January 2010 Newsletter Coupons (Printable Version)

Tom's Tidbits - The New Year can start with real change!

Why won't our leaders make the obvious, basic changes needed to improve our society?  If they won't, what can a lone individual possibly do?  Even trying can seem pointless, but this month we have articles about two events that might help.

You can join your neighbors at the BrightNeighbor rally, and learn real ways to improve your food security, build stronger communities, and reduce your carbon footprint.    Or, check out the Illahee Lecture Series.  Starting in February and running through May, this powerful series brings you face-to-face with some of the leading thinkers in the progressive movement.  You'll learn what others are doing to bring about the change they want in society, and how you can implement the changes you want as well.

It's a new year, full of new opportunity.  Seize this opportunity to take Ghandi's advice and "Be the change you wish to see in the world."  Happy New Year!

Make a great day,

In the December 2009 newsletter we told you that most of the vehicles you see on the side of the road are there because of cooling system failures.  What about the rest?  Most are victims of battery or charging system failures. 

Your car could not function without its charging system, which primarily consists of the alternator and battery.  The alternator is the heart of the charging system, converting the mechanical energy of the engine into DC electricity to power all the electrical accessories and maintain the battery.  Many people think that electrical power comes from the battery, but as long as the engine is running all of the power for the accessories is delivered by the alternator.  Alternators are designed to maintain the charge of a functional battery, not to recharge a failing one.  The quickest way to kill an alternator is to put it to work struggling to maintain a failing battery.  As well as damaging the alternator, continuing to run a marginal battery can also cause damage to the starter motor and starter contacts. When an alternator is replaced it is critical to make sure the existing battery is in good shape or it can cause the replacement alternator to fail.

Batteries are actually a load on the charging system, and only supply power when the accessory load (defroster, AC, headlights, etc.) exceeds the alternator capacity, when the engine is at a very low idle, or when starting the vehicle.  When an alternator fails, the vehicle switches to the battery for its power and will continue to run until the battery is dead.  Sometimes a vehicle won't start if it has a failed alternator and low battery, but other times the vehicle starts fine and then fails on the road when the battery finally dies.  If you are not sure how old your battery is, have it tested.  You should consider replacing a battery known to be over 5 or 6 years old even if it tests OK now.  Most new vehicle batteries are rated for 36 months, and while a small number fail within this period, most will make it 4 or 5 years.  It's rare for original equipment batteries to survive more than 5 years.  Usually extremely hot or cold weather will sort out marginal batteries at the most inconvenient time. 

In many cases charging system failures can be prevented or repaired before a breakdown causes major inconvenience or larger expense, but it requires a careful inspection of the systems BEFORE problems become obvious.

Preventative maintenance service of the electrical system should always start with a careful visual inspection, which can identify many critical problems.  This visual inspection should cover:

• belts and pulleys
• belt tensioners and idlers
• battery exterior condition
• battery hold down, and
• battery cable connections

Any visually apparent defects will need to be corrected before any deeper testing can be done. For example; a battery that is discharged can’t be tested properly. The battery would require charging, which takes several hours, before a battery can be tested accurately.

After a visual inspection has been performed and problems corrected, electrical testing can begin.  Make sure the testing equipment is up-to-date!  In the last few years a new generation of testing equipment has come online that is far more accurate than the equipment available only 5 years ago.  Electrical testing should include:

• Testing the battery for resting voltage
• Testing the battery for capacity and reserve
• Testing alternator output and diode condition
• Testing the starter for excessive draw and electric signature
• Testing the resistance of ground circuits
• Voltage drop testing

What can you do by yourself?

I have seen major and avoidable expense caused by battery acid on electrical harnesses and other sensitive electronics near the battery. If you see fuzzy acid crystals growing on or near your battery, you probably need to replace the battery and clean and neutralize everything that has come in contact with the acid.  Battery acid can cause major damage to the battery tray, battery cables and power feeds, fuse and circuit breaker holders, battery hold downs, and anything else exposed to the highly corrosive acid. 

