Author: Paul Deaton

Climate Reality in Independence

Post author By Paul Deaton
Post date March 19, 2014

Earth Week Presentation at the Independence Public Library

INDEPENDENCE, Ia.– Paul Deaton, a climate leader for The Climate Reality Project, will make a presentation titled, “Earth Week: Climate Reality in Iowa,” on Thursday, April 24 , at 6:30 p.m. at the Independence Public Library as part of the library’s Earth Week activities.

The presentation will address the science of climate change, then focus on recent extreme weather events around the world and in Iowa. It will include discussion of the 2012 drought and last year’s weird hydrology cycle of a very wet and late spring coupled with drought throughout much of the summer, connecting the dots between climate change and the extreme weather. After the presentation, there will be a question and answer period.

About Paul Deaton

Paul Deaton is a native Iowan. He is a member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps, part of a global initiative with more than 5,000 leaders trained personally by former Vice President Al Gore. Deaton participated in the first Earth Day in 1970, and has been speaking and writing on climate change, nuclear non-proliferation, foreign policy and renewable energy for a number of years. He retired from CRST Logistics, Inc. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he was a director of operations. He has been a board member for a number of non-profit organizations during recent years, and worked on a number of projects as a consultant. He is currently serving a four-year term as a Big Grove Township Trustee. Deaton holds a Masters Degree in American Studies from the University of Iowa Graduate College, and is a former United States Army officer. An empty nester, he lives with his wife Jacque near Solon.

About The Climate Reality Project

The Climate Reality Project, founded and chaired by former Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore, is dedicated to unleashing a global cultural movement demanding action on the climate crisis. Despite overwhelming international scientific consensus on climate change, the global community still lacks the resolve to implement meaningful solutions. The Climate Reality Project exists to forge an unwavering bedrock of impassioned support necessary for urgent action. With that foundation, together we will ignite the moral courage in our leaders to solve the climate crisis.

For more information click here.

Tags environment, The Climate Reality Project

Environment

Sunrise on Snow

Post author By Paul Deaton
Post date March 18, 2014

LAKE MACBRIDE— Snow lies on the north side ground near the house, but not for long. The long winter is over, and once the ground thaws, spring will truly have arrived.

There are signs.

I walked the long ditch in front of our property to pick up a discarded can and newspaper. The ground was matted by the heavy snows, and sandy from snow pushed from the road by the contractor. It was also lined with acorns missed by wildlife. The hopeful sign that new Bur Oak trees will be possible— but not here, where I’ll put them under the tree for squirrels and deer to consume, if they wish.

When I arrived at the warehouse yesterday, the aisles were crammed with pallets of yard and garden goods, waiting placement before members arrived. The seedlings I planted indoors are doing okay, although the lettuce is not germinating as well as broccoli and kale. There will be more planting this week.

A retired U.S. Army soldier has been posting a letter to the editors of several newspapers around the state regarding the Keystone XL pipeline, and how we need it for national security reasons. I’ll believe that when the refineries re-tool to handle the 3 million barrels of light sweet crude being exported each day resulting from production in the Bakken and Eagle Ford formations, and in West Texas.

So begins another day in Big Grove— a place beaten down by winter, but ready for spring’s renewal.

Tags environment, spring, winter

Work Life

Drinking Fountain

Post author By Paul Deaton
Post date March 17, 2014

CORALVILLE— Perhaps the best perquisite of my warehouse job is the public drinking fountain. At anytime, I can partake in the cool, filtered water to quench my thirst. Maybe I’d like something more substantial, something that would pay the bills or reduce expenses. Yet the water is very good— and it meets a human need.

All around me, in every social setting, I hear stories of people who work for low wages and no benefits. People don’t talk much about this as a collective idea, yet it is everywhere. It is a way for companies to minimize the cost of human resources. It is also becoming the new normal.

Understanding the low wage, no benefit, temp worker culture is important, as it’s the life many people live. I write often about temp workers, wages, unions, and work because to survive in the seventh decade of life every source of income and expense reduction has become important. In a way, it represents preparation for the infirmity of being elderly. Health and mortality have become an issue as I proofread the weekly obituaries at the newspaper. A lot of the subjects are people younger than me, and already, I feel like a survivor.

