the 941

It’s 1 pm in Tehran…in few hours we are marching in the stronghold of Adolf Ahmadinejad….Toop Khoone (Imam Khomeini Sq.) near Tehran Bazar and in the center of government realm…….VICTORY IS NEAR

This is the Facebook posting from Reza Rafiei.

Ahmadinejad leaving Sharif University, while the people he claimed have voted for him chant: “liar…liar”…..
Look at this midget dictator run away like a coward

I’ve been following the protests in Iran through my Facebook account.  Amongst the posts about what someone is eating for breakfast and the animals they are collecting for their farm, I am following the passion and bravery of the people in Iran who are demanding that their vote count.

On June 12, 2009, Iran held its 12th presidential election. This president is solely elected by a popular vote of the people. Before the election, it was considered a close race between current President Ahmadinejad and his key opponent, Mir-Hossein Mousavi. But as the polls were begining to close, the election was being called for the current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — in a landslide.

The Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran’s official news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes counted, incumbentMahmoud Ahmadinejad had won the election with 66 percent of the votes cast, and that Mir-Hossein Mousavi had received 33 percent of the votes cast. The European Union and several Western countries expressed concern over alleged irregularities during the vote, and some analysts and journalists from United States and Europe voiced doubts about the authenticity of the results.

Less than 24 hours had passed when the people poured into the streets in protest of a stolen election. In years past, the only news that we received was what the national media covered. Three-minute reports followed by 20 seconds of commentary. But now with the power of social media, I am able to not only connect with the people who are particpating in the protests, I am able to follow minute by minute.

My friend Betsy posts:
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Florida Power and Light (FPL) will be holding public hearings across the state to give its customers the opportunity to hear about its request for a rate increase to the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC). This coming Friday is the only one scheduled for Sarasota County residents before the PSC holds its meetings on this topic at the end of August.

FPL has requested a customer basic rate increase for residential customers using 1,000 kilowatt-hours or more per month.  While this rate may not directly affect you, it will make a difference to those with large families.

To understand this rate increase, know that it will amount to an additional $12.55 per month which is equal to 30 percent above the present rates. Yesterday, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune stated: “Weighing in FPL’s favor is the fact that the utility’s base rate has not increased since 1985,” and then went on to say FPL is hoping that it will be granted the right to raise its rates based in this fact.

But you should’t get caught up in semantics.

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TALLAHASSEE, FL- Legislation allowing tax collectors to accept partial payments of property taxes was signed today by Governor Charlie Crist. Senate Bill (SB) 1580, titled Partial Tax Payments, allows property owners to make partial payments on their current year property tax bill.

“What we have done is given tax collectors the ability to provide flexibility to Floridians when they pay their property taxes,” stated Representative Doug Holder (R-Sarasota), the House sponsor of the bill “Should they decide to do so, county tax collectors can now accept partial payments on property taxes up until the delinquency date. I encourage all tax collectors to allow property owners this flexibility.”

“I think this is a good thing for taxpayers and my office is looking forward to offering this service beginning in November,” said Barbara Ford-Coates, Sarasota County Tax Collector and supporter of the legislation.

The law will go into effect on July 1, 2009 and will apply to tax bills that will go out next November.

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A company once considered an opponent has become an ally in the fight against global warming.

(Washington, DC – June 9, 2009) Florida Crystals Corporation today became the latest company to join the award-winning Faces of Climate Change campaign and call for federal legislation to cap carbon pollution and support clean energy.

Florida Crystals’ Chairman/CEO Alfonso Fanjul and the company’s Vice Chairman/President J. Pepe Fanjul are featured in campaign’s newest ad, which was unveiled today. Florida Crystals, based in Palm Beach County, is America’s only producer of certified organic sugar. The company also owns and operates the largest biomass power plant in North America, which produces renewable energy. The ad details Florida Crystals’ use of sugarcane waste and other biomass to produce clean energy that powers its sugar operations and nearly 60,000 homes. Florida Crystals’
eco-friendly practices and renewable energy supply have allowed the company to offer consumers the first carbon neutral sugar products, which carry Carbonfund.org <http://Carbonfund.org> ’s CarbonFree® certification.

“We’re proud to be a leader in the clean energy industry,” said Alfonso Fanjul. “Our work is already helping to reduce America’s carbon footprint and bring us closer to energy independence.”