It is much better to replace a questionable battery than to risk the consequences, but all batteries are not created equal and cheap batteries are not a value.  We have tested many brands in the almost 30 years we have been servicing vehicles.  We only stock high quality batteries like Interstate and AC Delco for most of the vehicles we service.

Checking the charging system is a standard part of our comprehensive and seasonal inspections, so if you've been in for either of those services then you can be sure your charging system is ready to go.  If you have any doubts, we'd be happy to perform a preventative check your vehicle’s charging system anytime for you at no charge.  If you are not sure about your battery or charging system please call us. Let us help you make sure your charging system does not leave you on the side of the road!

Rabble Roused At January 28th Happening
Bright Neighbor event promises fun, food, worms.

We're constantly working to not only make Tom Dwyer Automotive a top-of-the-line automotive repair facility, but a strong and forward-thinking part of the community as well.  One of the companies we keep running into (by choice as well as coincidence) is BrightNeighbor.com, a Portland start-up that's implementing software and social systems to help strengthen the fabric of our neighborhoods and communities.  On January 28, from 7p to 9p at First Unitarian Church, they'll be putting together a community rally to show what individuals and companies are doing to actually bring about progressive change. We want you to take part!

Randy White, founder of BrightNeighbor, was glad to tell us about the event.  "We've all been sitting around watching while Obama’s military advisors plan extensions for war and his economic advisors rebuild ways to extract wealth from our communities.  That's not what we believe makes a strong community or country.  We believe that strong communities happen when people go out and learn each other's names.  When they find ways to make things happen by relying on each other.  When the idea of neighborhood is more than address, when it's something people feel.  On January 28, we'll be hearing about creative but practical ways to help strengthen our Portland communities.  The rally focuses on three main areas: Food security, community building, and carbon reduction."

It's going to be quite an event, covering everthing from alternative economies to worm farming.  Featured speakers include Dave Dahl from Dave's Killer Bread, Bo Rinaldi of Blossoming Lotus, and Charles Letherwood from our own Tom Dwyer Automotive Services.  "We want to bring in leaders in the progressive business community in Portland," Randy said.  "It's important to know that progressive, community, and environmental values aren't incompatible with business.  Seeing that businesses cannot only survive but thrive when they live by these values give other people confidence that they don't have to check their ethics at the door when they try to earn a living."

It's not just a review of what's been happening, though, it's also an event that looks to the future.  "We aren't waiting for the city government and 21-year plans anymore. We want to take the lead.  One of our major upcoming events will be a massive 95-neighborhood-wide fruit and nut tree pruning / grafting set for February 6th (pruning) and early March (grafting).  At the January 28 event we'll sub-divide the audience into neighborhoods and organize to get ready for that event."

It's easy to see the responsibility of corporate shills in the pillaging of our society.  But it's also easy to forget that the responsibility for the health of our communities was never theirs... it is, and always has been, ours.  Come to the community rally January 28th from 7 to 9 pm at First Unitarian Church, and take a step toward participation in your community.  More details are available at www.BrightNeighbor.com, info@ejag.org, or FixOurCommunity.org.  We hope to see you there!

Goodbye To A Portland Automotive Icon
Harold Dick, Automotive Perfectionist, dies.

