Comments sherrieh has made

  • One thing's for certain: this affair provides good evidence for Jones' contention that Republicans can be assholes.  And like Jones said in the very video Trainwreck Beck is pointing to as if it disqualifies Jones, we need Dems willing to be assholes, too, because assholes get things done.

    On Will Glenn Beck bring down Van Jones after all? posted 2 months, 4 weeks ago 47 Responses

  • It seems that as I use them less, I receive more of them: in my little town west of Boston I get FOUR phonebooks a year from three different publishers.  They're all small, but sheesh.

    On Is it time to get rid of phone books? posted 3 months, 1 week ago 9 Responses

  • When the colonists boycotted tea imported by the British, they turned to local plants as substitutes: strawberry leaves, raspberry leaves, bee balm, Ceanothus, and Labrador tea were all used.  And of course roasted chicory and dandelion roots are well-known coffee substitutes, roasted barley is somewhat less familiar but very tasty, and all of these more locally growable substitutes have the advantage of being caffeine-free.  (Or disadvantage if you're groggily reading this in the early morning)

    I've never eaten a paw-paw, but I've heard they make good subsitutes for bananas in smoothies, and can be grown in much of the continent, being hardy to zone 5.  I can tell you from personal experience that "Cossack Pinapple" ground cherries do make a very pineapple-tasting smoothie, freeze beautifully, and are SO easy to grow.

    On Can we be 'green' and eat tropical products, too? posted 5 months, 1 week ago 7 Responses

  • For what it's worth, I googled "almond milk thyroid" (without quotes), and most of the results referred to soy milk as problematic for the thyroid, many counselled almond milk as an alternative to soy, and none linked almond milk to thyroid problems.  I'm curious how it measures up environmentally against the other not-milks mentioned in the article.

    On Navigating the non-dairy 'milk' aisle posted 7 months, 1 week ago 26 Responses

  • Has anyone ever compared the energy efficiency of the different types of timers themselves?  I would assume the motor in the dial type makes them somewhat less energy efficient, but would be curious if anyone has verified or contradicted that with a load meter.

    On Ask Umbra on light timers posted 7 months, 1 week ago 5 Responses

  • get that you're matching chicken for chicken

    and keeping cost steady, but I'd love to see a vegetarian or vegan meal in a meal to meal cost comparison with their deep-fried bucket of bits.  I'm pretty sure one could easily feed 5 for less than 15$.On Cheap-chicken ad from KFC hides true cost of food; here's a tastier, low-cost alternative posted 9 months, 4 weeks ago 17 Responses

  • Here's another vote for home carbonation

    you can find seltzer bottles/soda siphons for under 40$, and the chargers run ~50¢.On Umbra on diet soda posted 1 year, 3 months ago 13 Responses

  • Their emphasis on "The West"

    seems to ignore that growth in China and India guarantee global demand will remain high; OPEC et al. wouldn't sell less oil in some hypothetical world in which all westerners drive low-mpg vehicles, in fact they'll probably sell more, just less of it to us.On The WSJ alleges that our use of hybrids increases oil prices posted 1 year, 3 months ago 23 Responses

  • Stock tubs

    are usually polyethylene(or metal).  exampleOn Umbra on kiddie pools posted 1 year, 5 months ago 11 Responses

  • Our local WF gave us a fabric bag

    because we spent over 60$.  Not sure if that's just here, so ask when you go.  They also say in their press release that they'll have 99-cent bags that are made from plastic bottles.On Whole Foods to stop giving out plastic grocery bags by Earth Day posted 1 year, 10 months ago 18 Responses

  • Hilarious

    Corporations and governments sure do love the free market, at least until empowered consumers choose not to buy products.  If Monsanto or Pennsylvania truly believed ignorance was the only reason consumers avoid these products, the proper response would be educating those consumers, not increasing the ignorance by hiding information consumers want and other producers are willing to provide.On Pennsylvania bans hormone- and antibiotic-free labels on dairy products posted 2 years ago 21 Responses

  • Her friend is right

    It is illegal to relocate wild animals in Massachusetts.  I'd go with the ultrasonic deterrent.On Umbra on live trapping posted 2 years, 1 month ago 28 Responses

  • "crab" cakes

    Shredded zucchini makes great "crab" cakes, it's super-easy, and most kids like fried food as a rule.On On kids, zucchini, and an experiment with pizza soup posted 2 years, 2 months ago 7 Responses