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This is the pinnacle moment in time for all of the environmentalists that have worked so hard to get here.  We finally have a president who understands how important our planet is and who grasps the severity of climate change. He has appointed a cabinet who not only understands global warming, but they are so well versed on the topic that they have written books and have supported large global efforts to fight climate change. We no longer have just a theory behind the suspicions, but we have the science that backs the arguments. Even the scientists have given us a how-to manual with little stickers to put on the calendar that mark the years of our efforts. And to top it off, we have a Democratic majority! What more could we ask for?

Well frankly, a lot. With that being said, we have the efforts of Chairmen Waxman and Markey who have written what started out as a very sweet energy bill. But like the rules of laundry, when you throw your colors in with the whites… everything comes out pink. But this time, your pretty new shirt is not only a different  color… it has also shrunk in size. The “energy” bill, while it originally promised 297,000 new renewable-energy jobs by 2025 and 222,000 new energy-efficiency jobs by 2020, it now has combined the energy efficiency and renewable energy portion of the bill, leaving barely enough money to put out a shingle.

In addition to that, there is a large portion dedicated to carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), or otherwise known as “clean coal” with $10 billion in rate-payer subsidies. And the way the bill reads now, carbon offsets are set up to allow someone to open up a polluting company here in the United States and off-set the carbon output by purchasing a small amount of land in South America. And the hardest of all to swallow is this: The recommended goal by scientists to reduce global warming is 25-40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80-95 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.  The current version of the bill would only reduce greenhouse gas emissions here in the United States only between 4 and 7 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2020. What happened to the math? Didn’t they read the label before doing the wash?

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Sarasota, Fl. – Myakka River Branch’s June Meeting at the Gulf Coast Girl Scouts of America Building

On Thursday, June 25, 2009, join members of the Myakka River Branch of the US Green Building Council (USGBC) at their June Meeting, taking place at the Gulf Coast Girls Scouts of America Building.

Monica Kennedy of Elite Solar Services and Jamie Schlinkmann of Inerjy will present an educational program titled “Solar and Wind – Technology, Applications and Tax Incentives” or “How can I get my hands on some of that stimulus money?” See some basic solar thermal and electric applications for commercial and residential property.   See a Florida company’s revolutionary wind turbines.  Recognize forces driving the adoption of renewable energy.

Program will include discussion of simple payback, ROI, incentives, rebates, grants, depreciation, cash flow, leases, power purchase agreements, feed in tariffs, renewable energy dividends, renewable energy credits, green power credits, net metering, grid parity and legislative risk. Is my site even a candidate for renewables?   How much can I buy to maximize the incentives available?  How many LEED points will I get towards certification if I install it?  Where am I going to come up with the initial investment? All that plus great food provided by Zest Catering, networking opportunities and a chance to be PART OF THE SOLUTION.

The Gulf Coast Girl Scouts of America Building is located at 4780 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota. … Event registration begins at 5:30 p.m. and the program begins at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 for USGBC chapter members and $20 for USGBC friends and non-members. Pre-registration is required and is available online at: sustainabletampabay.org. Click on the Calendar of Events/Programs page for registration information.

For additional questions or information, please contact Ben Sasse, Communications Chair, at bsasse@willissmith.com.

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Each year my husband and I like to get away, just the two of us, for one long weekend to spend with each other. So our son heads over to Grandma’s and we pack our bags and join the thousands of others who hit the road searching for a little rest and relaxation. But the thought occurred to us that by the time we travel to and fro, we usually need a vacation from our vacation.

Destinations like the Florida Keys and the Bahamas always come up when we run through the places that we would like to go. But this year, we thought that we might be missing out on what thousands of others are already taking advantage of… the beautiful sun and surf here in Sarasota. Like many of us, we’ve cut down on unnecessary expenditures over the recent years. So in that spirit, we thought that one of the ways we could trim not only the budget, but also the travel time from our trip was to think local.

And the more we thought about it, the more we liked the idea. Having a staycation might just be the right way to not get bogged down with all of the preparation that goes into a long-distance vacay.

Hardly any prep was needed. It didn’t matter what time we left because we didn’t have far to go. We didn’t even make reservations. We just threw our bags in the car and headed out to Lido Beach. And it didn’t matter if we forgot to pack something, because we could always run home to get it. It was total spontaneity when we stopped at the first hotel that we came across, the Lido Beach Resort. We walked right in and asked about availability. The rate was good and because we are residents of Florida, a discount applied.