Harold Dick was unique in the world of auto repair.  You probably haven't heard of him unless you were in the "inside circle" of people he accepted as clients, but Harold was an automotive perfectionist.  Much like the "Soup Nazi" of Seinfeld fame, Harold was so enraptured with automobiles that he would only accept you as a client if you showed the proper respect for your complex machine, and gave it the obsessive care he thought it deserved.  Harold didn't advertise; he didn't even have a listed phone number for his business.  But for 40 years he gave his clients the best in automotive pampering.  Here are links to three stories that give you a glimpse into the life of this Portland original.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/lifestories/2010/01/life_story_harold_dick.html
http://theredelectric.blogspot.com/2010/01/harold-dick-man-who-fixed-car-owners.html
http://obits.oregonlive.com/obituaries/oregon/obituary.aspx?n=harold-j-dick&pid=137846297

We all know the golden rule... the one with the gold rules!  The solutions for many of our economic, social and environmental problems are vetoed by the gold-laden powers that benefit from the status quo.  Progressive change must come from us... but how?  What power can bring about the future we want?  Knowledge! Knowledge is power and here's how to get some! 

Starting this year, we're very excited to be one of the sponsors of the Illahee Lecture Series.  The series starts February 2nd at First Congregational Church, 1126 SW Park in Portland.  Doors open at 630p, and the speaker starts at 730p.  Illahee, from the Chinook meaning "earth, ground, land, country, place, or world, is a "non-profit organization providing participants with practical tools for understanding the nature of our home in the Pacific Northwest, and for taking care of it.  We value questions and innovation above dogmatic pre-determined answers.  Our focus is environmental issues, but environment is so interconnected with society, economics and culture, that we have to reach beyond environment when we explore issues.  While our core mission is inquiry, the result has been a better-informed public that feels a sense of community and direction."

But it's not enough to just complain about the world and navel-gaze, so we'll be talking about more than just abstract theory.  We'll learn how other people successfully take on powerful interest groups to make real, tangible change our world, and how we can do the same.  The time for sitting on our butts has past.  With the power of knowledge we can help make a difference, and we hope you join us for this powerful series.  The schedule and some information about the speakers is below, but you can get all the details at the Illahee website, www.illahee.org. 

2010: Power and Change Speakers
2.2.10      The Power to Change Our Minds - Jonah Lehrer
2.22.10     Power, Change and Energy - Richard Heinberg
3.15.10     Power, Change and Food - Wes Jackson
4.12.10     Power Change and Money - Jessica Jackley
4.26 10     The Nature of Power - Robert Greene

2 February - Jonah Lehrer- The Power to Change Our Minds
Jonah Lehrer is a Contributing Editor at Wired and the author of How We Decide and Proust Was a Neuroscientist. He graduated from Columbia University and studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He has written for The New Yorker, Nature, Seed, The Washington Post and The Boston Globe. He is also a Contributing Editor at Scientific American Mind and National Public Radio's Radio Lab.

22 February - Richard Heinberg- Power, Change and Energy
Senior Fellow-in-Residence at Post Carbon Institute, Mr. Heinberg is best known as a leading educator on Peak Oil—the point at which we reach maximum global oil production—and the resulting, devastating impact it will have on our economic, food, and transportation systems. But his expertise is far ranging, covering critical issues including the current economic crisis, food and agriculture, community resilience, and global climate change. Heinberg is author of nine books, including The Party’s Over, Peak Everything, and the newly released Blackout.

 15 March - Wes Jackson- Power, Change and Food
 Wes Jackson is founder and President of The Land Institute.  He is the author of several books including New Roots for Agriculture and Becoming Native to This Place and is widely recognized as a leader in the international movement for a more sustainable agriculture. He was a 1990 Pew Conservation Scholar, a 1992 MacArthur Fellow, and a 2000 Right Livelihood Award recipient. Jackson's focus is the development of natural systems agriculture and the transformation of our food systems.

12 April - Jessica Jackley- Power, Change and Money
 Jessica Jackley is a co-founder of Kiva.org, the world’s first peer-to-peer online microlending website. Kiva lets Internet users lend as little as $25 to specific developing world entrepreneurs, providing affordable capital to help them start or expand a small business. Kiva has been one of the fastest-growing social benefit websites in history, connecting hundreds of thousands of people through lending across over 150 countries.

