is not authentic (whoever started that horror should be forced to eat three-deckers three times a day the rest of   his life), and nowadays practically everyone uses turkey and there’s a vast difference between turkey and chicken where sandwiches are concerned.

DON’T TAKE THEM TO TIME SQUARE

On Sunday I met my doctor/artist (no joke, he has two careers) brother-in-law, Peter, at the Frick Museum. I had never actually been inside the Frick,honestly the $15 just felt like too much of a commitment, but, I was informed, the Frick has pay-what-you-want hours on Sundays. Free hours, on a Sunday afternoon, get out! But, yep from 11 – 1 the Frick is donation priced; we traded a penny each for tickets and I spent a couple of hours wondering around a very beautiful museum, gazing at a fabulous self-portrait by Rembrandt and other sumptuous pieces to goggle at (pun intended). I

Which brings me to the topic of today’s dish: have you ever googled “fun things to do in NYC” when some fool has decided to visit for the week? Well I have and came up with nadda. I mean, please, do you consider Rock Center and those damn double decker buses real options? Yet it seems when under pressure (visitors always put me in a state of panic) I can’t think of a single NY cultural event or fun bit of entertainment that won’t cost a fortune and doesn’t include bar hopping. So, now that I’m calm, cool and collected (no visitors insight) I’ve come up with a few ideas; maybe they’ll start a revolution in your mind too.

• Brooklyn Bridge day-tripper: both fun and free with superb views and all the NYC historic-tourist-hoopla a person can handle. On a sunny day, this is a great treat for your visitors and yourself. And, during the summer months, if you walk from the Manhattan side to Brooklyn, I highly recommend ending your day at the free outdoor movies in DUMBO. With the Manhattan Bridge as a backdrop and one of the best movie lists in the city this is a great evening option for you and your guests.
• An evening on the Brooklyn Promenade. This used to be one of my favorite things to do when I visited NY as a kid. Although it has changed (by leaps and bounds) this is actually a good thing. If you start on the southern end (while pointing out the bridges, gawk at the Manhattan skyline, etc) you will arrive at a park (below the Brooklyn Bridge) that serves up yummy finger food with a beer/wine selection and a great view of the bridge lit-up.
• The all time show stopper, the Staten Island Ferry. This round-trip tour of the NY harbor provides great views of downtown Manhattan, the Stature of Liberty, Ellis Island, etc along with the ferry’s own real-life charm. Definitely pick a sunny day or dry evening so that you can stand outside and lean against the rail. (DO NOT sit inside; this will crap-out the whole adventure.) Oh, and did I mention the fee for this tour? Free, no charge, no bill fold/wallet necessary, oh and no plastic accepted.
• A pick-nick at The Cloisters. Part of the Metropolitan Museum this beautiful old monastery houses great tapestries and other period appropriate artwork. But, to be honest, I have never spent much time inside. I head straight for the garden and then out to the grounds. With a view of the Hudson River and the quiet (yup, I said and mean quiet) surroundings, the lawns are a great way to spend the afternoon with the Sunday Times and blanket and good company. My advise is to take the bus (at least for the latter part of the trip) which can be a great way to see the sights of upper Manhattan, giving your visitors a better view than the inside of the subway tunnels and will drop you off right in front of the entrance.
• The 72nd Street boathouse. I’m not sure about the food but the view is nice, the marina is cool and the strolls in this area of Riverside Park are pretty deluxe
• Gallery hop. This is a free way to see great art, but is also an entertaining way to show your guests different neighborhoods. It gives a purpose to the trip while really investigating NYC. Williamsburg has some great galleries and is also a really fun area to walk around, and of course the many other areas, including Chelsea, that are full of galleries waiting to be discovered.
  
• So they want to go to a show? Well, skip the Broadway shows. Off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway plays are, overall, better options. The performances are actually good, the experience of traipsing to the theater more interesting, the cost is less and the choices for pre or post dinner are definitely better. There are also great dance and live music venues that really shouldn’t be missed (& I don’t mean Madison Square Garden). You may have to look a bit harder for the good stuff, but I guarantee avoiding the crap, the crowds (where everyone else is from out-of-town) and the cost is a lot easier.
• Finally, I’m going to include my one of my personal favorites, entitled, “Walking Tour of NYC’s Deluxe Bathrooms.” Museums often have great bathrooms, as do the swankier bars and restaurants but one of the best resources for a bathroom tour is the department-store-lined Fifth Avenue. The key here is to do a little window shopping, step inside an appealing store, try on, ask about, man-handle a few of the pricey items and then (CASUALLY) head for the toilet. One of my all time favorite resting rooms is located on the second floor of Tiffany’s. Ah, to be Queen for A Day.

So, I hope these teaser ideas get your brain going; the list is endless and if you try to conquer New York with your neighborhood and borough in mind I guarantee you’ll come up with a ton of fun, non-traditional, tourist-traps.

Best Italian? NY vs NJ

Hands off my hero, Hoboken. 