My newspaper colleague Milli Gilbaugh recently wrote about people in my age group. “What we need is another 20 year category between “middle age” and “elderly” that includes the years from sixty to eighty. Maybe the word “older” would work, or “retired” which isn’t necessarily accurate, but it does give an indication of the age span involved. […] The term “retired” has a bunch of problems in that not everybody in the 60 to 80 year age range is retired. Some may be retired from life-long careers and spend their time supposedly enjoying the golden years, […] but most are still working, or have retired and taken a “retirement job” with less stress, fewer hours, and considerably less pay.” While Milli doesn’t cover everyone who works a low wage job, she defines something relevant that people haven’t been discussing.

Recently, when applying for a job at a large company, I knew my chances were slim. They mentioned on their website that the normal retirement age was 62. When they replied to my application, “after careful consideration, we have decided to continue our search for a candidate whose background and qualifications more closely match the requirements of the position,” I wasn’t surprised. I recognized the legalese for “we don’t want you, whatever your qualifications.”

I’d rather work for people who want me in their organization. As long as our family makes enough to live in kind and money, we’ll be okay. Better than that, we’ll live in a way that is better then a large segment of the global population. A global village that doesn’t take drinking water for granted.

Tags Sustainability, worklife

Sustainability

Pizza, Lemonade and Crudités

Post author By Paul Deaton
Post date March 15, 2014

IOWA CITY— I dropped off a check at the Waterfront HyVee last night to reimburse the airfare of Daniel Hale, a veteran who worked with the armed drone program in Afghanistan, to come to Iowa. When I arrived, a group of about 25 people had just partaken of pizza, lemonade, coffee and crudités.

It was the beginning of a gathering of Veterans for Peace and Catholic Workers to protest the U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle program. Saturday at 10 a.m., there is a demonstration at the Iowa Air National Guard base in Des Moines. Monday, Saint Patrick’s Day, dozens of Midwest Catholic Workers are expected to commit nonviolent civil disobedience during a second protest at the base. The events have been well choreographed, and it’s not the first rodeo for most of the folks expected to participate.

Hale spoke of his experience in Afghanistan as an intelligence soldier, focusing on a particular mission where one target was killed, along with four other people. He had no idea whether the four others were combatants, even as the military identified them as such. What he described was consistent with other narratives about how drones are used. The event was life changing for him, and should be for the rest of us.

We’ll see if the corporate media covers the story, and importantly, whether the demonstration makes a difference in U.S. policy toward drones.

Tags Veterans for Peace

Home Life

Tortilla Hot Dish

Post author By Paul Deaton
Post date March 14, 2014

LAKE MACBRIDE— Mexican-style entrée with no name. Maybe that’s a better appellation for a layered and baked casserole using tortillas, tomato sauce, refried beans, cheddar cheese, green chilies, home made chili sauce. cilantro and canned corn. I would never go to the store and buy ingredients for the dish. Rather, it’s a way of using up pantry ingredients. Mighty tasty for lunch, or breakfast.

So it is with a lot of things in Big Grove. The contemplative musings of winter gave way to practical work: fitting too much stuff into the short days. Like the nearby Cedar River, my banks are swollen with the stuff of life— vital fluids coursing through the heart of the country. Winter has signaled its end, and the lengthening days do not recompense winter’s beating. There is a lot to schedule and do.

Tags homelife

Environment

Letter to the Editor

Post author By Paul Deaton
Post date March 13, 2014

Hogg Uses Science to Explain Climate Change
To the editor of the Cedar Rapids Gazette
March 13, 2014

A March 8 guest column by Gary Ellis, “Global warming debunked,” suggested that state Sen. Rob Hogg had “confirmed” to the author that those who are concerned about climate change are acting based on “good intentions” not “good science.” That is not right.

I have read Hogg’s book on climate change, “America’s Climate Century,” and he carefully reviews the science that tells us that climate change is a major concern facing our country.

The book is an excellent introduction to the issue and I highly recommend it. It is available at area libraries.

I also have heard Hogg speak about climate change.