Our stay was wonderful. The rooms were well-appointed and the view of the ocean was exquisite. Five minutes after arriving in our room, the front desk called to see if we were happy with our accommodations. Why wouldn’t we be?

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EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT: US Green Building Council, Florida Gulf Coast Chapter, Myakka River Branch Program: Going Green in a Tough Economy:

Sarasota, Florida  — On Tuesday, June 16, 2009, join members of the Myakka River Branch of the US Green Building Council (USGBC) for a special program titled “Going Green in a Tough Economy,” taking place at the Meridian Business Center Sales Model Building.

In today’s uncertain economy, it is becoming increasingly difficult to fund green initiatives. Tom Schiessle of West Florida Supply will address “green cleaning”, recycling, and other low cost solutions for facilities that are interested in applying sustainable practices in this economy. Program admission includes appetizers and beverages.

Meridian Business Center Sales Model Building is located at 6222 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, FL 34238. Event check-in starts at 6:00pm and the program begins at 6:30pm. This event is $5 for USGBC Chapter Members and $10 for USGBC friends and non-members. Pre-registration is required and is available online. … Click on the Calendar of Events/Programs page for registration information.

For additional questions or information, please contact Roger Landry, Existing Buildings Operations & Maintenance (EBOM) Committee Chair, at roger@indoorenvironmentaltesting.com.

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Eric Corey Freed is the author of Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies, an architect and representative of the nonprofit group, URBAN RE:VISION. He was recently at the Green Cities conference in Orlando talking about his vision of urban development and the project that he is the moderator for: RE:VISION Dallas.

I think every city should be looking at ways to become a sustainable city that is not “anti-growth” or “pro-growth,” but “smart growth.” Every city reinvents the wheel. When it came to their planning code, they copied someone else’s model. But instead of sharing knowledge between each city as to what works and what doesn’t work, they continue on as if they live in a vacuum.

Our measurement of growth is that you continue growing, but in nature that doesn’t happen. Animals don’t keep getting fatter and fatter until they explode… and so our cities shouldn’t. They should grow to a certain size and then stop when they are sustainable. But we haven’t done that. We have presented the idea that it’s an either/or. Either you live in the city or you live in the suburbs … and there’s nothing else in between. In truth, there’s a third alternative; which is fixing the city and changing the suburbs to make it a much more sustainable model that doesn’t force people to drive further and further every day. It’s not just the driving that’s the issue, but all the things that are associated with it … the further reach of materials and services, such as groceries. These things compound itself. People, I think, are too fixated on their very linear approach. It’s not that the consumer doesn’t have to drive far for groceries; it’s the supermarket that is required to drive further to get the groceries to the supermarket. And then all of the people who work there have to drive further to get to work. These things are all connected and we tend to forget all of that.

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Florida Renewable Energy Producers Association (FREPA) sponsored a seminar in Sarasota this past Thursday and Friday to talk about the impact that this past legislative session had on Florida’s green economy. Centered on how business in Florida is developing an edge by adapting renewable energy technologies into thier business plan, FREPA supported its efforts by including guest speakers like Susan Glickman, consultant for NRDC, and local politicians — Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, Rep. Doug Holder and Sen. Nancy Detert — to provide legislative insight. A variety of interested representatives of Florida Public Utilities, Mote Marine Laboratory, Ethnergy International and E3 Design Group and Building Service attended the seminar. Environmental groups like The Florida Alliance for a Clean Environment and the Sierra Club also showed up.

“My job is to help my company stay ahead of the curve and prepare for the future,” declared Joe Eysie from Florida Public Utilities as Rep. Fitzgerald and Rep. Holder talked about where they think the state is heading in it’s pursuit of energy. Both representatives were in agreement that Sarasota would be a prime candidate for a pilot program to demonstrate how successful a Feed-In Tariff program could be.  While not at all like Gainesville in the sense that we do not have a muncipal utility to work with, Rep. Fitzgerald  pointed out that Sarasota publicly supports efforts to become more energy efficient and keep our committment to be a “green city.” He spoke with confidence that Florida Power and Light (FPL) would be willing to explore the idea.

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