26 April - Robert Greene- The Nature of Power: from Ramses to Rove
Maybe it's time for sustainability advocates to toughen up, in which case they might want to talk with Robert Greene. He doesn't preach “random acts of kindness.”  In fact the release of his book The 48 Laws of Power prompted New York Magazine to declare “Machiavelli has a new rival.  Greene is a sought after management strategist and has consulted to businesses in the U.S and abroad about image-building and strategy.  He has been invited to lecture by Google, Microsoft, and the US Olympic Governing Body among many others.

2010 Special events:
3.27.10     Maude Barlow: Water Warrior
5.18.10     The Power of Nature - Gary Snyder, Jerry Franklin, Ursula Le Guin

27 March - Maude Barlow: Water Warrior (At the University of Portland's Confluences: Water & Justice)
One can easily picture Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians, outside the corporate headquarters of Suez or Veolia, all alone, bullhorn in hand, shouting to the executives on the 47th Floor, "Come out, I have you completely surrounded." But one can also picture hundreds of corporate executives coming out with their hands up.  Because Barlow isn't alone, she has millions of people behind her.

18 May - Gary Snyder, Jerry Franklin, Ursula K. LeGuin The Power of Nature: Mount St. Helens 1980 – 2010
For most people, the word "power" evokes images of captains of industry, leaders of nations, spiritual guides, and sometimes their own personal journeys and relationships.  We often forget that the human enterprise is puny compared to nature writ large. A single thunderstorm releases more energy than a nuclear blast. And a volcanic eruption dwarfs both. On 18 May 2010 Illahee will join with the Mount St. Helens Institute, the Spring Creek Project, and the U.S. Forest Service to bring three profound environmental thinkers together to reflect on the power and change inherent in our close neighbor, Mount St. Helens, thirty years to the day after its historic eruption in 1980.

Drew’s Kitchen
Linguine with White Clam Sauce

If you learn to make this Linguine with White Clam Sauce now, then the rest of your year will be something to celebrate.  Quick and simple, this is a wonderful light main course with salad.

• Prepare linguine according to package directions.  Drain well
• In a small saucepan, combine cream, butter and nutmeg.  Simmer 10 minutes or until butter melts and mixture is well combined.
• Stir in cream cheese, chopped herbs, and garlic.
• Add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and clams.
• Cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Pour sauce over linguine and toss.  Garnish with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
• Cook time 15 minutes.  Makes 4 servings.  Serve with salad and garlic rolls.

Like the man says, "If you're not furious you're not paying attention."  You've heard about "clean coal" as a cheap, environmentally acceptable, abundant fuel source to meet our country's energy needs.  Horse puckey.  Aside from the impacts of actually use of the coal once it is mined, many people don't know that the current coal mining technology involves actually destroying entire mountains to get the coal.  Not just damaging them a little or messing up the trees, but erasing them.  Completely.  OK, not completely... the unusable rock is dumped into streams or used to fill entire valleys, while the untreated runoff is released into the groundwater to poison whole regions. 
Here's a few links to let you know about the problem, and one that can give you a way to help.

http://www.cleanskies.com/videos/scientists-stand-against-mountaintop-removal

http://www.umces.edu/mining.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIwO9Z3IlRo&fmt=22

http://www.ilovemountains.org/news/637

http://www.earthjustice.org/our_work/campaigns/stop-mountaintop-removal.html

http://www.ohvec.org/galleries/mountaintop_removal/007/

http://www.nrdc.org/energy/coal/mtr/

http://madrad2002.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/unprecedented-scientific-report-details-mountaintop-removal-horrors/

http://getenergysmartnow.com/2010/01/08/science-blows-the-top-off-mountaintop-removal-mining/

http://www.palmerlab.umd.edu/index.html

http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2010/01/07/bombshell-study-mtr-impacts-pervasive-and-irreversible/

What can you do...
http://action.earthjustice.org/campaign/cleanwater_0809?qp_source=landingpage- Tell congress to pass clean water act