Again, Hogg does an excellent job explaining the science if you ever have the chance to hear him.

As Hogg points out, leading scientists have warned us that the effects of climate change are expected to increase substantially in the coming decades.

We urgently need to cut greenhouse gases and get ready for future climate-related disasters.

Tags climate change, environment, The Climate Reality Project

Home Life Kitchen Garden

Last Winter Soup

Post author By Paul Deaton
Post date March 13, 2014

LAKE MACBRIDE— Taking the last of the root vegetables– four kinds of potatoes, three kinds of turnips, and beets– and six jars of canned goods, two kinds of beans, barley, peas, onion, celery and carrot, I made the last batch of winter soup last night. It cooked until bed time, when we turned the heat off to sleep. In the morning, I brought the mixture to a boil, then turned the heat down to simmer until it becomes soup.

All that’s left in the fridge from last year’s local harvest is a couple of daikon radishes and some cabbage. There is plenty of garlic in the pantry, and a single spaghetti squash, but that’s it for fresh. It will be a few weeks until spring produce begins to come in at the markets. The soup and remaining canned goods will have to last.

Yesterday, I finalized plans for a presentation titled, “Living Non-traditional Lives: Focus on Finances.” It is part of the American Library Association “Money Smart Week,” which is a national initiative in its fourth year between the ALA and the Federal Reserve Bank (Chicago) to provide financial literacy programming to help members of our community better manage their personal finances.

Here’s the blurb I posted on Facebook: “Will be speaking at the Solon Public Library on April 12 about living without working a conventional 5 x 8 job as part of Money Smart Week. I plan to focus on: my personal work history, including what it means to be a writer in a time of social media; the role of jobs, the role of households and family, and personal finance in alternative lifestyles (banking, debt, income, taxes, bartering, health care, transportation, communications), deciding what’s important (community engagement, family, stress management, health, time management).”

My Climate Reality colleagues are meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa today where Al Gore is making his slide show presentation. The organizers didn’t know the exact number of attendees, as visa and finance problems deterred some who had registered. However, it looks like about 700 new members of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps, from many nations, will join us at the conclusion of the 24th training session.

Tags cooking, local food, The Climate Reality Project

Work Life

Transportation Required

Post author By Paul Deaton
Post date March 12, 2014

CEDAR RAPIDS— Vehicular transportation is required when a person lives in rural Iowa. Horses and bicycles won’t do, so there are trucks and cars. A year ago I bought a 1997 Subaru Outback Legacy to get me around, and it has been a serviceable vehicle. It was popular in its day, and remains so.

Most repairs can be effected by a mechanic in town, but a few items require the dealership support of trained mechanics, certified parts and the latest diagnostics. It’s an example of accessing the global supply chain and technical support staff. I seldom, if ever, want to make the trip, but am there now, using ultra slow WiFi to connect to the Internet while I wait.

The days are filling up with activities, but the whole system depends, upon getting around and hauling stuff with me. At least there is coffee.

Tags worklife

Work Life

Day in the Life

Post author By Paul Deaton
Post date March 11, 2014

LAKE MACBRIDE— The winter of thinking and planning is over, leaving the doing and its requisite long days and short nights.

Yesterday began at 5 a.m. with finishing my newspaper article about the forestry meeting in town. Afterward, I spent a couple of hours at the farm, worked a shift at the warehouse, and attended a meeting about the global roll out of a nuclear abolition initiative with Rotary International. I returned home at 9:30 p.m. It was a long day.

Rotary International is engaged in its final work to eradicate polio around the world. What’s next for them may be working with others to bring an end to nuclear weapons. I signed up as one of three Iowa speakers for International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War, and its U.S. affiliate, Physicians for Social Responsibility, as we seek to engage Rotary Clubs worldwide. Rotary International and the International Red Cross Red Crescent Societies are the only non-governmental organizations recognized by the United Nations, and both have expressed an interest in nuclear abolition for humanitarian reasons. This is a really big deal, even if we don’t hear about it in the U.S. corporate media. I am thankful to be a small part of it.

The seeds planted indoors have sprouted. The growing season has begun.