In the Pipeline represent centripetal ideas that go deeper into the psyche, inviting light into semi- or un-conscious thought patterns and behaviors whose unconsidered consequences can no longer be disregarded as minor, irrelevant or consistent with twenty-first century realities. As these ideas represent works in progress, they are still "in the pipeline". The first Pipeline topic listed below concerns an effort that began in 1992 to redirect the Titantic (taking the form of the governmental decision makers of San Juan County, Washington) away from the iceberg infested waters of a comprehensive plan destined to obliterate the delicate harmony of a staggeringly beautiful and unspoiled archipelago, turning it into another exclusive Gucci and carmel double cappucinno glitterati wasteland. The fat lady has yet to sing / the story continues. After one disappointing legal outcome, an elderly warrior for the have nots opined that we were spattered with blood but not yet dead. This effort has a centripetal goal, but the means so far have unfortunately been adversarial. The second introduces a book, touching on themes mentioned above, entitled "Potholes in Paradise", published in 2009. The book represents a condensation of the David vs Goliath challenge noted above, reframed in an upbeat, illustrated, general-readership format in hopes of inspiring readers to connect with their inner-citizen and move from inactive, right past reactive, to proactive. The third Pipeline Project takes on what might seem as a Sisyphean task, that of nudging this country toward an "elegant frugality" (to quote Amory Lovins) regarding electrical energy use. Additional ideas in this Pipeline Project are listed in the navigation bar under "Energy Education."

Challenging San Juan County's comprehensive plan. You might say "whaa?" as most do in contemplating the comprehensive plan of the county in which they live. My guess is that an almost unmeasurably small fraction of citizens of any county even know a comprehensive plan exists, (or ought to exist) where they live, much less have read it, and, should they have made some attempt to read it, and even smaller percentage would understand it. This is certainly the case in the rural county I live in, which has earned the distinction of having the greatest gap between the haves and the have nots of any county in the country. Given that this islands-only county is considered one of the most beautiful spaces in the world, it deserves better treatment than implied in Joni Mitchell's verse: "Don't it always seem to go, you dont' know what you've got til its gone; They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

Potholes in Paradise explores the challenge presented by at least two of the temptations of the Buddha (desire and fear) as they emerge into the form of a eden-like island located in the northern reaches of Puget Sound. While the book concentrates on this island, it is intended to serve as a metaphor for any beautiful place in America (Aspen in the 1960's, or Martha's Vineyard in the 1920's, or Bozeman in the 1990's) that has been, is, or will be dramatically changed, more or less irreversably in a direction away from natural beauty, in pursuit of some ever-undefinable and certainly unreachable definition of heaven on earth. The introduction to the book, Follow Your Heart, is offered here. The book is available through the Book Store (see Navigation Bar at left).

Light is used to unmask the invisibie. Light is mostly created by electricity, ironically a fuel whose production and distribution are for the most part considered invisible. Electric power is "just there",  like roads. We use it, but rarely do we understand the fundamental realities, much less the nuances, that leverage this fuel into virtually all aspects of human activity. Like roads and airports, electrical demand has peak and off-peak use. During peak use, a road system slows down, an airport is crowded, planes are delayed, people are disamused. Electrical power can't "slow down" during peak periods—under the worst conditions, brownouts and blackouts occur. Utility companies want to avoid the disruption induced by failing to meet peak power demands, so new power plants come on line to ensure that the peak load is always met, even if most of the rest of the day, or month, or year, the plant is either off or running far below capacity. Each of us can lend a hand toward reducing the number of new fossil fuel (generally coal) power plants that need to be constructed based on the projections of rising demand for power, particularly peak power, by making decisions that shift our demand for electrical energy to the off-peak times of the day (generally evenings and night time). Many utility companies offer "time of day" or "time of use" pricing options to help "shave the peak" or "shift the load" from the peak to the off-peak time of day. Under these schemes, the cost per kilowatthour (Kwhr) during the peak period is relatively high compared to the "standard" or non-time of use pricing, while the cost per Kwhr during the off-peak is relatively low compared to non-time of use pricing. If a customer wishes to simultaneously save money and contribute to an effort that will avoid the need for new power plants, he or she will request time of day pricing and then change behavior to take advantage of this pricing. Here in the northwest, with some of the least expensive electricity prices in the country, I am able to save hundreds of dollars a year off my electrical bill by making relatively simple changes in my behavior: I don't use any large electricity consuming appliances in the morning (like the dryer, the oven, the hot water heater, etc.) To learn more about electrical options for the future, and how you can participate more consciously (i.e., unmask the invisibility of the consequences of your behavior), ask questions of your utility or, for some serious reading, try Amory Lovin's "Energy End-Use Efficiency" (PDF-340k) located at http://www.rmi.org/rmi/Library/E05-16_EnergyEndUseEfficiency   Amory may be the most knowledgeable person in the U.S. regarding the options for achieving energy independence without global climate consequences. (for an abstract of an article "Mr Green" on Amory by Elizabeth Kolbert in the New Yorker, see http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/01/22/070122fa_fact_green ) Yes we can!

Cauldron Bubbles is a collection of essays exploring a man's view of important relationships. Many of these essays are offered here to nudge men, and women, into a more intimate and honest communication with themselves and with their partners. The centripetal direction here is to move from text to subtext, whereby each of us speaks as close to our emotional border of understanding as we can get, regardless of our own discomfort. It is here that we are most vulnerable, most alive, pushing for truth, pushing past the personal, social, religious and cultural barriers that keep us acting like sheep. A few of the essays are offered here. Stardust Memories I don't speak woman Motion Notion Stone Soup Supertanker The Zone When to hold 'em, when to fold

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