Brooklyn’s Barosa has a Chicken Parmigiana that could make me slap my mother. 2 thumbs up for this Hero Sandwich. In my humble opinion, one of the best sandwiches East Williamsburg has to offer, or at least the best I’ve tasted thus far, and I know my chicken parmys. Sauce is excellent, the chicken is yummy – a tender breast of white meat meets a nicely toasted sesame bun. 1 complaint: they wrap the sandwich (for delivery) while the cheese is still pippin hot. Good? Bad? When I open the package in the comfort of my own home, there is a good amount of cheese stuck to the foil. I’ve mentioned this weak point to the restaurant’s management and have seen some improvement. Barosa’s solid Italian menu is reasonably priced and they do take plastic. Barosa Brooklyn is located at 312 Graham Avenue between Ainslie and Devoe (east side of the street.) Give them a call at 718.218.8135

Montague, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, was a hardened gambler and who spent hours gambling at local restaurants, often refusing to get up even for meals. The legend has it that one night, during a marathon of gambling, he ordered his valet to bring him “a chunk of meat tucked between two pieces of bread.” And thus the sandwich was born – because Montague also happened to be the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, others began to order “the same as Sandwich!” For you history buffs: Montague, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, was First Lord of the Admiralty and was patron to Capt. James Cook (who explored New Zealand, Australia, Alaska, Hawaii, and Polynesia.).

THE ARGUMENT AGAINST PRO CIVIL UNION DEMOCRATS

I recently read an op-ed piece in the New York Times, “Why I Now Support Gay Marriage” (June 12, 2009). The writer, a Long Island Catholic Democrat (go figure), tells us why he switched his stance in the gay marriage debate from “yeah, civil unions” to the enlightened view that all couples (gay and yes, even straight) should have the right to be married by  the State of New York. Many “gay-friendly” Democratic-voting (aka Liberal) folks are all for civil unions for their gay friends. Yet when it comes to gay couples getting the right to  marry, the freedom-loving-rights-for-all Democrats wonder why gay marriage is necessary – given the historical and religious connection around The Word marriage – you know,  respecting the faithful and heterosexual shit involved. A few years back my very wonderful, very liberal uncle gave me a similar reaction when I seemed just a little too adamant about  the whole issue: the “I mean really, is this necessary” type of response. And I had a hard time not walking across the room and giving the guy a swift kick on his freewheelin’ ass.

I get this exasperated feeling when I fear that we’ve forgotten some basic good ‘ole American rights (i.e. the Constitution of the United States of America, the Bill o’ Rights, the civil liberties of every American citizen). Hmm, lets’ see if I can come up with a couple of important tags for ya’ll.

First, we’ve got the heavy weight contender, the 1st Amendment, that much lauded Separation of Church and State. Why should the laws of the United States & the rights of its citizens be converted into Christian doctrine? Hey, I don’t want to get married to my (female) partner in your church, man.

Second: hey Dems remember separate but equal? Take a real close look at the rights within a civil union and then take a look at those found within a marriage (or just go talk to a good estate lawyer). ‘Cause my friend as the saying goes, shit floats and those rights you all feel so righteous about “giving” me? Well, they float. And while it may irk my personal being that I can have equal rights just as long as they aren’t the same as yours, the most important and damaging issue facing you civil union junkies is the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. There’s this little Equal Protection Clause that requires states to provide Equal Protection Under the Law for ALL of its citizens. I mean who gets to decide which rights are shared and which rights belong to a Chosen Few?

So, please, go study your legal bible and don’t be telling me about the nice little civil union package you’ve dealt up as a gift or loving letter of acceptance to all of us gay folks. The main issue is not your acceptance or the sanctity of your church or even your historical affiliation and tie to The Word marriage. The main issue involved in the civil union vs. marriage debate is the Law of the Land. It’s time for us to throw the book at ya’ll: you can’t fight justice, no matter how hard you try. In the end the civil rights of the homosexual community will far out way the Sentimental needs of the heterosexual majority.

How to Go Green in Five Easy (&Cheap) Steps or Tips for a Sustainable World

I recently asked the owner my local deli to switch the take out coffee cups from the Styrofoam he was using to paper cups. He looked at me a little askance but when I pleaded for the planet, drew visual images of landfills covering the earth and offered to pay a few cents more per cup of coffee, he smiled and nodded his head. When I came in the next morning, his smile was bigger than usual as he nodded toward the new stack of paper coffee cups. I haven’t seen Styrofoam since.

There is a lot of talk these days about going green and at the same time there’s been a lot of talk about “being green” as a privileged experience, a luxury purchase. But there are actually many things we can all do to help heal our planet, keep our carbon footprint down and work toward sustainability. Below are five things you can do that may even save you money.

(I thank the many people involved to help get this information.)

• Recycle EVERYTHING. Recycling can be time consuming, messy and inconvenient. You will need to clean out containers, separate different parts of packaging, and keep multiple receptacle cans. But you would be amazed at the amount of items you can recycle and the effects are huge and long term.
• Stop flushing your toilet. No I don’t mean forever, but have you ever considered the amount of water used to flush a toilet? There is a saying, “if it’s yellow it’s mellow if it’s brown flush it down.” Words to live by.
• Buy a metro card instead of a gas card. I’ve been living in NYC for a while and it never occurred to me that all kinda fools were driving cars around this fair city of ours. I mean hey, have any of you heard of the subway system? I know it’s not always as convenient or pleasant. I mean, seriously, where else can you blast your 70’s classics? But the carbon footprint you leave behind every time you drive that bad boy down the street, well let’s just say if every New Yorker flushed there car keys down with their brown, we’d be much closer to a sustainable society.
• Read a book. Our televisions use up so much electricity that keeping the boob-tube off an hour more every day can have a significant impact on the environment, your electricity bill, and though its not for me to say, but I will, on your brain.
• Reuse it until it refuses. Instead of throwing things out: put your trash in those plastic deli bags that are impossible not to amass; utilize scrap paper – do you really need a new piece of paper for the grocery list? and instead of buying plastic containers for storing food reuse that container that came free of charge with your Parmesan cheese.
• Can you come up with any others?

Finally I’ve attached this link so that you can calculate your green-fluence:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/greendex/calculator.html

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